Chanhassen Dinner Theatres had one of those weeks that makes every theatre person wince in recognition. Lost props? Sure. A set falling over during final dress? Been there. But norovirus and a cyberattack in the same week? That’s a whole new level.

Please, directors, stop calling people to rehearsal “just in case” when you are not sure you actually need them. Good rehearsal planning is not just logistics. It is respect.

Not everyone can make a two-night audition window work, and that should not automatically shut them out of being considered. Audition tapes are not a shortcut. They are access.

Sometimes, if you do theatre long enough, you end up in a bad show. It happens. But being in a flawed production does not give you permission to stop showing up, stop trying, or abandon the people around you.

You can love your cast and still not want to go out after every rehearsal. You can care deeply about the production and still need to go home after opening night.

Being labeled “difficult” can follow an actor for years, especially in community and regional theatre circles where reputations travel faster than facts. But directors need to be honest about what they actually mean by that word.

Actors, there is nothing wrong with only wanting certain roles. Just be honest about it. But “any role” means any role.

Directors have wildly different ways of blocking a scene, and actors definitely have opinions about how it is handled.

“Talent” is one of the most generous-sounding ways we diminish someone’s work. This is about what we miss when we mistake years of practice, survival, and persistence for magic.

Forgetting a line onstage is one of the most uniquely awful feelings in theatre. But what actually goes through an actor’s mind when it happens? And how do they get back on track without letting the whole scene fall apart?

“You weren’t right for the role” is usually true. It is also usually incomplete. Here are some of the real reasons I may not cast an actor, and no, it is not always about talent.

An actor recently suggested performers should list callbacks on their résumé, and I just can’t get there. A callback may mean you were close, but it is still not a credit, and turning near-misses into résumé filler only muddies what that document is actually for.

Not every young performer needs the same kind of direction. Some need a spotlight. Some need space. Great youth theatre coaching starts with knowing the difference.

Can theatres gender swap licensed roles just because they want to? Creative casting choices can be exciting and necessary, but they still have to happen within the rules of the license.

In the arts, talent matters, but relationships matter too. Hannah Crawford explores the uncomfortable truth that connections often shape opportunities, why building genuine professional relationships is not the same as being fake.

Hot take: sometimes the boldest acting choice is not the big one. It’s the micro-choice. The tempo shift. The refusal to pause. After seeing Chinese Republicans, I’m officially in awe of actors who make unconventional line readings feel inevitable.

Every actor has a pre-show ritual. Some people go quiet. Some people blast hype music. What do you do before places to get in the right headspace?

I love rehearsal. I love growth. What I do not love is the nightly end-of-rehearsal notes dump that makes everyone feel like they’re being graded in front of the class. Directors, can we reinvent this?

My first role taught me everything: be ready, be flexible, and show up when it counts.

One of my biggest theatre pet peeves: actors saying “my understudy.” Nope. Understudies aren’t accessories — they’re essential artists hired for the role, the production, and the audience.