Thanks, next! by Liz Gilroy, Port Stanley Festival Theatre Artistic Director
When constructing a season for Port Stanley Festival Theatre, I usually have some actors in mind for a few of the roles. There are many actors who work on and off at our theatre, who are audience favourites. Also, I have actors whom I like to hire because of their considerable talent, work ethic, fearlessness, and their positive energy during rehearsals. BUT.......Sometimes I need to audition to find just the right person for a specific role. This is a process that I need to start eight to ten months before we even begin rehearsals. Step 1 – Casting Call: Name of the play, the role, the dates of the contract, and what qualities define the character: Once the notice goes out, the resumes start pouring in. Step 2 – Sifting through the resumes and headshots: Experience; theatres worked at; directors worked with; special skills – have they done: musicals, comedies, period pieces, classical theatre, opera, dance, concerts, etc. Then those resumes go into a Yes, Maybe, or No pile. One always hopes the Yes pile is the largest! Step 3 – Booking times: I get in touch with the actors themselves or their agents and let them know that I would like to see them for an audition. I send out ‘sides’ – a few pages from the script, and they are to come prepared to read those sides with a reader provided by the theatre. Step 4 – The Audition: Potentially, I can have up to 150 auditions booked if I have numerous roles to cast, and that ends up being around three days of auditions with 10 people per hour in five-minute time slots. Those days are exhausting,
as you want everyone who auditions to be at their best, so I must always be 100% present and emit as much positivity as possible. Auditions are tough: show me in 10 minutes or less why you should get the part. If someone is just perfect for the role, I may ask them to ‘cold read {a different scene from the play} to see if they are good at taking direction, a very important skill. Step 5 – Making Choices: Once all the auditions are done and the new Yes, Maybe, and No piles are completed, putting together all the puzzle pieces begins. Step 6 – You got the job: Calls go out to the agents; then we negotiate, which can take up to a month, and eventually the season is cast. When it all goes according to plan, the chemistry between the actors on stage should be electric, and our patrons should fall in love, or love to hate, the talented actors throughout our summer season. See you at the theatre!
Real Living • Winter 2026 • Page 15
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