“If you see the truth in front of you, it’s the right person”

The popular image of auditions these days is defined by the brutality and groaning of reality TV. "People expect Nicole Scherzinger to say, 'You're on the judges!' and Rylan to cry," says freelance casting director Jatinder Chera, raising a skeptical eyebrow. In the media, heartless rejections and impossible dreams seem to be the currency of casting calls. "But there's a lot more to it than people really know."

Casting directors get a bad name. They're seen as gatekeepers, rejecters and ghosters. When Bryony Jarvis-Taylor, deputy head of casting at the National Theatre, mentions her job to someone new, she's often ...