So, we got the casting for this years school play. My friend and I were discussing it and thought that we would reach out to the internet for strangers’ opinions.
There are about 16 parts in the play. There are 5 or 6 main roles. There are 3 seniors in the drama club. None of the main parts went to the seniors.
My question is, what do y’all think about it. Should parts be given out by experience or seniority?
Parts should be given based off of experience not seniority.
Were auditions held for for various roles? If so, parts should be given out based on the auditions regardless of class. I’m sure not everyone agrees.
@MPC6789 Okay, another question. What if a senior is just as experienced as an underclassman?
Experience. I understand why some would say seniority because of this being their last year but experience seems most fair.
@takeitallin Yes, we had auditions. Everyone had the opportunity to audition for the part they wanted. None of the seniors got a role they auditioned for.
@GeneralNeel Who seems more fit for the role? Who seems like they would do a better job at portraying that character? Who is willing to put in the time and effort to put on a novel performance?
@GeneralNeel if an underclassmen and a senior have the same experience it should be based off of commitment/skill.
@letmeseetheworld @MPC6789 That’s where my friend and I are conflicted. Equal skill, equal experience, equal commitment. I’m pretty much just going with it is what it is.
It definitely depends on the atmosphere of the theater department and how decisions have been made in the past. At my small school, seniority plays into casting, one criterion in a many-faceted set of decisions. Then again, the goal of my school’s drama department is to teach kids theater-related skills and give them experience and support and to produce excellent shows, rather than casting the same kids over and over again as leads in every show, though that does happen anyways. At this point, you’ve got to accept the cast list and help make a wonderful show, regardless of your part.
I mean y’all are seniors… You must have your own theories about why it happened, right? There are lots of personal opinions and biases that play into these decisions and occasionally the reasons can be petty or misguided, unfortunately.
@pseudoprimal @choirsandstages
Thanks for responding. I think part of the reason my friend and I have an issue is because quite a few people got roles they did not audition for and did not care for. I’m just going to do the best I can with the role I got and hope everyone else does the same.
As I said before, it is what it is and everyone who auditioned got a part. You can’t ask for anything else.
It’s never fun to start a show out with a dubious cast list, but I appreciate your positive attitude, and I hope you have a wonderful time! 
Here is what happens at my school: The seniors get cast because of seniority and then 1/2 complain about their parts because they don’t like them. These seniors that complain are not normally the most talented either.
As someone who does theatre outside of school, my opinion is whoever did the best in the room where it happened (Get it Hamilton… No?.. Okay), the callback and has the most experience should get the role.
@gracecelia Only two people in our drama club do any kind of acting out of school and only one of them got a main role. The other is a senior. But still, we’ve gotten over it. We are having our first rehearsal/meeting since the casting list came out today so we’ll see how that goes.
Everyone got a part and the directors were careful to pick who they thought was best suited for each role. You can’t really ask for anything else.