Embattled Australian Theatre Company Cancels Next Production Following 'A Chorus Line' Controversy
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
An Australian theatre company, that was under fire earlier this month for performing A Chorus Line without having cast the role of “Richie”, announced it has canceled their next production. Their production of Gypsy was set to open in October.
Drew Anthony Creative drew international ire when they decided to open A Chorus Line without the only role specifically written for a Black performer, and only cast the role after rights holders stepped in. They concluded their run of the show last week.
In response to the outrage over their lazy casting decision, Drew Anthony first posted a petulant image on social media before posting an “apology” of sorts where he didn’t offer an explanation of his poor decision-making, nor did he apologize to the Black community in Perth.
Drew Anthony Creative has since deleted that apology from all of their social media channels.
In addition to that, they have also canceled their planned production of Gypsy, thus effectively ending their season.
In a statement on their social media, Drew Anthony states that the theatre company needs “time to refresh” following this season. That’s one way to put it.
It’s unclear if the cancellation of this production had anything to do with the incident with A Chorus Line. It should be noted however that Gypsy has the same rights holder in Australia, Origin Theatricals. Given what happened, it wouldn’t be surprising if they revoked the rights from Gypsy over what happened and Drew Anthony is stalling for time to figure out how to perform popular licensed material that’s not held by Origin. If that’s the case, good luck with that.
But I want to make it clear that I am sorry for those who were cast in Gypsy and will now not be able to perform the show. It’s not their fault. It’s the fault of a seemingly arrogant and childish owner of the theatre company who made some terrible decisions when it came to casting.
They deserve better and I certainly hope they get it. I hope that other theatres in Perth will open their arms to these performers - theatres that do it right, will respect their backgrounds and identities and give them opportunities to shine.