White Company of PORGY AND BESS in Hungary Asked to Say They 'Identify as African-American'

According to The Guardian, there is a production of Porgy and Bess happening in Hungary, featuring white actors, and the company is going to extreme lengths to get around the issue.

The Hungarian State Opera has asked its white singers to sign a waiver stating that they "identify" as African-American.

The company first put on the production last year, which led to a disagreement with the Gershwin estate, which states that the opera should only be performed by a black cast.

Now, the production is back for six performances.

In addition to the casting issue, media outlets in Hungary are also speculating that the company is using illegal photocopies of the score that were rented for the original performance.

According to Hungarian website Index, the show's singers were asked to sign a paper that read: "I, the undersigned, hereby state that African-American origin and identity are an inseparable part of my identity. Because of this I am especially glad to be able to perform in George Gershwin's opera, Porgy and Bess."

The general director of the Hungarian State Opera, Szilveszter Ókovács, told Index that he gave a series of questions to the singers, which included "What colour is 'black' on the Pantone scale?"; "One of Barack Obama's grandparents was 'white', do you think it would be right if he performed in Porgy and Bess?"; and "Would you remain calm if you paid for a product displayed in the shop window, but the shop assistant informed you that you cannot buy it because you are not black?"

Programmes being sold in the lobby of the theatre state that, "The manner in which this production of Porgy and Bess is being produced is unauthorised and is contrary to the requirements for the presentation of the work."

Read more on Guardian.

Porgy and Bess is an English-language opera by the American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play Porgy, itself an adaptation of DuBose Heyward's 1925 novel of the same name.

The libretto of Porgy and Bess tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black street-beggar living in the slums of Charleston. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, her drug dealer.