Originally posted by sguti39 Some of my favorites performances have been people who have NO...NADA lines.  I saw a production of Urinetown, where one of the ensemble portrayed a blind character.  She had the glasses, the walking stick, and danced in different directions from the other ensemble members.  They would go and get her when she strayed from the group-she was hilarious.  Another was the perennial angry stage hand who didn't cast (at least that is what his T-shirt said).  He won a regional award for his role in INTO the WOODs.   I say take this as an opportunity to work with those individuals on their character development.

One of my favorite characters from this last show we did was a freshman girl. She had no lines originally, but from the very first rehearsal, she was ALIVE. I ended up giving her one line, and without the hindrance of the script, she was just fantastic. By the actual production, most of the other cast members had stepped their game up to her level and the audience never knew the magic that little girl had. You can bet I'll be putting larger parts on her shoulders in the future.

Another girl that I enjoyed in the spring play was the girl who had the lead in the musical. In the play, she played a smaller role that didn't even touch the stage until the second act. Yet she came out and played it HUGE (a villain the polar opposite of her innocent lead in the musical). I was incredibly impressed, and the audience loved it.

Funny story.  I've got a little list of roles that I'd just love to play and would go the extra distance for (not unusual, probably).  Last summer, I noticed the night before the audition that one of those shows was coming up only... oh, 35-40 minutes from home.  I guess I'd just missed it because I was busy with the show I was in only about 2 weeks from open.  Overnight, I hastily got all my stuff together -- they posted their audition sheet online and wanted it filled out when you came in.  So I did, found my headshot pack, got my resume printed, and worked to reasonably good proficiency the song they wanted to hear for this part.

Got to the audition the next day, forked over my paperwork, and they gave me back a little calendar.  "Mark any conflicts down...."  I was going to miss something like 12 of the first 13 rehearsals.  They were starting essentially immediately, and were rehearsing exactly opposite the show I was about to open.

I kind of chuckled, marked them down, and then went in and auditioned, knowing the whole time that my audition was NOT going to get a callback, simply due to my schedule.

It was good to know.  Probably the only time I've auditioned for a role I really wanted and then did NOT eagerly anticipate the phone ringing.

Originally posted by JoyExcellence so I took a chance. And I am so glad I did!

I'm glad you followed your gut and took a chance, and that it was a positive experience for you.

One thing I wanted to add, is how we look at theatre in terms of education.  In your first post, you said "students."  If that's who you are directing, then I am of the opinion that a good portion of your casting should be based on which roles offer the greatest educational experiences for certain actors.  Many times, the lead role does not fit this criteria for the most gifted actor.  For example, leading characters are already developed quite a bit in the script.  A gifted actor doesn't have to work hard to develop that character.  It could be a greater educational experience to give them a supporting character, and challenge them to develop that character beyond what is in the script.

Naturally, this isn't usually a conducive approach in professional theatre.  But I believe it should be heavily considered in schools... and considered in CT at least a little bit.

You also talked about energy, and I've found that many lead roles are not "anchor" roles either.  So there's another thing to think about.

In the end, knowing the script and the characters thoroughly is our greatest asset during casting.