Ask Erda: : The School Of Hard Knocks


Dear Erda,

I did not get cast in my school’s opera again this season, and I am absolutely furious. I know I am better than the person who was cast, and I feel cheated. What should I do?

Signed,
Cheated

Dear Cheated:

Three words: Take a breath.

Three other words: Think it through.

Three words more: Suck it up.

Nine words about what you should not to do:

Complain in public.

Sulk, whine, fuss.

Say you’re a better singer.

I don’t mean to be flippant, but what follows isn’t pretty.

What you’re going through hurts. It’s hard enough not to get cast, and harder when you really think you deserved the part. But now’s the time to think carefully about what you need, can, and ought to do.

You may very well be better than the person who got “your” role. Then again, you may not be. Maybe the other person gave a better audition this time than you did, or maybe showed something that the panel thought made him or her a better choice for this role. Maybe the panel wanted the other singer to have this experience for a specific reason. Maybe it’s all just studio politics.

It’s rare in the big wide world of professional opera that you learn the reasons you didn’t get a particular role. In that sense, this can be a learning experience for you. But since you are in school, and you are paying money to be educated as a singer, in this case you have a right to know why you didn’t get cast—not because anybody owes you an explanation for not giving you a role you felt entitled to, but so you can fix what’s wrong and become a better singer. Here’s how you go about finding out:

Check your attitude at the door. This is not easy, but it’s critical, and it’s a skill you’ll need later in life. If, when you ask for feedback, you give a vibe of anger, or worse, offended entitlement, no one will tell you what you want to know. And they will put a black mark next to your name with the note, “Bad colleague.”

The exception to this rule is when you’re talking with your teacher or to very close friends. Then you’re allowed to blow off steam (it’s healthy and necessary). It’s OK to express your disappointment and even your feeling of being cheated. But try to do it in a calm way, so that when you ask for feedback, your teacher isn’t afraid of upsetting you more by giving it to you.

Ask your teacher to be absolutely frank with you: Why didn’t you get the role? What do you need to work on? How do you stand in relation to other singers in the school?

Do not badmouth your colleague.Regardless of how you feel about your rival’s abilities and worthiness, it is not your place to criticize him or her publicly. This is not about that singer; it’s about you. What could you do better? What do you need to change?

We all have feelings of jealousy from time to time, but badmouthing colleagues only makes us look bad and unprofessional. And after the initial release of steam, it’s also a remarkable waste of energy. Instead, be genuinely encouraging and supportive of your rival.

This is a great time to give the whole school the opportunity to see what a terrific, classy colleague you are. You don’t know where people are going to end up 10, 15, 20 years from now. Many of your fellow students and even faculty will disappear, but many will also be singing with you, working as managers, or making casting decisions at opera companies. They will certainly recall what kind of person you were back in school, and it will affect their dealings with you in the future.

Ask at the right time, in the right way. When you’re sure you can be calm and professional, make an appointment to speak privately with the members of the panel. (Some of them may refuse, but at the very least, the director of the opera program should speak to you.) Don’t say you want to discuss why you weren’t cast; say you would like to discuss your progress. Once in the meeting, it’s fine to express disappointment, but your overriding attitude must be an earnest desire to improve.

If you approach your questions from that angle, it’s hard for anyone to criticize you. You might say something like, “It’s probably not much of a secret that I am very disappointed not to be cast as Rodolfo. I’ve really been working hard and I thought I had made the kind of progress that would make me a viable candidate for the role. But I am here to learn, and I would really appreciate it if you could give me some feedback. What could I have done to convince you that I’d be a great Rodolfo? What did you need to see from me that you didn’t? What can I do differently? Please help me know what I need to work on.”

Listen and be appreciative. When someone gives you feedback, you may ask for clarification, but you may never, never argue with them or get angry about a response. After all, you have asked for the gift of their time and expertise. It would be remarkably rude to abuse them for sharing that gift, and would certainly discourage them from doing so in the future. No matter how hard it is to hear, no matter what your internal reaction is, you must listen respectfully and then thank them for their time and their frankness.

Go home and work on it.Every single one of us has something we can improve. So take what you’ve been told, evaluate it. Share it with your teacher. Decide together what you should work on next, and how you might do so more effectively. Get another project going and move on. You will encounter plenty of this type of rejection as a professional, and you can’t take it personally. All you can do is evaluate it, fix what you can, and get back out there and try again.

Dear Erda:

I am about to graduate with my master’s, and I have very little performing experience. I didn’t get to do much as an undergrad, and even as a grad student I just never seem to get cast in my school productions.

I’ve only done a couple of very small roles. How potentially damaging is this, and what can I do?

Signed,
Worried

Dear Worried:

Unfortunately, it is a problem to graduate with little or no performing experience. It can make it difficult for you to get into a Young Artist’s Program or to get professional gigs—mounting productions is expensive, and you need to be able to show that you can handle the job.

My first question is: Why aren’t you getting cast? Sure, there are never enough juicy parts to go around, but if you’ve paid for six years of education to become a professional singer and you’ve only done one or two roles, something is up. Make sure it’s not your abilities or lack thereof. If you haven’t already had a heart-to-heart with your teacher, the head of the voice department, the choral director, and the director of the opera program…well, my dear, it’s past due. (See the letter above for how to go about approaching them.)

Next, if you aren’t getting roles in school, you need to get them somewhere. Have you been doing any pay-to-sings? I am a big believer in the value of a reputable summer program, especially one that gives you full-length opera performance experience. My own experience was that I made my biggest strides during these summer programs (I did Brevard and the International Institute of Vocal Arts) when I could concentrate strictly on my vocal development and performing, without concerning myself with grades and the other distractions of the school year. Research carefully and choose a program that will give you plenty of experience. [See the January issue of Classical Singer magazine.]

Also look to see what kind of work you could do in community theater productions. It’s great experience—even if it’s musical theatre or Gilbert and Sullivan, when you want to do grand opera—and it will help build your résumé and make some connections.

Finally, if you can’t get anyone to cast you, you will have to create some performing experience of your own. Find a grad student who is interested in directing, club together with the other students who aren’t getting cast, and put on your own afternoon of opera scenes or one-acts. You don’t need sets and costumes. Remember, at this point you are after the learning experience as much as the performing experience.

One step at a time. Get what experience you can, and try to build on that. Unfortunately, there are no magic remedies or answers, other than the same magic answer as always: “Work harder!”

Good luck.

Cindy Sadler

Cindy Sadler is a professional singer, teacher, writer, director, and consultant. She is the founder and director of Spotlight on Opera, a community opera troupe and training program in Austin, Texas. Upcoming engagements include Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with the Jacksonville Symphony, alto soloist in Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic, and Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance with Portland Opera. For more information, please visit www.CindySadler.com and www.SpotlightOnOpera.com.