Do you need to put me in that box? Then take me out.

By Esh Alladi

Recently I read a really important article about racism in the entertainment industry by Daniel York who articulated some points that are very close to my heart. Those who know me know I haven't stopped banging on about it. I wanted to respond with some of my own thoughts.I am not a sociologist and I am willing to be listen to facts and figures from those that have them to prove that racism doesn't exist in the arts. I would love to see the actual level of disparity between the percentage of different ethnicities of our total population and the equivalent percentage distribution of the ethnicities of actors seen on stage and screen. My guess is that we are not fairly represented, that we never have been and in fact we have not progressed much in the last 10 years.I'm sure the figures can be skewed if you include vital roles in productions like corner shop owner, non-speaking terrorist, doctor 2, taxi-driver or (dare I say it) ensemble.

There is a noticeable lack of ethnic lead actors in all TV and stage work at all the large institutions. Think about it - unless it's an all-black, all-Indian, historical period/country specific play it's laughably rare to see a lead actor of a race other than white. Meanwhile, the all-black, all-Indian and historically specific plays are so few and far between that there is little chance for anyone in these ethnic groups to be employed. We all enjoyed watching the Oscars didn't we? This year there were more black actors nominated. This is great but when did we become a population of just black and white people. Shouldn't art reflect the world? What has been done about it? Well, from what I can see the law has forced a policy of positive discrimination i.e. we make sure that we have at least one non-white actor in everything we do. This shows we're not racist, right? This is not progress. This is an insult.

It is appalling that creative teams have to make a conscious decision to 'go ethnic' when most of the time it doesn't make a difference. I understand that sometimes they feel this is all they can do.That we are still having to consciously make sure we remember actors who are not white exist is sad. The reasons not to cast someone are diverse and mysterious. Of course, it's not just about what they look like but the kind of person they are, will they work well in an ensemble, can you see a profitable and enjoyable collaboration with this artist? All actors also fight preconceived notions of what the writer or director have in their imagination and hope to challenge those notions and more in an audition. Therefore if it's a question of merit or lack of skill amongst ethnic actors then - tell us. Don't patronize us. But that isn't the truth. We all know that's rubbish; there are many equally prolific, beautiful, truthful actors who are not white and the sad fact is most of them will never get the exposure they deserve.

If we work on the assumption that personality and artistic temperament are not an issue then the only things I can see that matter are an ability to portray the inner and outer world of that character whether they be urban poor or social elite with truth and ease. The only other thing I can see that might matter is race. I can't change the way I look and I don't want to. The way I look says so little about who I am.The fact that I look Indian doesn't tell you how woefully culturally Indian I am (as much of my Indian family will attest). I have lived with people of many races and other than a predilection to cook curry like my mum I don't see my way of life drastically differing from any of these people I have shared homes with. What I am also has almost nothing to do with my job. It's what I can act. Unless you are making a specific comment about race I don't see why writers need to restrict the race of their characters particularly if it is set in the modern day. Especially when it is set in London. My point is unless it is specified in the play that you want brown, black, white, giant, dwarf, morbidly obese or skeletally thin it shouldn't matter. It should be their ability to get across the truth of the human they are being.

Is that thespy nonesense? I don't think so. White actors do not have to battle this. I concede that many white actors have to battle elitism but I think that goes for all actors. I was once told at a voice workshop for non-white actors on standard English (or RP to most people) to think of this dialect as my EDUCATED VOICE. The idea of the workshop to help us non-whites made me uncomfortable but this statement made me infuriated. Having spent 10 years in education, and picking up three degrees along the way, I think my voice is educated regardless of where in the country I'm from. In fact, I already have a standard English dialect! I am aware things are getting better but slowly. Too slowly. There are lots of excellent young actors coming up the ranks who are appearing in non-race specific pieces. We need more ethnically diverse creatives especially writers and we need them not to think about race. The sooner we stop thinking about the colour of someone's skin as an issue the sooner it won't be an issue. I believe racism and elitism are still rife in the arts. It's high time it stopped.

Esh Alladi @eshalladi

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