Statement from the cast and crew
In the Heights is a hip hop musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the writer and star of Hamilton) which follows a week in the life of the Latinx immigrant population in Washington Heights. This diverse neighborhood in New York City is undergoing gentrification as its inhabitants attempt to find their place in the fabric of both United States and Latin American culture.
The idea of putting on In the Heights was met with some controversy at Garfield. In past years, our musicals have included The Addams Family, Legally Blonde, and Rent; shows that feature minimal roles written explicitly for minority actors. Stewart Hawk, director of all Garfield shows, decided to go head-on with a steep challenge: how to remain true to Latinx immigrant stories using a drama department with few Latinx members. He made it clear that his intention with In the Heights was to do outreach to minority students, as the existing drama department was 90% white. Many students expressed concern that our school's limited Latinx population would result, if not in white washing (casting roles of people of color with white actors), then in other minorities playing these roles. While this is preferable to an entirely white cast, one has to understand that In the Heights is about Latinx immigrant stories, not Indian or Chinese or Kenyan immigrant stories. It is specific to Latinx people and their issues.
In order to fully comprehend the challenge Mr. Hawk faced and the weight it carries, we must look at the roots of these issues. Historically, representation of people of color in media has evolved from vilification to generic roles as the token and/or stereotypical minority. Today, our media still struggles with generalization of minority groups as a whole. Although their intentions may be laudable in putting "representation" into films, shows, and plays, it often dehumanizes minorities by treating them as just the token character to prove the producers are "progressive."
In the Heights is a very important story, and the fact that Garfield is taking the challenge to tell this story in all its richness makes us very happy. But we and Mr. Hawk have had to decide how to handle the limited number of Latinx students in our drama department. One approach would have been to simply cast racial minorities to tell the story. However, by blindly casting any minority, we would perpetuate the idea that one minority group faces the same problems as any other minority group, effectively erasing a huge uniqueness of the minority identity and history, as well as reinforcing society's simplified view of race as being "white" and "not white." This method of casting "regardless of race" or "not seeing color" is not the way we should go about combating racism. We must fully acknowledge our races, allowing us to celebrate and talk about our differences, cultures, and histories. "Not seeing color" allows these issues to remain untouched and tabooed, rather than starting a dialogue about them.
Mr. Hawk has done a phenomenal job with outreach and casting Latinx students where he can. However, the drama department simply does not have enough Latinx students to fill these roles. We ask that you remember who this story is about. Remember that Usnavi is not Morgan, who is half white and half Chinese. Nina is not Amira, who is black, and Sonny is not Declan, who is half white and half Filipino.
Mr. Hawk and Carol Burton, our music director, have taken on a huge task to entertain but also educate the Garfield community. In the Heights will feature some incredible actors and singers, as well as choreography created by the woman who choreographed many of Macklemore's videos, so we are confident you will enjoy it. Please keep in mind while doing so, however, that this is the story of Latinx immigrants, not of the overwhelming population of Garfield, and not the story of a token immigrant.
Written by Elli Lingappa, class of '19
Co-signed by the cast and crew of Garfield Theatre's production of In The Heights
