<p>I'm black. I've never really tried out for any other school production, but I am really interested in at least trying. Because Dorthy is a Caucasian girl and I don't look like the character I'm trying to portray, I'm not sure I would have a great chance when auditioning. It's not like my school has a large African American population either ( I would say it's only about 4 %). But even with all that, I can remember and deliver lines quite well. Would my race be a factor when trying out.</p>
<p>This isn't a racist thing at school, either. It's just that I don't know if its necessary to look at least similar to the character you're portraying.</p>
<p>Um, you shouldn’t try out. Dorothy is white, and you aren’t. A person who plays a character seeks to emulate that character, and you can’t even get the race right (by no fault of your own). Why would you even have to ask this?</p>
<p>AppleBeam – I think you should audition for the show. Dorothy does not need to be Caucasian. Race/ ethnicity does not come into play at all in terms of her story. </p>
<p>Dorothy does need to sing, so sophistry’s question – do you sing? – is a good one. </p>
<p>What year are you in school? Some schools have a “system” of dues paying… so leading roles may go to people with a track record of working their way up through the system. Are you only interested in Dorothy or another leading role, or would you like to be in the production in an ensemble position as well? </p>
<p>I am not a HS student (I was looking at the “new posts” and your post pulled my attention), but I teach musical theatre at a university and have taught theatre at the HS level in the past. Feel free to PM me with any questions. If you are interested, you may also want to post your question on the Musical Theatre Major forum – [Musical</a> Theater Major - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/]Musical”>Musical Theater Major - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Please do not listen to people who try to discourage you from auditioning because of race or ethnicity. :)</p>
<p>I say go for it! My freshman year, my school’s drama club did Footloose, and they were originally going to have a black girl playing Vi (the Reverend’s wife). That’s a pretty major part! She had to drop out though to participate in something else, so the role did end up going to a white girl. </p>
<p>At my high school, they try to be “color blind” with casting because 1.) we’re a really diverse school, so it really wouldn’t be fair to exclude a good chunk of the school’s population and 2.) it’s a high school production. No one’s expecting the best or most realistic play anyway (sorry, but it’s true). In my opinion, the only time race/weight/etc. should be considered in casting for high school productions is when it’s relevant to the character/story (i.e. having Tracy in Hairspray be played by a large white girl). Since Dorothy’s race really isn’t a major part in the story of Wizard of Oz, it really wouldn’t bother me too much. But that’s just me. So yea, good luck!</p>
<p>@Kironide - That may be true in some aspects but not in all. For example in a play, suppose you are trying out for a “not-so-fabulous” position, I’m almost sure the actor/actress is not trying to emulate that person.</p>
<p>My D played leads in our youth community musical theater,that were not originally cast black (and she’s black). She played Rizzo in Grease, and she even played “Nicely Nicely” in Guys and Dolls (but she played it as a guy). Singing, dancing, acting ability is more important.</p>
<p>This made me laugh because I just honestly don’t see this as an issue, at all. I don’t mean to demean you, I see why you would be worried but… it’s not an issue here. Skin tone doesn’t function into the character of Dorothy at alllll. Go for it.</p>