CASTING POLICY Our Directors and staff always strive to cast fairly, with the guiding objective of assembling the overall cast that will best serve the directorial vision for the show. This requires many hours of careful analysis by the Directors and Staff, who take their responsibility in this area very seriously and watch every audition and participate as a mediators and guides through the casting process. The Dance Studio casting decisions are not based on seniority (grade level in school/age) or past participation in our studio. We base roles on each cast member solely on his or her fit for a given role as revealed through a rigorous and thoughtful audition process. Auditioning for a show can be competitive and sometimes daunting. In keeping with the program’s emphasis on theater as a vehicle for learning and individual development, The Dance Studio strives to educate and prepare students in a wonderful learning environment.
DIVERSITY The Dance Studio values and celebrates diversity of all kinds. Encouraging diversity of participation is an overall goal of the program.
Assigning Roles for a Theater Production Casting is a very complex process. In the end, the Directors must choose the students/volunteers who best fit the roles in many dimensions, both by the individual skills they present in audition, but also in the dynamics that develop between actors who will be creating the driving energy of the show in scenes together. Such dynamics are a large part of what is explored in the “Callback” round of auditions. For students, auditioning is an exciting, yet difficult, process that can bring about greater success, whether they are cast in the role they want or not. The more a student auditions, the better they will become, especially if they seek and receive feedback and guidance. The feeling of “rejection” over not getting the desired role seems disappointing at first, but we strongly urge you to encourage your child to get right back to work as soon as possible so they can sharpen their skills for a future audition. In theater, as in life, all of us experience both disappointment and success. Our goal is to teach our students how to deal with both, so when they leave The Dance Studio, they will be well prepared to navigate their way toward success in a complex world.