What to Consider When Filling Out Your Casting Form
We know many of our students have different priorities when it comes to casting. Some students want to be with a senior group, some want to be with their best friend, some place the greatest importance on the role, and some are easygoing about all of these things!
THE CASTING FORM
To give every student the opportunity to express their preferences and priorities, we ask everyone to fill out a casting form, where they can share the following information before their audition:
Previous experience
Comfort level singing solo
Level of responsibility a student is capable of (ie. how much time do you have to work on lines and songs at home?)
Ideal roles
Roles a student is not comfortable playing (and the reason they are uncomfortable with it - not liking a role is not the same as being uncomfortable playing it.)
Whether a student would prefer
To be in the same cast as their friend
To be in an older cast.
To be cast in an ideal role.
Anything else they would like the casting team to know (for example, if a student has done this show before and would prefer not to play the same role)
We spend a lot of time taking all of this information into consideration, however, we CANNOT guarantee students will receive any of their casting form requests. We wish we could make everyone happy, but unfortunately, there can only be one “Belle” in each cast of Beauty and the Beast, and not 200!
CASTING FORM CONSIDERATIONS
Some considerations we ask our students to make when filling out the casting form are:
Only listing female leads as your ideal roles.
These roles are the most highly requested roles, and there is the most competition to receive these roles. Consider including a list of ideal roles that includes some male leads (especially if you have a lower voice)
Not wanting to play a role of a different gender.
Most roles can be amended to match the actor’s gender, if that makes the actor more comfortable. When a student indicates on the casting form that they do not want to play a role of a certain gender, this severely limits the roles we can consider them for, and may result in them landing a role that has fewer featured moments than we would have liked to give them. Remember, playing a character that is different from yourself is an awesome acting challenge!
Not considering your strengths and weaknesses when selecting ideal roles.
Frequently students list ideal roles that do not match their vocal range/quality/placement, or skill level. For example, a student may only list leading characters who sing a lot of solos but is still working on matching pitch and singing notes correctly. In this circumstance, students usually don’t receive any of the roles they listed, so the casting team has to guess what other roles they may be interested in playing from the roles that suit them better.
Consider your casting preferences carefully.
Indicating that being placed in one of your ideal roles is most important to you does not guarantee you will receive one of your ideal roles - these obviously still need to be earned
Landing one of your ideal roles may mean being the oldest member of your cast, or being in a different cast than your friends
Indicating that being in an older cast is most important to you may mean you are more likely to play a more supporting role (typically, older students usually have more experience and skills) However, being surrounded by mature students can really push you to grow, and can be a great experience for some actors.
Having an open mind when it comes to casting can be the best way to approach the process. Try to reframe your thinking around casting with the following prompts:
“I trust the casting team to put me in a role that will challenge me and showcase me well”
“I know that whatever role I play, I will have a good time doing what I love”
“There are many more opportunities for me to play my favourite roles in the future”
“Each show and role brings something new and exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds”
“It will be okay if I’m not in a cast with my friends. I’ve made some of my best friends at Innovative and I look forward to making more!”
We challenge our students to let go of expectations and to enjoy the experience of building a show alongside fellow passionate performers! Check out our next blog “Once Casting Is Announced.”
