Actors Deserve a timely “Yes or a No” from Casting Directors — OnStage Blog

by Liz Turner, Guest Editorial

Have you ever waited weeks, sometimes months after an audition to hear if you have been cast or not? Cringing by the phone, frantically checking your email every two minutes, even going through your spam and text messages to see if a Casting Director has contacted you about that latest audition.

You’re stressed out because you have not heard one peep, and you’re not sure if you should audition for other theaters and gigs. You really have your heart set on that one role, company and show and may be going out of town for a long run, or on the road, or cruise ship and you don’t want to lead other casting directors or companies on by attending other auditions!

Too many times, I have seen actors wait too long of a time after an audition, never to be contacted by the Casting Director. Not one word or sentence saying “Thank you for coming to our audition, you were/were not selected for our season”. I have seen actors go in for callbacks, readings, and additional dance calls, to still be waiting on the audition results up until the night the show opens (then they get the hint they have not been cast). I have seen actors scramble to try and sublet their apartments, and find job replacements up until the very last minute, as they received an answer only five days before opening, because they Casting Director kept saying “We’re still casting”. 

Casting Directors owe actors a simple “Yes or No” after auditions in a timely manner.  Casting Directors should be extremely thankful and appreciative that actors are putting their lives, jobs, finances, education and families on the line to come in for an audition, without us auditioning you wouldn’t have a show! Sure, literally thousands of actors may audition for one single part on Broadway, and you may not have the time or energy to write every single person a detailed description of why they were not right for the part or show.

But with technology today, there is no excuse why a Casting Director cannot reach out by phone, text, email, regular mail, Facebook, Twitter, Skype even Instagram would be better than nothing! Interns today are more than willing to assist with correspondence and social media. Why hire interns and assistants to work for you then if you can’t even have appropriate correspondence with your potential employees?

Therefore, I propose all Casting Directors to think considerably the next time they are casting a show. Show that you respect, and care about the actors in your theater community. Thank them for their time, patience, talent, and determination and give them a simple “Yes or No” in a timely manner. It’s as easy as that! Actors would rather hear a “No”, then nothing at all. A word of advice for actors, if you do not receive any correspondence after your audition, then I probably would say it’s not a company or director you would even want to spend your time, talent and energy with.

Let’s change the way Casting Directors and Actors communicate into more respectful communication!