In March 2026, the Spokane Civic Theatre faced public backlash after releasing the cast announcement for their production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The backlash came from the decision to cast a predominantly white group of actors to tell the story.

After auditioning for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Bee Aaron, a local BIPOC actor and community figurehead, contacted SCAR within days of the cast announcement, stating that several qualified performers of color had volunteered their time and talents for the Civic, but that the theater then cast white actors to portray roles that have been historically played by people of color. Aaron thought it necessary to alert SCAR to the public backlash as well as to the greater experience of BIPOC actors in Spokane.

This controversy inspired local and national media attention in which several local performers cited racial discrimination and tokenism within the casting process. Comments on the original Facebook post are a mix of congratulations for the actors involved and criticism toward the lack of BIPOC voices included. The Civic Theatre released a follow-up statement inviting the community to an open forum to participate in discussion about the production; it became a discussion about how the Civic Theatre can repair distrust within the community—distrust built over many years of racial insensitivity and preferential treatment to white, cis-gender, able-bodied performers.

Roughly 100 attendees participated in the forum, held on March 21st. Many of the BIPOC actors who initially auditioned for Hunchback were in attendance, in addition to several of the actors who were cast. In the audience, tenured actors, directors, stage managers, and production team members from the Spokane area gathered to participate in the discourse. Among the attendees was Dahveed Bullis, the current creative director at Stage Left, who spoke on his experience at the Civic 11 years ago in which the casting panel put pressure on him to consider the role of a Hispanic character despite being a black man. Bullis advocated for black and brown voices at the executive level, not simply on the stage, and that representation on the stage is merely symbolic if there are no minority voices on the board of directors.

This is not an isolated incident—this is evidence of a pattern. While it may not be intentional or malicious, the impact is a public perception that the Civic Theater is not interested in featuring minority actors in their shows.

Those in the audience cited not only a lack of racial diversity, but also a lack of effort to include disabled actors in the cast of Hunchback, namely in the role of Quasimodo. Furthermore, attendees cited the lack of effort to make the forum accessible to the disabled community, namely the lack of effort made to offer virtual attendance to the forum. The director of Hunchback stated that the role of Quasimodo is demanding and requires a lot of effort, physically and vocally, from the actor. She then went on to say that her vision for the character required the actor to be capable of climbing the bell tower as well as swinging from it in some scenes. Following this statement, several audience members pointed out the apparent biases regarding assumptions about the capabilities and capacity of disabled actors.

Chelsea Duvall, a new addition to the Civic Board of Directors, implored the Board to work within the constraints of disabled actors and collaborate with them rather than overlook them in favor of able-bodied actors.

During the forum, two major solutions were identified: First, to amend the bylaws to expand the number of positions on the Civic Board of Directors, then appoint BIPOC and disabled people to sit on the board. Secondly, the current board of directors were called to “give up their power” in favor of creating space for minority voices to occupy those seats. Several members of the board have been in their positions for 20 years or more, in addition to being donors to the Civic.It is time to pass the torch to a more diverse board of directors. There is not currently a follow-up forum scheduled despite the moderator acknowledging that the forum represented the first step in a long journey toward rebuilding trust.

The community will be watching closely for evidence of integration. The board must also be advised that in order to “integrate”, they must first be willing to look at segregation as it exists presently. Proper representation requires more than casting more actors of color—it requires deconstructing the system in place and positioning marginalized voices in seats of power.

It is 2026—we are so far past casting white actors to play characters of color. The decision to contribute to the whitewashing of marginalized stories speaks to either an ignorance of reality or an unwillingness to learn from and change with societal progression. This latest casting decision by the Civic Theatre speaks to a lack of diversity within the Civic org structure as well as to unchecked systemic bias.

We see and acknowledge the point of view that Romani is a culture and not a skin tone; that any person of any color or creed can represent the Roma people. However, the Roma are an ethnic minority with a complex history, and should be cast accordingly. Much of the plot of Hunchback revolves around discrimination and subjugation, and while it is not impossible, it is unlikely that a white, cisgender American-born citizen is going to resonate with themes of persecution. Casting this production calls for diversity and calls for representation of marginalized voices. Let those with lived experience tell you the story of exclusion, stereotyping, and othering.

It is not enough to only cast a woman of color as Esmerelda—that was progress when Disney cast Demi Moore in the 90s. Cast a disabled actor as Quasimodo, let them tell you their experience of being ostracized.

As an institution devoted to theatrical arts, the Civic has a responsibility to consider the time period, culture, and intersectionality of the stories you tell. They have a responsibility to cast equitably, and to choose to not be complicit in the continual harm perpetrated against minorities. They have a responsibility to initiate uncomfortable conversations about why minority characters are at the forefront, driving the plot forward.

On April 1, the Spokane Civic Theatre posted on their Facebook page that they decided to cancel the run of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The announcement stated, “Civic’s values guide us to provide a safe, inclusive, collaborative venue for every community member. As a theatre, we truly believe that everyone means everyone. We recognize that we must take responsibility for any missteps or gaps in our production process and respond in a way that reflects that understanding. Our intention is not to erase this experience but to learn and grow from it.”

Time will tell if these values are sincere, or if they are a platitude to quiet the uproar. Cancelling the run of Hunchback is just the first step, but without ongoing effort the Spokane Civic Theatre risks losing sight of the community’s values. Without ongoing discussion, the Board of Directors will likely retreat back into an echo chamber, from which no progress can be made.  

I, myself, as an actor of color am not interested in fighting for a seat at the table. I will go where there is a seat already waiting.

 

Editorial submitted by:

Cecelia (Reese) Sutton
She/He/They