Are Community Theatre Auditions Fair?

Roger GonzalezA BLOG by Roger Gonzalez

This concept of “Fair” is an interesting one. Philosophically, the whole notion of fair is one we begin tackling as early as our formative years: “But mom that’s not fair! Why can’t I go see the Exorcist? Jimmy’s mom let him go and he’s only seven and I’m eight!”

Believe me it still happens. I know. I have an 11 year old. The movies have changed but not the question.

So are auditions at the community theatre level fair? I have to say I am still tackling that one and never so much so as in the last couple of weeks when I went out on two auditions (same musical production, two very different groups).

I admit I went out on these auditions with no expectations whatsoever of finding anything fair about any audition process in theatre. But I also have to add that a few things did surprise even me and I am now impelled (no, driven) to tackle this subject CTNY's Blog.

I won’t mention either of the groups or the production because much can be read into what I write and what people blog back. (If you are going to comment on this blog and happen to know what auditions I am talking about please don’t mention the groups...Hey, I just want to be fair to everyone.)

So let me give you the preface to my experience. I don’t like doing musicals, but this one I love. I absolutely love the lead part I was trying to win and I feel I would be great at it. The big problem: I hadn’t performed a song in public in over ten years, nor taken a voice lesson in about the same time. Acting auditions and readings are a breeze for me...I am simply not nervous. And getting on stage, short of that momentary two second pre-entrance fright is practically non-existent (unless I am not 100% rehearsed or I am worried about one of the other actors not being prepared.) But when it comes to musical auditions, I freeze, I choke and everything I know I can do goes right out the window. The reason: the singing...and more specifically the piano. So what did I do? Simple. I took a few voice lessons with someone I completely trust and respect and worked on the two songs I knew would be necessary for this audition. I also tackled another area of my choke factor: familiarity and confidence. I walked in with 90% of all the songs in the show that character would need to sing completely memorized. I googled and youtubed everything I could find on this show and researched every aspect of the character I could. When my voice coach played the song and I could sing it completely off book and he approved (I asked for brutal honesty), I knew I was ready. I even asked him to play the various ways the piano player might play it (I know, he gave me the same look). I did this for weeks prior to the audition and counted the days.

Exactly two days before the auditions finally arrived, I caught a bitching cold and my nose was completely stuffed. On the night of the audition, I took a voice lesson and worked on singing without the benefit of breathing through my nose (exactly what I would need to do in the case of an actual performance). I had no choice and was not going to back down now. My throat felt like sandpaper.

At the closed audition that night I stopped my song three times and basically SUCKED. My heart was pounding and not a slither of air passed my nose. I forgot the lyrics, couldn’t hear the notes...it was horrible. To project, I seemed to yell my notes. Even my reading was half-hearted. I went home dejected, rejected, infected with doubt and disappointment.

The next day, I got a call back. Holy crap! I couldn’t believe it and truthfully I felt I didn’t deserve it. But there I was. I knew I had some reasons for being called back. Possible, logical reasons: pity? Not enough competition? They figured out I was nervous and saw enough to give me one more shot? They know I have a website and were afraid I would retaliate (they actually mentioned this twice)? They know and like me? I’d worked with them in the past and they felt they owed me another shot? I was better than I thought?

Actors have a tendency of running every scenario in their heads and thinking things over and over again to the point of obsession. What they told me over the phone was that they actually saw something there and asked me to come back. That was the explanation. They also gave me a tip: research the role and make it bigger when you come back tomorrow. Was that fair? From my perspective, there’s absolutely no doubt it was fair...more than fair! Then again, there’s no way to know what was said to other candidates. It is hard to say because in truth, I shouldn’t have been called back. So the first lesson is that “fair” is always subjective. Maybe what was fair for me might not be fair to another actor going for the same part.

The call back was an open audition that’s worthy of an entire article. Let’s just say that in their effort to be fair, they allowed every auditioning performer to witness the auditioning performances of their competitors. They even later pointed this out to me. In theory, this was indeed a very fair thing to do. But when they finally cast the show, I got more than a few calls from other actors in that room saying that this part or that part wasn’t fairly cast. The production team’s attempt to be fair backfired because in seeing what everyone was doing, some casting decisions were just bewildering...even to me. And some folks walked away feeling some parts were pretty much pre-cast, if not openly then via some behind the scenes mechanization. Again, fair is subjective. By the way, I wasn’t cast in the part but then again I felt I shouldn’t have been there in the first place after my first audition. There’s so many ways to look at this that it is best to just move on.

The truth is I didn’t fully accept the outcome on some levels, but did on others. Still, I know enough to just go on to the next audition and try to learn from my mistakes. And certainly, I still had a cold and made some bad decisions at that call back. But the question of fair, the doubts, and what-ifs could be better answered when I discovered another group was auditioning for the very same production just days later. At least three people from the first production’s auditions made their way to the other group, me included. Heck, why waste all that good preparation on just one group, right? Let's see what they have to say.

Here the question of fair ended up being even more bewildering.

To keep it short and simple, I choked again at this audition (stopped once) and read terribly. But here two things were incredibly different: they knew nothing of me, my website or my abilities. I was a complete stranger and this was a cold audition. That they were barely observing my audition when I walked in did throw me off quite a bit, but the whole idea is to earn their attention right? Still, I didn’t do this. This is a group that I later found out cast mostly from their usual pool of regulars, cast the person who secured the rights to the show in the lead, and the choreographer in the female lead. Had they somehow pre-cast? If so, why call back dozens of people and make them go through the rigors of an audition? But that is exactly what they did. Is that fair? Who knows?

At one point I understand they were folding chairs and scooping up their paperwork all while the last auditioning candidates were on stage performing. Now that’s not only unfair, it’s seemingly rude.

At the end of the day, my advice is the same my father always gave me: nothing’s fair, life is not fair. What the hell is fair anyway?

In community theatre, here is what you need to know when it comes to fairness and auditions:

• Know that fairness, like the part you are going after, is subjective on many levels and subject to many different opinions.
• There is always that one thing that will earn you the part...and that one thing that will doom you. Try to find out what those things are. That's fair advice.
• Believe in the axiom that who you know is often more important than what you know...or how well you can act or sing. Directors use company players because they can sometimes be a safer bet. There’s no way to tell if newcomers have a shot or not.
• Earning a lead, especially in a popular show, is like earning any position of leadership...you have to work your way up (often through the group itself).
• Fairness should be the least of your worries when auditioning...before or after. There are more important things to work on! Figure out your weaknesses and improve your odds.
• It's only fair when you get the part. Everything else is unfair, or precasting or just plain craziness...and everyone else who didn't get a part will agree with you!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this...and keep it civil, please. Auditions bring out amazing emotions and insecurities and I should know. Next blog will deal with how to prepare for an audition.

Roger G.