UK Theatres commit to only cast trans actors in trans roles

Oxford Playhouse

As theatre industries all over the world start to resume, many are hoping that calls for change will be answered and that the business practices in various countries will look much different than they did before. Over the past year, theatrical artists from all over the world have called on their professional theatre powers to take steps to be more inclusive and equitable, among other things.

While powers behind industries such as Broadway have been slow to act, thankfully, dozens of theatres in the UK are taking it upon themselves and committing to real action - starting by promising to cast trans actors in trans roles.

These theatres, including some of the country’s biggest(The Royal Court, Oxford Playhouse, Contact theatre and the Royal Exchange in Manchester) are among the supporters of the “Trans Casting Statement” that commits them to “never cast, or endorse a production that casts, a cisgender person in a trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming role”.

The statement reads:

This statement is a first step in our commitment to better support trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming (GNC) artists.

We will never cast, or endorse a production that casts, a cisgender person in a trans, nonbinary or GNC role.

We will actively seek casting opportunities for trans, nonbinary and GNC people in any role regardless of gender, acknowledging that they are currently underrepresented on our stages and screens.

We recognise that trans, nonbinary and GNC people have intersecting identities (including and not limited to ethnicity, disability, sexuality, class, faith, migrant status) that affect their access to opportunities.

We recognise that white voices are often centred.

We recognise that Black trans, nonbinary and GNC people face the toughest barriers due to anti-Black racism**. We are also aware that colourism is a huge issue***. We commit to challenging these issues through our casting.

We recognise that representation is just one part of a bigger conversation. In our commitment to this we understand we must invest time and resources to better our understanding of the imbalance faced in the arts by trans, nonbinary and GNC artists.

The statement comes after some highly publicized errors in the casting of cisgender actors in trans roles. Last year, a cisgender actor was cast as a trans character in Breakfast on Pluto in the West End. That decision led to Kate O’Donnell, a trans actor who was cast in the production, to pull out of the show.

And just this past April, a cisgender actor was cast in a trans role in the UK Tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Producers defended the casting with a statement that included the following:

Our job in theatre is to tell stories in the best way possible and we believe that by having more diversity and inclusivity in our shows we are better able to do that. We think that the theatre has been trying to lead the way and has made much progress in the last few years but there is always more we can do to reflect the society we live in. The last year while our industry has been shutdown has given us opportunity to reflect on how we do things and there have been many discussions on how we can improve. As Producers we are very happy with our casting process and the excellent talented performers we have engaged for our production.

As of this date, the role has not been recast with a trans actor.

A pledge like this from the Broadway industry and professional theatre across the country would go a long way in aiding the trans/non-binary representation on stage where it is desperately needed.

According to Production Pro, which compiles demographic data on Broadway employees, the 2018-2019 season had 365 titled characters. Of those, 61% were male, and 32% were female. An additional 7.1% had a gender that was “unspecified.” A new category made it onto the list year: .27% of actors were “nonbinary plural.” Those numbers reflect characters, however, not the actors themselves.

It is my hope that the various theatre communities in the United States, from Broadway to high school, take up similar pledges. Trans and non-binary visibility is more important than ever and the more inclusive the theatre can be, the more stories we can tell the right way.