If you’re like me, auditions are a love/hate relationship. I get inspired and excited to see how each student grows as a performer with each passing audition, but I hate the aftermath of what comes when the list is posted.
Managing the disappointment and devastation of students not getting the roles they think they deserve should be its own course in college. Without fail, there are always three less great roles in the script than the number of talented students you had audition that deserve one of them. This leads to talented students not grabbing that soloist or principal role…AGAIN.
I also have had students who blow my mind at the audition and improve more than any other student in a given year, but they still might not be “leading-role-ready,” which is a hard pill for them to swallow. Then there are the students who expect roles because of past casting and don’t land one for that particular show because they are not right for the parts, or perhaps, they didn’t prepare like they should have. (A hard lesson for students about preparation that stings more during casting decisions.) No matter the reason, all scenarios lead to major heartbreak and disappointment of these people you care about.
DISAPPOINTMENT VS. HOSTILITY
Without proper preparation and planning before your audition, the disappointment students naturally feel when not doing as well as they hoped for can grow like a nasty foot fungus. Untreated, the disappointment develops into negativity and before long you have a hostile takeover spreading all over your department leaving you wanting to just amputate the limb.
Addressing disappointment before and after the audition process can help prevent this negativity from escalating throughout your department and distracting from the focus needed for your upcoming first day of rehearsal. Take it from a guy who has gotten parent emails that would make a General in the Army blush. From crying, screaming, students transferring schools, 2:00 a.m. calls from parents and full on cast mutinies…I’ve seen it all. Here are a few tips and procedures I use to help prepare and avoid those casting catastrophes.
ADDRESSING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
“It is okay to feel disappointed. Acting is a hard business where we don’t get the roles more than we do. Your abilities as a performer is just one factor in the decision process. As a director I have to look at building the best possible show. This includes how actors work together. How they look together. Conflicts different people have. Your singing, acting and dance scores and what roles in the show require these certain skill sets more than others. All this goes into the decision on what role is right for you in this particular show. Past casting decisions do not matter. Every audition is a clean slate and a chance for you to prepare and prove yourself. If you are disappointed, then feel your feelings. They are valid, but by putting faith and trust in your artistic team that you are in the right role, you will move past the disappointment and have a great experience.”
THE 48 HOUR RULE
In order to avoid texts, calls and emails from students and parents that they will most certainly later regret sending, I make clear my “48 Hour Rule.” I reiterate the above statement that disappointment is part of the casting process, but so is acceptance. “Disappointment is very raw in the first 48 hours so don’t get on your phones and emails during this period. Let yourself feel your feelings. After 48 hours, stop by my office or send me an email to schedule a time to meet to discuss your audition and how you can improve and why you landed where you did.”
This is why I often post my cast list online and do so on a Friday afternoon after the final bell.
A SCORE SHEET CAN SAVE THE DAY
Without fail, you will have students turn their disappointment into hostility toward you and the department and play the whole, “favoritism” card. If you are not used to giving acting, singing and dance scores during an audition and taking good notes, you may want to change your process. I have had many a student and parent meeting about my “favoritism” or “lack of ability in seeing real talent” and been able to pull out my scores and notes and immediately put that to bed. It’s harder to argue with data. It is also important to protect yourself and have at least three people in the room helping cast the show. If it is a unanimous decision then you may not get stuck having to explain to the principal why their daughter is only playing Tree #3.
OPEN UP THOSE CALLBACKS
I have found that if the callback process is open for students to observe then it leaves less room for blame and favoritism. I prefer to leave the initial audition private to help with newcomers and nerves, but I always allow anyone who auditioned to watch callbacks from beginning to end. (Sorry parents, you still have to wait in your car.) I have found that it is a great educational experience, helps build support between students in the department, and often the students will see the same things you do about the talent and preparation and have half the show cast by the end.
There is no magic solution to ending the inevitable tears and disappointment that follows a cast list being posted, but hopefully, some of these ideas can help keep feelings from growing into an anger avalanche that derails the first three weeks of rehearsal. But if they do…one final tip...
Never respond to those angry student and parent emails. Just ask for an in person meeting, CC your supervisor and make sure to schedule it after your 48 hour rule.
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