Casting

The audition process is long, grueling, and stressful. And that's from the director's perspective. There are those who will tell you it's harder to be the one making the decisions than it is to be an actor auditioning. Those are the same people who tell you it's hrader to dump someone than to dumped. There is little more terrifying than having your destiny completely in someones else's hands, so I have to say, my experience directing auditions is better than acting in them. At the end of the day, as the director, it doesn't matter if I'm short.

But there is a great deal of pressure to casting. You're trying to remember a vast array of people who only have a short time to make an impression. If you're not a shallow jerk, you try not make decisions based solely on looks. Divorcing personal feelings auditioners from your professional assesment can be nearly impossible. And there's always at least one Sanjaya in there who comes close to bringing out your inner Simon Cowell.

The auditions for "Dreamworld" were the largest over which I have ever presided, surpassing the previous high I experienced for the 2002 stage production "MorMan." We must have had something like 70 people read. I lost count rather early on. The most difficult task proved to be in finding kids who equaled each other's talent level AND fit together in age range. Our "kids" ranged from looking like infants to looking 18-year old models who belonged on the covers of fashion magazines.

About halfway through the day, we discovered a young boy, Porter Bagley, who nailed the lead role of Arthur. He had the olvable innocence and pluck of a Spielberg kid. He also happened to be a few years younger and inches smaller than what we had in mind. But there was no question, he was out Arthur. Much of the rest of the day was devoted to casting the other child roles around him. I'm excited to direct this kid. His potential is exhilirating.

Many of the other roles went Pink Wombat veterans. Give me a choice between Rosalie Bertrand and and top Hollywood talent, and I'm going to pick Rosie. She is an amazing actress who can take the most impossible direction from me and instantly convert it to genius. While others read well, no one else could truly compete with her for the role of Tristan. And Patrick, my twin brother, my proiducer and partner, the Ethan Coen to my Joel, was not necessarily supposed to end up on camera this time, but, as the reader every auditioner played off of, all day he gave the best performances. It made no sense not cast the best actor we saw yesterday.

Brandyn Cross, also a member of the production team, embodied the role of Merlin in a way no other auditioner could match. Thsi role was, in essence, written for Jack Black, and Brandie has the right mix of goofy charm and quirky depth to pull off the "crazy" wizard.

So, after a long, grueling day (highlighter perhaps, by the terrific cheeseburger I had for lunch at a small Blakan restaraunt. How terribly "ugly American of me" to always order the cheeseburge at ethinc restaraunts), the casting process is nearly complete, and we prepare to plunge into our short rehearsal period.