Actors Deserve a Timely Yes or No After Community Theatre Auditions
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
Recently, I caught up with an old friend who's very active in her local theatre scene. She’d been called back for a production of Oklahoma! and was up for the role of Laurey—her dream role. The callback was on a Tuesday. She felt great about it, proud of her work, and left the room with her head held high. As she walked out, the director told her, “We’ll let you know as soon as possible.”
Then... nothing.
Tuesday passed. Then Wednesday. Then Friday. Still nothing. She wasn’t sure whether to reach out. Maybe they were still deciding? Maybe they’d already cast it? She gave it the weekend. Then Monday came and went. And so did Tuesday.
Finally, ten days after callbacks, she stumbled across the cast list on the theatre’s Facebook page. Her name wasn’t on it. The theatre never reached out—not a call, not an email, not even a generic “thanks for auditioning.” Just silence.
And to make it worse? Because she thought this dream role might actually happen, she didn’t audition for other shows. She sat on the sidelines while other casting cycles wrapped up, and by the time she found out she didn’t get Oklahoma!, she'd already missed out on some great opportunities.
Sadly, this isn’t an isolated story. I’ve heard versions of this scenario again and again. Some community theatres—whether due to lack of time, structure, or just plain thoughtfulness—leave actors hanging in limbo. No answer for days. Sometimes weeks. And that silence can be brutal.
Community theatre actors pour their hearts into those auditions. They carve out time from full-time jobs, families, classes, and other obligations. They memorize sides, research characters, practice songs in their cars on the way to work. They sacrifice nights and weekends just for the chance to be a part of something they love. The absolute least a theatre can do is send a timely yes or no. Not just as a courtesy—but as a basic sign of respect.
When theatres delay casting decisions or go radio silent, actors are left wondering: Do I wait? Do I move on? Do I gamble on this show or audition for something else? It’s not just inconvenient—it’s frustrating, it’s confusing, and it chips away at the excitement that should come with being part of a show.
In the professional world, actors usually hear back within a few days. It’s understood that people need to plan their lives. Community theatres might not have the same infrastructure or staffing, but they do have email. They have social media. They have the ability to communicate. They just need to make it a priority.
Because at the end of the day, community theatre should be a space where everyone feels valued—onstage, backstage, and at every step of the process. That starts with something simple: letting actors know where they stand.