<p>This isn't exactly a question about majoring in theatre but I figured theatre majors would understand where I'm coming from. I've been acting since high school freshman year and when I got to college, I was excited to finally be working with a theatre program that might have some kind of budget and might do some more edgy or mature shows. So I went out and auditioned for the first show I could, not really suspecting that I'd make the cut (the show has a six person cast). To my surprise, I actually landed the lead role, and due to this little ego boost I went out for another show with the urging of my acting teacher.
However, as this first show gets closer I realise that I have been woefully miscast. The show is a farce and I have had zero comedic experience. I know that I'm the least funny person on stage. And I'm onstage all the time; there are maybe seven minutes in the entire show that I'm not on stage. I'm struggling to remember my lines and my blocking. To be frank I just want this show to be over.
My problem is, I feel like I need a break from theatre. But the other show I'm going to be in is for credit and I need the extra hours in case I need to drop a difficult language class I'm in (I need to maintain 15 credit hours to keep my financial aid). I feel really trapped, and woes of all, these practice schedules are keeping me from being social with other freshman meaning I've had very few chances to make friends. Any one have any advice?</p>
<p>(I suspect (but I could be wrong) this may just be a touch of stage fright. Everyone gets it, and you will eventually find ways to deal with it.)</p>
<p>I think you should go and talk to your director about how you are feeling. Also now I think about it, you can talk to the other cast members as well (you seem to be saying they have more experience than you, and might be able to help you deal with what you are going through)</p>
<p>You have not been miscast. You went AS A FRESHMAN to YOUR FIRST AUDITION, and competed with all of the other folks auditioning, and the director clearly saw that YOU were exactly what he/she was looking for for the LEADING ROLE of this play, instead of every other person who auditioned. Maybe the things that you think you are doing “wrong” are instead exactly what the director wants and are exactly right for the role you are playing (I don’t know what the play is and what the role is, so I can’t give you any specific advice.)</p>
<p>Talk to your castmembers about how they manage a social life with their rehearsal schedule. You probably will find that you mostly make friends with the other theatre students (because, hey, that’s who you spend all your time with!). I think you will find that in the theatre crowd nobody cares about what year you are, or even whether you are an undergrad or a grad student, everyone is just doing theatre together. It’s not like high school any more, everyone is an adult, you don’t have to only socialize with the other freshmen. You may even end up dating that very attractive older theatre student . . .</p>
<p>You are a freshman, and it is still September. You are adjusting to the completely new environment of college, and the higher expectations that college has, including the fact that it is now harder to manage your time. I know it won’t help at all for me to say this, but everyone goes through this, no matter what subject they are majoring in. The people you see going out and partying all the time are just a small percentage of the students, and these folks are the ones who are FAILING to manage their time, and these are the folks that will not make it to graduation.</p>
<p>Maybe there are resources available on campus for students who are having issues like yours? Like some sort of advising or counseling for students?</p>
<p>Nobody said that becoming an actor was easy. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but I am sure you can do it. You are just finding the sudden transition to college a bit of a shock.</p>
<p>But I do think you need to go and talk to your director about how you are feeling about the play. He/she may be completely unaware of how you are feeling, and if he/she doesn’t know how you are feeling, he/she can’t do anything to help you.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>Nicely put, KEVP! I agree completely.</p>
<p>I’ll add that maybe you’ll decide after this semester that you want to change your commitment to theatre, and that’s OK. Don’t worry what you think you might be missing out on now - just go with the flow and make adjustments when you can.</p>
<p>Also, there is often a point in any artistic endeavor (maybe any endeavor?) where you wonder whether everything is falling apart. Usually you turn a corner and things are fine. This often happens when you’ve taken a big risk - as you say you were aiming to do in college. Also, anything that requires a big time commitment can be exhausting and make you wish you could just do something more fun and relaxing.</p>
<p>Many college freshmen are sure everyone else is having more fun than they are - try to remember everyone is making choices and feeling overwhelmed sometimes. Just give yourself permission to have these experiences and learn from them. Definitely make use of your mentors - profs, directors, whatever - and get what you can from them. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Well, I think it’s possible that you could have been miscast. It does happen–even with experienced directors. Your perceptions may be accurate, in whole or in part.</p>
<p>But I agree that you should talk to your director about it. He may be able to help you play against type. It’s obvious that you have talent or you would not have been cast the first two times you auditioned—what you may be lacking is not just experience but college-level training that could impart the skills that could help you out with a difficult role.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like you have a lot of promise and I hope you don’t give up on the theater altogether.</p>
<p>I’d guess you were Dottie in Noises Off but the cast size is wrong. Most people learning that role feel much as you do. ;-)</p>
<p>I agree with everything said so far, but also keep in mind that blocking and lines can be particularly difficult in farce, and not every character is meant to be individually funny. The humor can be situational and dependent on ensemble interactions. The “lead” role is often not written to be the funniest one. Farce is not like standup so you, individually, may not need to be funny for the show to work.</p>
<p>Also, comedy in general requires a huge leap of faith as you don’t know what’s working until you have an audience.</p>
<p>And, while it may feel rotten, if you really are miscast it is the Directors fault and not yours so don’t beat yourself up about it! It happens to most actors at some point and is a worthwhile learning experience.</p>
<p>Hang in there, and best of luck!</p>
<p>I agree with what MomCares says, but I don’t know what play or what role you have.</p>
<p>In many farces, the leading role is for a “straight man” (this is just theatre jargon, you don’t have to be either straight or a man to be a “straight man”). Usually the plot is the leading character trying to keep his dignity or sanity while his world collapses around him. (In British farces particularly he will end up losing his trousers at some point). This means he has got to be the “normal” one, while everyone else gets to be silly and crazy and part of the collapsing world. The old TV series “Seinfeld” is an example. The star, Jerry Seinfeld, was usually the stable point around which all of his crazy friends rotated. In some ways, he was the “least funny” character in the show. But he was the star, and the most important character. In the days of vaudeville, the “straight man” was paid more than the “funny man”. Because they knew this was the part that required the most skill. The straight man is the one who controls the timing, which is very important for comedy.</p>
<p>It often happens when working on comedy that everyone gets to a point where it doesn’t seem funny. Because we have had so many rehearsals and done the same jokes and funny bits over and over again, it all seems old. We forget what the show will look like to an audience that hasn’t heard the jokes yet, and they will find it very funny.</p>
<p>If you are serious about acting, you will need to be able to play a wide variety of roles. You will need to learn how to be the lead in a farce, and here is your opportunity. The easy way out is just to say “I was miscast” and give up trying. If you do that, I think you really should reconsider your decision to go into acting.</p>
<p>I still think the first thing you should do is go and talk to the director, tell him/her how you feel, ask why they decided to cast you of all people (again, I don’t believe that you were miscast, you may just not understand the reason you were cast).</p>
<p>KEVP</p>