Yes, It’s Weird When the Artistic Director Casts Themself as the Lead

by Chris Peterson

When Playbill reported that Harbour Lights Theatre in Massachusetts would present Dear Evan Hansen this summer with Adam Pascal directing, one detail stood out immediately: Harbour Lights artistic director Mickey White will also play Evan Hansen.

Let me be clear so the point does not get lost. This is not a personal attack on Mickey White. I do not know him, and I have no reason to believe he is not talented enough for the role. That is not the issue.

The issue is that it is strange when an artistic director casts themself as the lead in a production at the very theatre they run. And no, starring in shows should not be treated like a perk of the job.

When an artistic director casts themself in a lead role, that is one less opportunity for another actor. In an industry where performers are constantly fighting for limited work, it sends a bad message when the person with the most power in the room also decides he should be the one center stage.

And in this case, it is not some supporting role or brief featured part. It is Evan Hansen. That makes the choice feel less incidental and more symbolic. It reads as the person in charge using that authority to place himself at the center of the production.

Even if he is great in the role, that is not a healthy look, especially at a theatre that casts Equity performers. 

Because this is not only about talent. It is about power.

The second the artistic director is in the cast, the dynamic changes. The other actors are no longer working alongside just another performer. They are working with the person who may affect future casting, relationships, and the company's overall culture. That reality hangs over the room whether anyone says it out loud or not.

It also changes how the theatre looks from the outside. A company should feel like it exists to create opportunities and serve the work, not to serve as a starring vehicle for the person running it. That may not be the intention, but intention only goes so far. Optics and trust matter. The appearance of fairness matters too.

That is what this comes down to for me. Leadership should require restraint. If you run the theatre, there should be an especially high bar before you decide that you also need to play the lead in one of its productions.