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Ensemble cast



 
 
An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes. In addition, the departure of players is less disruptive to the premise than it would be if the star of a production with a regularly structured cast leaves the series.

Some films have ensemble casts, usually ones that revolve around one large theme, such as The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three live action fantasy epic films: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ....
 or Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 movies, or ones that revolve around interrelated themes persistent throughout individual subplots of the characters such as The High and the Mighty
The High and the Mighty (film)

The High and the Mighty is a 1954 CinemaScope drama adventure film with a star laden ensemble cast released through Warner Bros.. The film starred and was co-produced by John Wayne, directed by William A....
,
Love Actually
Love Actually

Love Actually is a 2003 in film United Kingdom romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are linked as their tales progress....
,
or Crash
Crash (2004 film)

Crash is a 2005 in film Cinema of the United States/Cinema of Germany drama film, written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2004, and was released internationally in 2005....
.

The only known major film awards regarding ensemble casts are the Best Cast
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast

The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble cast is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review....
 from the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild

The Screen Actors Guild is an American trade union representing over 120,000 film and television actor and extra worldwide. According to SAG's Mission Statement, the Guild seeks to: negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for its performers; col...
's award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.








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An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes. In addition, the departure of players is less disruptive to the premise than it would be if the star of a production with a regularly structured cast leaves the series.

Some films have ensemble casts, usually ones that revolve around one large theme, such as The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three live action fantasy epic films: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ....
 or Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 movies, or ones that revolve around interrelated themes persistent throughout individual subplots of the characters such as The High and the Mighty
The High and the Mighty (film)

The High and the Mighty is a 1954 CinemaScope drama adventure film with a star laden ensemble cast released through Warner Bros.. The film starred and was co-produced by John Wayne, directed by William A....
,
Love Actually
Love Actually

Love Actually is a 2003 in film United Kingdom romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are linked as their tales progress....
,
or Crash
Crash (2004 film)

Crash is a 2005 in film Cinema of the United States/Cinema of Germany drama film, written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2004, and was released internationally in 2005....
.

The only known major film awards regarding ensemble casts are the Best Cast
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast

The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble cast is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review....
 from the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild

The Screen Actors Guild is an American trade union representing over 120,000 film and television actor and extra worldwide. According to SAG's Mission Statement, the Guild seeks to: negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements that establish equitable levels of compensation, benefits, and working conditions for its performers; col...
's award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Examples of plays with ensemble casts

  • Cats
    Cats (musical)

    Cats is a Musical theatre composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. It introduced the song standard, 'Memory '....
     (1981)
    1981

    1981 was a common year starting on Thursday ....
  • Glengarry Glen Ross
    Glengarry Glen Ross

    Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1982 play written by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts?from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation, and burglary?to sell undesirable real estate to unwilling prosp...
     (1983)
    1983

    1983 was a common year starting on Saturday ....
  • You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
    You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

    You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a musical theater comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M....
     (1967)
    1967

    1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the 1967 Gregorian calendar....


Examples of television series with ensemble casts

  • M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
  • Friends
    Friends

    Friends is an American situation comedy created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. The series revolves around a group of friends in the area of Manhattan, New York City, who occasionally live together and share living expenses....
     (1994-2004)


Examples of movies with ensemble casts

  • The High and the Mighty
    The High and the Mighty (film)

    The High and the Mighty is a 1954 CinemaScope drama adventure film with a star laden ensemble cast released through Warner Bros.. The film starred and was co-produced by John Wayne, directed by William A....
     (1954)
    1954

    Year 1954 was a common year starting on Friday ....
  • Reservoir Dogs
    Reservoir Dogs

    Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 in film directorial debut film of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It portrays what happens before and after a botched jewel Robbery, but not the heist itself....
     (1992)
    1992

    1992 was a leap year starting on Wednesday ....


Examples of operas with ensemble casts

  • Le Nozze di Figaro (1786)
    1786

    Year 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar ....
  • Cosi Fan Tutte
    Cosė fan tutte

    Cos? fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte....
     (1790)
    1790

    Year 1790 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar ....
  • The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
    The Barber of Seville

    The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The overture, first written for Aureliano in Palmira, is a famous example of Rossini's characteristic Italian style....
     (1816)
    1816

    Year 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar . This year was known as Year Without a Summer because of low global temperatures....


See also

  • All Star Cast
  • Polyphony (literature)
    Polyphony (literature)

    In literature, polyphony is a feature of narrative, which includes a diversity of points of view and voices. The concept was invented by Mikhail Bakhtin, based on the musical concept polyphony....