This week is the killer week. Of the whole process, this is the most challenging, frustrating, exciting, scary. Sometimes this part of the process takes a really long time. I announce that I’ll have a cast by a certain date (usually a week after the last audition date) and then I agonize all that week…and still don’t have a cast. There usually comes a time during the casting time when one cast member just seems to fit into place. I’m not sure what it takes, but I seem to need time for each character to settle in my brain. I may need to adjust my perception of the role to another one; an actor may bring an entirely new take on the role and I need time to re-envision that possibility. Once one role is cast, often the others begin fitting into place…as if there now is an anchor or a point of reference.
Sometimes this agonizing week stretches into a few weeks. It’s hell for actors to have to wait; and it’s completely unkind—and unfair—of me. But I do feel a responsibility to audience members and to other members of the cast, to be sure we have the very best match of actor and role. I’m not sure how to speed up the process; I do a lot of second guessing and imagining and re-envisioning….and it simply takes time.
When we have new actors audition, it makes for an even livelier process. When we cast new people the only thing I have to work with is their audition; and some people just do not audition well—for a variety of reasons. By “not audition well” I mean that the audition does not adequately demonstrate what the person can do. Some people just do not read well. Others have a more difficult time grasping my sometimes poor explanation of the character and/or the scene so their “take” on the role may not be anywhere close to what I’m looking for.
When actors who have been in plays before with us audition, their role in previous plays enters into the envisioning. The role they’ve played before and the current role may be miles apart, so it’s a challenge to disengage them—and me--from the previous role to enter the skin of the current role.
We had a lot of people audition. It was actually a good turn-out for us. I haven’t counted up yet how many are new to HG and how many have either auditioned before or been cast before. I’ll do that soon. Two days past the last audition and the marinating has begun. Nothing has settled in yet, but there is some gravitational pull for a few of the roles to certain actors.
The cool thing is that everyone who auditioned has talent! I don’t think there was one person who I simply would not cast in any play. It’s too bad we don’t have even more plays throughout the year so everyone who auditions can be in one. No…wait…I don’t think I could handle too many more of these weeks.
Comments