December 2, 2025
For many actors in college, audition day for the theater productions is filled with many mixed emotions. Nerves, preparation and the hopes of seeing their name on the cast list are just a few of the characteristics of this big moment.
But when the cast list is finally posted, not everyone’s dream becomes a reality—leaving some students facing confusion and disappointment rather than confidence.
American comedian and actress, Esther Povitsky, shared her stance on this intense feeling. She says, “Rejection is low-key, the hardest thing. And I feel like no one talks about it as much.”
To a non-theater person, this feeling may not sound significant. But for an actor, it is the equivalent of a lifelong athlete training for years just to not make the team.
Rejection is a human experience that everyone goes through at one point or another, no matter the individual’s passion.
Doug Brown, a theater professor and director of the fall production “The Revlon Girl” at High Point University, says that one of the biggest difficulties of casting a show is knowing that he has to turn people down. The show only consists of a cast of five roles with more than 60 students auditioning for the 2025 season.
“Sometimes when we’re casting opposite a musical, a student's ability to sing becomes a pretty large factor,” said Brown. “What we also look for in the department is how prepared a student is for an audition.”
An HPU graduate and performance major, Isabella Siegel, was both cast in lead roles and not cast in productions throughout college. Although primarily focused on performing, Siegel also found her love for stage managing as a result of not being cast her sophomore year.
“It pushed me to get better and to do a lot of other things—and to get better at those—to be like, ‘Hey I’m still active, I still enjoy this. I’m still working for it,’” said Siegel.
She says she wants people who may be going through rejection to know that while it hurts to not get cast in the beginning, it can be a valuable experience in college to help grow as an actor and person.
Whether it’s a theater audition or sports tryout, being able to learn from rejection and talking to the director or coach for feedback is the key to overcoming. Siegel developed this positive view from overcoming her own rejection.
“It doesn’t mean it has anything to do with my acting ability. It could have just been I wasn’t right for the character,” said Siegel. “It’s hard to figure out, but it’s not personal. It feels personal, but it’s not.”
Rejection is a part of the journey in life and having the ability to come to terms with it is important. It’s not just a human experience that leads to disappointment, it is one that can lead to greatness.
“We have to do it in life. It’s going to happen no matter what. I think it comes more to learning to have confidence in yourself and know that if I did the work and I was prepared that’s all I can do,” said Brown.