A Call for Cultural Accountability, Authentic Representation, and Transnational Dialogue in Response to Broadway’s Maybe Happy Ending Casting Decision
The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) joins Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian (AAPINH), Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA), Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), and Mixed-Race artist communities in expressing deep concern over the recent and evolving casting decisions in the Broadway production of Maybe Happy Ending (어쩌면 해피엔딩).
Created by Korean artist Hue Park and collaborator Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending is deeply rooted in Korean culture. Yet, shortly after the Tony Awards, the Broadway adaptation replaced the leading Korean role with a white actor, which is a decision that undermines authenticity, perpetuates cultural erasure, and retraumatizes many in our communities.
This is not just about one casting decision, even if only momentary. It reflects a longstanding pattern of exclusion, whitewashing, and inequity that AAPINH and global majority artists have confronted for decades in U.S. theater. While the producers have since announced the return of Darren Criss (notably the first Asian American actor to win a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role of Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending), they are still moving forward with the temporary casting of a white actor during his leave of absence. In doing so, they both deny Asian actors the ownership of a rare, high-profile role in a Tony-winning musical and set the precedent for future problematic casting. Collectively, we hope Criss’ return is not merely a temporary measure used to quell this casting controversy, but an intentional step towards systemic change.
A Moment of Cultural Complexity
CAATA acknowledges that stories evolve when they cross borders. Language, translation, and cultural references shift meaning. However, when productions enter the U.S. theater industry, which is shaped by systemic anti-Asian racism, chronic underrepresentation, and the legacy of yellowface, cultural responsibility becomes vital.
“Asian American artists have fought long and hard to see authentic representation on stages across the country. When a story so deeply rooted in Korean culture replaces an integral Asian lead with a white actor, it not only erases our presence, it tells audiences that our stories are not universal, that they are only valuable when filtered through someone else’s lens. Our industry cannot move forward if it keeps repeating the mistakes of the past. It’s past time for Broadway and major theater producers to honor the work, identity, and humanity of the artists whose stories they tell.”
— Lily Tung Crystal, Artistic Director of East West Players and CAATA Board Member
In the U.S., Asian Americans may comprise 15–20% of local populations yet receive only 3–5% of roles. When cast, more than 90% of those roles require the character to be explicitly Asian. These disparities shape who is seen as “universal,” who gets to lead, and who remains sidelined even in stories born from our cultures.
Whitewashing in culturally specific stories of color causes emotional, psychological, and physical harm. For audiences, it creates distressing and enduring cognitive dissonance seeing their culture depicted without being embodied by those of their identity. For artists, it enforces painful forced assimilation impacting our livelihood and identity, reinforcing complicity with systemic erasure, racism, and intersectional oppressions.
“There’s a reason the Maybe Happy Ending Tony-Award winning casting and performances has so powerfully won our hearts and minds, and has fostered our well being with casting true to and aligned with the South Korean culture and circumstances in the story. Knowing of the harm and injustices that productions like Maybe Happy Ending will incur with this recent choice to perform yellow face/whitewashing, we should recognize that this choice will contribute to multi-generational inherited chronic health conditions and disease that reduce our life spans, based on research originated from Dr. Arline T Geronimus’ empirical studies on racial disparities. We know now of “weathering,” or the impact of these constant stressors and harms due to systemic racism and oppressions. All decisions are more than a “casting or creative choice.” Working with a just, racial, equitable, accessible, and inclusive analysis makes the decision-making process deeper and advocates against the racial disparities of weathering, for the health of the cast, crew, technical, and production teams. This brings the most brilliant collaborations to life that also foster everyone’s, including our audiences’, wellbeing.”
— Leslie Ishii, Artistic Director of Perseverance Theatre and CAATA Board President
CAATA’s Position
CAATA stands in a firm belief that:
Yellowface is unacceptable. (Read More: https://www.caata.net/combating-yellowface)
Whitewashing is re/traumatizing and psychologically damaging when experienced repeatedly, systemically. (Read: Articles on the effects of Whitewashing, Yellow Face, and Stereotyping)
Authentic representation is essential. It's not about the number of AAPINH cast in the show; it is about the authenticity of the script and its casting, specifically tailored to the piece and the characters.
Jesse Green’s favorable review on the strength and principle of the Atlanta casting: 54% of the People. 12% of the Plays. Atlanta, Do We Have a Problem?
A Call to Action
CAATA urges the theater community and the public to:
Speak Out: Contact the Maybe Happy Ending (어쩌면 해피엔딩) Broadway producers (@maybehappyending), The Broadway League (@broadwayleague), director Michael Arden (@michaelarden), and writers Will Aronson and Hue Park (@hue_park). Make your voice heard through email, social media, and community dialogue. Here is a template for you to use to advocate: MHE Email/Message Template
Hold the Production Accountable: Respectfully call on Andrew Barth Feldman (@andrewbfeldman_) to step down from a role rooted in Korean cultural identity, and urge the production to cast a Korean and/or AAPINH actor. You can also email the casting office Craig Burns, CSA at The Telsey Office directly at info@thetelseyoffice.com.
Recommit to Equity: Reexamine your casting practices and recommit to culturally grounded, racially just storytelling that centers the communities whose stories you tell. Nothing without us that is by/of us and for us and the world.
This is not the first time AAPINH, MENA, SWANA, and Mixed Race artists and communities have had to stand up, and it won’t be the last. But each time we stand, we grow stronger together. We deepen our commitment to each other and strengthen our stance and commitment to just storytelling.
Standing with Our Community
CAATA’s stance is part of a larger collective action. We amplify the powerful statements and leadership of:
● Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC), reframes this moment as a breach of cultural integrity.
● BD Wong, drawing connections between past protests against yellowface and today’s ongoing struggles.
● Conrad Ricamora, who launched The Right to Be There scholarship fund for Asian American male actors.
● Deborah S Craig, whose dramaturgical analysis of Maybe Happy Ending offers essential insight.
“We will not accept invisibility, appropriation, or silence,” CAATA affirms. “We will continue to advocate, gather, and build a theater field where our presence is expected.”
About CAATA
The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) envisions a strong and sustainable Pan Asian American theater community that includes Central/West Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, North African, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian voices. Through national convenings, advocacy, and resource-sharing, CAATA fosters a collaborative network of artists and organizations committed to equity, innovation, and cultural leadership.
Founded in 2006, CAATA continues to be a catalyst for new work, creative dialogue, and transformative justice within the theater field. The organization hosts its flagship ConFest (National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival) biennially in rotating cities across the U.S.
To learn more about CAATA or support its work, please visit www.caata.net.
Contact:
Kayla Kim Votapek, General Manager
Leslie Ishii, CAATA Board President
info@caata.net
Website: www.caata.net
Instagram: @CAATACONFEST