A Rant to Some People of Another Forum ... Might not be at all interesting to anyone here ...

When I am involved in a show I spend time in a local theater chat room, which shall remain anonymous (that is funny if you know which chat room I am talking about!) The back story to this rambling is that there have been at least three shows recently that have been cast where, after the casting decisions have been announced, someone will anonymously get on the boards and accuse the theater or director of “pre-casting” the show when in reality I think these people are upset because they were not cast in the lead.

So allow me, since it is my blog, to get some things off my chest in regard to these people, which I wish I could say to their face but the anonymous nature of this chat room is preventing me from doing:

Just because a director does not cast you it does not mean the lead was ‘pre-cast’. Ever consider the person they cast might be better than you?

If a director casts a friend or family member in the role you wanted they did not necessarily pre-cast it that way. Favoritism is not pre-casting.

I understand very well what it feels like not being cast as a lead. But when you take these feelings and post your internal anger and bile on public board it is not helpful. Actually you just kind of look like a jerk for it.

Online chat rooms offer a certain anonymity, it is true, but hiding behind this anonymity does not make you clever, it makes you a coward. Good rule of thumb: Do not say anything online that you would not say to the individual in person. Just ask me, I will tell it to your face if I knew who you are.

Pre-casting means that the production team offers a role before the casting process begins. I have yet to be involved with a show that has pre-cast a role and NOT made it clear. Very few local theaters pre-cast shows.

Using the same people over and over again is not pre-casting, either. There is safety in working with people you know and trust.

A good director invites everyone they know to audition. A great director will ensure that there will be people audition that he or she KNOWS can play the parts. If they end up casting someone they specifically invite to audition it is not the same as pre-casting.

You, the auditioner, might have a great voice and can act but you might not have a look that the director relates to. You also might not have the right kind of attitude for the show. You might be kind of a diva and the director does not want to deal with your brand of drama. You might have a harder schedule to work with than an equally talented rival of yours. All of these are factors directors look at when casting.

Publicly attacking a theater or individual director personally is not the answer to your anger or grief. The theater world is smaller than you might think and if I, as a director, hear that a person had badmouthed another theater or director I will not use you. There is no reason in my mind to reward bad behavior like this.

The fact of the matter is that there are many reasons for the casting decisions that are made for shows. Some are fair, some are not. But how fair is it for an individual to lessen the accomplishments of the people who run a theater? How fair is it for an individual to lessen the accomplishments of a fellow actor? Rude, that is what it is. Rude.

And let me be clear in the most unbiased words I can use: The woman who earned the lead role (in the most recent show to be attacked on this particular chat room) is more talented than I could ever dream of being. I can count on the fingers of my right hand the people I personally know who are as talented and generous an actor as she is and I am honored to call her Friend. And the team who offered her the part did not do so lightly. These individuals had a vision and they followed their guts and cast pure talent for which I applaud them. I am honored to work with this team and will any time, any show, anywhere.

Do I think a single person who this post is directed to will read this blog? No. But I needed to get this off my chest and this is my forum. I was going to post this on the chat room, but someone else beat me to it; I guess I am not the only person who felt this way. So there you have it.