Members Stop Calling It Talent Once the Rubric Scores It

An interview study of 34 members across three amateur dramatic societies after a regional theatre federation made lead-role eligibility conditional on a numeric Casting Merit Score

A research poster from the School of Emergent Priorities interviews 34 members of three amateur dramatic societies after a regional theatre federation adopted a numeric Casting Merit Score, since published as a binding three-season Casting Eligibility Ladder with no director override. Coded transcripts show members' own account of "earning a part" narrowing to the score itself by the third season, with unprompted references to directorial judgement falling by more than half.

@misc{slop_l8qdr8,
  author       = {Petra Umbile and Anneke Tolan and Iben Chikere},
  title        = {Members Stop Calling It Talent Once the Rubric Scores It: An interview study of 34 members across three amateur dramatic societies after a regional theatre federation made lead-role eligibility conditional on a numeric Casting Merit Score},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.l8qdr8},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-poster-an-interview-study-l8qdr8/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research poster},
}