<p>I think the original poster was asking about schools who perhaps failed to cast people in leads in high school or college, but then those individuals went on to have successful theater careers even though they were seemingly overlooked by their schools. I do think this happens all the time. Sometimes it is because a school doesn’t recognize the talent. Other times, perhaps the student’s talent is still being developed or the shows that were being done didn’t have a role that would be appropriate for them. Sometimes when someone isn’t cast, it makes them work that much harder. and through sheer hard work and tenacity they have a successful theater career despite not being cast in school. There are all sorts of reasons for someone not to be cast in a lead.
Th thread seems to have taken a bit of a turn, however, and many are now discussing whether schools highlight their successful alumni. I agree with the poster who noted that schools rely on graduates to let them know of their accomplishments. So many times they go unreported because the school simply isn’t in the know. Actors need to be their own best PR person. Send any bits of news related to what you’re doing to your schools! And I think most of the schools could improve their websites to make this info easier to find. Sometimes it is there, just hard to uncover :)</p>