There has been great progress realized across many platforms for performing artists regarding these standards and practices in the industry and we are eager to see these advancements continue. Our focus, at AMDA, is on equitable access to pursuing roles and inclusiveness with regard to casting. We are so proud of our diverse community, and we strive to provide the opportunities that our students deserve.
Casting at AMDA aims to reflect the complexity of today’s world and the evolving nature of our industry. We encourage our student performers to pursue roles based upon their ability to believably inhabit a character while maintaining the integrity of the story. We strive to go beyond traditional typecasting to offer opportunities that challenge, inspire, and uplift our students—while remaining grounded in equity, authenticity, and cultural awareness. We have worked together as a community to embrace enlightened, far-reaching and imaginative casting practices through which a student may explore an individualized sense of artistic development. Collaboratively, faculty and students work together to:
Tell the story
Value the processes in which opportunity for exploration, growth, and development of each individual artist is provided.
Honor the content: respect the words, music, choreography and overall intention as indicated by the creator of the source material.
AMDA empowers students to pursue roles that align with their identity, passion, and personal truth. A developing artist’s vision of themselves in relation to the world is key to how boldly and freely they will explore their craft. At the same time, AMDA acknowledges that some material was created with the explicit intention of representing specific cultures, identities, or lived experiences—particularly those of historically underserved or marginalized communities. In such cases, we are committed to honoring the integrity and intent of that material through mindful, respectful casting practices that affirm and protect the voices of those communities.
We celebrate the many tiers of support and commitment needed from everyone at AMDA to fulfill our casting practices.