When a Freshman Gets the Lead Role...

Ephrata High School

Let me know if this has happened to you: You're a senior in high school waiting for the cast list of your last spring musical to be posted. 

The moment it goes up, you race over to find your name, hoping it's somewhere at the top. 

After all, you're a senior. You've been in virtually every production since freshman year. You've joyfully accepted every ensemble or supporting role, hoping that it scores points to ensure a lead role in your last year.

You start reading the list and your heart drops. Not only are you not cast in the lead role but the role went to a freshman....a freshman!!!

Now, you can react to this news in a couple of different ways. The first, you could get angry, become bitter and stew about it for the rest of time (because honestly, some do). Or, you could look at this as a teaching moment that roles are given to those who fit them best and that nothing, not even being a senior, should you make you assume you're going to get a certain role. 

If you're wise and want a future in this industry, I suggest going with the latter. 

Don't get me wrong, not being cast sucks. But if you want a career in the performing arts, you're not going to get a lot of roles. And you're going to lose them to people who haven't put in the years of work you have. It's the nature of the business. 

So while you may feel miffed by not getting that lead role your senior year, use this as a teachable and motivational moment to feed your career hunger for years to come.