Westcoast Ambassador Culture Vulture VBLOG
Westcoast Ambassador Culture Vulture VBLOG
This is my first monthly report – it’s a little long and I tried to not make it too much about a specific show but about issues and things that would be interesting to the rest of Canada. The cool stuff is at the end.
Thank you Janet Glassford you rock.
Enjoy. Let me know what you think.
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Cody Young Says:
October 9th, 2009 at 4:19 pmVisit Cody Young
Hey David, saw your vblog there and have a thought as to why actors in Vancouver theater are mostly white.
The first thing I would be curious to know is what are the ethnicity of the people going to see theater. 41% of Vancouver may be a visible minority, but is 41% of the audience going to see theater a minority as well? I’ve only been to one play in Van and that was years ago, so I don’t know the answer, I’m merely speculating off of business related theories of supply and demand.
I’m guessing that substantially less than 41% of the audience is a minority. If there were a large demand amongst minorities to have theater, unless there are large barriers to entry, then they would be writing and putting on their own theater. But a lack of this tells me that theater is not their popular choice of entertainment (or for some reason they aren’t able to break into it). Therefore, the demand is for predominantly white theater. If there is an unmet demand, then fulfilling it would be quite profitable.
However, one may say its a chicken before the egg scenario and why would they go to theater to begin with when there isn’t anything there for them to start. To this I would say that if they truly wanted it, they would have created it, much as they have in television. Or if the demand was there and the minorities weren’t in a position to take advantage of it, the white people would have created it and cashed in on it. And if the demand simply isn’t there because they don’t view theater being as relevant to them as other forms of art, then is there any foul?
I don’t know why for sure there is a lack of minorities in theater, but I’m guessing it isn’t because they are necessarily being “oppressed”. And if there are a disproportionate number of actors that are a part of ethnic groups that aren’t getting theater roles, then that’s just the industry and life they chose. I’ve known a few white rappers who rapped locally. I only know one Eminem. If the demand for white rappers was there and money could be made off of them, we’d see a lot more of them. I don’t believe it’s any kind of discrimination, just business.