Any casting news for Piazza tour??? — Page 2

Mr. Tuttle, dear, - if you look back, I believe that you will find I was not referring to your post but to another one (by Distinctive Baritone) in which it was stated that a "confirmed" casting announcement had been made (he was referring to Elena Shaddow not David Burnham).

It's no big deal - but since I have been at some of the Piazza tour auditions...I was only stating a simple fact (and an "official" fact to clear something up).... i.e. no casting announcements have been officially confirmed by NETworks or the Gentrys.

Sorry if you misunderstood this. Ironically, I totally agree with what YOU said in YOUR post (offers ARE out and an announcement is about to be made - which is, if you look, exactly what I posted last week). And I agree with the way you said it.

But I wasn't responding to YOU (so perhaps you might chill a bit... and maybe take a bit of your own advice in attacking me about "conquer"ing reading").

P.S. THANK YOU for calling me 14 (even if you only meant mentally) --- the nicest thing anyone has said about me in ages -and I DO means AGES!!!! You darlin', you!

Bravo Mr Tuttle. Glad you are here to put people in their place.

i hope we get news soon!! i'm gonna go crazy!!

Luckily, most legitimate producers wait til contracts are signed and returned before confirming casting with an official announcement. Some less scrupulous producers announce stars that they don't have yet signed - and all hell can break loose.

"Piazza" is being carefully handled in this regard...unlike, for exmaple, an incoming musical for which its cast was announced before actual contracts were signed - but they sorta lucked out when its star in the end did sign for their show (despite still being undecided when the "official" announcement was made - and under consideration for a competing project).

Actually and ironically, this could have backfired quite unfairly on the poor actor - since if the actor had accepted the other show he/she was considering instead, it would have looked like he/she was backing out of this show for which the (premature) announcement had been made - when indeed no agreement had even been made for this show (including the financial terms) and there was no signed contract.

This happens occasionally with less advantageous results and things not working out as well in the end - and it is why "official" announcements of casting by the producers is an important "right" which they should retain. Otherwise, there can be embarrassment and (rarely) even the need to refund advance ticket sales.

In the music business, sometimes concerts are even canceled when temporal and geographical clauses in the contract for the attraction are violated - i.e. most concert contracts include a clause which limits performances by the act in the same geographical area as variously defined, and within a certain number of days before and after the concert - to protect the presenter from competition in his market.

Example : "the act may not appear within a radius of 50 miles for sixty days prior and thirty days after the contracted engagement". Sometimes these contracts include a clause as to WHEN a concert by the act in the same area may be announced and advertised - so as to protect both presenters exclusivity. If the act breaks this contractual obligation not to announce, the contract can be voided and frequently is with the gig being canceled.

Hence, when people announce without confirmation, it can wreak havoc on the orderly planning by the producer or presenter.

It is one thing to speculate on a chatsite about which stars you would like to see cast - or even speculate or guess on who may or has been cast --- but that is not the same thing as a "confirmed" announcement by the only entity with the true professional right to make such an announcement - management of the show.

Of course, once the actor announces the casting publicly, all is fair game. Not really right - but fair game.

Sorry for the rant about this - but have been victimized by premature announcements ...and have seen actors' and musicians' jobs jeopardized by it.

Updated On: 6/5/06 at 07:38 AM