Daryl Eisenberg Casting on Twitter Updated | 5:29 p.m.
On Friday afternoon the casting director Daryl Eisenberg met with representatives from Actors’ Equity. After the meeting Ms. Eisenberg and Actors’ Equity each released statements about the use of Twitter during auditions, which are reprinted in full at the end of this article.
As Twitter becomes increasingly popular, the online social network has infiltrated nearly all the cracks and crevices of the arts world. But does it belong in an audition room?
That question isn’t academic for several New York actors and a casting director. A series of messages was posted Wednesday on the Twitter feed of Daryl Eisenberg, a casting director whose company, Daryl Eisenberg Casting, has handled shows including “Altar Boyz” and has cast for “Gossip Girl” among other television shows.
On Wednesday, while Ms. Eisenberg was conducting a casting session for “Gay Bride of Frankenstein,” a show that will be performed in late September as part of the New York Musical Theater Festival, she was also tweeting about the performers who were auditioning for her. Without mentioning actors by name, Ms. Eisenberg appeared to be commenting on their performances with messages like, “If we wanted to hear it a different way, don’t worry, we’ll ask,” or “if you are going to sing about getting on your knees, might as well do it and crawl towards us…right?”
In later messages on Ms. Eisenberg’s feed (which now has more than 1,800 followers), she also fired a preemptive strike at any potential critics, writing: “There is NO rule/guideline against Twitter/Facebook/MySpace/Friendster. Freedom of speech. Ever heard of it?”
Within hours, actors who had read Ms. Eisenberg’s tweets began debating the appropriateness of her actions on message boards at theater Web sites including BroadwayWorld.com. As one commenter who uses the screen name CapnHook wrote there: “I don’t care that she twittered anonymous audition feedback. As long as she didn’t name names, I think it is perfectly fine. It’s even interesting to read. Some of her tweets provided legit tips to actors.” The commenter added: “I think it is rude to be on your phone and/or on your laptop in the audition room.”
A BroadwayWorld.com commenter called SporkGoddess wrote that Ms. Eisenberg’s tweets “aren’t necessarily helpful hints. It’s all her opinions and caprices.”
In a later posting, BroadwayWorld.com reported that Ms. Eisenberg had written similar messages at earlier auditions. For example, at a casting session on July 22, she tweeted, “Seeing #70 right now. I’m tired. My ears are bleeding,” and “Holding your foot above your head IN YOUR HEADSHOT is a BAD IDEA!”
Actors’ Equity Association, the union that represents actors and stage managers, said that it was displeased with Ms. Eisenberg’s actions.
In an interview, Maria Somma, a spokeswoman for Actors’ Equity, said that “the auditions are job interviews. It’s a very long road for an actor to get from seeing the casting notice to getting that audition. To have it mocked is unfair to the actors and to the other people who are working on the particular project. It’s very simply that there is an expected level of respect and professionalism, and these values were violated.”
In an e-mail message Friday, Ms. Eisenberg offered apologies to “those hurt by this” and wrote that she would be “definitely considering the appropriateness and professionalism of the timing and tone of my communication in the future.” (BroadwayWorld.com also posted this Q&A with Ms. Eisenberg)
She added that she would be meeting with Actors’ Equity on Friday “so that we can discuss Twitter’s place in this industry and how I can help put this behind us amicably.”
In an interview, Gary Zuckerbrod, the president of the Casting Society of America, said that he believed Ms. Eisenberg’s actions were wrong. Actors, he said, “are exposing themselves in the audition process. They are emoting in a way that is not normal in any other kind of interview.” What happens in an audition room, he said, “should not be publicized, especially in a derogatory manner.”
Mr. Zuckerbrod said that the society would not take any formal action against Ms. Eisenberg. “We’re hoping that Actors’ Equity solves this,” he said.
The composer Marc Shaiman posted a comment on ArtsBeat saying that he contacted Ms. Eisenberg directly to tell her that he was “appalled” by her behavior. “To undercut the confidence of actors at this most vulnerable moment is not just mean, but for a casting director, rather insane,” he wrote. “A casting director should nurture and build confidence. She did her employer no favors.”
Billy Butler, the producer, composer and co-writer of “Gay Bride of Frankenstein,” said in an interview that he had scheduled a new round of auditions for the show on Monday, and would allow actors who attended the earlier Wednesday audition to attend this session. Ms. Eisenberg, he said, would also be present.
“She is under contract,” Mr. Butler said, “and though I don’t condone what she did, she is doing her job for me. We just have some great talent that she’s found.”
Mr. Butler, who is a member of Actors’ Equity, said that the newness of social networks like Twitter means that their users may not be aware of potential consequences of using them.
“It’s a fine line with this whole Twittering thing,” he said. “It’s a whole new world and nobody expected this. I didn’t expect certain things to be said and done, and honestly when it comes down to it, I have a show to cast.”
And at the next casting session, he added, things will be done a little differently.
“I’ll be running the audition,” Mr. Butler said. “All cellphones, and computers and digital watches will be left in our bags.”
Later on Friday, Ms. Eisenberg and representatives from Actors’ Equity met, and afterward released these statements:
Ms. Eisenberg’s statement:
After a productive meeting with AEA this afternoon, I’m happy to report that we have agreed to both put this behind us.
By mutual agreement, future tweets will not be coming from the audition room regarding the actors auditioning.
I apologize to the actors and professionals who put themselves on the line every time they audition, and will continually strive to make the audition room an inspiring, nurturing place for creativity and talent.
I look forward to working with AEA and its members on future projects, and hope to see you all in the audition room soon.– Daryl Eisenberg
The statement from Actors’ Equity:
Earlier today representatives of AEA had a productive meeting with Ms. Eisenberg to discuss her use of twitter in auditions. AEA firmly blieves that twitter is a valuable promotional tool for producers to reach a wide potential audience but that tweeting has absolutely no place in the audition room, which is a safe haven for actors who are seeking employment in this competitive market. We believe this incident is now closed.
Hi Guys
I came across this post on a blog today and thought it was very interesting, You can read the full article if you follow the link below.
Here are a few comments from the article that a casting director posted on her twitter page. Irrespective of the whole furore surrounding this I thought that the THIRD comment was especially relevant to actors and the headshots they use to market themselves.
“If we wanted to hear it a different way, don’t worry, we’ll ask.”
“Your skirt makes me think you’re Wiccan…”
“Who is that person in your headshot? it is def not the person standing in front of me.”
“If you are going to sing about getting on your knees, might as well do it and crawl towards us…right?”
When Actors Equity Association got wind of this behavior Ms. Eisenberg then released the following tweet:
“We have a quick break….for the record, we tweet when the actors are NOT IN THE ROOM.”
http://answersforactors.wordpress.com/