Casting Statement

For the Boys Next Door my show would be done very simple and would require the casting of anyone fitting with minor stipulations. There can be several plots outlined in this show the can bring controversy or different ideas to different plots however the show is centered around men who are mentally challenged and need the assistance of a Caretaker, Jack. The men are constantly taken advantage of in the outside world but have no real realization to that.

The play has several characters that could be cast any number of ways so long as the actors can portray the characters without being overly insensitive. The way this show really hits home for most audiences is the portrayal of the mentally challenged by the actors, if this is exaggerated done and too preposterous it is seen as cruel and insensitive and the show is a complete failure. That being said, if the actors can dig in and do research on how these people really live, act, and compute in a daily life then this show hits home big time with a nice bit of humor and a heartwarming story to go with it at the end. With that, I could cast this show in any way. I would say that the men most obviously be men, but race would not matter and neither would handicapped status, I would take a non handicapped or a real handicapped person to do this show because I believe that either way it was done, if done right, it would really bring a powerful message to audiences.

Females could be cast the exact same way, nothing would matter only that they are female. In reality Jack could also be played as a female but this is the only gender change that could be considered, nothing jack does or says implies he has to be played as a Man and everything could be switched to a female. Non-Traditional casting would not be an issue for this show, it is done in the 1980’s so race is obviously not an issue and neither is handicapped status. I would like to see the show done in a clear 1980s setting, probably 1987 with bright colors in a house/apartment with very clear and distinct costumes. I would like for all the actors to have done research on the disabilities that the characters they are playing have , and if they don’t have any, I want them to know the other characters disabilities giving them clear action as a character to know how each scene will progress with that specific idea in mind. This show is one of the most popular shows you can do , all it takes is a clear mind and not going over the top, keeping the humor simple and straight forward to keep the audience in world that sucks them into the life of these men and leave the audience touched and wanting to just takes these men home themselves by the end.

The only conflict I see in the casting is that here at Sam Houston State we have a vast majority of students in the eighteen to twenty three year old age group and in this show you'll need some older men. With the work of some make up, however, this shouldn't be too large of an issue. Also considering that we do have some students who believe it or not could pull off the age even without the make up so putting this also into consideration makes a strong point that this would not create an issue in casting. Overall as you can tell, I would be open to anyone playing any role besides the male roles being cast as female but according to anything else I would be completely open.