Final answer:
Using unknown cast members can bring fresh perspectives, surprise the audience with new talent, and be more cost-effective. Casting director Alaine Alldaffer provides insight into the complex casting process and the considerations involved in matching actors to roles in the theater and film industries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The benefits of using unknown cast members are multifaceted, encompassing fresh perspectives and ideas, the potential to surprise the audience with undiscovered talent, and the advantage of being typically more affordable than established actors. Alaine Alldaffer, a respected casting director, echoes the complexity of the casting process. She highlights how casting involves multiple stakeholders, including the producer, director, and writer, all of whom must agree on casting decisions. Alldaffer's role as a casting director is to provide a curated shortlist of actors based on comprehensive understanding of the production's needs and then facilitate auditions to offer the creative team a spectrum of choices. Sometimes, roles are directly offered to actors, particularly those with established resumes. In other instances, auditions help discover new talents who could unexpectedly inspire the production team and bring a fresh energy to the project. Understanding the casting process—whether for a theatrical production, television, or film—reveals the meticulous effort to match an actor's attributes with the specific demands of a role, while managing budgetary considerations and artistic vision. Alldaffer's experience also illuminates the determination of actors and the importance of persistently auditioning, as well as the practical importance of understudies and standbys, especially in the context of Broadway's response to challenges like the COVID pandemic.