Theatre world hailed for embracing diversity but equality movement far from over

Sarah Afful sees no barriers to the roles she can inhabit.

Afful is in her fifth season at the Stratford Festival in featured roles as Lady Macduff in “Macbeth” and Ann Deever in “All My Sons.” This summer, she will portray Fanny Wilton in the psychological drama “John Gabriel Borkman.”

“I’ve been able to play love interests, family members, masculine parts, super-feminine, sexual parts. I’ve been able to do everything,” said Afful, whose parents are from Ghana.

“I’ve been able to do it with my own perspective and come at it with my own voice and not have to adhere to any sort of stereotype.”

But while the range of opportunities on stage have been limitless, getting on-screen work has presented its share of stumbling blocks for the African-Canadian actress.

“I remember being told I was too heavy, and (was) brought in for the black American stereotypes,” said the Vancouver-raised Afful, who pursued film and TV work in her teen years.

“Here I am as this African-Canadian girl and trying to find my own identity — whatever that meant at that time — and just being confused, and trying to fill these positions that I just wasn’t right for. I wasn’t super skinny and I wasn’t super American: I just was who I was.

“It works for me now — it didn’t then.”

2016 has seen a stark contrast between stage and film in recognizing racially and ethnically diverse talents.

While the #OscarsSoWhite campaign highlighted the lack of diversity among acting nominees, the recent Tony Awards proved to be a historic moment for performers of colour.

For the first time, all four winners in the musical acting categories were black. Three of the honoured actors star in the musical juggernaut “Hamilton,” which has been hailed for its award-winning hip-hop score by creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and colour-blind casting of historically white figures.

Some observers are cautiously optimistic that the success of “Hamilton” will inspire more diversity going forward. In Canada, some say there’s already a strong tradition of diversity on stage.

Alexis Gordon, who is of Jamaican and European heritage and stars in “A Little Night Music” at Stratford, can recall being inspired by diversity in theatre a decade ago.

She was a 16-year-old camper at the Shakespeare school in Stratford when the award-winning Djanet Sears play “Harlem Duet” with Karen Robinson left a lasting impression on her.

“I saw an all-black cast and I saw people who looked like me … and (I thought): ‘Oh my gosh. This is so empowering,'” said the London, Ont., stage actress.

“That was the biggest influence on (me thinking): ‘I can do this.'”

But not everyone has embraced the notion of colour-blind or non-traditional casting.

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has lashed back on Twitter against criticism of the casting of black actress Noma Dumezweni as Hermione in the upcoming production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in London.

And a census conducted by the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association last year — the first one the organization ever commissioned — suggested there’s room for improvement.

About 56 per cent of its approximately 5,800 members responded, and among those, about 30 per cent identified as diverse, be it racially, ethnoculturally, by ability, or sexual identity, said executive director Arden Ryshpan.

Award-winning playwright Trey Anthony said she decided to start writing due to her frustrations with the lack of good roles for black women. But she also lamented that too much of the diversity issue focuses on black performers.

“I can’t tell you the level of frustration I hear from my South Asian friends, my Asian friends, people from First Nations,” said Anthony, creator of “Da Kink in My Hair” and the recently staged “How Black Mothers Say I Love You.”

“I think we also have a responsibility … to start talking about the lack of diversity that happens among other communities of colour.”

Canadian Stage will host a workshop in Toronto in July led by the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT.) Working in partnership with the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and Theatre Ontario, the goal will be to develop action around equity and inclusion.

“I think theatre is often a leader in social change,” said Sara Meurling, executive director of PACT.

“One of our roles is to hold a mirror up to society and say: ‘Look at this.’ And sometimes, it’s our job to lead our audiences — or lead the communities in which we’re based — forward. This program is intended to facilitate that across the country in various regions.”

Afful said she thinks 2016 is an “exceptional year” in theatre, but said the true test will involve the diversity of roles and stories seen moving forward.

“In the long run, it’s the consistency that we’re looking for. It’s the consistency of this change.

“Every culture should be involved in telling the story of our history, and the desires of our future, and the reflections of who we are today. That’s everyone’s job. To see it all is the hope. So the consistency year after year of seeing a mix of stories highlighted is the goal.”

— Follow @lauren_larose on Twitter.