Casting light on the Shakes’ cast
Orlando Shakespeare Theater earned more from ticket sales for its recent production of “Les Miserables” than any other show in its 25-year history. The more than $350,000 was roughly 150 percent over the ticket-sales goal, the theater says.
Yet amid this good news has been an undercurrent of grousing in some quarters of the Central Florida arts community. “Why didn’t the Shakes cast more local actors,” the griping goes. “Why do they always cast from out of town?”
I hate to use the term “sour grapes” because it makes people sound petty and bitter. And when actors are the ones posing the questions, it is tempting to ask if they would prefer casting to be done by a director or by ZIP code?
It’s true that most of the principal roles in “Les Miz” were not played by Central Floridians. But Michael Hunsaker, who starred in the leading role of Valjean, is an Orlando resident.
Interestingly, this week the Shakespeare Theater explained through social-media posts how the money theatergoers spent to see “Les Miz” was spent. From each $53 ticket, a colorful pie chart shows, $3.35 went toward paying out-of-town actors. Nearly five times as much — $14.49 — went toward salaries for local actors, musicians and stage managers.
I called Jim Helsinger, the Shakes’ artistic director, and asked him about casting “Les Miserables.” Helsinger has the final say on which actors are picked, but the choices are made with the “strong recommendations” of the show director, in this case New Yorkbased DJ Salisbury, who has directed shows all over the country.
“There were people I liked, there were people DJ liked, but the people we cast were people we both liked,” Helsinger said. “What we are trying to do is get the very best cast possible on our stage for the audience.”
Directors can be drawn to a particular actor for any number of reasons, Helsinger said. Sometimes they have worked together before, or it might be a particular look or vocal quality.
In the case of “Les Miz,” the opportunity arose to cast Broadway actor Davis Gaines in the key role of Valjean’s nemesis. Living in Los Angeles, Gaines is an out-of-towner for sure. But he grew up here, his parents still live in Orlando, and he has strong ties to the community.
It’s not uncommon in many cities to throw out a casting net far and wide, Helsinger said, although Orlando theaters have the luxury of often finding local talent because the theme parks attract so many actors to town.
“I think we’re really blessed to have a casting base here to draw from,” he said.
And local actors still far outnumber the out-of-towners at the Shakes.
In the theater’s five productions running between September and December, 12 actors are from out of town, Helsinger said, and 38 are local.
Those local actors include graduate students from the University of Central Florida, the Shakes’ partner. Helsinger points out that even if some of those students didn’t grow up here, they currently pay rent, buy groceries, eat in restaurants and otherwise are part of the local economy.
“We do support local actors,” said Hels-
TONY FIRRIOLO inger, adding that it’s much more costefficient for the theater to cast locally than to pay the associated costs — such as rent — for out-of-town talent.
“If I don’t have to pay transportation or housing, why would I?” he asked. The Shakes’ Facebook post shows $1.81 of every $53 “Les Miz” ticket was spent on travel and accommodations.
Intermingled with the sniping has been the idea that because the city supports the theater through its subsidized rent, the Shakes has some sort of moral obligation to hire local actors exclusively.
But do we really want a theater’s business arrangements so involved in its artistic choices? Where will it end? A public vote on lighting cues? Taxpayer approval of costume designs?
Like it or not, a show reflects the director’s vision. In show business, that’s reinforced every day — whether on casting notices posted in high-school hallways or through phone calls offering that big break on Broadway.
And in the case of the Shakes’ “Les Miserables,” based on ticket sales at least, that vision seems to have worked out just fine.