CASTING A LINE?

When did it happen? When did writing a musical mean you needed to do everything else? Like casting for a reading? I have been doing this a long long time and I can remember when casting for a reading was simpler (wasn't everything?). Maybe that's because there weren't so many readings instead of productions. Maybe now every actor is sick to death of making 100 dollars for 29 hours of learning a new show (oh to write a play where music doesn't have to be learned) and putting it on its feet in front of an audience who expects it to be as good as if rehearsed for weeks. And readings frequently are as good. But oh the agony.