CHARACTERS AND CASTING

The casting of “Quills”, as with any show, is vital to the plays success. The actors should be able to portray their respective characters accurately. While actors with disabilities could be taken into consideration to play the Lunatic it also could be regarded in poor taste to ask a person with a disability whether it be mental or physical to play a lunatic. The last thing a director would want is for the audience to assume that the production is encouraging the idea that all people with disabilities must be lunatics. As the play is set in France during Napoleon’s reign; one would recognize that for historical accuracy that there were not many minorities present at the time. In my opinion the Doctor and his wife, the Architect, the Abbe de Coulmier, the Marquis and his wife must be played by Caucasian actors or actors who could pass for Caucasian on stage. As it would not be realistic that a person of color would be in any of those social positions/ jobs at that time in France. However as Madeline is a seamstress a young lady of color could possibly portray her. Though a director might be worried about the political implications of a minority being killed in such a violent way. However, no matter what ethnicity is cast, the actress must look young and be attractive due to the fact the script describe her as “sixteen and quite lovely.” As should the Doctor’s wife, Madame Royer-Collard, be played by an attractive actress the character is referred to as a beauty when the architect exclaims to the Doctor how he aims to build the home as a tribute to the Madame Royer-Collard’s beauty. As far as ethnicity is concerned in casting Madame Royer-Collard should not be cast as a minority as it might be taken as a slander because of her behavior with men, she is alluded to as being a slut, especially if it is an all Caucasian cast this might give off the impression that the production is saying minorities have loose morals. The Marquis should be played by an older man or an actor with lots of stage make up to age him. As for the rest of the cast the ages are not stated in the script and are up for the directors interpretation.