The Drama League Directors vs. The Matrix

Have you ever attempted to cast 26 actors in 12 plays at one go? I don’t recommend it, unless you want to make your brain leak out of your ears. On Friday, after a round of auditions, the four of us got in a room with Peter & Wendy and spent 6 and a half hours making sure every actor was working with at least 3 different directors, had a significant role, a supporting role, and was in at least one Kiddstuff show. The thing you quickly discover is that with so many variables and requirements, each change you make to fix one actor’s casting creates a problem in the next actors casting. The only way to keep track of it all is with a giant handwritten matrix and endless cross outs and redrafts. It’s incredibly challenging to balance the requirements of the play with the need to insure that everyone has a summer of roles that challenge and inspire them.

That said, what could have been an agonizing process was instead quite cordial, as throughout the evening my fellow directors continued to impress me with their generosity and willingness to look to the needs of the greater company. More than that, I was moved by the passion of people’s belief in individual actors and what they might be able to accomplish when pushed beyond their comfort zone. Here’s to making the wedge a typecasting-free zone this summer!