Community Theatre Auditions: The Fun, The Difficulties & The Gossip!

Okay, so recently MPAC held auditions for their upcoming production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (for which I am the director) and it was an absolutely massive day. We had over 200 hopefuls turn up and about 17 hours later we had managed to give everyone their chance to show what they can do and finalised the cast list (and a truly fantastic cast it is - I'm very happy) which I feel is an achievement to be proud of given the sheer volume of people we're talking about!

The Fun :) Now, as an actor I find auditions entirely too stressful to remember, but as a director I enjoy seeing what people bring to the table. I certainly have my own ideas about what I'm going to do with the show, but imho only a fool doesn't keep an eye out for good ideas. I mean, there are those actors that do what you ask them to do, which is great, but there are also those actors that think outside of that and take what you give them and expand/extrapolate those ideas. The way I figure it - these actors are going to give you something special in their audition. This is what I find really enjoyable - seeing the ideas that auditionees have come up with. Seeing which people got their audition pack well in advance and prepared for the audition. Seeing which people rolled out of bed that morning and thought "actually, I might audition after all" - and believe me, you can always tell! I also find it interesting to see how people are coping with the nerves - to try and help them calm down and enjoy the moment. This isn't always possible, but I do try and sometimes I can visibly see them relax. Other times, you can't help but notice the knot of nerves (generally indicated by the hunching of the shoulders and holding the stomach) that just won't go away - I try to take that into account when making my notes. I like to study people, and auditions offer a really good opportunity for that. And of course, it's always a wonderful experience telling someone they got a role :D

The Difficulties :/ What I find most difficult at auditions is letting people down. I know how hard it is to put yourself out there at an audition, and I hate the thought of being the person that crushes someone's dream. At this particular audition it was probably the worst case of this I've ever had to face. With over 80 girls trying out for the parts of Susan and Lucy, I had to shortlist the hopefuls based on singing ability otherwise I think I would still be listening to script readings! This meant telling these young ladies as they stood there, looking at me with all of their hope in their faces, that I didn't need them to read for me. My heart broke more times than I care to think about. I did my best to reassure them that they had done a good job and that this didn't mean that they wouldn't be considered for chorus. I made sure to tell each and every one that they should be proud of themselves for getting up and auditioning in the first place and that the two roles are difficult vocally (which is true - both parts need exceptional singers) but watching their eyes fill with tears as I said they could go home and we would call them to let them know about chorus was possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

The Gossip }:( Now, casting generally involves many difficult decisions. There are usually any number of combinations that would work for the show, meaning several different people could be right for a particular part. I always try to approach this task with the phrase "do what is best for the show" held firmly in my mind. And as I've said, I'm very happy with the cast that was chosen for this particular show. But, as the news of who was cast in what role disseminates, I begin to hear gossip/rumours about how unfair it all was. This isn't an isolated incident - in fact I'm pretty sure this happens for most shows, but it kinda gets me down. I know in myself that I was impartial (as were the rest of the panel) and that all of the casting decisions were based on what was best for the show, but I can't help but be a little downhearted when I hear gossip like: "All the parts went to his friends" (not true, I would only count 3 of the principle cast members as friends - being people that I see outside of theatre); or "it was rigged - they'd chosen the cast before the auditions" (also not true - if that were the case, the cast would look very different as there are people that I didn't meet until audition day that have got some of the biggest parts). I just feel that the people who take part in this gossip seem to be forgetting that casting a show is a difficult task for the creative team as well and that we do our best to do what is right for the show.

Anyway, I just wanted to say a few words to get them off my chest!

DazzaB

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams