Warning: Long Rant
My mind is completely blown by the stupidity of the Montclair State University Department of Theater and Dance.
For those of you who don't know, I am going for my BFA in Acting. In order to graduate, I am required to do 4 of the department shows during the 4 years that I'm there. I have been there for 2 years already, and haven't been cast in anything, leaving me with 4 more semesters to do 4 shows.
Now, Montclair uses our end-of-the-year jurries (our progress evaluations) as our auditions for all of next fall's shows. This coming semester, they're doing a play with a lead role for a girl who goes from 13-16 during the course of the play. I can play that, right? So I did everything. I researched the character, read the play, wrote the part on my audition sheet where it said "Show/Role Preference:", and guess what? Didn't get called back for it. Out of three shows, I got called back for one role, and it was obvious that it was just a cutosy callback, because it lasted about thirty seconds. There were five pages of script, and after I got through two, they said "Ok, thank you".
So they FINALLY emailed the cast lists out (two weeks after the callbacks), and I didn't get cast in anything. And next to the role I wanted and didn't get called back for, it says "TBA", along with three other parts in the show. At the bottom of the cast list, it says "The roles listed as 'TBA' will be cast from the incoming freshman, or from those not cast in another fall production." REALLY?????? WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!
But, amazingly enough, this is not what upests me the most about this department (because technically this means I'll have another chance at the part). What upsets me is that there is no considereation put into the casting.
Now, in addition to the BFA program in the department, there is a BA theater studies program. Now, unlike the BFA students, BA students are not required to audition or be in productions in order to graduate, but they can audition. Now take me. Like I said before, I am required to do four shows in order to graduate. But, that means they have to CAST me in four shows. Now if I only have 4 semesters left to do these 4 shows in, shouldn't I be cast OVER a BA student? I'm not saying that the BA's who were cast do not deserve the roles they got, or that I'm better than them because I'm a BFA, but I think that because i HAVE to do these shows I should take some kind of precedent and be cast first?
The other thing that pisses me off is seeing the same people cast in leads OVER AND OVER AND OVER. My friend Lena is in the same boat that I am. She hasn't been cast in anyting yet, leaving her with only four semesters. This fall, Montclair is doing Shakespeare's "As You Like It". Now, Lena is a Shakespeare NUT. She's read every book on him, knows every play practically by heart, has done most of them, and wants a doctorate in Shakespeareian drama. She got called back for the lead in "As You Like It", and rather than casting her, they cast a musical theater major who has already been in at least three shows.
Now I don't want people reading this to think "Oh she's just bitter". Yes, I am, but my not getting cast is also affecting my future. My parents can barely afford to pay for my college education as it is. So if I get to my senior year, and they say to me, "Well, you haven't done the required four shows, so we can't let you graduate", all of the money my parents have spent over the past four years has been wasted. And I am not going to make them pay for an extra semester or year so that I can be in another show. Its like telling someone that they have to take a class in order to graduate, and then doing nothing to make sure that they get into the class. And when too many other people sign up for it and it becomes closed, telling them "Well that's too bad."
Lets say you're a director casting your shows, and you knew that everyone in the department had to audition to get in, so they're all very good, and you were down to two people for a role. Both of them are going into their junior year. Both of them are extreemely talented. You know that students in the program have to do four shows in order to graduate. You look at the part of the audition sheet that says "Roles Performed at MSU". One of them lists three shows, and one lists none.
Who would you cast?
For those of you who don't know, I am going for my BFA in Acting. In order to graduate, I am required to do 4 of the department shows during the 4 years that I'm there. I have been there for 2 years already, and haven't been cast in anything, leaving me with 4 more semesters to do 4 shows.
Now, Montclair uses our end-of-the-year jurries (our progress evaluations) as our auditions for all of next fall's shows. This coming semester, they're doing a play with a lead role for a girl who goes from 13-16 during the course of the play. I can play that, right? So I did everything. I researched the character, read the play, wrote the part on my audition sheet where it said "Show/Role Preference:", and guess what? Didn't get called back for it. Out of three shows, I got called back for one role, and it was obvious that it was just a cutosy callback, because it lasted about thirty seconds. There were five pages of script, and after I got through two, they said "Ok, thank you".
So they FINALLY emailed the cast lists out (two weeks after the callbacks), and I didn't get cast in anything. And next to the role I wanted and didn't get called back for, it says "TBA", along with three other parts in the show. At the bottom of the cast list, it says "The roles listed as 'TBA' will be cast from the incoming freshman, or from those not cast in another fall production." REALLY?????? WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!
But, amazingly enough, this is not what upests me the most about this department (because technically this means I'll have another chance at the part). What upsets me is that there is no considereation put into the casting.
Now, in addition to the BFA program in the department, there is a BA theater studies program. Now, unlike the BFA students, BA students are not required to audition or be in productions in order to graduate, but they can audition. Now take me. Like I said before, I am required to do four shows in order to graduate. But, that means they have to CAST me in four shows. Now if I only have 4 semesters left to do these 4 shows in, shouldn't I be cast OVER a BA student? I'm not saying that the BA's who were cast do not deserve the roles they got, or that I'm better than them because I'm a BFA, but I think that because i HAVE to do these shows I should take some kind of precedent and be cast first?
The other thing that pisses me off is seeing the same people cast in leads OVER AND OVER AND OVER. My friend Lena is in the same boat that I am. She hasn't been cast in anyting yet, leaving her with only four semesters. This fall, Montclair is doing Shakespeare's "As You Like It". Now, Lena is a Shakespeare NUT. She's read every book on him, knows every play practically by heart, has done most of them, and wants a doctorate in Shakespeareian drama. She got called back for the lead in "As You Like It", and rather than casting her, they cast a musical theater major who has already been in at least three shows.
Now I don't want people reading this to think "Oh she's just bitter". Yes, I am, but my not getting cast is also affecting my future. My parents can barely afford to pay for my college education as it is. So if I get to my senior year, and they say to me, "Well, you haven't done the required four shows, so we can't let you graduate", all of the money my parents have spent over the past four years has been wasted. And I am not going to make them pay for an extra semester or year so that I can be in another show. Its like telling someone that they have to take a class in order to graduate, and then doing nothing to make sure that they get into the class. And when too many other people sign up for it and it becomes closed, telling them "Well that's too bad."
Lets say you're a director casting your shows, and you knew that everyone in the department had to audition to get in, so they're all very good, and you were down to two people for a role. Both of them are going into their junior year. Both of them are extreemely talented. You know that students in the program have to do four shows in order to graduate. You look at the part of the audition sheet that says "Roles Performed at MSU". One of them lists three shows, and one lists none.
Who would you cast?