#OscarsSoWhite… but what about VCU?

Illustration by Carson McNamara
Illustration by Carson McNamara
Illustration by Carson McNamara
Illustration by Carson McNamara

The 2016 Academy Awards Ceremony is already marred with controversy due to its bleached pool of nominees(–)but how do the VCUarts Theatre and Cinema departments measure up?

The Oscars ceremony has faced criticism due to the lack of diversity in its nomination pool, causing some in the Hollywood sphere including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee to boycott the awards.

Since the Oscars’ inception in 1929, only 6.4 percent of Oscar nominees were non-white, and this hasn’t changed much in recent years. Only six men of color have won the Academy Award for best actor and only one woman of color, Halle Berry, has ever won Best Actress. In 2016, actors such as Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan and Will Smith were snubbed of a nomination.

So how does VCU’s actor pool stack up against this contested pool of nominees?

According to a recent study by the University of Southern California, of all the speaking parts in films, 74.1 percent were white and the other 25.9 percent were non-white. In comparison, the VCUarts Theatre department is more diverse as 64.5 percent of students are white and 35.5 percent are non-white.

“Diversity at VCU is a core value that we want to protect and advance,” said Joseph Seipel, Dean of VCU’s School of the Arts. “We need to keep recruiting the best talent to the School of the Arts, and that (goes) for students as well as faculty.”

VCUarts’ Cinema program is comprised of 66.6 percent white students and 33.3 percent non-white students. Students in this program learn the fundamentals of filmmaking, from writing to production.

“Our job is to serve the students that we accept,” said David Toney, artistic director and assistant professor in TheatreVCU. “In terms of diversity, that means that we have to give them opportunity. And so, for the most part, our casting is colorblind.”

Toney emphasized that, because TheatreVCU is part of an educational institution, they’re going to choose roles based on talent more than any other quality.

“There’s a lot of different kinds of people here,” said Hajr Avant, a first-year cinema student. “I feel like our group is different(…)because although it is diverse, if similar people band together, that kind of cancels out the whole point of diversity. But we don’t do that. We have a lot of different kinds of people that work together often.”

Recent films such as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Creed” have brought diversity to franchises that had been lacking.

“Currently, with all the things going on, such as a black person in Star Wars, people of color are starting to be represented more in film and that’s really important, “said Byron Koranteng, another first year cinema student. “When I was younger, I didn’t have many black directors to look up to. I want to be the representation. I want kids to look up to me and say ‘Hey I can make movies too.’”

“Creed,” a sequel/spinoff of the classic Rocky franchise was released to critical acclaim in November 2015. However, neither its African-American director nor its African-American lead were nominated for an Oscar, only Sylvester Stallone was.

“Straight Outta Compton” was also released to critical acclaim, but only its two white writers were nominated for best original screenplay(–)none of its diverse cast or its nonwhite director.

“They might have a predisposition to select their own reflection,” Toney said. “Maybe even unaware to them, they see something and they see themselves. They’re looking at the container instead of looking at the heart and mind and the issue of whatever project they’re looking at.”

After controversy arose earlier this year where an instructor in VCUarts allegedly made racist remarks to a student, which resulted in protests involving poster-bombing the facilities, the school’s administration has made efforts to promote diversity and sensitivity training.

“The School of the Arts is deeply committed to championing excellence and we want to ensure that our community is an inclusive one, where everyone(–)no matter your perspective, background, or life experience(–)can have a voice and a place,” Seipel said.

Activists working towards diversity in the arts are faced with a particular challenge, especially because institutions like the Academy have existed and operated the same way for decades.

“Complaining goes a long way(…)and money talks, so you have to figure out a way that you can become viable,” Toney said.

A recent study by The Economist showed that 94 percent of the Academy voters were white, an unfortunate disparity that might impact the decision making process for nominations.

“What these people don’t want is to be constantly held up to a realistic light,” Toney said. “But that’s what theater’s for. We’re supposed to show humankind what they actually are, not what they think they are. We are compassion, we are conscience. So they don’t know what we’re gonna tell them.”

Adriel Velazquez, Contributing Writer

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