VIDEO UPDATE: Chicago Area's Marriott Theatre Defends EVITA Casting, Diversity Outreach

As previously reported by BroadwayWorld, Chicago-based actor Bear Bellinger, whose February essay for Vox titled "I'm a black actor. Here's how inequality works when you're not famous," described everyday indignities he's experienced throughout his career, posted on his Facebook page last week an open letter to Lincolnshire, Illinois' Marriott Theatre regarding their upcoming production of EVITA.

According to Bellinger, only one person of Latin heritage had been cast in their production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical about the rise of Eva Peron and her husband, Argentina's president, Juan Peron.

"Even if you subscribe to the idea that most Argentines are of European origin and are therefore 'white,'" Bellinger writes, "you cannot escape the fact that their culture is Latin. Using only one actor of Latin descent is irresponsible to that truth and a lost opportunity to feature a group of people who are regularly ignored on our stages."

"You are situated outside of a city that is 28% Hispanic or Latina/o (that is a number from 2010 which has, certainly, grown since). Most of your acting talent is drawn from that city."

In an NBC News report, Bellinger says that his letter was intended to start a conversation. Alex Sanchez, who is directing and choreographing Marriott Theatre's EVITA, says that only a few actors of Latino descent auditioned. Emjoy Gavino, founder of the Chicago Inclusion Project says that the issue is not just with the Marriott, but with the entire theatre community.

In an exchange posted on Twitter, A.B. Lugo, the associate director of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), asks the Marriott what steps were taken to insure diversity in their casting. The theatre's executive producer, Terry James, replied that outreach to encourage and solicit minority actors to audition is an ongoing effort and focus, and expressed interest in a continuing conversation to help improve their efforts.

The full exchange can be read by clicking the Twitter post below.