From the Directors
We are living in an age when understanding cultures outside of our own are of the utmost importance. More than that, we are living in an age where, as educators, it is our job to help to teach our students about diversity, acceptance and tolerance. This show is full of hot button issues, such as discrimination, prejudice, immigration, violence, and intolerance. These are important issues for our teenagers, no matter where they come from, to begin to understand and explore, and also issues that we wanted to approach carefully.
This show has given our students (many who haven't yet had the opportunity to travel outside of our little city), a chance to dig in to the history and emotions of the characters they are playing. By attempting to walk a mile in their shoes, they have begun to learn a small part of the struggle that many people of many different cultures have experienced. If we do not learn from the mistakes of the past, we are doomed to repeat them. And my hope is that the students who have worked so hard on this show will do all they can in their adult lives to fight for what is right.
Not every community in the world has the perfectly balanced make up of ethnicity in the world to cast every show perfectly as written, including us! We obviously would never consider altering someone to try to make them look like they come from a different race. To that end, we wanted to honor the cultures represented in the story without caricaturizing them in any fashion. West Side Story is the story of what happens when we see ONLY race and not the human soul inside and this is the most important lesson of all. We were inspired by the philosophy of the creators of "Hairspray", another important story of racism, when they said "Yet, we also realized, to deny an actor the chance to play a role due to the color of his or her skin would be its own form of racism, albeit a "politically correct" one." This story is too important for our students to learn from to deny them this opportunity.
And so, we ask you to use the timeless theatrical concept of "suspension of disbelief". Allow us to bring you into this important story and not the race or gender of the actors. You may not hear the accents that you are accustomed to hearing in this show. What is important is what they have to say. Listen to their words, feel their emotions, and learn from this story. This show is, after all, about not judging a book by it's cover. If we, the directors, actors and backstage crew, have done our job, this message will be heard loud and clear. We hope that you enjoy the show and leave your time with us feeling that your life is a little better for having experienced the NPHS production of West Side Story.
-Leah Purdy and Brittany McDaniel
