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Twitter during Auditions?

There has been a controversy brewing around Ms. Daryl Eisenberg of Daryl Eisenberg Casting who was tweeting comments about those auditioning such as:

  • “Theme song to FAMILY GUY. BEST song choice of the YEAR!”
  • “Good thing my assistant noticed that he had NO CONTACT INFO ON HIS RESUME. We stopped him before he left the room. He was actually good!”
  • “if you are going to sing about getting on your knees, might as well do it and crawl towards us…right?”
  • “If we wanted to hear it a different way, don’t worry, we’ll ask.”
  • “All this screaming (I guess these kids call it belting) is giving me a headache…”
  • “Seriously, actors. Are you too damn lazy to type up a proper resume?!”
  • “Best part of this guy’s resume….”Height: 179 cm”"
  • “Don’t put your age on your resume! Let ME decide how old you PLAY!”
  • “This is more than 32 bars….”

Most Many of them are pretty harmless (and there aren’t many), some are helpful, and more than a few are pretty rough. But It does beg the question; is it appropriate at all to publicly comment about auditions?

In audition manuals there are numerous examples of actual auditions going both well and awry. Perhaps the controversy has more to do with the proximity to the auditions and the question of whether she was doing this during the auditions themselves. In an interview with Broadway World Ms. Eisenberg responded, when asked if she tweeted during the actual auditions, “Out of the room, during downtime. I have a show to cast.”

What do you think about all this? Please leave a comment below.

[I made some edits to this after realizing that the tweets go back at least a month and involve several auditions]

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August 16th, 2009 | Tags: , , | Category: Auditions
  • Sophia
    I agree with Andrew. It may not be the classy way, but, it is the way people act...and, it's not much different than when the panel comments about singers, after they leave the room. It's just more high tech. Haha.
  • Ian
    Many professional responses have been in agreement with you all.

    Marc Shaiman wrote:
    When I read about it (as it was happening..what a world!) I Googled her to get her number, called and left a message. She returned the call and I told her what I HOPE anyone else with a show to cast would, which was that I was appalled and that I would never employ a casting agency that allowed that behavior (at that point, it was unclear to me if it was her or an associate doing the twittering).

    To undercut the confidence of actors at this most vulnerable moment is not just mean, but for a casting director, rather insane. A casting director should nurture and build confidence. She did her employer no favors.

    What a world! What a world!


    Casting Director Paul Russell wrote in his blog:
    Ms Eisenberg you have violated the trust of those who came before you. Artists who bared their talents in exchange for an offer of work; a chance to earn monies for food and rent. An audition is when the actor is often at their most vulnerable emotional state. An actor faces many challenges in their career. As casting directors we should be there as support for the artist. A casting director is nothing more than glorified human resources and any casting director who gives themselves “power” over an actor is not a collaborator of the arts but a dilettante. We are not to place ourselves upon pedestals. We don’t hire. We’re traffic managers bringing in and out of the audition room a flow of talent. We’re personal shoppers and nothing greater.

    Maria Somma of Actor's Equity responded:
    “the auditions are job interviews. It’s a very long road for an actor to get from seeing the casting notice to getting that audition. To have it mocked is unfair to the actors and to the other people who are working on the particular project. It’s very simply that there is an expected level of respect and professionalism, and these values were violated.”


    But there are some supporters, such as the man in this video.
  • Andrew
    Unethical, unpleasant, but it is a buyer's market. In those situations the auditioners have all the power, and, very often, they DO NOT CARE about you on any personal level whatsoever. Even experienced performers can forget how hard it is to stand up there and be judged, when they get on the casting side. Sadly.
  • Rebekah Westrum
    I agree with Jean. Sharing your every thought with the great wide world is unprofessional. Let's all take the high road and follow our classier instincts, shall we?
  • jean
    unethical. why do it at all. I can understand her taking notes but this is different. she's using them as entertainment for whoever is reading the tweets. if she's trying to educate the public on what not to do let her write a book. It's like a psychologist going home and sharing the stories of all the crazy people he/she saw that day.
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