Casting Process
Please READ THIS PAGE FOR MORE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CASTING PROCESS.
Auditions at Olathe South are competitive. We cast students that do the best on the day of the audition. Not every show has roles that fit every student. One of our former students who is a professional actor, did not get the lead in the musical their senior year. This student was clearly our best performer, but they were not right for the lead role in the musical. Several times, our best performer has gone from being considered for the lead to not making the show at all. This is hard to explain and even harder to deal with when it happens to you or your student. Putting together the team for each show is a complex puzzle. The Director’s job is to fit the pieces together in a way that allows all students to shine. Sometimes you get the lead, sometimes you are on production staff, sometimes you are in the ensemble, and sometimes you don't make the show. Learning how to endure rejection, continuing to work on your craft, and coming back to audition is the way to succeed in theatre.
Casting students is exciting, but cutting students is painful for everyone. It is the worst part of a theatre teacher’s job. Dealing with rejection is a part of theatre, as well as life. It can be difficult to understand for students and parents. If you want to be involved with Olathe South Theatre, you should be prepared to accept any role in the cast or production staff. If you are open to the possibilities, there are lots of ways to be successful in theatre.
Our Repertory Theatre classes read Audition by Michael Shurtleff. He was a legendary Broadway and Hollywood casting director. He wrote this book to help people learn about the audition process. The following are two short passages that deal with not being cast. We share these passages with students, but we think they are also important for parents to hear.
"WHY DIDN’T YOU GET THE ROLE?"
“Actors must not worry about why they don’t get a role; they should only concern themselves with doing the best … audition they know how to do. … Many times I have heard directors say about an actor: ‘That is the best audition we’ll ever see of that role. Too bad we can’t cast him.’ Their regret is genuine. But there has to be a balance in casting—the parts must fit like a jigsaw puzzle—and there are times when the best auditioners don’t ‘fit.’ An actor cannot concern himself with that; there lies madness. Just go ahead and audition well, cry a little when you don’t get the role you want, but never ask why. The why is usually a series of imponderables over which the actor has no control.”
"HOW DO I FIND OUT WHY I WASN'T ACCEPTED?"
“There is no value in finding out why you weren’t accepted; you’ll rarely learn the truth, anyhow. Since all the considerations in casting are relative, what good will it do for you to find out you’re too short for the leading lady or too tall for the leading man? The solution would be to go home and cut your leg off or put on a pair of stilts; neither will help you. Casting is a very subjective process for the auditors, naturally, no matter what objective criteria they use. Given readings of equal excellence, they are more likely to decide because “I like her.” There’s nothing you can do about that, so it’s better not to concern yourself with it. The reasons for not choosing you are likely to be myriad and complex, from the fact that you look too much like another actor already cast to their subjective reaction of not liking your looks or the timbre of your voice to the fact that you remind them of their first wife—reasons you can do nothing to control or alter.”
Just Keep Auditioning and Don’t Let Anyone Stop You From Achieving Your Dreams.
We hope that if you like theatre, you continue to audition. We announce auditions in the community through our Instagram and Facebook pages. If you are still looking for performance opportunities, you might check out The Barn Players, Olathe Civic Theatre, Leawood Stage Company, Music Theatre Kansas City, Culture House, Stage Right Performing Arts, Inspired Purpose, First Act, Spinning Tree, The White Theatre, or Theatre in the Park. There are lots of ways to get on stage. Just keep auditioning and don't let anyone stop you from achieving your dreams.
Casting students is exciting, but cutting students is painful for everyone. It is the worst part of a theatre teacher’s job. Dealing with rejection is a part of theatre, as well as life. It can be difficult to understand for students and parents. If you want to be involved with Olathe South Theatre, you should be prepared to accept any role in the cast or production staff. If you are open to the possibilities, there are lots of ways to be successful in theatre.
Our Repertory Theatre classes read Audition by Michael Shurtleff. He was a legendary Broadway and Hollywood casting director. He wrote this book to help people learn about the audition process. The following are two short passages that deal with not being cast. We share these passages with students, but we think they are also important for parents to hear.
"WHY DIDN’T YOU GET THE ROLE?"
“Actors must not worry about why they don’t get a role; they should only concern themselves with doing the best … audition they know how to do. … Many times I have heard directors say about an actor: ‘That is the best audition we’ll ever see of that role. Too bad we can’t cast him.’ Their regret is genuine. But there has to be a balance in casting—the parts must fit like a jigsaw puzzle—and there are times when the best auditioners don’t ‘fit.’ An actor cannot concern himself with that; there lies madness. Just go ahead and audition well, cry a little when you don’t get the role you want, but never ask why. The why is usually a series of imponderables over which the actor has no control.”
"HOW DO I FIND OUT WHY I WASN'T ACCEPTED?"
“There is no value in finding out why you weren’t accepted; you’ll rarely learn the truth, anyhow. Since all the considerations in casting are relative, what good will it do for you to find out you’re too short for the leading lady or too tall for the leading man? The solution would be to go home and cut your leg off or put on a pair of stilts; neither will help you. Casting is a very subjective process for the auditors, naturally, no matter what objective criteria they use. Given readings of equal excellence, they are more likely to decide because “I like her.” There’s nothing you can do about that, so it’s better not to concern yourself with it. The reasons for not choosing you are likely to be myriad and complex, from the fact that you look too much like another actor already cast to their subjective reaction of not liking your looks or the timbre of your voice to the fact that you remind them of their first wife—reasons you can do nothing to control or alter.”
Just Keep Auditioning and Don’t Let Anyone Stop You From Achieving Your Dreams.
We hope that if you like theatre, you continue to audition. We announce auditions in the community through our Instagram and Facebook pages. If you are still looking for performance opportunities, you might check out The Barn Players, Olathe Civic Theatre, Leawood Stage Company, Music Theatre Kansas City, Culture House, Stage Right Performing Arts, Inspired Purpose, First Act, Spinning Tree, The White Theatre, or Theatre in the Park. There are lots of ways to get on stage. Just keep auditioning and don't let anyone stop you from achieving your dreams.
CASTING/Life Advice for Handling the Disappointments of Auditions
from an Olathe South alum working in Live Entertainment
from an Olathe South alum working in Live Entertainment
"Everything I do at Disney is ensemble. There is so much joy in being a small part of the whole.
At a recent audition, our casting director said 'We know that there are roles you want to do and roles you don’t. But we see who accepts anyway and sticks with it. We note who says no and leaves.'
It 'stinks' not 'being' cast, but its motivation to keep working. So I say hang in there! If 'you' drop theatre, 'your' chances at being in a show later decrease even more. You have to always be trying to get better, even when you may not be getting exactly what you want.
And the last thing - try to stay positive. I know first hand that it’s hard not getting what you want but staying positive makes it easier to keep trying and trying and trying."
At a recent audition, our casting director said 'We know that there are roles you want to do and roles you don’t. But we see who accepts anyway and sticks with it. We note who says no and leaves.'
- Take a day to be upset.
- Journal, get it out, have a favorite treat.
- And then keep working to get better.
It 'stinks' not 'being' cast, but its motivation to keep working. So I say hang in there! If 'you' drop theatre, 'your' chances at being in a show later decrease even more. You have to always be trying to get better, even when you may not be getting exactly what you want.
And the last thing - try to stay positive. I know first hand that it’s hard not getting what you want but staying positive makes it easier to keep trying and trying and trying."