Casting Doubts

A funny and at times heart-wrenching play about an actors' casting agency with more colour charts than a paint shop, and the problems faced by Indigenous actors. Casting Doubts explores the question of Aboriginality as it is recognised and performed for broader cultural consumption.

A casting agent seeks Aboriginal actors for film roles. Writer Maryanne Sam develops a series of threads around the legitimacy of Aboriginal culture, whether it is denied or embraced. She explores the deep sense of betrayal sometimes felt when working in a cultural industry that insists on a narrow fantasy of the perfect Aborigine—trackers in loincloths, domestic servants who say ‘Sorry missus’ with downcast eyes. This cleverly constructed play leads us, laughing, through layers of perception about race and image.