Principal or nah?
“I’m ready! I’m ready now!”
So you’re ready to take that leap, eh?
I started my career in the ensemble. And I was blissfully happy about it. I was just happy to be booked. I didn't care where they put me, as long as I was on stage.
But when I booked my first principal role and I got a taste of what it felt like to hold center stage and sing a solo, or share a scene with an actor on stage… I was hooked. I wanted more opportunities to be a lead on stage, but I had no idea how to get casting directors to see me as not just an understudy or ensemble player, but as a potential lead.
I started going into audition calls that had lead roles specific for my type like, Rent, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, August Wilson plays, The Color Purple & Godspell - you name it. If they had a role that could be cast as a young, tall, black woman - I was in the building. I was not a member of actors equity so I just crashed audition call after audition call, sometimes waiting for six hours to be seen - sometimes not even getting seen at all.
It took a few months, but I started getting callbacks for principal roles, and that eventually led to a couple of more bookings. I had to say no to a few shows a couple of times because they wanted to offer me an understudy track and even though I really wanted to be in the production, I had to shift their focus to see me as a lead. And that meant turning down opportunities until I got the ones I really wanted. I discuss this in detail in this week’s video.
If you’re looking to make the switch from ensemble to lead, my suggestion is that you actively pursue shows that have roles for your type. If you’ve never understudied before, and you’re offered an understudy/cover contract - take it! That will lead to more understudy roles, which will eventually lead to more opportunities to audition for principal roles. Remember, artistic directors have a board to answer to and casting directors have an artistic director to answer to. They don’t like to take risks when they already have a sure thing. So if you’re new to the game, and you want to be seen as a lead, you may have to be patient and give them time to see you in a different light. You may need to be seen several times before they are willing to trust the role to you. You may also have to say no to the opportunities you used to say yes to. Sometimes you have to say “no” just so that you can get your foot in the door.
Cheers,
Adrienne