Vera Stark: A Pioneer in the Battle of Racial Prejudice in Hollywood
Underrepresentation of African Americans in both theatre and film remains a prevalent point of strife in our society, and has been since the emergence of these entertainment forms. Additionally, the few roles that are available to people of color are often extremely stereotypical, such as the ‘black best friend’ the ‘thugs’ or, in earlier entertainment, ‘the maid/servant’ or ‘mamie’. Playwright Lynn Nottage highlights the racial prejudice that plagues the film industry in her 2011 work By the Way, Meet Vera Stark. This script follows one woman’s 70-year journey attempting to break into and reform Hollywood to allow for more representation of African American actors. Although …show more content…
The inciting incident can be traced to the conversation between Gloria and Vera in which Vera asks Gloria to put in a good word for her at the studio, and Gloria replies, “Oh Vera, I have so many things to worry about. Why on earth are you bothering me with this? (Act I, Scene I, Page 11). Not only does this reveal the naiveté and indifference that Gloria possesses, but also acts as a motivator for Vera to pursue the part on her own, which launches us into the main conflict of the story. This conflict manifests itself in the form of person vs. society, in which Vera is battling a whitewashed Hollywood for an opportunity to break into the industry and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. While there are multiple major climaxes that occur, the main climax is revealed in act two, when it is revealed that Stark’s role in The Belle of New Orleans was one that defined her whole career. She admits to feeling boxed into the role, and confesses her dismay, stating “It’s been the subject of my life for the last forty years…” and stresses the fact that she had been apart of 55 other pictures since the movie’s premiere (Act II, Scene II, Page 45). This communicates the absence of a resolution, since the tragedy lies in the fact that Vera was never able to truly escape the stereotypical role that introduced her to fame in the first place. This sheds light on the way African American actors have been categorized into a select group of available roles and therefore given a great disadvantage in Hollywood. The absence of a resolution makes a statement in itself – this has continued to be an issue for over a century, so WHY has such little progress been made for blacks in the entertainment
Underrepresentation of African Americans in both theatre and film remains a prevalent point of strife in our society, and has been since the emergence of these entertainment forms. Additionally, the few roles that are available to people of color are often extremely stereotypical, such as the ‘black best friend’ the ‘thugs’ or, in earlier entertainment, ‘the maid/servant’ or ‘mamie’. Playwright Lynn Nottage highlights the racial prejudice that plagues the film industry in her 2011 work By the Way, Meet Vera Stark. This script follows one woman’s 70-year journey attempting to break into and reform Hollywood to allow for more representation of African American actors. Although …show more content…
The inciting incident can be traced to the conversation between Gloria and Vera in which Vera asks Gloria to put in a good word for her at the studio, and Gloria replies, “Oh Vera, I have so many things to worry about. Why on earth are you bothering me with this? (Act I, Scene I, Page 11). Not only does this reveal the naiveté and indifference that Gloria possesses, but also acts as a motivator for Vera to pursue the part on her own, which launches us into the main conflict of the story. This conflict manifests itself in the form of person vs. society, in which Vera is battling a whitewashed Hollywood for an opportunity to break into the industry and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. While there are multiple major climaxes that occur, the main climax is revealed in act two, when it is revealed that Stark’s role in The Belle of New Orleans was one that defined her whole career. She admits to feeling boxed into the role, and confesses her dismay, stating “It’s been the subject of my life for the last forty years…” and stresses the fact that she had been apart of 55 other pictures since the movie’s premiere (Act II, Scene II, Page 45). This communicates the absence of a resolution, since the tragedy lies in the fact that Vera was never able to truly escape the stereotypical role that introduced her to fame in the first place. This sheds light on the way African American actors have been categorized into a select group of available roles and therefore given a great disadvantage in Hollywood. The absence of a resolution makes a statement in itself – this has continued to be an issue for over a century, so WHY has such little progress been made for blacks in the entertainment