How to Cast Theatrical Roles?

How to Cast Theatrical Roles?

In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, a casting (or casting call) is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenplay, or teleplay. Let’s check to How to Cast Theatrical Roles?

“A cast is a group of actors who make up a film or stage play. And the act of being chosen for the part? Well, they were cast by the director. That’s showbiz for you.”

Cast also refers to various types of actions a person can take: if you throw out a fishing line in a particular way, you has said to cast it; if you fancy your chances in Vegas, you cast the dice at the craps table. And if you break a limb and they bandage it up in solid plaster for your friends to write all over? That, too, is a cast. How to Cast Theatrical Roles?

In television, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character. One or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups. … Typecasting also occurs in other performing arts.

“Film and television are visual mediums. When the camera cuts to you, the audience must know exactly [who you are] before you even speak, just by the way you look and how you are dressed,” says The Castable Actor creator and Backstage Expert Tom Burke. “The same is true for a casting director, agent, or manager.

I’m a fan of a three-step casting process.

Step 1: 

Have actors that fit your specifications submit headshots and, if possible, acting reels, or a compilation of their previous acting roles. Not all actors, especially younger ones, will have a reel, and you shouldn’t disqualify someone for this.  But seeing them in action will make it easier to narrow down the initial deluge of submissions.

Step 2:

 Ask your favourites to send in a video of themselves reading sides. Sides are just excerpts from your script that you think best define the role you’re casting for. This way you can hear potential actors reading lines they’ll potentially have to perform. Usually, one scene is good enough — all you’re doing is trying to get a better idea of what kind of performers they are before you meet them in person.

Step 3:

Narrow down submissions even further by scheduling in-person auditions. Don’t hold auditions at your house or apartment — people are crazy, and it also doesn’t set a professional tone. Even for a no-budget web series. Larger cities will have empty studio spaces for rent on an hourly basis that are pretty cheap. Otherwise, consider asking local universities for an empty classroom or friends for an empty office where they work.

This third step is more complicated than it sounds because you’re not just auditioning people to see if they can play your character. You’re also deciding if they as a human being are going to jive with your production. As an example. When I has casting for my series, we have one auditioned who would have perfect for the character. But he gave off a very creepy vibe, and since we were planning on shooting with very few people in very small locations. We just didn’t feel comfortable offering him the role.

It’s like interviewing a potential roommate, because filmmaking is a very intimate and arduous process. And if you can’t imagine spending twelve hours at a time hanging out with this person, even if they read the lines well, it’s not worth it. Trust me.