Live theater is one of the earliest Creative and Cultural Industries to emerge. Beginning as a highly artistic form of storytelling in Ancient Greece, Theater has been around for almost twenty five centuries. The form uses grand spectacle, including costuming, props, lighting, sets, and dramatic performance, to fill stories with life. While theater accounts for around 28,000 jobs in the U.S., its influence extends beyond providing salaries. The performing arts industry heavily impacts tourism, boosting local economies (Statista 2025). Arguably most important though, is the way it shapes societal perspectives and challenges ways of thinking
One way we can observe theaters' impact is through its pioneership for inclusivity in the arts. A recent example making headlines is the casting of Cynthia Erivo to play the titular character in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. The decision has sparked widespread debate, with many criticizing the choice, calling it blasphemous to cast a black woman to play the religious figure (Di Placido, Forbes).
Amidst this controversy, it is important to remember the history of gender-bent and colorblind casting in theater. Both practices have been around for many years, shaping what theater looks like today.
Gender-bent casting in theater, or the practice of casting an actor whose gender identity differs from the gender of the character, can be traced back to Ancient Greece, around 1000 BCE. Argubally, gender-bent casting is more traditional than casting actors to match a character’s gender. In Ancient Greek times, public performance was seen as unsuitable for women, leading men to be cast in female roles.
This trend stretched through Ancient Rome and continued to be common practice even through Elizabethan England in the 1550s, two and a half centuries later. Shakespearean plays famously saw men performing all of the roles regardless of the characters gender. Shakespear played with this facet of society to add more complexity in shows such as As You Like It and Twelfth Night.
In England’s Restoration period, beginning around 1660, women were allowed to perform on stage for the first time. Still, this did not see plays cast with women strictly playing women and men strictly playing men. The term “breeching roles” was coined to define how women at the time were cast to play both male and female parts, showcasing their versatility as actresses.
In Japanese Kabuki theater, it is still a widely held belief that only a man can accurately capture certain female characters. Conversely, in Chinese Yue opera, troupes are largely made up of only women, cast in both gender roles. In almost all traditions of opera, certain roles are cast gender-bent in order to accommodate vocal ranges (Horby, The Hudson Review).
Racially diverse casting in the United States was not a consideration until the twentieth century. In the 1800s, black characters in performances were played by white actors in ‘blackface’ makeup. They were almost exclusively comedic relief characters, most commonly bumbling servants. After the Civil War, these minstrel shows began to feature black actors, often still wearing blackface. This was the only means in which black actors could perform for white audiences.
As the 1900s approached, minstrel shows declined in popularity to make way for Vaudeville variety entertainment shows. These performances gave more opportunities for black performers, but due to segregation laws, they were confined to specific circuits and theaters. Still, these opportunities allowed for some actors, like Bert Williams, to break into mainstream popularity, opening the door for future generations of black theater performers (African American Registry).
Around 1916, sweeping numbers of African Americans moved to northern cities, like Harlem, causing black art to boom in quantity, recognition, and influence. Over the next twenty years, black theaters began to pop up throughout the country (LaFalca, Seat Up).
Throughout the following decades, all-black stories gained notoriety on stage with shows like Dutchman and the Slave (1964), The Taking of Miss Janie (1975), and The Wiz (1978). Still, following the height of the civil rights movement, which is commonly considered to be between 1954-1968, theater was still separated into ‘white plays’ and ‘black plays’. Color-blind casting gained prominence around this time as a response to widespread racial discrimination happening in performing arts. The Non-Traditional Casting Project (NTCP) was created by Actor’s Equity Association to promote casting that did not consider an actor’s race (Roundabout Theater Company).
This was a huge leap for diversity in theater. It allowed for people of color to step into a wide variety of roles, instead of just those designed specifically for their race. Many shows today have become recognized for casting actors based on ability and not considering the intended race of the characters such as Hamilton, Into the Woods and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
These shows faced heavy backlash for these casting choices. Still, they are some of the most prominent shows today with Into the Woods earning $213 million dollars in the Broadway Box Office, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child earning $270 million dollars, and Hamilton earning over $1 billion (Broadway World). The casting choices, while controversial upon announcement, enriched audience experiences and put to rest any claims that diverse casting would harm a show's success.
Both color-blind and gender-bent casting practices have greatly contributed to how modern theater has evolved. They exemplify how this form of storytelling is used to push boundaries. A show cast utilizing these methods shows how creative decisions made when creating new theater performances add depth to the storytelling experience. Both of these practices illuminate how artists must have creative freedom and all people must be represented in modern theater. As CCI students, it is our responsibility to ensure that these industries stay accessible to all artists. Furthermore, it is the role of a creative thinker in industries like these to push boundaries and build a generation of evolved CCIs.
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