Hi Guys! Sorry for the late post but I just opened a show last night which was crazy and will begin work with Professor Brian DeMaris at ASU next week which I am super excited about! I will be working on ASU's production of The Drowsy Chaperone and through this experience I hope to gain greater insight into the production and casting aspects of theatre and why casting directors make certain decisions. The one limitation I will have in this is that my sample size will be extremely small because only the ASU theatre students are cast in productions. Other than that I think this experience will be extremely rewarding and super fun!
The show I opened last night is called Heathers. It is a musical adaptation of the movie from the 1980s which became a beloved cult classic. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to be in the first youth cast to perform this show EVER. We're making history here and of course ruffling a few feathers along the way. In the original off-Broadway production, the casting directors made a very important decision: let's make one of the Heathers non-white. The first Heather Duke to be cast was Alice Lee, an actress of Korean descent. This role is not written for an Asian or from an Asian perspective but it created a unique character that is often not scene in popular media: the Asian mean girl.
We have all had our share of mean girls whether it be through the media or through our own experiences. But the most low key and often overlooked trope is the Asian mean girl. She's smart, tough, ruthless, and can cut you into pieces with just one look. In Heathers, Alice Lee creates a beautiful dichotomy in her portrayal of Heathers Duke: she is eager to please the leader Heather Chandler by any means necessary but she is also torn between her American culture and her Asian culture. She is no just a one dimensional mean girl who is evil for the sake of being evil. For Heather Duke, being a mean girl is a survival technique so that no one questions her differences (ie her Asian heritage).
The show I opened last night is called Heathers. It is a musical adaptation of the movie from the 1980s which became a beloved cult classic. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to be in the first youth cast to perform this show EVER. We're making history here and of course ruffling a few feathers along the way. In the original off-Broadway production, the casting directors made a very important decision: let's make one of the Heathers non-white. The first Heather Duke to be cast was Alice Lee, an actress of Korean descent. This role is not written for an Asian or from an Asian perspective but it created a unique character that is often not scene in popular media: the Asian mean girl.
We have all had our share of mean girls whether it be through the media or through our own experiences. But the most low key and often overlooked trope is the Asian mean girl. She's smart, tough, ruthless, and can cut you into pieces with just one look. In Heathers, Alice Lee creates a beautiful dichotomy in her portrayal of Heathers Duke: she is eager to please the leader Heather Chandler by any means necessary but she is also torn between her American culture and her Asian culture. She is no just a one dimensional mean girl who is evil for the sake of being evil. For Heather Duke, being a mean girl is a survival technique so that no one questions her differences (ie her Asian heritage).
Your performance on Friday sounds really fun! Did you cast all of the characters in the show?
ReplyDeleteSounds like a blast! Is the Heather in your production non-white?
ReplyDeleteWow Vaibu your show sounds amazing! How long does putting on a show take? From casting to the actual performance?
ReplyDeleteI think what is so incredible about your project is that you are not only researching your question, but you are experiencing it firsthand! Thinking of mean girls, I immediately think of the movie "Mean Girls". I feel like this was a huge opportunity that was missed to create a racially diverse cast.
ReplyDeleteOn another topic, any thoughts on the Oscars from Sunday night?
ReplyDeleteOn another topic, any thoughts on the Oscars from Sunday night?
ReplyDelete