Choosing which actors you want to play the roles is one of the most important jobs that falls to a theatre director. Sometimes, as in the case of
The Crucible,
a casting director will help
the director with the casting. Many factors influence casting, some practical – for example if a particular age is specified for a character – others more subjective, such as attempting to match an actor’s qualities with those the director has imagined for the character. After actor
Sally Leonard's audition, the panel discusses whether it is important that the actor playing Abigail is taller than the other girls. Director Jonathan Church says that
the audition process allowed him to choose actors who would work well together and form a cohesive ensemble.
Often established actors with a good track record are not asked to audition or to read for a part because their work is already well known to the director. This was the case with the role of John Proctor, played by Malcolm Storry, as well as for
some of the women's roles in The Crucible It can work to the actor’s advantage, but can also be a trap if directors persist in only casting them in one particular type of role (type casting). Commercial pressures can influence a director to cast a well known actor as opposed to one who is unknown.
For those actors who are asked to attend an audition and to read for a part the experience can be daunting. Bethan Cecil describes
her audition for The Crucible and how nervous she was. Actors are usually informed by their agent in advance which part they are to prepare and which the piece of text to read, and, as in the case of Michelle Tate, they can be
asked back for a second audition. More than just asking an actor to read the part, the audition can also involve a discussion of the role. In
her audition for the role of Tituba, Ganiat Kasumu discussed with the panel what accent her character should have.