VIDEO: HAMILTON Defends 'Non-White' Casting Notice Against Charge of Discrimination

Actors go into the business of theatre knowing that talent and the capability to play a role aren't always enough to get the job. Sometimes there are physical requirements either dictated by the author or artistically preferred by those making casting decisions. The height, weight, general appearance and, yes, the perceived ethnic background of an actor could, in many cases, be considered indispensable aspects of the hiring process.

But from a legal perspective, job listings for acting roles might be considered no different from job listings for, say, an administrative assistant, a construction worker or a restaurant server, and, while a character may be described in a certain way, the language used to describe those applying for the job must fit certain anti-discriminatory requirements.

Then there's HAMILTON, Lin-Manuel Miranda's smash hit Broadway musical that was created around the concept of having actors who are not white playing America's white founding fathers and their contemporaries in the style of modern-day hip hop artists.

As previously reported by BroadwayWorld, the producers of HAMILTON have sent out a casting notice specifying they are "looking for non-white men and women, ages 20s to 30s, for both the Broadway production and upcoming national tours. No theatre experience necessary."

Representatives for the production say the language used was approved by Actors' Equity, but CBS News reports that civil rights attorney Randolph McLaughlin of the Newman Ferrara Law Firm claims the notice violates New York City's anti-discrimination laws.

"What if they put an ad out that said, 'Whites only need apply?, says McLaughlin. "Why, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians would be outraged."

New York City's Commission on Human Rights reports no complaints about the notice as of yet and producer Jeffrey Seller is quoted as saying, "I stand by it and believe it to be legal."

Good news - Hamilton's digital lottery is officially back for the winter, meaning that fans can enter online daily for a chance to see one of Broadway's biggest hits. Better news - this means that digital #Ham4Ham is back, featuring surprise performances from the cast. Enter in the digital lottery at www.hamiltonbroadway.com/lottery.

The cast of Hamilton is comprised of Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton), Daveed Diggs(Marquis De Lafayette,Thomas Jefferson), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler),Christopher Jackson (George Washington), Jonathan Groff (King George), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler, Maria Reynolds), Javier Muñoz (Hamilton alternate), Okieriete Onaodowan (Hercules Mulligan, James Madison), Leslie Odom, Jr. (Aaron Burr), Anthony Ramos (John Laurens, Philip Hamilton) and Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton).

From bastard orphan to Washington's right hand man, rebel to war hero, loving husband caught in the country's first sex scandal to Treasury head who made an untrusting world believe in the American economy, Hamilton is an exploration of a political mastermind. George Washington,Thomas Jefferson, Eliza Hamilton, and lifelongHamiltonfriend and foe, Aaron Burr, all attend this revolutionary tale of America's fiery past told through the sounds of the ever-changing nation we've become. Tony Award nominee Thomas Kail directs this new musical about taking your shot, speaking your mind, and turning the world upside down.