E.T.’s Journal

Do you love the theatre? Are you an aspiring actor or actress? Are you trying to build up your resumés? Have you been busting your ass off to be the best performer? Taking all the lessons, such as acting, voice, and dance? Is there that one person you’re always trying to get ahead of, but it feels like there’s an outside force telling you, “NO.”? It may not even be an outside force. The person you’re trying to surpass is probably the directors’ son or daughter, niece or nephew, or even grand baby. As long as they audition like everybody else it’s fine right? They “earned” it? It’s fair?

Firstly, I understand that in the theatre world it’s, “who you know” that will get you a job and get your name out there. You have to put yourself out there and meet new people and hopefully those people will want to work with you. There are theatres out there that will give you a fair shake, but then there are some that are very, very, very...”nepotistic.” Meaning, they’ll hire the actor/actress because they’re related.

In my honest opinion, casting your relative doesn’t mean they’re “always” the right fit for the role. They could be a bass/baritone, but you don’t cast them in a tenor role. Not every guy is a tenor and not every gal is a soprano...1. Theatre is competitive. But it’s not a competition if we all know you’re going to cast your relatives and your favorite people.

Don’t you know you’re wasting a lot of actors/actress’ time and talent. You could also be crushing a persons dream. There are other talented people out there. They may not be blood to you, but if you’re going to run a theatre you need to and SHOULD give EVERYONE a fair shake. Your son, daughter, niece, nephew, or grand baby is not the only talented person in the room. Prooving that talent is another bridge to cross.

I’ve had good and bad auditions. I’ve always try to feel confident and do my best. The thing I know about directors is that they know who they’re going to cast. Part of our jobs as actors/actresses is to change the directors’ mind. Prove to them that you’re the right fit. That ain’t always easy. Let me tell you...

I’ve been in an audition rooms, where I would be singing and/or reciting a monologue, and the director would be basically ignoring me. It’s so hard to get their attention or blow them away. Is it so hard for directors to have an open mind? Try someone new? It’s risky, but what if that person you’ve been ignoring is the person you never thought you needed. I wish directors didn’t say no, before I even tried.

When I see the nepotistic casting, it does hurt especially if you believe you can do what they can or possibly even better then they can. When you get rejected, you get the feeling of, “Why bother? They’re just going to cast them.” You question if you’re talented enough. You start getting used to rejection or getting used to being stuck in the ensemble. Even though I’ve felt this way, I never let it stop me from trying. I keep auditioning, I keep taking lessons, and I keep hoping that one day I’d be cast as the lead, that my turn in that spotlight will come. I am still trying, but I do still have my doubts.

We all know we’ve thought this, “What if that day never comes?” Let’s face it. Nepotism and favoritism is bound to happen in every theatre you audition with. Doesn’t that suck? YES. It’s a harsh reality, but any dream you may have takes a lot of work. Along that road comes a lot of rejection, but let that rejection fuel you to keep moving forward.

If you have ever felt the way I feel, I encourage you to keep trying. Try multiple theatres. Keep singing. Keep dancing. Keep acting. Life isn’t fair, but we gotta keep fighting for our right to be treated fairly. I tell you, “Fight that nepotistic b*tch.”