Heres a little story for you...
I'm doing a show right now. At our first full cast read through, one of the leading actors doesn't show up. A friend of his from the cast calls him. The actor answers the phone and says "I have to call you back" and hangs up. The stage manager calls. Same thing. The Producer calls. Same thing. This goes on for two days. Finally, we learn through the grapevine that, no, this actor is not experiencing a horrible tragedy, just in the middle of moving.

Ummm....!!??!??

He was fired, obviously.
My point here is that if you need to quit a show, you can just do it politely. And if you don't want to quit, maybe you might want to consider calling the stage manager and apologizing for your schedule problems, oh I dunno, ahead of time!??

Geez. Am I ranting? Anyone else have a "quitting" story to share?

That sort of pathetic flakiness seems to be the norm here in LA. It's ok though- we need people to serve us those fries at Wendy's.....

I've heard stories that there is a shortage of editors in LA when 'Surf's UP'.

Unfortunately I know a number of 'quitting' stories. It astounds me that people who say their passion is acting and they've dreamed for years of getting auditions etc.etc. then have the gall and the sheer stupidity to just blow off an opportunity...I see it happen fairly often with auditions, callbacks, you name it, there's often some fool who just doesn't show, and doesn't bother to notify anyone. What these people don't realize is that there is constant communication among casting directors, directors and agents, both on a local level and nationally....and it doesn't take long for an irresponsible actor to get a reputation of being undependable. I recently offered a callback for an offoff Broadway production to an actress who said she'd consider it and then never called back...and guess what? Two days later a producer called me and asked what I thought about that particular actress, whom he was going to recommend for a big role in something else? Guess what I told him?

If you want to be an actor: learn to be courteous, learn to be professional, learn to be honest about whether you are going to do the job you accept, and learn the meaning of the word 'commitment'. Phew! Ok, I'm done ranting...

At my last job there was an actor who was 19 years old and he would constantly miss auditions. I would know about it because he would come into work and tell everyone about how Fu*ked up he was from partying the night before and how he missed an audition.

A LOSER and a punk and everything else pathetic and annoying. People like that clog up the city unnecessarily and should get the hell out til they are out of diapers. Am I ranting? you better believe it!!!!I am Miss George Carlin!!!!

LOL, miss stone! So true. so true...

My favorite tale is still of doing a play in NYC where one actress decided she didn't like the director. The week before we were to open, she left an OUTGOING message on her answering machine saying she was quitting.

Mercifully, the director had a brilliant friend who came in and nailed it. But how little the first person cared about her fellow actors to do what she did.

When it comes to more meaty auditions, I seriously think there are therapy issues at play. One woman told me how she'd skipped out on several auditions numerous others would have been delighted to get. I think she was just afraid of failing, myself.

OUTgoing message??! Never heard of that tactic!!! Ha! "Dear IRS, If you are calling about my taxes, please note I have not quite finished them up yet--everyone else, please leave a message!"