Fri, Jun 26, 2020
A group of Latina Actors are at an online audition (due to the coronavirus pandemic) for a Hispanic role. The Casting Director is looking to diversify a show that is being filmed in Toronto with a predominantly Canadian cast. When the audition begins, the Casting Director repeatedly objects to the actors' Hispanic accents, and asks them to do a Canadian accent instead. The actors fail in their attempts and a Cacusian actor lands the role.
Sat, Jul 4, 2020
Camila is an ESL actor searching for a Talent agent to represent her. She has an online interview with a talent agent. When the call begins, it would seem things are going pretty well until the dreaded questions are asked: "Is this how you talk?" Can you get rid of your accent?". Camila doesn't want to lose hope and makes every effort to show the agent that she is worthwhile but the agent won't sign her up until she can speak with a perfect General American Accent.
Fri, Jul 10, 2020
Donna, a charismatic teacher, welcomes her students who speak with various accents to her video-conferencing class where she will teach them how to speak with a General American (GA) accent. The instructor starts by correcting them on their upspeak, then she teaches them how to pronounce the word 'about' like 'real' Americans do. Then she ends the class by teaching them to be aggressive, and not apologetic like typical 'Canadians'. Although encouraging and fun, she doesn't really teach them anything to help them lose their natural accents, yet they leave the class convinced that they now know how to speak with the coveted GA.
Fri, Jul 17, 2020
Our latina actors, Laura and Lina, get a callback audition for another stereotypical role. As usual, there are no lines involved because of their accents. They find the courage to speak up to Carrie, the Casting Director, and ask for a real chance at a speaking part. Carrie is on the fence about it, but decides to give them a chance. The new audition is not exactly what they had in mind.
Fri, Jul 24, 2020
Carmen and Suzana are Latina actors with accents. Locked up because of the pandemic, they have a video call. They are fed up with Hollywood. Not only are the roles for Latinx actors small compared to the industry average, but the parts that they themselves are called to audition for, are stereotypical or silent-on-camera roles. No one seems to want to hear from them because they have accents. They realize that they can't do anything about Hollywood, but that they could start doing something to have more control over the roles that they, and people like them, are cast in. Suzana and Carmen decide that they are going to grab the bull by the horns and produce their own project, though they don't yet know exactly what that would be.
Fri, Jul 31, 2020
Five years have passed, and our ambitious actors, Carmen and Suzana, have managed to get the funding, a great script and a director for their first-ever project: A sci-fi TV series. They are on video call meetings to hire a Casting Director. However, they realize that it is difficult to get the 'industry experts on casting' to get behind casting ESL actors in leadership roles in outer space. In each of the video calls, they come to realize just how discriminatory and closed-minded attitudes keep ESL actors off of sci-fi shows. After a couple of incredibly infuriating meetings, they decide that they are going to do the casting themselves.