Casting
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2017
Printed Date: 5/19/24 at 1:00am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Casting
Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Subject: Casting
Date Posted: 9/09/06 at 4:10pm
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During try outs how much does personal appearance play in your selection? For example: Two people try out for the same role and both act on the same level. One looks more like I envision the character to be, the other doesn't. So all things being equal who gets the part? Barb ------------- Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona. |
Replies:
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 9/09/06 at 4:15pm
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all things equal...........the one who looks as I've envisioned the character looking.
------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 9/09/06 at 6:04pm
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It's all pretty subjective but for the most part, if their talent is equal and if the look of the other person hasn't set me spinning on a different idea then the person that's closest to what I envision will usually win the role. ------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: opalviolet
Date Posted: 9/09/06 at 8:37pm
| I also take into consideration how the person is to work with, whether they're difficult or they take direction well, whether they are responsible, can memorize lines, what other directors have to say about them. But if all that is about equal, go with the one who looks like you envisioned. |
Posted By: TonyDi
Date Posted: 9/13/06 at 1:56pm
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Please forgive me for saying so - since I am a newbie on this forum (although certainly not a newbie at theater) - but I NEVER pre-suppose who is going to show up, what they look like (costumed or not), and talent-wise, if all things are equal - I agree with CastMe in that I go with what I had envisioned the character to be. If it's a familiar character type - namely ethnicity, size or other traits, I naturally will lean toward the actor that "fits the role" as long as all other things are equal. I don't worry about difficult actors (but I always have contingency plans) and one who might have been difficult to work with for one director....well hasn't met me yet. Part of the job of the director is to do whatever it takes to put out a quality product in the end using those he or she chooses to work with, taking into account that the job usually means that you might end up getting a difficult actor or actress. As long as THEY can put out like I want them to, I can deal with egos and attitudes (which I pretty much can take care of from the outset as well). I really don't worry that an actor or actress comes to auditions "looking the part". As long as they show me what I need to see in their auditions, then I simply have to make the choices which I believe are best for the production. MOST of the time, in reasonably tight theater communities, many people know each other or will have worked with each other enough - including working for me as a director OR fellow-actor in shows - so the choices are a little easier to make. I've been heavily involved in my community for a solid 20 years or more and I know most of the actors in town - or a lot of them...enough that I can make choices knowing their work from other things. But for auditions, I remain as OPEN as I possibly can be - because you never know who is going to show up and blow you totally out of the water and be someone who you didn't know, didn't expect or didn't even consider as a possiblity. I've had that happen numerous times - much to my delight and it makes the job ever so much easier. Good luck TonyDi ------------- "Almost famous" |
Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 9/14/06 at 9:37am
| This is a hypothetical situation that I've never seen in reality. Everyone is unique; no one is really entirely how you envisioned the part and everything else is never equal. |
Posted By: Playwright
Date Posted: 9/14/06 at 1:07pm
| When I cast my play that I did back in July, I very much depended on physical appearance because the play was about a family- mom- dad and 3 kids. The casting went so well that after the show I actually had people asking me if the cast were related. Some of them still wouldn't believe it. Both the 'mom & dad' had dark hair and 2 of the three kids had dark hair as well. The third child was a cute as a button blonde. Also, the cast bonded so well and picked up so many of each other's mannersisms that my own son- who ran lights- and knew the cast was not related said to me- I know they're not related but you woulnd't know by watching them in this play. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 9/19/06 at 6:24pm
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If everything else is equal (and I mean everything, from audition performance, to work ethic, to congeniality, to attitude), then I go with the looks. Generally, the decision is a lot tougher, because you'll get two who audition just as well, but one is good worker with a "better-than-you" attitude and the other is loner with transportation problems. ------------- |
Posted By: Juror #3
Date Posted: 10/12/06 at 2:04pm
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I go with the one who, it seems to me, made the effort to convey the character. It shows preparation and an awareness of who the character is and what the play is about. I have never been impressed by "actors" who come to auditions and have no idea of what the play is about. Dress also often reflects things about the nature of the person auditioning. I have rarely seen people who are sloppy in personal habits not be sloppy with other things. There are always exceptions, true, but more often than not appearance is revealing. ------------- Juror #3 |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 10/12/06 at 2:17pm
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....and as long as their teeth don't fly out during their audition. Sorry, that was cheap shot!!
------------- BD
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
No, I'm not really sorry, it was like shooting fish in a barrell!! Posted By: Juror #3
Date Posted: 10/15/06 at 4:59pm
Hey, B-M-D, no apology necessary. I walked right into that one. And thanks for the offer but make mine a diet coke (sigh!). Diabetes, you know. ------------- Juror #3 |
Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 10/29/06 at 5:50pm
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In a relatively-close audition, I'll go with, of two actors who both
read well, but one has the "look" better, the one who looks closer to
what I want. And the main reason for that is, I think most actors
realize that appearance counts for something, so it's "fair game" to
take that into consideration. Whenever I go into an audition (as
an actor), I always try to tailor my appearance to the main role I'm
planning on selling myself as, eg, do I wear business casual or a
muscle shirt and jeans? Do I comb my hair or leave it
messy? Do I shave or have stubble? Etc. Simple
changes that I try to consider a few days before my audition so that I
don't come in "looking all wrong." And if I feel like there's
some big bar to that, I'll tell the person I'm auditioning for (eg, if
my hair's a certain way for a show I'm in and it should be longer or
shorter or something, I'll mention to the director that I'm willing to
make the change). If, however, there are other factors weighing on your decision, eg, one of the actors you've worked with before and you know they're either really responsible or irresponsible, etc., then go with those. Every once in a while, I'm torn between someone who looks the part, is plenty talented, but is an unknown to me vs. someone just as talented who I've had positive working experience with in the past, but doesn't look quite right. If I go with the person I know better, I'll have to deal with the disconnect in appearance, and I'll often find some creative way of doing that. |
Posted By: tcpmatt
Date Posted: 11/07/06 at 3:24pm
| go with the look that you want, but do take in to account hoe easy they are to work with. break a leg |