UPDATE: Binder Casting Joins Troika Entertainment in Clarifying New TOOTSIE Tour Casting Breakdown

UPDATE: On Saturday, June 2, Binder Casting released a statement about a recent casting breakdown for the upcoming non-Equity tour of TOOTSIE. The statement reads:

"Let's just face it, sometimes you have the best intentions, but your overall execution doesn't match. The Tootsie tour casting breakdown that was sent out by Binder Casting yesterday was intended to help us receive more submissions from non-white performers. Instead, it resulted in a major miscommunication, for which we greatly apologize.

It remains imperative to everyone involved that we achieve equal representation of all people in the acting company. As such, we specifically put out a breakdown seeking persons of color to submit for every principal role in the hope we'd receive more such submissions so we could then present a diverse range of talent, which has always been the mandate of the creative team, who were unaware the breakdown had been released.

Unfortunately, the way it was communicated rightfully lead many to misinterpret our true intention and for that we are deeply sorry. It is a lesson learned in how we communicate casting breakdowns in the future, and we promise to continue to strive to make diversity and inclusion a top priority here at Binder Casting. Moving forward, Binder will further work to clarify statements on our breakdowns letting actors and representation know what our casting goals are-what we're seeking, specifically in terms of diversity and inclusion, and what we want to achieve.

We all need to do better and be a part of the change. Now is the time to listen, learn, stand with the voices of change, and move forward together."

Troika Entertainment, a theatrical production company that specializes in national tours, has issued a statement to clarify a casting notice which called for submissions from only people of color for the upcoming national tour of TOOTSIE. The tour will be going out non-equity, though work had been done on an Equity production, including offers to actors and stage managers. The tour is set to launch in October in Buffalo.

In a statement, Troika said "As was outlined in the initial casting breakdown, all roles in the national tour of TOOTSIE are open to people of all ethnicities. With this morning's casting notice, Binder Casting was seeking to solicit additional submissions to ensure a diverse cast. We apologize for today's ill-considered language and confusing miscommunication."

On Broadway TOOTSIE played played 293 regular and 25 preview performances. TOOTSIE opened on Broadway on April 23, 2019. The musical features an original score by Tony Award winner David Yazbeck (The Band's Visit, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn (13; Dame Edna, Back with a Vengeance), choreography by Tony Award nominee Denis Jones (Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas), music direction by Andrea Grody (The Band's Visit), and directed by nine-time Tony Award nominee and Olivier Award winner Scott Ellia (She Loves Me, On the Twentieth Century).

TOOTSIE tells the story of a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime - as the star of a new Broadway musical.

TOOTSIE is based on the story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart and the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture produced by Punch Productions and starring Dustin Hoffman.