‘Conversation is not harassment,’ Hamilton actor says of address to Pence
An actor from the Broadway musical Hamilton says there is no need to apologize to US Vice President-elect Mike Pence over addressing him in a recent show.
On Friday, Pence was grilled by the actors on stage over President-elect Donald Trump’s divisive policies.
The actors, who are of diverse race and ethnicity but play historical white characters, stood on the stage as Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays America's third vice president Aaron Burr in the show, read out a statement.
The move outraged Trump, who called on the actors to “apologize” in a tweet, saying in another that the former Indiana governor had been harassed.
Dixon (pictured below) told CBS on Monday that the cast meant "to stand up and spread a message of love and unity," adding "There's nothing to apologize for… Conversation is not harassment."
He further described the move as "the beginning of a conversation that I hope we can continue to have," noting, "Art is meant to bring people together, it's meant to raise consciousness."
“We are men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations, and the resonant nature of the show throughout the world, throughout the global community demands that we make statements when there are important issues, I think, facing us as a community.”
Pence said later that he had not been offended despite Trump’s several tweets against the cast’s “terrible behavior,” with one calling the show “overrated.”
"We, sir - we - are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights," Dixon said in his Friday address to Pence.
Trump’s controversial proposals during his campaign for the US 2016 presidential election include a complete ban on Muslims entering the country as well as building a wall on the Mexican border to stop refugees from coming into the US.
Hamilton recounts the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the so-called Founding Fathers of the United States.
A video of the event went viral on social media, further triggering discussions about the etiquette of singling out an audience member at a theater.
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