Precasting

Precasting is one of the evils of the theatrical world. Some people love it (namely those that are precast) others hate it (those that arn't)

But is it right?

The answer is kind of in the gray area, some shows such as [Title of Show] were written for certain people to play the characters, these people were the writers and their friends, that is an example of a show that was precast successfully.

A lot of times directors will precast without telling anybody, this gives the illusion that others have a shot at the rule when they really do not. But sometimes a director will state the precasting in advance thus ending all hope of getting the role.

Now while they are both underhanded, the first method is the better of the two. In local theater especially people audition for a certain part and if that part is already taken see no point in auditioning. But usually these people will accept a role even if it isn't the part they auditioned for.

Precasting is bad no matter how it's done but sometimes it can be done more tastefully than others.