SAFETY: Food allergies in rehearsal

[Jlong]

I think its important to also remember the EPI-Pens are not meant as a cure per-say but more of a temporary solution until one can get to see paramedics.

[MusicTheatreSM]

I always ask about allergies and such, and if there is a problem to be informed of things like epi-pens. I have had a diabetic actor also, and she had low sugar. Honey in my kit is what fixed that because she told me on the first day she was diabetic.

On occasions when I have moderated auditions, some theatres have a section on the audition form for any information regarding a health problem that they should be informed of ahead of time. This is a good thing to have because I have worked a show where several actors had to eat cake. One of the actors couldn't have gluten, so that effects either casting or the type of cake bought (also effecting budget)

It is always worth it to ask those things just to be prepared.

[BayAreaSM]

On occasions when I have moderated auditions, some theatres have a   section on the audition form for any information regarding a health   problem that they should be informed of ahead of time. This is a good   thing to have because I have worked a show where several actors had to   eat cake. One of the actors couldn't have gluten, so that effects either   casting or the type of cake bought (also effecting budget)

I personally don't think it's fair to not cast someone based on their allergies/medical information - isn't that illegal? - but it's something good to know once the show is cast. Though I suppose if the script requires a strobe effect and the actor for that scene is epileptic, maybe that would be a consideration.

Is asking for medical history something normal for audition forms? Seems odd to me.

[loebtmc]

It shd never, ever affect casting. But it can make life ... interesting for props and backstage crew.

[BayAreaSM]

From personal experience - doing Arms and the Man- the script calls for The Man (Bluntschli) to eat from a box of chocolates. My actor was allergic to wheat and chocolate. We ended up ripping up prunes. Of course, with outdoor theater that made an interesting situation with bees, but it looked like bits of chocolate and our actors were very...regular.

It shd never, ever affect casting. But it can make life ... interesting for props and backstage crew.

Quite interesting...

[Maribeth]

Is asking for medical history something normal for audition forms? Seems odd to me.

I have never heard about asking for medical information before casting- I think it's more appropriate to ask for emergency contact and medical info after an actor has been cast. (For me, I don't see any reason to ask for it prior to the first day of rehearsal).

In terms of who has access to the information - if it's on the audition forms, what happens to those forms after casting? Are they shredded? I doubt it. It's unfair to the actors to have that info floating around.

[Joshua S.]

Part of me says that no it shouldn't affect casting, but part of me wants it to.

When I did the wizard of oz, we cast a munchkin that after the fact we found out had a peanut allergy.  This kid freaked out almost every night he was in rehearsal because he thought he was having an allergic reaction (he never once actually had an allergic reaction).  I would have no problem if I would have had to stick him with his epi-pen, in fact, as much as this kid pissed me off i would have been kind of happy to cause a bit of discomfort, but every time he would tell me he thought he was having a reaction, i would ask him where his epi-pen was and he would freak out and start talking about how maybe he wasn't having a reaction.  I finally got to the point where I spoke to his mother and told her she needed to be present at rehearsals so that if he was thought he was having a reaction, he could go to her.  I wish I hadn't done that. 

The mother freaked out way more than the child ever did and started making ridiculous demands.  While the company was very good about doing everything they could to accommodate his allergy such as making sure none of the food we had catered in or snacks we provided contained nut products, with a cast of nearly 50 individuals, there was only so much I as stage manager could control.

Examples of things she freaked out about and demands she made:
-She wanted any nut containing products removed from the vending machine at the theatre.  The vending machine of course is controlled by an outside company, so it's not like we could just open the thing up to remove said products.
-One night both her and her son freaked out and started yelling because he smelled peanuts on one of the other munchkins breath.  Mom started going off on this poor kid because "she should have known better than to have peanut butter before coming to the theatre."

Obviously this kids paranoia is all learned from his mother, and I feel bad for him, because I'm sure that as long as any staff member that was at that theatre at the time is still there, he will never be cast again.  If we had known about his allergy before hand, he probably would have been passed over, because any kid off the street could have been just as talented as this kid, but a lot less frustrating.

[Maribeth]

Part of me says that no it shouldn't affect casting, but part of me wants it to.

It sounds to me that the problem in your particular situation has less to do with the kid having an allergy than a fussy parent/child in general. If it hadn't been allergies, it would have been something else (and you can't know ahead of time how people are going to act, all you can do is deal with the situation when it happens, and not cast them the next time around). Not every kid with allergies is a problem.

[On_Headset]

if it's on the audition forms, what happens to those forms after casting? Are they shredded?

I may be an outlier here, but... yes?

I was always taught that anything with anyone's personal information on it should be kept secure until it is no longer needed, at which point it should be either archived or destroyed. A phone number or address would definitely be "personal information" IMO, medical information doubly so. (And this should be redoubled if the audition form also includes any notes from the director, even if they're complimentary and discreet.) My usual practice (once we're through with casting) is to transcribe any "interesting" audition sheets into an encrypted Access database, and then destroy the originals.

I definitely agree with you about waiting until after casting before collecting this information, though.

[Maribeth]

if it's on the audition forms, what happens to those forms after casting? Are they shredded?

I may be an outlier here, but... yes?

I'm not usually involved with casting or auditions, so it's not something I think about a lot. I would hope they are too.