Am I wrong to feel upset?

alwaysamom
Sun, 06 Jun 2010 12:34:57 +0000

Emmybet, yes, some of the “incredibly ridiculous stuff”, like a castlist being changed after it’s been posted because someone threw a hissy fit, will likely not happen in a college situation. However, casting is always going to be arbitrary, simply by its very subjective nature and this will happen in college and beyond. Learning to deal with, not only rejection, but also with situations where you know you are the right person for the role but you aren’t cast due to something extraneous to your audition is one of the most difficult parts of the theatre business. The extraneous detail may not even be something tangible. It may be something as simple as the director, or another individual who is involved in the casting process, has someone else in mind for the role, or they have worked with someone else on a prior project, or they went to school with another actor they want to cast, or they may take an irrational dislike to you for no apparent reason. All these things, and more, can and do happen. I know of a very talented and successful Broadway actor who was removed from a show prior to its Broadway transfer recently for a ridiculous reason, and whose replacement has made it obvious that he’s nowhere near the same calibre of performer. This is not a unique story. I could go on and on with similar injustices that have happened in the theatre world. Probably the best thing to learn, and early on, is that this business is not always fair. It’s a hard lesson but if it’s one that you don’t learn how to handle early on, it will consume you.

As a parent, don’t get involved and, for heaven’s sake, don’t say anything. Difficult parents will almost definitely affect how their children fare in auditions, regardless of how talented they are.

As for the types of shows that colleges do, I’ve always suggested that prospective students research this aspect of a program. That along with the number of different types of performance opportunities, can affect the topic at hand in this discussion. I’m also a big fan of schools that allow for student-run shows.