Why Does CYC Theatre Double-Cast?
It is our company’s policy to double-cast most principal roles in our shows. This is for several reasons: The first (and most obvious) reason is for us to be covered in the event of an illness, injury or other unforseen event. The second reason is that we believe that when young performers have a ‘mirror’ to rehearse with over an extended period of time, these individuals grow, create and explore their roles (and their art through the interpretation of their characters) more deeply. We believe that the amount of learning and growing is greater, especially when these individuals have opportunities to perform ensemble roles on their alternates’ nights. Often, a performer’s double is a far more experienced or talented performer, and the opportunity to learn from that individual as well as from the director yields results not found elsewhere. It is true that some feel that this practice can also create an element of competitiveness between the casts, but when one considers the extremely co
