another uncasting thread
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2137
Printed Date: 11/23/24 at 2:52pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: another uncasting thread
Posted By: mattyjaco
Subject: another uncasting thread
Date Posted: 11/23/06 at 11:04pm
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heres my situation.... i have a cast member who plays a "pleasant looking middle aged man", right now he looks like a scruffy college hippie dropout. At auditons i cast him into the part with the understanding that he would cut his hair. Now with 2 weeks till opening night still no hair cut with nothing but excuses why it hasnt been done, what should i do? At this point im ready to boot him from the show and just play the part myself.... Am I asking to much?, would it be wrong to uncast him because of his appearance? Help Please! |
Replies:
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 11/23/06 at 11:53pm
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Hi matty. Ask him flat out if he intends on cutting his hair as he said he would do. Straight question, request (demand) a straight answer. If his answer is "yes", plan a specific date and time to accompany him if necessary. If his answer is no, you have two options. Either wig him, or replace him. Directors regularly cast with the understanding that any changes in hair cut, style and color be approved beforehand. I have asked actors to grow or shave beards or mustaches or dye or bleach their hair. So my response to "am I asking too much?" is "no". My wife and I are currently directing BCPE and the kids (their parents) have been wonderful about checking with us first. I'm sure that some of the parents, particularly of the Herdmans, can't wait for the show to close so their kids can have their locks shorn, but they understand that their hair was part of the reason for their child being cast in the first place. Five of the six are blonde and four of them have varying degrees of "mops". They look great together. Good luck. ------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: JShieldsIowa
Date Posted: 11/24/06 at 12:28am
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I agree whole-heartedly. Ask him if he's going to keep up his end of the bargain. If not, an you have a suitable replacement (you), can him. For my productions I always try to have a cosmetologist on hand for hair so if we do need to have someone's hair cut or colored there is someone right there to do it or at least to set up an appointment immediately. We're lucky because we have about some great cosmetologists that can do "show hair" and will sign on to a show for an ad in the program. I also budget in my production budget for such haircuts or colors. Does the actor possibly have money issues slowing him down? If so, do you have the money in the budget to pay for his hair cut? That would eliminate that excuse. There may be underlying issues causing him to be reluctant to get his hair cut. If the only true excuse is "I don't wanna" - then kick him to the curb. |
Posted By: B-M-D
Date Posted: 11/24/06 at 12:54am
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Require that it be done by the next rehearsal and if not dump him and don't look back. Personally I would have demanded it sooner. In either case I'd suggest not casting him in any more of your shows. He's not worth the aggravation. ------------- BD 
"Dying is easy, comedy is hard." |
Posted By: eveharrington
Date Posted: 11/25/06 at 2:06pm
Just to play devil's advocate, is it possible he's just trying to hold on to the hair he likes as long as possible? I made someone shave a fifteen year beard once (his wife had never even seen him without it) and he waited until tech week. That was fine with me as long as it was right on opening night. Make sure he intends to do it and then try to calm down. An approaching opening night can make us overly tense about relativly small issues.  ------------- "If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights." |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:42am
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Blessed with a fantastic hair crew at our theater (all actual hair dressers), I would just arrange for one of our masters of hair to show up to rehearsal to get the job done... Either he sits in the chair, or you do, at least you would have your answer AND an appropriate look to the show.....
------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: Mike Polo
Date Posted: 11/28/06 at 12:58pm
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I agree with Eve and went through the same thing with a 20 year old mustache (the man cried when he shaved, but never grew just the mustache back). I let him wait until tech rehearsal. Just tell your actor to have it cut by tech rehearsal ( or at least a week before opening to "give the other actors a chance to get used to it." That way, if he hasn't done it you still have options). All this is predicated on the actor not being problematic otherwise. If you have other reasons for wanting to boot him, that's a whole 'nother question. But if it's just the hair, I think you can work with him to hold onto it as long as possible, but with a definite deadline. ------------- Mike Polo Community Theater Green Room http://www.communitytheater.org http://www.twitter.com/CTGreenRoom"> 
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Posted By: mattyjaco
Date Posted: 11/30/06 at 12:56am
| well, i gave him untill rehearsal tomorow to show me what he is planning on for the show, with tech week starting on monday we'll see what happens, thanks for all the suggestions |
Posted By: mikepatterson
Date Posted: 12/04/06 at 2:51pm
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I was recently in my first stage appearance (been teching for years) and had to shave my beard. (We did A Few Good Men.) It was NOT a trivial thing, as I had been growing it since 1978 and my wife had resisted my occasional suggestions to shave just to see what was under there. I waited until tech week to shave, nobody got antsy because I had an understanding with the director from the first day. Maybe your guy has the same thing in mind, but rather than get worried about it, why don't you just ask him? |
Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 12/05/06 at 4:51pm
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I've had to shave my beard for several productions and I always wait until the week before tech week. Once I did it earlier because of pre-production photos. Sounds like there are other problems going on as well.
What was the outcome from your last post on 11/30? ------------- Even a man who is pure of heart... |
Posted By: red diva
Date Posted: 12/06/06 at 3:13pm
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When I directed "12 Angry Men", my husband (Juror#3) played Juror#3! He understood before he was cast that beards were out, due to the time frame of the piece (50's). Well, we had been married for about 6 years at the time, and I had never seen him without the beard. He shaved during the day of our tech rehearsal when I wasn't home, and was to meet me at rehearsal that night.
I arrived after he was already there and went to the dressing room to say "hi". I stepped in, looked around, didn't find him, and exited, and asked one of the other cast members if they had seen him. He told me that hubby was in the dressing room. I replied that I had just been in there and that he wasn't there. The cast member stepped into the dressing room, called to my husband to come out, and.....who was that stranger? I had actually looked at him in the dressing room and had not recognized him, he looked that different. Of course, I guess I should have wondered who this stranger in the dressing room was! ------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Posted By: Wuo duh ma
Date Posted: 12/11/06 at 12:04pm
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Honestly, give him an ultimatum...Cut your hair by X date or your out. You are perfectly within your right to do so.
Try to find someone to jump into the role just in case he tries to call the bluff. This way you can shw him it's not bluff. ------------- I am a leaf on the wind… watch how I soar. |
Posted By: Juror #3
Date Posted: 12/12/06 at 12:14pm
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I had had facial hair since 1970 when we did 12 Angry Men. The one thing I discovered when I shaved was that I have come to look a great deal like my father. The whole experience wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be, and except for my wife not recognizing me and my continued amazement everytime I looked into a mirror, I felt pretty much the same. I will leave Red Diva to tell you if that was good or bad. ------------- Juror #3 |
Posted By: red diva
Date Posted: 12/22/06 at 10:17am
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Juror #3 - it was good, dear....very good. You're a cutie with or without the beard! (and remember, you have to shave for "That Championship Season" in March). (Was that subtle or what?)
------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Posted By: pdavis69
Date Posted: 1/08/07 at 1:25pm
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I've had to shave for many shows. One suggestion is to have the person cut or shave well before the last minute, you may not like what you see under the hair. I was required to shave head and face for Daddy Warbucks in Annie. We did this very early for publicity photos. As soon as the Director saw me without the beard she asked "how soon can you grow it back?" It appears that she needed Daddy Warbucks to have a chin.
On a lighter note, Red Diva how can you be sure that Juror 13 will need to shave for That Championship Season? Auditions haven't even taken place yet. ------------- Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse |
Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 1/08/07 at 2:30pm
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See... I was good.. I didn't even say anything... thought it... See you auditions Red.. ------------- Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.." |
Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 1/09/07 at 10:29pm
That Championship Season? That's one of my favorite shows I've never done (yet.... there's still hope). I'm jealous.
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Posted By: red diva
Date Posted: 1/10/07 at 4:33pm
Well, as you two (Marty and Patrick) well know, "That Championship Season" is our Second Stage production, and since you two were intimately involved in writing the "rules" for Second Stage, you should also know that precasting is very much permitted. (Think "Escanaba", if you will.) 
And falstaff29, yes, I feel very privileged to be directing this great show. I've wanted to for years. Feel like driving to Ohio to do it?  ------------- "I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!" |
Posted By: mattyjaco
Date Posted: 1/20/07 at 10:15pm
| Thanks everyone... I know Im a day late and a dollar short but heres what happened. I brought a razor and shaving cream to practice and we shaved him there... he gaveme noflack on that. Then we discussed his hair and were actually able to come to a comprimise, we got his hair cut in a layered sort of way, then show night we took the longer bottom layer and rolled it up and bobie pinned it or somthing? Honestly Id have to ask my H&M people how they did it but i was very impressed how we took his long hair and made him "pleasant " looking. Probly will never cast this person again but the show was a success! |