BWW Blog: Meet High School Student Lauren Ward - True or False: There Are No Small Parts

Everybody knows the old saying: "There are no small parts, only small actors." Back in December, my theatre troupe at school was in the midst of filming auditions for our production of Ghost the Musical when our director announced that there would be a separate round of auditions for those specifically interested in ensemble positions. This came as a nice surprise seeing as the majority, including myself, tend to go for the leads or supporting roles when audition time rolls around. Similarly, it's happened many times where I've been disappointed when I've gotten "stuck" in the ensemble when I was expecting something a little "bigger." I got to thinking about why the ensemble gets overlooked or underappreciated so much, and whether or not I should have been disappointed. After all, I never seemed to have less fun doing a show because I wasn't a lead role. I think people tend to consider the ensemble as a comparatively small or insignificant role in the span of the entire production, and from this I began to make conclusions about whether or not the old saying reigns true: Is there really no such thing as a small part?

For starters, I considered what constitutes the difference between a leading lady and a member of the crowd. One thing is that the ensemble generally doesn't contribute to the actual plot of the show, and don't speak as much, if at all. Outside of musical numbers, they are largely there for setting development or to enhance the mood and tone of the scene, creating the situation and context that leading actors often rely on for the scene (or show) to make sense.

Despite the dissimilarities I came up with between ensemble and principal roles, I realized there were also a lot of things they shared. Depending on the show, the ensemble may be in just as many musical numbers, if not more, as a main character. Often, they have equally complicated routines, sometimes even the same routines, In addition, (I actually came across this while listening to the coda of the Act 1 Finale from the show Urinetown, a number that involves the whole cast) harmonies created by the background members are equally important and beautiful as the melody, and together they bring a certain depth and passion into the song. Although, as I said before, the ensemble members may not have specific dialogue to memorize, there is still a lot of acting involved for them. Reactions/facial expressions, energy level, and performing with purpose can make or break an ensemble. A lot of times, I find myself forgetting that even though my ensemble "character" may not have a predetermined name other than "hotel guest" or "businesswoman #2," I am still portraying a person with a life and a dream in their world, and I need to portray them with the same energy and personality that I would devote to a lead role.

Let's flip the script (pun intended) for a moment. How does the audience react to or interpret the ensemble of the show versus its main characters? The way an audience views actors can be described as a sort of spectrum, with full concentration on leads at one end and devoting all attention to ensemble or background action on the other. I've seen many shows throughout my short life, and these days I find that there are so many things to notice, so many intricate details, and it's sometimes very difficult for me to focus on the main interaction in a scene. Recently my school did a production of Elf the Musical, Jr. for several hundred elementary school students. I thought it rather interesting that, while some barely noticed all that was happening with the setting or in the background, other kids hardly paid attention to the story because they were so engrossed with their favorite ensemble member and his/her expressions. To them, you are no small part at all; in fact, you're their whole show! So simply playing an ensemble part does not, by any stretch, mean that you are not going to be noticed.

Going back to my original question: is it really true that there's no such thing as a small part? Well, I've found that background members exhibit many of the same skills (acting, singing, dancing, etc.) as main roles, albeit in different ways or in different context. Breaking down the actual characters themselves, they are equal in that they all have lives, emotions, and they generally should all have unique personalities and facial expressions. It goes beyond the workload of the actors or what the roles demand of them, however. Depending on the audience member, ensemble may be watched more closely or be more appreciated by a viewer than leads. Everybody watches a show in a different way, and everybody finds different things to focus on.

I think the famous cliché does hold true, that there are no "small roles." Because anything (or anyONE) that is necessary to pull a show together shouldn't be considered little.