Casting

So, work has finally begun on my IPP. I feel like it has been ages and ages since I have brought it up in my journals, but here it is again. With my mother's oral history as my stimulus, I devised an entire script on my own. At this point my teacher has read over a portion of the script but she had found it confusing. I don't know if this is something I can solve on my own because my mother's story has become so ingrained within me that I feel like the audience would be able to assume all the missing links. I believe that is the problem; I cannot separate myself from the work. It has become so personal that I can no longer look at the plot objectively. I hope that now with the piece casted, I will be able to ask my cast for their honest opinion. As they will be the ones developing the characters behind the plot, they will be asking the vital questions (How old is she? Where did he come from? How many siblings does she have?). These are questions that I have tried to answer in writing the script, but as you know it is impossible to answer everything. The story becomes little more than a pile of facts if written with this intention in mind.

And so, back to the purpose of this entry. Earlier this week Kim and I sat down to discuss our casts. We had compiled a list of interested students and we began divvying up the group from there. I did not go into casting with any preconceptions as to who I wanted and so on. The only actor I particularly wanted for my cast was Stephanie Lee, as I had seen her play the lead in a serious piece before. Though the piece was not so well received by the high school audience, I felt she communicated the message well enough. This was just what I needed for the serious matter of my own piece. The rest of the cast somewhat fell into place. I based a lot of my decisions upon other work that I had seen in the class, tailoring roles to the actor's strength. But all in all I thought my piece would be a chance for the actors to step outside their comfort zone. Serious pieces are not often attempted within our theatre program. I will begin work with my cast tomorrow.