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Casting, diversity and fluid identities in Australian television

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 14:09 authored by Kyle HarveyKyle Harvey
This article examines the practice and function of casting in the Australian television industry from the 1960s to the 1990s. It investigates the role of ethnicity and accents and the practice of casting actors of migrant backgrounds in Australian drama, variety and comedy. In an industry so often dominated by Anglo-Australian stories, faces and voices, the increasing presence of actors from non-English-speaking backgrounds and non-European ethnicities has been a key feature of the changing nature of Australian television production. By analysing ‘Showcast’ casting directories, supplemented with oral history interviews, this article suggests that actors have tended to adopt fluid or hybrid identities to navigate the casting process and find steady work in the television industry. The manipulation of identity, I argue, sits at the nexus of overlapping cultural spheres amid the challenging operation of multiculturalism in Australian media.

History

Publication title

Media International Australia

Volume

174

Pagination

86-96

ISSN

1329-878X

Department/School

College Office - College of Arts, Law and Education

Publisher

Sage

Place of publication

UK

Rights statement

Copyright 2019 The Author

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

The performing arts; The media; Understanding Australia’s past

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