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{{short description|Principal actors and performers}}
In a dramatic production, an '''ensemble cast''' is one which is composed of multiple principal actors and [[performing arts|performers]] who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.<ref name=":0">Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ik9sleNg10kC&pg=PA112|title=Character design for graphic novels|author=Steven Withrow|author2=Alexander Danner|year=2007|publisher=[[Focal Press]]/Rotovision|page=112|access-date=2009-09-05|isbn=9780240809021}}</ref>

==Structure==
In contrast to the popular model, which gives precedence to a sole [[protagonist]], an ensemble cast leans more towards a sense of "collectivity and community".<ref name=math>{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/screen/article/52/1/89/1668892|title=Referential acting and the ensemble cast|first=Ernest|last=Mathijs|date=March 1, 2011|journal=Screen|volume=52|issue=1|pages=89–96|via=academic.oup.com|doi=10.1093/screen/hjq063}}</ref>

===Cinema===
Ensemble casts in film were introduced as early as September 1916, with [[D. W. Griffith]]'s silent [[epic film]] ''[[Intolerance (film)|Intolerance]]'', featuring four separate though parallel plots.<ref name="smith">{{Cite web|url=http://www.screeningthepast.com/2012/12/ensemble-film-postmodernity-and-moral-mapping/|title=Ensemble Film, Postmodernity and Moral Mapping|website=www.screeningthepast.com}}</ref> The film follows the lives of several characters over hundreds of years, across different cultures and time periods.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmsite.org/into.html|title=Intolerance (1916)|website=www.filmsite.org}}</ref> The unification of different plot lines and character arcs is a key characteristic of ensemble casting in film; whether it's a location, event, or an overarching theme that ties the film and characters together.<ref name="smith" />

Films that feature ensembles tend to emphasize the interconnectivity of the characters, even when the characters are strangers to one another.<ref name="silvey">{{Cite journal|url=http://www.forumjournal.org/article/view/621|title=Not Just Ensemble Films: Six Degrees, Webs, Multiplexity and the Rise of Network Narratives|first=Vivien|last=Silvey|date=June 5, 2009|journal=FORUM: University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Journal of Culture & the Arts|issue=8|via=www.forumjournal.org}}</ref> The interconnectivity is often shown to the audience through examples of the "[[six degrees of separation]]" theory, and allows them to navigate through plot lines using [[cognitive mapping]].<ref name="silvey" /> Examples of this method, where the six degrees of separation is evident in films with an ensemble cast, are in productions such as ''[[Love Actually]],'' ''[[Crash (2004 film)|Crash]]'', and ''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]'', which all have strong underlying themes interwoven within the plots that unify each film.<ref name="smith" />

''[[The Avengers (2012 film)|The Avengers]]'', ''[[X-Men (2000 film)|X-Men]]'', and ''[[Justice League (film)|Justice League]]'' are three examples of ensemble casts in the [[superhero film|superhero]] genre.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/apr/23/avengers-assemble-disarms-critics-joss-whedon|title=Avengers Assemble disarms the critics|first=Ben|last=Child|date=April 23, 2012|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> In ''The Avengers'', there is no need for a single central protagonist as each character shares equal importance in the narrative, successfully balancing the ensemble cast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hypable.com/2011/11/19/joss-whedon-talks-in-depth-about-the-ensemble-cast-of-the-avengers |title= Joss Whedon talks in depth about the ensemble cast of 'The Avengers' |date=November 19, 2011 |website= www.hypable.com|access-date=2020-06-15}}</ref> Referential acting is a key factor in executing this balance, as ensemble cast members "play off each other rather than off reality".<ref name="math" />

Hollywood movies with ensemble casts tend to use numerous actors of high renown and/or prestige, instead of one or two "big stars" and a lesser-known supporting cast.{{cn|date=September 2021}}

===Television ===
Ensemble casting also became more popular in [[television program|television series]] because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes. In addition, the departure of players is less disruptive than would be the case with a regularly structured cast. The television series ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' and ''[[Friends]]'' are archetypal examples of ensemble casts in American sitcoms. The science-fiction mystery drama ''[[Lost (TV Series)|Lost]]'' features an ensemble cast. Ensemble casts of 20 or more actors are common in [[soap opera]]s, a genre that relies heavily on the character development of the ensemble.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/42/50|title=View of Soap operas and the history of fan discussion | Transformative Works and Cultures|journal=Transformative Works and Cultures|date=15 September 2008|volume=1|doi=10.3983/twc.2008.042|last1=Ford|first1=Sam}}</ref> The genre also requires continuous expansion of the cast as the series progresses, with soap operas such as ''[[General Hospital]]'', ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' and ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'' staying on air for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2010/12/the_survival_of_soap_opera_par_1.html|title=The Survival of Soap Opera (Part Two):The History and Legacy of Serialized Television|website=Henry Jenkins}}</ref>

An example of a success for television in ensemble casting is the [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]]-winning [[HBO]] series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''. The fantasy series features one of the largest ensemble casts on the small screen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/10888519/David-Cameron-Im-a-Game-of-Thrones-fan.html|title=David Cameron: 'I'm a Game of Thrones fan'|first=Scott|last=Campbell|date=June 10, 2014|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> The series is notorious for major character deaths, resulting in constant changes within the ensemble.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-game-of-thrones-nobody-wins-everybody-dies/10099808|title=The Game of Thrones: Nobody wins, everybody dies|first=Adam|last=Brereton|date=June 12, 2013|website=ABC Religion & Ethics}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[All-star]]
* [[Polyphony (literature)]]
* [[Supergroup (music)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Film crew}}
{{Portal bar|Film}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Film and video terminology]]
[[Category:Stage terminology]]

Ensemble cast - Revision history

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