(02-09-2018 06:48 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

(02-09-2018 06:33 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  Maybe instead of having a theater department, they should do away with it and spend money on education materials.

I don't know if I'd go as far as doing away entirely with a music department because of one isolated incident. My daughters have both done musical theater for awhile now but have stopped because the casting situation can be stressful and unfair, and they just got tired of getting the ensemble chorus parts. A lot of times it's not based on talent (IMO), but it's just personal favorites of the teachers who keep getting the best parts.

In any case, I see that the original Berlin production of this musical had a white woman in the Esmeralda part. The US version did have a black actress when it made its US debut (but not on Broadway - I think it was in California).

I also see Ithaca HS is 66 percent white, and 10 percent black. It may be tough to cast parts based on ethnicity when your school isn't that diverse to begin with. In comparison, my girls' high school is 35 percent white, 31 percent black and 21 percent hispanic, but we're one of the most diverse cities in the country.

I did band from mid through high school. But the way the education system is failing in America, I think we need to remove athletics and activities from schools and allow them to focus on education. Then have athletics and activities run outside of public schools at academies.