Casting a Movement

<p><em>Casting a Movement</em> brings together US-based actors directors educators playwrights and scholars to explore<i> </i>the cultural politics of casting.</p> <p></p> <p>Drawing on the notion of a welcome table-a space where artists of all backgrounds can come together as equals to create theatre-the book's contributors discuss casting practices as they relate to varying communities and contexts including Middle Eastern American theatre Disability culture multilingual performance Native American theatre color- and culturally-conscious casting and casting as a means to dismantle stereotypes. Syler and Banks suggest that casting is a way to invite more people to the table so that the full breadth of US identities can be reflected onstage and that casting is inherently a political act; because an actor's embodied presence both communicates a dramatic narrative and evokes cultural assumptions associated with appearance skin color gender sexuality and ability casting choices are never neutral. By bringing together a variety of artistic perspectives to discuss common goals and particular concerns related to casting this volume features the insights and experiences of a broad range of practitioners and experts across the field.</p> <p></p> <p>As a resource-driven text suitable for both practitioners and academics <i>Casting a Movement</i> seeks to frame and mobilize a social movement focused on casting access and representation.</p>