Casting Director Accountability

This week: Twittergate – A final thought & reflection

I didn’t want to continue a discussion on last week’s “Twittering from The Audition Room” by a casting director. But the response to my last blog, A Casting Director’s Rude Behavior characterized by Back Stage as “chastising” was overwhelming with people e-mailing and calling me; stating that they would report Ms. Eisenberg’s audition room behavior to C.S.A. (Casting Society of America) and A.E.A. (Actors’ Equity Association).

After meeting with A.E.A. on Friday, August 14;  Ms. Eisenberg offered, via Twitter an, apology:

“I apologize to the actors and professionals who put themselves on the line every time they audition… By mutual agreement, future tweets will not be coming from the audition room regarding the actors auditioning.“

Now is the time for everyone to move forward from this incident  and begin the process of forgiveness for an error in judgment (which we all have made from time-to-time).

But before final closure an afterthought:

While reading the deluge that came in response to my response to the original inappropriate actions of said casting director tweeting live audition feedback of actors publicly (original blog here) a thought came to mind: Actors believe that casting directors are fully accountable to unions or an organization. We’re not. And therein lies part of the problem which prompted last week’s inappropriate behavior. Some casting directors believe themselves impervious to consequences for their actions. Which leads to a mindset of “I answer to no one but myself and that gives me power over you.” “You” being the actor, talent agent or manager.

Actors you are not the only ones who must endure, at times, rude behavior from less-than-despicable casting personnel. Agents and managers must often face that same abuse when trying to push their clients to a casting director. If you think your last audition was met with frost from the Antarctic presence behind the audition room table imagine what a talent rep. faces from that same iceberg on the phone or in the cold life-less text of an e-mail.

When I began writing ACTING: Make It Your Business one of my main goals was to write about what happens on the casting side of the audition table and the abuses that occur. Eventually I devoted a whole chapter to audition horror stories; not mine but actors who encounter rude auditors. And then how to react in the room during such occurrences. Having been an actor I was pissed-off by the behavior of some “casting gods”.

A casting director only has three people to answer to for their actions. Talent. Their client. Themselves. The last will either be the flaw or strength in that chain of command. For if the casting director is basically flawed in character then they will have no moral compass. If the casting director has humility, knows what is socially and professionally acceptable then they will treat others with the respect they would prefer for themselves. Beyond self-governing there is very little oversight from talent and the casting director’s client. Actors often don’t voice displeasure in response to a casting director’s treatment of them for fear of being black-listed. Clients are often unaware of what happens when not in an audition room with the casting director.

The unions for actors (A.E.A., SAG and AFTRA) have little to no authority over a casting director’s audition room behavior. Same goes for C.S.A. (which is not a union but a membership organization). The only entity, besides the casting director themselves, who can bring consequence is the casting director’s client; the producer. Only they can dismiss the C.D., terminating their service. As long as casting directors are not answerable to anyone but ourselves and our clients it’s only our professionalism and humanity that keeps an audition room from becoming a second layer of hell for actors.

My Best,
Paul

Read advice from legendary talent agents,
plus Hollywood & Broadway actors in Paul Russell’s Best-Selling Book ACTING: Make It Your Business!

 

Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly thirty years. He has worked on projects for major film studios, television networks, and Broadway. Paul has taught the business of acting and audition technique at NYU and has spoken at universities including Yale, Temple and the University of the Arts. He writes a column for Back Stage and is the author of ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor. For more information, please visit www.PaulRussell.net.

A Casting Director’s Rude Behavior

This week: A Casting Director Calls Out a Casting Director for Bad Behavior

This was not to be the scheduled blog for this week. Generally I’m four weeks ahead of myself in my writing you. But there was a breach of trust from behind the audition table this week. And it must be addressed.

This past week during casting for The New York Musical Theater Festival casting director Daryl Eisenberg was tweeting live commentary during auditions about the actors she was seeing before her. I’ve seen the tweets on Twitter which have subsequently appeared on numerous web sites:

“If we wanted to hear it a different way, don’t worry, we’ll ask.”

“Your skirt makes me think you’re Wiccan…”

“Who is that person in your headshot? it is def not the person standing in front of me.”

“If you are going to sing about getting on your knees, might as well do it and crawl towards us…right?”

When Actors Equity Association got wind of this behavior Ms. Eisenberg then released the following tweet:

“We have a quick break….for the record, we tweet when the actors are NOT IN THE ROOM.”

Ms. Eisenberg, you shouldn’t be commenting at all. It is not your position to digitally vomit your reactions to the public at large during auditions. What happens in the audition room stays in the audition room. This is not American Idol.

Now before you interject, “Paul, hello this is the kettle. You’re black.” My audition room observations in my book and this blog offer solutions. Having been someone who was ridiculed in my youth I give careful consideration before relaying any anecdotes that may embarrass. All examples of missteps that I share (including my own) must come with an offer of a solution or adjustment for improvement and not be utilized for the sake of entertainment or humiliation.

Ms Eisenberg you have violated the trust of those who came before you. Artists who bared their talents in exchange for an offer of work; a chance to earn monies for food and rent. An audition is when the actor is often at their most vulnerable emotional state. An actor faces many challenges in their career. As casting directors we should be there as support for the artist. A casting director is nothing more than glorified human resources and any casting director who gives themselves “power” over an actor is not a collaborator of the arts but a dilettante. We are not to place ourselves upon pedestals. We don’t hire. We’re traffic managers bringing in and out of the audition room a flow of talent. We’re personal shoppers and nothing greater.

It’s behavior such as yours Ms. Eisenberg that makes me ashamed at times to be a “gate keeper”. For that’s all we are. A casting director’s job was not created out of need but out of convenience for the creative team. Before casting directors existed, producers, directors and stage managers did the leg work that has become our trade. We’re expendable. This current economic crisis and our dwindling client base as budgets are cut should have made you more than aware of that reality.

Actors deserve better treatment from those behind the audition table. I was once an actor. I have a great empathy for them. I don’t know if you Ms. Eisenberg were once an actor. If so; you should be damned ashamed of how you have treated those who now stand where you once stood. If you never had the displeasure of auditioning consider yourself fortunate that you never had to endure what actors in your audition room experienced this past week.

My best,
Paul

ACTING: Make It Your Business - New Edition for Today's Actor!Read advice from legendary talent agents,
plus Hollywood & Broadway actors in Paul Russell’s Best-Selling Book ACTING: Make It Your Business!

 

 

 

Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned forty-plus years. He has worked on projects for major film studios, television networks, and Broadway. Paul has taught the business of acting and audition technique at NYU and has spoken at universities including Yale, Temple and the University of the Arts. He writes a column for Back Stage and is the author of ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor. For more information, please visit www.PaulRussell.net.