When a meaty non-white role comes up in an important work of art, who has the rights to it – the best actor, or the best actor with the right background?
For Egyptian-Canadian actor Patrick Sabongui, it was a question he never expected to face.
Sabongui, a prolific member of the local film, television and theatre communities, has long fought for representation and diversity in the arts. It’s a fight The Flash star felt he shared with many other colleagues and actors of colour in Vancouver, until he was cast in the lead role of Disgraced.
When the Arts Club announced that Sabongui (fresh off a turn in the Jessie-nominated play Inside The Seed), would be playing Amir Kapoor in the Canadian premiere of Disgraced, a flurry of letters, phone calls and objections came in, many from his own peers.
“I’ll be honest,” Sabongui begins cautiously. “There was a backlash in the arts community here when it was announced that I was cast. There was a lot of resentment from actors of colour who, unbeknownst to them, were perpetrating the same racism that is being criticized in the play against me. Because they felt I did not represent the culture accurately,” he explains, referring to the character of Amir, who is Pakistani-American. “They felt that I was not of that heritage and so should not be telling that story.”
In a city with a professional theater community that is notoriously homogenous, the role is loaded with responsibility, and Arts Club artistic managing director Bill Millerd says that a number of actors were auditioned for the role. But, given the suite of contemporary pressure points addressed in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play – race, racism, religion, adherence to religion, Islamophobia, intermarriage, and the insidious stereotypes that pervade the private lives of the supposedly “liberal” – it is a role Sabongui was inspired to play.
“It’s becoming more and more apparent to me how under-represented people of colour are, not only in mainstream media, but in all the arts in general,” he says, frustration evident in his voice. “And when they are represented, there’s still a shallow understanding of what it means to be diverse in this world. So it was important for me, as a dad and as an artist, that my work has meaning, and that I try to forge a path for the next generation, as well as younger artists coming up.”
Disgraced takes place during the course of a dinner party. An Islamic-American lawyer and his WASP artist wife invite a Jewish art collector and his African-American wife to dinner. They all know each other through work, an area that is generally kept quite sanitized and politically correct. In a turn that is sure to put many off entertaining, though – or remind others of how quickly wine can make things uncomfortably loose – prejudices bubble to the surface like so much champagne and the night explodes into violence.
Written in 2012 by novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar, Disgraced serves up the “tribal” tensions of America on a platter and offers its guests the first plate.
“Whoever plays this part of Amir gives everybody an equal opportunity to hate his guts,” says Sabongui, who will tackle a particularly tense scene on stage with his real-life wife, Kyra Zagorsky. “If you’re Muslim you’re going to hate this guy. If you’re not Muslim you’re going to hate this guy; if you’re Jewish you’re going to HATE this dude; if you’re black you’re going to want to punch this guy in the mouth; if you’re a woman you’re going to fucking hate this guy. So Akhtar creates this character that’s so easy to despise, but so easy to understand. He’s so human, so vulnerable, and so likeable.”
The Chicago Tribune hailed Disgraced’s debut at the American Theatre Company as “intensely arresting”, likening it to a Muslim-centric God of Carnage. The New York Times characterized the sleek production as a “hotly contested game of Twister”, where the intellectual observations become increasingly tangled.
It’s thus ironic that a play that forces the audience to question their beliefs and where they fit into society, left the lead actor questioning where he fit within the artistic community. But Sabongui says he has ultimately emerged from the ordeal with new allies and a deeper understanding of the role.
“It was fucking devastating,” he admits, emotion still wrapping around his voice like gauze. “These are actors I respect and admire, people who are colleagues and people who I thought we were fighting the same fight … and my ‘brownness’ was called into question. [But] we’ve had conversations and emails and video chats back and forth, and, you know, a lot of digging deep and calling each other out and being brutally honest with each other. Always in the interest of the work; always in the interest of getting this play right … And that I can get behind,” he concludes. “That’s why we’re here.”
• Disgraced runs Sept. 17-Oct. 18 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville). Tickets start at $29; ArtsClub.com.
More fall theatre highlights:
Are We Cool Now?
An innovative rock music/theatre fusion written by Amiel Gladstone with music by Dan Mangan.
Sept. 29-Oct. 10 at The Cultch.
The Waiting Room
The premiere of the highly anticipated musical from Spirit of the West’s John Mann and acclaimed playwright Morris Panych.
Oct. 1-31 at the Arts Club’s Granville Island Stage.
The Damage is Done
Renowned author, thinker, and speaker Dr. Gabor Maté performing onstage for the first time with actor, writer, director and therapist Rita Bozi.
Oct. 20-24 at The Cultch.
