STATEMENTREGARDINGSOUTHPACIFICCASTING

Tuesday,April11,2017(Calgary,Alberta)CalgaryOperasChairoftheBoard,
MichaelBrown,madeastatementregardingthecontroversysurroundingthe
castingofSouthPacific,tobeproducedaspartofthecompanyssummer
outdooroperafestival,OperaintheVillageinAugust.Theproductionhasseen
theoriginaldirector,setdesignerandasupportingroledeparttheproduction
recentlyoverthecastingoftheroleofBloodyMary,intheRodgers&
Hammersteinmusical.Originally,therolewasputonhold,butnotcontracted,to
amezzosopranowhoisCaucasian.Sincethen,CalgaryOperahasbeensearching
foranAsianmezzosoprano.

CalgaryOperahasbeensearchingforapersonofethnicbackgroundtofulfillthe
role,andwillsoonbecastinganappropriateBloodyMary,saidBrown.Every
effortisbeingmadetopresentthissociallyimportantproductionofSouthPacific,
andweintendtodotheproductionjusticeinallaspects.

TheoriginalrolewaswrittenforaTonkinesefemale,anddebutedwithamezzo
sopranoAfricanAmericanintherole.InCanadaandintheoperaworld,this
combinationishardtocomeby,butweareardentlyworkingonandcommitted
tofindingthevoiceandattributesthatbestsuittherole.Thisleadsustothe
questiondonowalloperaroles,asignificantlysmallpoolofprofessionalsfrom
whichwealreadyhavetochoosefrom,becomeonlyavailabletothosewiththe
originalethnicityinmind?Thisopensupawholeseriesofdebatesaboutcasting,
andonethatCalgaryOperaBoardtakesseriously,saidBrown.

30

Formoreinformation,pleasecontactPaulaArnold,Director,Marketing&
Communicationsatparnold@calgaryopera.com