Minnesota “Cinderella” Theater Production Cancelled After 98% of Cast Was White

 

The Chanhassen Dinner Theater in Minnesota canceled “Cinderella” this year after 98% of the cast was white.
They will run “Footloose” instead.

TwinCities.com reported:

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres has scrapped plans to stage Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” and will instead make its next production “Footloose.”

The company announced the news Monday, citing its “ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. … Our hope in beginning the production process again with a new title will allow us to put into practice an intentional process based on the work we have been doing towards equity and inclusivity.”

In an interview, artistic director Michael Brindisi said the decision had nothing to do with the show’s content and that he’s not ruling out staging “Cinderella” at some point in the future.

The show came into question after Brindisi looked at the cast.

“It was 98 percent white,” he said. “That doesn’t work with what we’re saying we’re going to do.”