This night is winding down, but time means nothing

I can’t even wrap my head around this.

Some thoughts:

1) The choreographer mentioned that there were some Black cast members when they started rehearsal, but they all dropped out.  Maybe that was because, as is apparently the case, this theatre has a history of casting white kids in Black roles, see nothing wrong with it and have no plans to change?  I wouldn’t feel welcome in that environment if I were them, either.

2) I can’t decide whether the people running these shows are being deliberately malicious or mind-bogglingly oblivious.  Really?  You don’t see a problem with casting white kids in Black roles when racial relations are a huge plot point?  Not only that, but they seem to be producing or planning on producing an unusually large number of these kinds of plays.

3) Did I read this right?  “…if each kid had to front $250 to be in this thing, and there are 34 kids listed as cast members in the program, that adds up to $8400 from students alone.”  THEY MAKE THEIR CAST MEMBERS PAY $250 APIECE TO BE IN THEIR SHOW?  Fuck.  That.

4) I’m still not sure how they got permission from MTI to do this at all.  But…at least there’s a hefty fine for using blackface?