Student Blog: Just My Type...

Young performers are preparing for summer work and many are starting to get overwhelmed by what professional work entails: cleaning up resumes, getting new headshots, auditioning for festivals, and searching for new job listings that fit us. This time of preparation has stirred a conversation amongst my peers, in my classes, in my lessons. I ask myself- do I even know what jobs fit me? Is the elusive concept of "fitting" a role even real, or are actors malleable enough to take on anything with enough effort?

People sneak around the label of "type" as if it is something nasty or taboo, and perhaps to some it is, or perhaps to some it is safety. There's consistency and stability in being extremely good at creating the type of personality that is associated with your look. However, a person's type can also enshroud them in similar roles, limiting them and determining the course of their career. Many famous actors, both on stage and on set, are associated with a particular style of acting or character traits. Yes, they receive many roles due to that association, and perform with magnificence, but it is possible that not all of those actors find all those characters to be overly, artistically, fulfilling.

Personally, I believe there is a duality to the concept of "type". I find a type to be a representation of the skills, characteristics, and aesthetics an actor can create very easily. I recognize that stereotyping is easily caused, due to preconceived ideas about gender presentation, body type, height, behaviors, and other overt physical features. Yet, I also find the knowledge of one's type to be a useful tool when opposing the immediate assumptions made to show diversity and range in their craft. This opinion is coming from someone who is not terribly offended by the type they are associated with. I am short, which easily makes me look younger, yet my frame can be accentuated for age. I am a comfortable mezzo-soprano, with access to higher notes, which slides me right into the pocket of a Golden Age ingenue's song. My features can easily show romanticized youth, naivety, and purity, so I fit the "girl next door" type and have been cast as such, often. I am comfortable with how I present myself, and who doesn't love singing a good "Princess" cut here and there. Most importantly, my type doesn't make any negative implications on who I am. It doesn't highlight qualities that I dislike about, or don't feel represent, my personality. So, of course, I have a biased opinion on how useful type can be, because I have hardly seen the consequences of being limited to a type I don't necessarily adore.

For other artists, discovering and being cast in their "type" has brought animosity towards their casting history. Amanda Townes mentioned that she began to resent her relationship with her type after beginning her college career. She had a history of being cast as the young girl, often naïve or dumb, where "the character's ignorance was the punchline." Despite how fun these characters can be to explore, she has noticed the confinements of her type. She said she seems to only be considered for comedic relief roles, even though she is, "capable of more than playing the foolish girl." The most significant reason for her resentment towards her type came in a recent revelation, due to a class discussion on the subject. Amanda realized that she didn't like how her type made her feel like the, "world constantly viewed [her] as unintelligent." Though I can confirm the trend in Amanda's roles do not speak to her brilliance whatsoever, the long forming association has influenced her understanding of how the world perceives her. Nonetheless, it has pushed her to identify her feelings around the subject and build a separation between her characters and her true individuality- a skill that makes her talent all the more valuable. In a current production of Godspell, Amanda has the opportunity to play a role that is not based on her type, and she is thankful for the chance to, "build [her] character from the ground up." Her type might have given her a list of similar characters, she both has the tools to play those roles with ease, and the growing ability to know that her type is not a definition of herself.

Type casting often bleeds into stereotyping, which may ensure an actor access to a certain type of role, thought it easily becomes problematic. Morgan Bruewer notes that, "being a plus size performer is challenging because you want to follow type and go where it's safe and find work like everyone else," but the stereotypes associated are, "more harmful to [her] community than anything." She says she is automatically written off as the, "loud, quirky, comedic, beltress," regardless of whether she is any of those things. Her type casting has forced her to consider challenging questions like, "is my type a box that serves me well? Or is it a lazy excuse for me to be comfortable and for others to perpetuate the stereotypes about people who look like me?" Morgan profoundly described the trap of being a perfectly "palatable 'fat': not so big that people don't look you in the eye, but not so small that the creative team gets flack for calling in those diversity points." Her issue with slipping into this box is that complacency can breed, as it may discourage actors from pushing themselves and seeing how much more they can do more artistically. Morgan feels there is a tricky balance to find with type, as stereotyping puts more than a career at stake. Undeniably, Morgan's impressive performances are nuanced, sophisticated, and most importantly, completely unrelated to fabricated qualities casting has "assigned" to her.

Type casting has valuable aspects for both the creative team and the performer. The team can assign very specific qualities to characters to create a particular energy, tone, or attitude in the show, and can rely on type casting to fulfill that image. A performer can acquire all the skills necessary to perform a type of character, and to get hired in those roles consistently for as long as possible. Simultaneously, the stereotypes that types are connected with can shape the impressions of a person, and a person's view of themself, negatively. A type can snuff out artistry for the sake of building constancy in a typical role, just as easily as it can guarantee work. Still, "type" is a fascinating label with a double-edged complexity and potent influence on the perception of an actor.