I agree with your mindset - the students should have a chance to see the cast list & then decide to commit or not. We ask everyone to complete a google form to accept/decline their role. If they decline, we ask them to list a reason.
We also include several statements on the audition form itself - to get a sense of what they envision for themselves. Parents and students are to initial the form at each line to indicate agreement. (There are more - but these are the ones most involved in casting decisions.)
___ I will respect the decision of the directing team and accept any role offered to me. Explain, if necessary:
___ I understand that I have provided calendar conflicts at the time of the audition. Any new conflicts must be communicated in writing to the director – and that excessive or ambiguous conflicts may impact casting/role.
_____ I would like to be considered for the following TYPE of role: Principal/Lead Supporting Role Ensemble
_____*I would be willing to alter my appearance by any of the following:
YES/NO wearing wigs/facial hair YES/NO dress/act as opposite gender YES/NO cutting/dying your hair
_____*I would be willing to act in roles that include the following:
YES/NO onstage kissing YES/NO costuming that includes wearing a pregnancy belly YES/NO walking on stilts
_____ I will not cut or color my hair (or alter my appearance) without first consulting the director for approval.
It is not an easy decision for anyone - casting is SO hard! But we are dealing with KIDS - they are HS students, but they really are just kids in bigger bodies. They deserve the right to make decisions for themselves, and if they decline immediately, then there is time to re-cast. We had to do this with The Crucible a few years ago, because we gave the role of John Proctor to a senior boy who had never done theatre before... so the "veterans" felt slighted and we lost 4 seniors. It was important to us to make sure that they all realized that nobody was irreplaceable - and we had a conversation with the 4 seniors who showed up to the read-through that if they entered the room, they were making a commitment - ultimately, they walked away & did not enter the room and we moved forward.
We addressed the cast at the read-through and said that we were going to have to re-work the list, and gave everyone the chance to tell us any info that we should know before we did so. It all worked out well in the end - but it was a teachable moment and now the kids know that we will back up what we say with appropriate actions.
Best, Missy
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Melissa Mintzer
Penn Manor High School
PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-26-2024 10:11
From: Jim Butz
Subject: Seeking advice about kids who drop shows
Hello all,
I have a situation in our program, and I'm looking for advice. We have several theatre directors at our school: A MS teacher who directs the Junior Play/Musical, an US teacher who directs the plays (that's me), and a Music teacher who directs the Spring Musical. Recently we discovered a rift in our approach to students who audition for shows but then decline to participate, for whatever reason. My approach has always been to err on the side of respecting student autonomy and agency. I invite the kids to audition, they show up and do so, I then make an offer and they can then either accept or decline the offer. I assure them that I do not take it personally if they decline the offer. I think kids, just like adults, have to do a cost-benefit analysis of where they expend their time and energy. I have even encouraged kids to take better roles in other programs when they were not satisfied with their casting in our program. My colleague who directs the musical does not feel this way. He recently held auditions for the Spring Musical. After he sent out the cast list, three of the seniors who were cast in the chorus declined their offers. He is incredibly disappointed in these students and has made his displeasure known to them. The students varied in their reasons for dropping. One female student is fairly talented and has always been a contender for larger roles but always seems to land in a smaller role or the chorus. It is her senior year and she just didn't want to be in the chorus again. The two senior boys are really good actors but not so great singers. They were both torn between doing the Spring Musical and joining the volleyball team. After being cast, they elected to go with the latter. I understand being frustrated and disappointed when students drop our shows, but I tend to err on the side of blessing and releasing and I never take it personally. My colleague is kind of enraged and he really doesn't like my attitude and approach to this. I get the sense that he feels that I have encouraged them to take, what is to his mind, this cavalier and selfish approach. He is of the mind that if a student auditions that they are obligated to accept any role they are offered and anything short of that is a serious character flaw. What do you all think about this? How do you process or react to students who decline to accept a role in your plays/musicals? To be clear, I am not talking about students who agree to do the show and then drop out, ghost or flake. I think once you have agreed to do something, then you should do it or else it is a character issue. I just don't think a kid is obligated to accept whatever is offered to them once they've auditioned. I'm open to hearing other points of view.
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Jim Butz
Drama Teacher
Westminster Christian Academy
MO
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