First of all, congratulations on being cast. Well done!

Secondly, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.  Your director has given you a great compliment by saying she felt she could cast you based solely on your singing audition.  It's not all that unusual.

You said you were offered "... a role" and didn't specify whether or not it was THE role you wanted.  Since I don't know which play or which part is in question I can only assume the director cast you because

A) The part given you is primarily a singing part that requires little or no acting.

B) The director looked at your resume and saw you've done other roles with theaters or directors she knows and trusts.

C) The director called up a past director from your resume and said "Hey, this [OpalViolet] auditioned for me last night and I thought she was terrific.  Do you think she could handle the part of "----" in this show?"  And then got a glowing recommendation from somebody with whom you've previously worked.

Either way, congratulations!

Sorry to hear that.

Don't be too hard on yourself.  I'm sure you gave a great audition but Mrs. Sowerberry is a role typically cast with a more mature actress and if the "casts shows young" as you put it, then it's entirely possible you were either too old (in their eyes) for the role of Nancy or you were the only actress in the right age range (and musically suitable) to play Mrs. Sowerberry.

Read my previous post under "Directing" in the thread titled "Audition Aftermath" to commiserate along with everybody else on a simliar topic.

Better luck next time.

B-M-D:

That is funny, having your mother-in-law play your wife!  In a church play, I once played my ex-husband's mother.  We were married at the time.  How incestuous!

I didn't mean to imply Mrs. Sowerberry wasn't a good role, just not the one I wanted.  I played Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music this past summer with the same company, so wonder if they can't see me doing a role that requires belting.  That's why I chose to do a song that showed I could belt and do something other than a sophisticated lyric soprano.

Since there is no community theater in my hometown, it severely limits opportunities.  I hate to pass up a good role, but there's too much emotionally involved with the part.  I never got to play Nancy on stage because on Opening Night, we had a bomb threat and the show was shut down.  We never got to do it before an audience.  I was featured with a large photo and the best review of my life, so I was actually concerned the crazy person might come after me.  To have played the role would have been a sorta divine justice, fulfilling a longing I've had, like closing a chapter in an unfinished book.  That's why that role meant so much to me and it would have been too much to watch someone else play it.  I don't like to turn down roles, but this time, I felt I had to.