Theatre and Its Unavoidable Dilemma? Inquiring into the Role of Typecasting in Contemporary Theatre Arts: Part I of V

Nalin Reed (TA '24) performing on the DJD stage in Urinetown

ASFA is no stranger to success — look at our Theatre Arts department. From Three Sisters to Spelling Bee to Urinetown, the department performs plays and musicals that are as diverse as they are spectacular. The costumes are well-made and the sets are ornate. The shows are unforgettable and during performance weekends, they even generate considerable revenue (albeit not enough to offset the considerable costs of putting on live theater).

But perhaps more important than this is the backbone of ASFA-TA: the cast and crew — a select group of talented students who make up the department’s body and keep it running. We have come to love these students, both as their characters and as individuals. They are our primary access to seeing this art form live. But Theatre is not without its imperfections, and when one draws back the curtain, one sees a tear in this glimmering veil. Some may call it a problem, others an opportunity for growth, a force influencing the department and the larger massing industry: typecasting. 

I wanted to explore this ever-prevalent phenomenon, what else it entails, and what if anything, should be done about it. 

Being friends with artists has its privileges and drawbacks. Talking with these people you can feel their enthusiasm for performance, for art, and through it, you can feel closer to the play, your friend, their character, and even yourself. But knowing more than the ordinary person can shatter the illusion of the screen, diffusing the separation between cast and audience. Once you are aware of the processes that go on behind the curtain, they are hard to ignore. 

I have discussed in great length the dilemma of typecasting in the theater department, with many friends, over many parts of their career at this school. Still, I do not know firsthand the extent of this problem, if it is truly a problem at all, or if it can be mediated. With this in mind, I sought to interview individuals who could give me a look into this side of life. As well as an adult perspective to see what is being done on the directory end.

So the idea for this interview series was born. Over the course of the next several weeks, we’ll post the results of my exploration, and I’ll offer my thoughts about what it all means.

Stay tuned…