Do you think cliques belong in community theater?

I mean, you want to cast someone who will be good in the part, who will show up to rehearsal. At the same time, I can't see the logic in casting the same people in leads all the time. I believe in giving people a chance to shine who haven't shone before.

I belong to two CT's.  One who used the same three or four directors season after season and of course, those directors always cast a lot of the same people.  They also have producers who will only use certain people and are reluctant to use anyody new. 

    In the other CT, when I directed my first play with them as a director, I was 'encouraged' to cast the group members. It's 'our policy to cast the members' is what I was told.  I cast two members and two new people.  One of the new actresses I cast ended up marrying our group president.  That production ended up winning 7 of the 9 available awards.

    They know tnow that I won't compromise the quality of the show so I cast who I want, especially in the lead roles whether they are a member or not. If it comes to a choice between.  If the play has smaller roles then I try to cast the group members in those, if they have the talent to carry the role. 

     Our spring show does not open until the end of the month and most of our 6 shows are already sold out. Those that aren't only have the back rows left.  I also brought in good lighting and sound techies and the shows now have a more professional look and as a result the audences have kept coming back.

Sometimes, the clique is perception as opposed to reality.  I have heard comments that our CT favors a clique when casting, but our director -- we have hired him full-time for two seasons -- casts nearly everyone who shows up for auditions.  Sometimes too few show up and we have to search for someone to take a rolle.  So when audience members or others tell me that we always cast the same clique, I politely and enthusiastically tell them when the next auditions are and invite them to participate.

With us, as with most CTs, quality of the production is very important.  We know we cannot grow our program by producing lousy shows.  But if someone new shows up for auditions, we try our best to use them and welcome them as part of our theatre family in some capacity that interests them.  Totally eliminating the perceived clique, however, may be impossible.

At the youth theater I act in, it works this way. First, you must take the classes if you are not in high school yet in order to audition for the plays. If you are in high school, you do not have to. Second, everyone gets their chance to shine. Everyone will get a chance to be the lead. I had my lead play already, A Little Princess, so I will wait for everyone to get one before I will get one again. But this is good. Everyone knows sooner or later they will get a lead so they are not as disappointed and they make the lead look better on stage so they will get their lead sooner. Does that make sense?

Wishbone

Yes, that does, Wishbone. An interesting way to go about it.

And thanks, everyone, for your polite replies. I asked this elsewhere and was basically eaten alive. You're a considerate bunch.

I direct high school theatre, and it's hard when you 20 girls each year, and there's only 1 lead and 5 supporting parts for them.  When you only do 1 or 2 plays a year, and you have to insure the quality, you can't guarantee each person will get to be the lead some time in their career.  I make an honest effort to put any person who is willing to be faithful to rehearsals and give their best efforts at least a walk-on or chorus role in the cast.  If they are faithful in their small part, I will be paying particular attention to them during their audition the next year.  If they talk behind my back because I didn't cast them and don't try in the part they have, then I give them a formal notice indicating I will not give them a part next year unless they can prove to me that they can be a team player and give full effort by helping out with my junior high or elementary plays.  They usually don't come back, and I lose someone who can't act and has a bad attitude.  Those who do stick it out and give their best effort usually get up to the quality of "supporting" roles by their senior year.  Some actors/actresses will never be lead material, but are extremely wonderful "character" actors/actresses.  Teaching students that to do a character part well is harder than being the lead is a tough pill for them to swallow when shows like "High School Musical" put the emphasis on the leads only.

But it comes down to the same thing in educational theatre as well as community theatre:  if you gave everyone the chance to be the star, even though you know everyone is not "star" quality, you run the risk of a) damaging your theatre's reputation and b) not meeting your budget from ticket sales.  These two factors, unfortunately for the education of actors, will be preeminent should the organization wish to exist in the future.