I try not to precast. I always seem to be surprised by someone at auditions. I know many people who precast. I also realize that there are times when precasting is called for. If a role is precast, those auditioning MUST be told before they audition. It is unfair to have actors try for a part they have no chance of getting.

I have a good friend who was told by a director that she wanted him for a specific part but the theater had a rule against precasting so she could not announce it until after auditions. Word gets around. Don't confuse this with a rumor started by an actor about a part. You might hear that it is a waste of time to audition for a part because the director has already cast the part you are interested in. It might be that an actor is trying to keep others from auditioning for the part he hopes to get or is looking for an excuse for not doing well at the audition.

There is also a gray area that I see abused more and more. For example, another friend was told by the director to make sure he showed up at auditions and auditioned for a specific part. Was that precasting? I heard of a director who told an actor he "really wanted" the actor to play a specific part. Is that precasting?

Quoting Doug....
<<<<There is also a gray area that I see abused more and more. For example, another friend was told by the director to make sure he showed up at auditions and auditioned for a specific part. Was that precasting? I heard of a director who told an actor he "really wanted" the actor to play a specific part. Is that precasting?>>>>


That happened at a theatre that I was acting at last christmas. One girl was backstage saying that the director asked her change her vacation plans to be at auditions at a show that he was casting for. She did and, got the lead role. Would you consider that pre-casting? I did at the time and, I haven't been back.

I guess in a way I'm replying to everyone who has answered your posting.

Pre-casting is an insidious thing in community theater, but it happens. It usually starts with a director campaigning for his/her auditions... come on, we all do it, wanting to have the best possible turnout in order to get the best possible cast. Then, after you've been doing it for awhile, you start campaigning with certain people, ones you've worked with or would like to work with, trying to get them to be there for auditions. Sure looks like pre-casting, doesn't it? I've taken all of these steps before, but my auditions are an open process... frankly, I've had an awful lot of good friends and strong actors ticked off at me over the years because I asked them to audition and they assumed something I didn't mean... I've taken to telling people not to assume anything.

On the flip side, many groups have a strong core talent pool and a larger pool of slightly less talented performers... Our group has an unwritten rule that works as long as we had a large enough talent pool... If you've been on stage already in a season, plan on working backstage on the next show. However, if your talent pool shrinks, this doesn't work as well, especially as each director wants to put on the best show possible, with the best talent possible.

All of that aside, if the same people keep getting the best roles, working for the same directors, whether pre-casting is going on or not, the rumors will start. This is one reason I try to keep an eye out at auditions for someone new or someone I can cast against type... it keeps me on my toes, and it pushes the regulars because they know I tend to be a little unpredictable.

SO I guess the answer to the question is it isn't pre-casting that's really as big a problem as the perception of pre-casting... The truth is, no one but the director and the AD really know what goes on between auditions and a final casting announcement. Sure it goes on sometimes, but not nearly as often as disappointed actors would have you believe... and this is not a knock on actors, though it is easier to believe in pre-casting rather than that a director would rather have someone else play the role you'd give your eyeteeth for, but sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

Of course, speaking as an actor, all of the above is just hogwash.

I am an actor and a director. I work alot, and in many cases, I have no doubt that I was pre-cast in the director's mind. I have, as most others have seen, a completely different question that you all should ask. What is worse, to be pre-cast, or to lose out to a post-casting. There have been several occasions where I have seen actor cast in a show who never came to auditions, and were not selected for the part until after the first or second read-through. I have had several of these parts as well. The big issue really is this. Community Theater is for the community. Some actors are great, some are horrible, but it gives a chance to all members of the community to participate in a culturally enriching activity, but there is a business aspect as well. That business is survival. For a theater to exist, there need to be patrons in the seats, and for that, you need to put on the best performance you can with the people available in your talent pool. There is an old adage, that a great show is because of the actors, but a bad show is because of the Director.
The largest complaint about pre-casting generally comes from people that really have over inflated egos, and believe they are better than they are at their craft. Just remember, there are many factors to consider with casting, and appearance and abilty are only two, COMMITMENT is the key. Will your cast show up and put forth the effort to make your show a success.
A bit story... I recently attended a performance of a play that I was extremely interested in performing. I auditioned, and was not selected for either of the two male parts. My emphasis was on the male principal not the male secondary. The director had informed me before auditions that he would not consider me for the role that I wanted, but was interested in having me play the secondary role. I personally beleived that I could not play the secondary character, that it did not fit my personal character or emotional level. After re-reading the play with a former co-star, (she got the female lead), I was pretty determined that I could only do the principal role,(and that would have brought a whole new aspect to the sub-text of the show) or I would not do the show at all. The kicker is that even though I went to auditions off-book, (I try to do this for all auditions, you should try it) the auditions were empty except for two actors that had dinner and read throughs at the Director's home several times in the preceeding weeks. They were both cast, and the male principal was post cast from the Director's previous working relationships. My female co-star had also been pre-cast at the same dinner party, but at least showed up to the call-back auditions making prior arrangements to do so.
So in conclusion, BY ALL MEANS, FEEL FREE TO PRE-CAST, just do it in your head, and keep it to yourself, and keep an open mind if someone new impresses you with their audition but remember, sometime individuals are given preferential treatment because of their work ethic, but is that just really a sign of a lazy director?