Casting

B & B auditions are fast approaching: one week and five days to be exact. Will anyone show up? That's the question of the day. And of those that do show up, how many will actually follow through with the show after seeing the rehearsal schedule? Who knows? As always, it is up in the air and I get nervous and anxious and I questionable if anyone will come see it and if so will they like it. But one thing I don't do is doubt. I don't doubt that I will push myself to a frenzy making sure it will be as good a show as possible and I don't doubt the people seasoned people involved will do anything less than perfect. People often ask, "How do you cast a show? Everyone seems to fit their part perfectly." The honest truth: gut. Casting is all in the gut. When I say gut, that means a combination of things. I never become rash and take my first impression, but rather is that first impression still there a few hours later and even more important the next day. Once a show begins at auditions, I am consumed and obsessed (uh-oh there's that word) until I have sent out a cast list. Once that is done, I know that is how it will be, no second guesses. A couple of times I had to completely go on gut instinct, because I had no other choice and both of those times, everything worked out perfectly. Once I didn't and it didn't go well at all. I had to ask a person to leave the cast (a main player), not just because he wasn't good, but it just wasn't working. He wasn't hitting his marks, the cast was frustrated and the theatre managemnet was worried. (Don't be trying to figure out who, it wasn't in Franklin.) That time I knew the guy was not right for the part and everything about him said "no." Don't ask me what I was thinking other than, I knew what I was doing- who care about what the gut is saying. I knew, but I cast him anyway and had to fix more than do it right from the beginning. I figured it out and have lived by my gut since then. I don't know why I do this play thing, ultimately in the beginning, peoples feelings will be hurt and egos gotten bigger- not because they are cast as a certain character, but rather because they are NOT cast as a certain character. It's like those people on American Idol that Simon says can't sing. It is the "he just don't know talent when he sees it syndrome" and they are out to prove, by defense that they could do a certain part- but the question is, would the audience pay to see them????? Some parts lend themselves to people- the sign of a good actor is know which part they CAN'T play. There are some roles that I would relish and delight in, however, I am the wrong body type, voice or even (I'm getting all method on you know) don't have the correct emotional baggage. Sometimes the only way to play a part is to have the history of something similar in your life, because that emotion can't be faked after a certain point. Boy, if I'm the Beast, I'm prepared there. Also when I say "gut" I mean all the preperation that goes into a show and not the writing of checks or buying of fabric or preparing music. What I do, as in everything I do, is very faith driven. Long before the first script is handed out, I pray constantly for guidance. When I do, the people show up, the show goes and the gut feels it. The gut is a wonderful thing when you start to really listen to it. When you do, it is amazing what can be revealed and the fears it can settle, not to mention the tingles of excitement that wil go from your stomach and down your backbone. A lot of times you have to work hard to really understand what it is saying, but ultimately if you are faithful, you can't make the wrong decision, but rather delight in the ones that were provided for you... even when buying gifts. Ha! Hmmm, I think my gut could actually be called by another name...