Backstage: We’ve all seen the casting notices written with complete disregard to cardinal rules like using proper grammar, steering clear of racist, sexist, and misogynistic descriptions, and y’know, actually letting people know what you’re specifically looking for in an actor.
6 comments:
I definitely think this is a good idea for a show, and it reminded me of something I saw on Tumblr: "Dramatic readings of 'white boy texts'". Where a guy and girl actor read out the crazy ways guys ask for sex via text. It was read out loud in a bar as part of a performance and when I watched the video, I found it hilarious. I think, if this show doesn't cross the line, it will definitely be absolutely hilarious and successful; especially for drama people who are used to the weird casting notices.
I wonder if this show would actually have a plot or anything, or if it would be more like a standup comedy routine, with the actors just reading off the casting notices. And while I have no prior experience with casting notices, it seems to me that many of these notices are not helpful at all, and along with being rather hilarious, don't really tell anything all that useful about the character being played. Most of the information seems extraneous.
The entire concept of casting notices baffles me. I've looked at a few over the internet with my friends and they never fail to amuse and horrify me. It doesn't seem like any self-respecting actor would attend an audition whose casting director is looking for someone with a description like this: “Seeking 20s/30s - An Asian woman who doesn’t have the hard features of most other Asian females - she is more elegant and sophisticated and knows it.” I'm glad that people are making light of the situation and transforming it into an experience of comedy. It's too often that we complain or rage at blunder like these. Sometimes it's better to find the ridiculousness within them, so we don't all rip our hair out at the idiotic things people put up on the internet for everyone to see.
While this show is presumably intended to be comical, it does pluck at an important issue in modern casting. How does a casting director achieve specificity without crossing the line into the realm misogyny or racism or alienating a potential actor? I think this could instigate many much-needed discussion about the content of casting notices.
In addition, I'm glad that a Tumblr page inspired this. The internet (when utilized properly) is an excellent source for ideas and provides a way to essentially catalogue these blunders. I think this is an excellent example of using the internet to great effect.
There are so many times we get really caught up in our work and it becomes very serious and stressful. However, we are probably in the most fun industry one could ever possibly be in! We go to work every day to play. This could be in creating a world or a character to tell a story. When we get so caught up in the stress we loose sight of this and thats when we need to laugh and let loose. Bad things will happen. They always do and are simply inevitable. When this happens you just need to ask yourself would you rather be stuck in an office for 8 hours, or be playing around in rehearsal for 8 hours? In short, have fun!
From the minute I showed interest in attending conservatory, my parents and mentors were not shy about expressing the harsh treatment performers often endure at the hands of casting directors. “You’re too fat, you’re too tall, you’re too white.” And just like that, without any reason pertaining to your actual talent, you are cut. Such brutal judgment based solely on appearance is dehumanizing: a person is categorized entirely by what they look like, as inanimate objects might be looked at when they are on sale. When I went on my college audition tour, at a handful of them, I felt very much like a material thing, my looks (flashback to all the girls in sparkly dresses and high heels) being one of the most important aspects on the table. In a field with so much emphasis placed on the exterior, it is easy for a toxic, cutthroat environment to fester. This show, making fun of the complete absurdity that is this aspect of the theater world, is essential. It highlights the ridiculousness of it all, bringing us back to reality.
Kate Rosenberg, Andrew Smith-Acting I, 54101A
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