Contract endings and castchanges

All things come to an end, which brings with it many things: uncertainty, relief, rest, joy, sadness, excitement, feelings of doubt and many more. Since my previous blog, there have been lots of changes in Die Eiskönigin – das Musical, my current place of work. We said goodbye to people who have been with the show in Stuttgart for sixteen months and, subsequently, said hello to an almost completely new ensemble the Tuesday after. Today, I will talk about a part of my job that is often overlooked: the endless stream of hello and goodbye.

I have been in the professional musical theater business since 2021, and have had my fair share of goodbyes. Even before that, when I was in the amateur circuit, it was part of the deal, but the feelings surrounding it were a lot different. In my experience, saying goodbye to an amateur production is often more about saying goodbye to the show and the character, and it’s less about the people, because you are usually all from the same area and remain part of each other’s lives. My first experience with really saying goodbye came with Mamma Mia in September of 2023, before I moved to Stuttgart to start my contract in Tarzan.

Contract extensions

I want to preface this by saying that I am no expert on the productional side when it comes to extending shows. What you are about to read is a combination of some through the grape vine experiences and some speculation, together with my own experiences of being in the room. 

When it is decided that a show will extend its runtime, there are a couple of steps that take place before new contracts are negotiated or handed out. Like in any other job, the higher-ups in the offices (usually the original creative team and the in-house team) will have a meeting and make their own decisions. This means that (this was the case in Mamma Mia), the team sits together and decides on a person-to-person basis who they want to offer the extension to. After this process is complete, the cast will then have scheduled private conversations with the DC’s, the resident director and the theater manager. In my experiences this has always been a mutual feedback conversation, where the team can express their feelings towards me, and I have felt free to express my positives and grievances with how everything is going. In this conversation it will become clear whether or not your contract will be extended, and it is the actor’s time to accept, decline, or request a position change. I, for example, requested to become a swing when I accepted a second year in Tarzan. I would have happily stayed in my ensemble position if the opportunity for the position switch did not arise, but it became clear after the auditions that I could indeed switch. Some people who want to extend may want to audition for a(n) (extra) cover, a dance captain/fight captain/… position. This private conversation is the place to speak your mind and express your desires. However, your wish may not be granted.

After a contract extension (without any changes to position) is accepted, there is a new round of contract negotiations. This is your chance to add or change anything that you were previously not satisfied with in your contract. 

New auditions

A new runtime inevitably means new cast members, which means… new auditions! Now, what I am about to discuss might be controversial, but I think a casting team should only organize auditions for positions that are actually available. But Lyssa, you might think, isn’t that the norm? To that, my dear reader, I have to say; no, it seems like it isn’t. I have applied for many auditions (in Germany and Austria, I have not come across this in other countries where I applied for a role), and sometimes I received a reply that goes something like this: “We thank you for your interest, but we are not currently casting the role you have applied for”. Then why write out a casting notice!? To be fair, I consider myself lucky in that particular situation; the only thing leading up to the rejection e-mail was me sending out my resume and expressing my interest. I have spoken with so many friends and colleagues who have spent hundreds of euros and hours of time preparing for an audition where they had no chance anyway. It raises the question for me; is it not a huge waste of time, also on the productional side of things? Organizing times and spaces, filing through applications, hosting the audition, paying the working hours of the creative team present and watching and listening to countless hopefuls whilst knowing they will most likely all be rejected? Maybe I’m missing something here, but it doesn’t seem to make any sense.

But! Hooray! Your audition was successful and you are offered a contract for the cast change of this or that show. You negotiate, start your search for a place to live, receive your material, start studying, and before you know it, day one has arrived…

Rehearsals

Rehearsals for a cast change specifically tend to be shorter than for a new production. Since the show has already been up and running for a significant amount of time, the new people just have to be put in their places, instead of starting from scratch. For this cast change in Frozen, the new members had about five and a half weeks from rehearsal start to opening night. It starts with music rehearsals, then choreography and spacing of individual numbers to putting that together in a workthrough (or stumble through, these terms are interchangeable), which turns into a full run of the entire show in the rehearsal stage. Usually, swings and other available (staying) cast members are called into the rehearsals as well, as it is customary that the individual tracks change a bit to better fit the performer taking over that part. As an alternate, I was part of a lot of the rehearsals with the new cast, which I enjoyed thoroughly, because I did not only see it as a great time to get to know your new colleagues, it is also an opportunity to work with the show material focussed and closely again to pick out any habits that have crept in over time. An unfortunate part of this transitional phase is that contact with the leaving cast often diminishes. Because the leaving cast and new cast rarely cross paths due to different time schedules, the people rehearsing with the new cast adopt this adapted schedule as well. This makes it so that, for example on a full day of rehearsals, your breaktime overlaps with the warm-up time of the leaving cast who are playing the evening show. As you can imagine, this can create a rift.

After a few weeks on the rehearsal stage, it all starts again from the beginning on the actual stage with costumes and microphones. Changes are made, lights need to be adjusted, the new cast must get used to moving around in their (sometimes restrictive) wigs and costumes. It is a long and slow process, but the finish line is nearing, and seeing the excitement on your colleague’s faces brings back memories of your own feelings when you did it the first time. I find that it helps me find my energy when a day starts to feel like a drag. 

The last rehearsal day before the premiere, we have what we call a “put-in” or a dress rehearsal. This is basically a simulation of the show. Every new person (usually people who stay in their old positions are not required) is in full costume, wigs and make-up. We play with show lights and do not stop unless something really goes wrong. This is the last ‘test’ before there will be an audience.

Closing night and opening night 

And now the time has come for many emotions. On the last day of a contract, there is always a particular energy in the air. To me, it often feels like it’s something we don’t want to talk about, yet want to acknowledge. The elephant in the room nobody is sure what to do about. People react differently to a last show; some are teary throughout the entire day, others can’t wait for it to be over to enjoy the party and celebrate the time spent together. It’s a very individual experience. Personally, I have never been too emotional when saying goodbye to a show. Because I’ve been experiencing constant goodbyes to a degree in all my years doing amateur productions, I have come to accept that it is an integral part of my job. Moreover, I am convinced that the connections formed with people who truly matter will reach beyond the walls of the theater. I see it not as a goodbye, but truly as a see you later.

Opening night on the other hand comes with a big buzz of excitement and joy. For some, it might mark the beginning of their first ever professional experience. To be able to share in that joy is something I will always honor and celebrate as something really special. But if you think everything goes back to normal after opening night, you would be mistaken. When the premiere is over, cover rehearsals start. Depending on how many new covers need to be readied, a new series of rehearsals and put-ins will happen, which can take up to a couple of months.  

As chapters come to their close and new chapters begin, I am excited for the next leg of my Frozen journey. I hope you are, too! Until next time.

Liefs,
Lyssa 💕