Actor Says He Was Removed From CA Theatre’s ‘The Prince of Egypt’ After Raising Whitewashing Concerns
by Chris Peterson
A Californian actor has posted a video to social media claiming he was fired from a production of The Prince of Egypt at the California Theatre of the Performing Arts after speaking up about what he described as the alleged whitewashing of the show’s cast.
In the video, which was shared on Instagram, Jacob James alleges that his removal from the production came after he raised concerns about representation within the casting, which apparently featured white performers in roles that should be played by people of color.
He states that he shared his concerns with the casting with one of the directors of the show, following a performance of Joseph & the Technicolor Dreamcoat at the same theatre, as The Prince of Egypt rehearsals were about to begin. James states that it was not a long conversation, only that he was concerned and hoped that they could have a more nuanced discussion later. According to James, the director nodded and agreed.
Days later, he received a phone call letting him know that he was no longer in the cast of The Prince of Egypt.
In the video’s caption James states, “It is a mistake to remove what little representation you have and rather than fight to have a safe workplace, you decide the only way to get there is to remove the person who’s actually saying what many other people are thinking.”
The show ran from April 17-19.
The Prince of Egypt, based on the 1998 DreamWorks animated film, tells the story of Moses, Ramses, and the enslavement and liberation of the Hebrew people in ancient Egypt.
Because of its setting, subject matter, and cultural context, casting choices for the musical have invited scrutiny, particularly when audiences or artists believe a production has failed to reflect the people and communities represented in the story.
The musical’s creators, Philip LaZebnik and Stephen Schwartz, have previously addressed casting for the show in a statement emphasizing the story’s universality and the possibility of flexible, inclusive casting.
“From the very beginning of working on The Prince of Egypt theatrical musical, we wanted to tell a universal story that spans all racial and ethnic divides, and so we always felt it was important to have a diverse cast whenever possible,” LaZebnik and Schwartz wrote.
They went on to note that previous productions have included, among others, a Sri Lankan Moses, a Filipino Tzipporah, a Palestinian Tzipporah, a Black Ramses, and a Chinese Keturah, adding that “anyone, no matter what their background, can play any role.”
The statement clearly encourages diverse casting and frames inclusion as central to the musical’s message. At the same time, the wording does not explicitly prohibit all-white or perceived whitewashing. That is part of what makes conversations around this show complicated. The creators seem to allow flexibility, but flexibility and responsibility are not always the same thing.
If James was removed from the production because he spoke up about casting and representation, that would be deeply disappointing. Theatre companies can disagree with criticism. They can explain the limitations of their talent pool, their audition process, or their creative reasoning. But removing an actor because he raised concerns about representation would send a troubling message to every performer in the room.
OnStage Blog has reached out to the California Theatre of the Performing Arts for comment. This story will be updated if a response is received.