Watching People Who Were Cast In Roles You Auditioned For And Lost- Page 2

[mustard]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 7:33pm

Actually, there is one thing that DOES piss me off... and that is when people get in who didn't even bother coming to the auditions. If you're too "important" to audition, then I guess you're too important to be IN the show. Even if you've already been told you have the part, showing up and going through the motions is classier.

[VonTussleGirl]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 7:37pm

Seeing people who can't act but *can* sing a role that I was turned down for is the worst.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 7:43pm

I might be saying this beacuse I'm a primary singer, but some roles are just singer's roles. Anywho, I recently lost a role to someone less qualified beacuse there wasn't a talented African-American actor enough actor to play Scrooge. (I audtioned for Fred, and this company is not one for colorblind casting. They didn't even let me read for the role and stuck me in a smaller part.) There's really nothing you can do about it. But, I normally don't see the musicals unless I am in them.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 8:48pm

i agree. it is pretty circumstancial.

[VonTussleGirl]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 9:23pm

Yes, but when it's a role in something like Into the Woods where acting is all too important...

[MandaGurl]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 10:49pm

I especially hate it when these so called "singers" see musical theatre as just singing..theres this girl in my acting class that said...Oh I havent acted in 3 years, well I havent done none musical theatre in 3 years, but musicals dont require much acting...R U KIDDING ME?? they require tons of acting!!! and even if you sing most of the time, does not mean you shouldnt be acting while you're singing..am I crazy or does this make any sense?..lol

-Amanda*

[OnMyWay]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 11:05pm

I wouldn't know what this is like because I always KILL the person first.

Kidding.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 11:06pm

Just trip them on the stairs and then you can take over.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 7:24am

I especially hate it when these so called "singers" see musical theatre as just singing
Again, it depends on the Musical. Without strong singers musicals like LITP, Evita, Les Mis, and South Pacific would be just bleh. There's roles for everyone! Strong Singer, Strong Actors,Strong Dancers, those werid triple thread people that I wish to push down a flight of stairs, everyone.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 10:06am

Anyone who has ever performed has had this happen to them. Once you start directing, you realize though, that it usually isn't personal and that "director's vision for the piece and character" isn't something you can really articulate or argue with. So many factors come into play in casting - sometimes it just comes down to a director's gut feeling.

So shrug it off and move on to the next one.

[MandaGurl]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 10:20am

Oh I didnt mean so called singers in a bad way, I completely understand that some roles are just for singers and theres nothing wrong with that, it just bugs me when non actor singers go out for roles that require acting and dont care, meaning that its not important when the acting could mean everything to the role...more particularly I just dont like this girl in my acting class..lol..

-Amanda*

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 10:33am

damn Link Larkins...

Akiva

[timote316]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 10:57am

For my college's production last year, I got a callback for two roles. In the end, I was cast in the ensemble. One of the roles ended up being perfectly cast (onstage.... he was a nuisance off-stage, but I digress), but the other was just awful.

But, thats ok, I was up against the same person this semester, but I beat him this time. So, we are even.

[VivaBohemia]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 3:14pm

Just a thought. Many of todays actors took years to land their first big role. Keep up your training and education and treat each audition as if it were your last.

Here's an example. Tracie Thoms (Rent movie) Auditioned I believe 6 times for the musical for Joanne, and was also turned down by Spike Lee for the role in the first attempt at the movie. Years later, she auditioned for the Columbus version and scored it. True, it wasn't on Broadway, but at least it was something she tried to land 6 times and lost it..and probably made more money doing the movie anyways.

[defygravity2oz]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 3:19pm

yes...its kinda snobbish not to...people need to except that person got the part for a reason...go see the show, see why they got the part and evaluate why you didn't...learn from your losses so you can win one here and there...thats what theatre's about anyway...you can always get the part you want...you keep trying and eventually a good part will come your way...

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 3:32pm

Another thought to remember:

Performing is not about proving yourself as good enough for a part. It is about expressing yourself in a part.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 11:33pm

Well, sorta kinda the same...

There have been a few times when I had to audition to be the designer for a production (twice for an opera, once for a musical). In the case of one of the operas, I didnt get the assignment because the director wanted his wife (a design wanna be, and that, truly, is being kind) to do it. The result was a mess... but I have to admit I enjoyed seeing that mess onstage.

We all get validation from the strangest of circumstances... :)

[VivaBohemia]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 12:03am

The Morale of the story: Never give up! Cheesy, yeah, but I really have nothing better to do tonight then put my 3 cents into everything.

What I started doing when I go to Audions, I always try and make a friend. Get email addresses, a phone number, whatever. So if I dont get a role, at least I made a friend out of it, lol.

[broadway86]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 12:10am

(Warning: Looong story)

For the most part, I've handled that kind of stuff really well.

But there was this one time... I auditioned for my high school production of Footloose, and was desperate to get the role of Reverend Moore. I know it's not the most exciting role, but I knew that I could sing and act the **** out of it. Besides, I was a senior and it would have been a great role to go out on.

So, I auditioned and gave it my all. I turned out to be the only person called back for Moore, and was very relieved. So, I go to my callback, kill it, and leave. Over the four-day weekend, the director was calling the cast with their respective roles. I picked up the phone, and was stunned that I had been offered the role of Chuck, the bully of the show. I am not Chuck. As an actor, I'm the complete opposite of Chuck. I was stunned, but he assured me that I would be great.

However, that didn't answer the question: Who the **** got the part that I was this close to getting? Answer: A junior, and a very untalented one at that. I'm sorry, but there is no other way to say it. Still, I kept my mouth shut. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one confused. The actors playing Ren, Vi, and Ethel (unprofessionally) complained to the director, asking him what he was thinking when he cast this particular person over me. He said that said that the actor was just better suited for the role. I can say, without ego, that this answer didn't make any sense.

Throughout the rehearsal process, I was very unhappy and self-concious about my work, but I eventually found the role of Chuck surprisingly easy for me to jump into. I had no idea I could play such an asshole. Needless to say, it opened a lot of doors for me, acting wise. My range had expanded. After the show began performances, I was recognized by many as a standout in the cast. And, as I had figured, the guy who played Shaw was regarded as the weak link. Keep in mind that through all of this, I never complained to anyone. Not once.

A year later, I was having a phone conversation with the assistant director of Footloose when she told me a little secret: The only reason the kid got the role was because his father had given our drama club a large sum of money towards our trip to Europe. While I was thankful that his dad helped us out, I was bummed that a (generous) donation cost me a role that I still feel I should have had.

Oh, well. Updated On: 9/23/06 at 12:10 AM

[VivaBohemia]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 12:23am

I have to admitt, I'm relieved to hear that you accepted it graciously, even if it really made you unhappy.

I took a college theatre course last year, in which during one of the production meetings (I was on tech) we spent an HOUR talking about why the actors (a few who had ensemble roles that thought they deserved lead, and one chick that was having vocal issues and was bumped down to a non singing role) were unhappy about the roles they recieved.

It kind of pissed me off! Here you had a college level theatre production, the musical director and the show director both having been involved with Broadway in their respective careers, and these college level actors bitched for an HOUR about why they were unhappy with the roles they recieved.

The director finally stopped all the B.S. and made some very clean points that I fully agreed with.

1.) As a professional actor, you don't get a say in what role you get. This is the ONLY industry that can use discrimination as the basis of their casting choices. If you don't fit the part, you just dont fit the part! (and I'm not saying that was your case Broadway86, by any means, unfortunaly, money talks as well..but in general, thats how it goes)

2.) In Professional Theatre, you might not GET another Role..so soak it up because you could be on your ass in a few months.

and 3.) Some of the "lead actors" had been using the ensemble and tech people (like me) as chore runners. Sorry guys, we are not your personal assistants, and as much as Im sure it pained them to hear it, without the ensemble in this show (we were working on Steel Pier), there would be no production. SO please, show us a little respect.

[MandaGurl]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 11:09am

I agree with the keep auditioning thing! this business is all about auditions! I hate them, but you have to go on them otherwise it doesnt matter how talented you are, the producers are not gonna come knocking on your door! But I also stress practice, practice, practice!! Cause to me, thats more important than working right now, I wanna be the BEST I can be, and when its my time, its my time..although I do audition from time to time, but its mostly for film work as of right now...I think it takes more talent to be on the stage in most cases, but thats just me.

-Amanda*

[PirateSmile]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 2:50pm

Never will happen to me, but one thing I've thought about auditions, etc., is that sometimes one's physicality is just not what the director has in mind. Sez nothing about your talent or ability or anything, just you weren't what he was seeing in his mind's eye. I think this would be tough, to not even be able to get past his/her vision or lack thereof, to even show your performance ability.
Then again (hey, we're past the cusp and into Libra time now, right?), that should take some of the sting out of not getting the part, knowing that there is some part somewhere just begging for exactly YOU!

I tip my hat to those of you out there running down your dreams......

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 3:20pm

Besides talent and matching the director's vision it also comes down to who you are as a person.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 3:23pm

I was perfect for the role of Annette in "Saturday Night Fever" but the bigoted director couldn't see a man in the role and gave it to some unknown named Opra or Orfeh or something like that. I suggested changing the name from Annette to Anthony and Tony could have been on the "down low" with me. Anyway, I was never the same after that. As Annette lamented, "If I can't have you, I don't want nobody baby" so I never auditioned again. It's a sad story, really and all because someone had a very narrow vision of the role of Annette. SNF would still be running if only they had cast me.

Someone is torturing me! "If I Can't Have You" is playing on the radio as I type this.

Updated On: 9/23/06 at 03:23 PM

[MandaGurl]

Posted: 9/23/06 at 5:20pm

I agree that most directors like to work with those who are good people and easy to work with, not the screwy type, or the obnoxious..I mean of course if the person is THAT talented it wont matter that much, but yes I agree they care about the type of person you are.

-Amanda*