Casting for Playhouse Creatures by April De Angelis is, like casting for any show, quite difficult. If done improperly the choices a director makes could have an entirely different aspect on the show than either the director’s intention or even the playwright’s intentions would be for an audience to interpret. Casting for someone like Nell you would need a young actress that can play the naïve as well as being capable of character growth versus casting for Doll where she is significantly older than the rest of the cast and has little character growth due to the stubborn nature of the character. Age does play a role in the characters and the choices made in casting actors that do not fit those types will ultimately change the intention of the script.
You do have to cast for gender and there is a reason. This play is about the differences and the beginnings of actresses on stage versus the actors on stage that had come beforehand in the English Renaissance. This play is about the first few female actresses that take the stage head on with little regards to how a male audience perceives them and the lives these women lead as the realm of the new type of theatre in the Restoration period envelopes them. As a casting director, or director casting for this show, you can not cross gender cast this show because of the plot of this show.
Problems arise, however, with casting when casting someone that may be handicapped. The show does have moments where the cast of characters is very mobile and highly active. It is up to the director’s discretion as to whether or not a handicapped or impaired cast member can handle the role.
This play, although not about race, does take place shortly after the end of Puritan reign in England. That being said, extensive research into the dexterity of non-white women as actresses in this time would need to be researched. The nature of the play dictates that one or two of the women could be played by women of non-white ethnicity but England primarily is a culture of white people. If a director is looking to stay authentic to the time period this is something to consider.
This play, although not about race, does take place shortly after the end of Puritan reign in England. That being said, extensive research into the dexterity of non-white women as actresses in this time would need to be researched. The nature of the play dictates that one or two of the women could be played by women of non-white ethnicity but England primarily is a culture of white people. If a director is looking to stay authentic to the time period this is something to consider.
I feel that with this type of show, in order to remain accurate the research into the types of people living in London at this time needs to be looked at extensively to ensure that roles like these stay true to the intentions of the script. However, a director may cast this show however he or she likes because this show doesn’t go into race, or impairment of any kind. I think while there is a lot to offer with a diverse cast, casting based qualifications for the role would be the most appropriate to consider particularly in some of the tavern and staging moments where actors are on a stage. This show contains a simple concept with many complex shifts in the stories with the characters as their world changes. A director looking to cast with diversity in mind should adhere to the complexities that each character faces not only with the life in the play but daily life that may have occurred during this period.
I feel that directors, casting agents, and casting directors have a significant amount to watch out for in order to decide what types of diversity that this show can handle.
