I wish I could fly, and magically appear and disappear

So, FYI, usually I post quotes and/or Broadway song lyrics for my titles. Most of the time they are from amazing songs, so you should look them up. I'm just sayin

Anyways, this will be a shorter one. I was just thinking about this strange phenomenon that occurs during the course of the rehearsal process. Sometimes when cast in a show, we feel like some of the casting choices may have been mistaken. We wonder why a certain person got cast for that part. And even in those beginning few rehearsals, we still question their ability and/or reason for being cast.

However, for me at least, this strange sort of mindset takes over. During a certain point in the rehearsal process, I get really protective of the cast that I am in and overlook any flaws that they might have. I guess I accept their acting and go along with it. I bring this up because it is a strange relationship, especially in comparison to that of the audience watching the show only once. When I'm involved in a show, I usually think really bad actors do ok when they don't. I guess because when you're involved in the process, you see the beginning, middle, and end. So, for me, their performance means a lot more because you know all the work they've done to get there. For an audience, they are judging a single performance for this actor. So, even if they grew an immense amount over the rehearsal process, it pretty much means nothing for an audience. If they are still mediocre when they perform, the audience will think they are mediocre.

I've gone through this experience recently during the semester. I was in a great show with a great cast, but some struggled more than others. There was one actor who grew so much over the rehearsal process, and I felt like gave a really good performance. Mind you, it wasn't amazing, but still good. Another actor was in the same position, but didn't progress as much as the other actor. His performance was kind of blah, and I realize it was bad, but I would have labeled it just ok. Then, going into critiques during my acting class, I discovered that their performances were deemed "awful", "horrible", etc. I was flabbergasted by it, because I didn't think they were that bad. And it made me realize how different the experience is for the actor involved and the actor in the audience.

I don't know if it's necessarily a good or bad thing that I have this jaded view. Who knows, maybe it's only me that goes through this. But I just realized it tonight and thought I'd share it. And actor's view on the cast through the rehearsal process. Yup.