From Kat: If you’ve ever talked to anyone in the voice over industry, chances are you’ve heard the name Andy Roth. Casting Director, Voice Director, and Producer are his official titles, but those in the industry know him better for his kindness, his talent, and his brilliance on all things VO. If you’ve auditioned for Andy, taken his class, or seen his work- it’s obvious he was meant to do this.

Like many of us starting out, however, Andy didn’t know VO was an industry you could make an entire career in. But he’s done that. And he’s done it all while bringing joy and innate humanness to his tremendous success. 

With the ever-expanding technology changing our world’s landscape, the voice over world has quickly asserted itself as the most innovative and adaptable industry to work in. Whether you’re an actor interested in exploring the world of VO or a producer/creator looking for a new medium to work in, Andy reminds us of how to chase our goals with our authentic self, putting relationships first, and what to do “when best laid plans go awry.” (sort of…)

I can’t help but give my deepest and purest admiration to who Andy is, the love he puts into his job, and the way he’s able to uplift those around him. He’s always and forever #goals.  And he’s got a hot take on dogs that can’t be argued with...

Business owner. Producer. Casting Director. Coach. Andy Roth, ladies and gents! Andy, we’re thrilled and honored you’re taking the time to chat with us. We’ll get into the business facts, would you introduce yourself to our readers with some “human facts”?

Thank you!!  It's awesome to be a part “The Obvious Path.” 

Hi all, I’m Andy Roth.  I’m a Casting Director, Voice Director and Producer.  I’m also an avid whisk(e)y collector, competent plumber and I think dogs are the best things ever.  

You started as an assistant to a voice over agent. Was VO always the industry you wanted to be in? What made voice over casting a better career choice for you?

Like most people starting out, I didn’t know enough about the voice over world to know that it was even a part of the business that someone could focus on.  They didn’t cover enough of it in school to really form an opinion about it, much less choose it as a career.  I had no idea that it was actually a whole self-contained and incredibly lucrative industry; or how expansive the VO landscape is and how quickly it is to adapt to this ever-evolving biz. I knew about cartoons of course and a little bit about commercials, but until you really jump in it’s hard to appreciate how deep the water is.  It’s a sea of animation, video games, commercials, e-learning, industrials, narrations, dubbing, live announcing, promos, audiobooks and more.  And it’s becoming more vast all the time.  Social media, the web, VR and Augmented Reality have expanded the VO world so much so quickly.  And with Hologram technology around the corner, it shows no sign of slowing down.  VO grows its roots into almost every new tech breakthrough.  SIRI is the perfect example … I mean, who saw that coming?  

But I actually think I fell in love with the VO people before I fell in love with the work.  The work is fun and often exciting, but it’s fleeting.  Most jobs come and go fairly quickly (from a casting standpoint).  The relationships that are born from it however tend to be much longer lasting.  VO people are the friendliest in the business.  Of course, I’m totally biased when I say that, but I don’t think you’ll find a lot of people that disagree with me.  There’s more comradery than competition.  Maybe it’s because opportunities for performers aren’t as limited by genetics or age.  Maybe because everything tends to happen faster and with less muss and fuss.  There are no costume changes, no makeup, no early morning or late night shoots and the pay is often great.  Maybe it just attracts a certain kind of person.  Whatever the reason, I love this about the VO business. … Plus, I’m a total geek and it gives me more electronic toys to play with ☺

… So, short story long I guess; no, it wasn’t always where I wanted to be.  Learning about it was a gift that I cherish though.

You have a reputation of being the kindest Casting Director in the business. What’s your tip for bringing your authentic human self into the audition room?

Thanks!  I’d love to think that’s true, but I don’t really know.  I think most of my colleagues would fit the “kindest CD” bill as much as, or more than me.  But I’m happy to take a compliment whenever it comes.  

I guess the best pointer that I have about bringing your authentic self is to cut yourself a break.  It’s not your job to “bring words to life,” it’s to bring your life to the words.  And your unique self lives in your instincts.  A script is an opportunity more than a requirement.  It’s a way of letting us know who you are as a person in a specific context.  That doesn’t come with studying yourself as you’re performing and gauging whether or not you’re adhering to every nuance and moment that you did somewhere else.  It comes with trusting that you did the work and that every organic change will be built on the foundation that you’ve already laid down.

Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  Sort of … he actually wrote “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley” which makes pretty much no sense at all in 21st Century USA so I’m paraphrasing (sorry Bob) :-/ … Anyway, he’s still right.  But that’s not a bad thing.  Your audition will pretty much always go differently than you thought.  It’ll feel different than the one that was in your head, or that you worked on at home.  It may matter to you, but it won’t to us.  Whatever happens in the actual audition space will always be better than what you wish was happening (even if it doesn’t feel that way).  Accepting that things will almost always be different in the room, and that you can roll with it, is an artistically powerful place to be.  You don’t need to “keep it new,” you just need to let it be what it’s going to be.  Your brain is a lightning fast, improvisational adaptation machine and it will make instantaneous decisions to accommodate your new environment in the most appropriate way.  You may hear that echoing voice of regret whispering “that wasn’t what I wanted to do!  It was better the other way!”  But that’s okay.  First of all, that’s almost never true.  What you’re doing in front of us is the product of the moment that we’re sharing.  It’s a different moment with different needs.  Your brain will know what those needs are almost always and the direction you get from the casting director or director will take you the rest of the way.  Secondly, we don’t know what you did somewhere else so we’ll never know what you “did better before.”  And third, for all you know, we may not have even liked the original!   Remember, you’ve done the work.  Everything you do in the room will be built on that work.  It won’t always lead to a job, but it does let us know who you are and in this business it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.

There’s never a guarantee that you’ll get the job.  But any audition that gets you more auditions is a good one.

VO was built for pandemics, which leaves even more actors wanting to get into the business. Do you have any advice to theatrical and tv/film actors looking to join the VO world?

Take a class.  Even if you think you don’t need it.  Classes come with connections, relationships, business insights, practice and a glimpse into the thinking of someone who could be offering you an opportunity.  

And you’ll need a decent home studio.  It doesn’t need to be super-expensive, but it does need to sound great.  Most jobs are recording from home these days so you’re not just auditioning your voice or your talent, you’re also auditioning your studio.

What’s the change in our business you hope to see coming out of this time of a racial reckoning and a global pandemic?

The change is already happening.  Creatives are already far more aware and sensitive to people’s individual-ness.  The creative comfort zone is growing by leaps and bounds, and that combined with a wealth of new outlets for content is giving rise to new voices and programming that would have had a harder time finding an audience a few years ago.  It seems like content is now focused on the world rather than the world having to focus on a limited amount of content.  Free is the new safe and acceptance is the new requirement.  I’d love to see this continue, and I think it will.

We’ve used the metaphor of a mountain to be analogous to our career accomplishments, dreams, and changes. We feel a lot of our reader’s “climb” is on pause. Has your mountain ever changed? Is it changing now? What’s keeping you moving?

I love the Mountain analogy for so many reasons.  Mountains are always changing, literally.  Weather, earthquakes, rockslides, erosion, gravity, tourism and even time are constantly altering the landscape.  Everything is always moving, and everything is always changing.  It’s not the mountain, but it’s the ability to climb from ledge to ledge and dodge the falling rocks that gets someone to the top, and every mountain climbed makes the next one easier.  

My mountain has definitely changed in the years that I’ve been in the business.  There are new avenues for VO that didn’t exist before and that comes with new pay rates, limitations, requirements, talent specs etc.  Technology has sped up delivery time and made auditions sound and look better.  The job is to adapt to the environment while still delivering what my client wants.  I love that about my job.  If it was always the same mountain, I think climbing it would get boring.

As far a climb being on pause; sure, the pandemic has changed a lot of things.  I hit a quiet period for a bit.  It’s not the first time though and it won’t be the last.  No climb is non-stop or straight up.  Mountains have camps along the way.  Sometimes the stops are our choice so we can recharge and heal.  Sometimes they’re dictated by nature or too many other climbers on the mountain at the time.  Stopping and being patient is an essential part of any climb.  Use the time to plan your route, maybe you’ll find a better one or meet someone who knows the mountain better and can help you.  Maybe you’ll just find out that you’re on the right path and the break just gave you a chance to reconfirm that your choices were right.  Or maybe you’ll find out that doing something else in the climbing business is a better fit for you, and you’ll return to base camp more informed about what you want to do next.

At least that’s how I see things and it’s gotten me this far.  If I run into a problem, I’ll email you an amendment!

RAPID FIRE:

Favorite Quaran-TV: The Expanse, Peaky Blinders, Love, America Gods

Quaran-reads: Anything by Malcolm Gladwell

Exercise routine (if you are into that): Mountain climbing! … just kidding

Favorite food: Mexican Lasagna (vegetarian version) with black beans instead of refried … seriously, it’s awesome!

Thing you have missed most since March: Being able to look at someone who isn’t wearing a mask, and not think that they’re a total selfish ass.

Favorite hobby outside the biz: Studying and collecting rare and craft spirits, mostly whiskies.

Gin or Whiskey?:  Love them both.  Rum isn’t bad either.

Quick advice to actors auditioning for you: Be yourself, say the words, make the adjustments your asked for as you understand them without fear.  And don’t sweat it.  There’s no punishment for a read that’s not exactly what I want, there’s only direction. 

Favorite part of the job: The in person human connection.  I miss that.

Religious, Spiritual, or Nah: Something created dogs.  I believe in that.

Social Media Feelings: Social media is a useful tool that can be deceptively fun.

Advice to your younger self: Keep doing what you’re doing.  Keep trusting yourself.  Take the most emotionally rewarding path as often as you can and the most financially beneficial path as often as you have to.  The two will meet eventually.

Anything you’d like to promote?:  The documentary that I produced with a bunch of amazing people including Joaquin Phoenix, Jorja Fox, Mikko Alanne, Case Suchan, “The Animal People” documentary on Netflix, Amazon & iTunes

Picture 2: Andy at the screening of The Animal People, of which he is a Producer.

Picture 4: Andy and his dogs, Taco and Tequila

From Kat: Leah Shapiro couldn’t be a more perfect start to introducing more casting folks in 2021. Leah always stands out in my mind as one of the kindest people to communicate with. Some parts of our job, like rescheduling appointments or having trouble uploading tapes, can feel monotonous, frustrating, or impersonal. Leah seemingly goes out of her way to do her job joyfully, beautifully, and personally. Communicating with her has always made my day a little bit brighter and a whole lot easier.

So it’s no surprise that her feature is thought provoking, wise, and joyful. Leah walks us through her journey into casting and the ideas of how to make our industry more accessible, what it’s like to go from casting theatre to watching your first TV project on a global streaming service, and the mantra that reminds her to not get bogged down in the unknowns of the future.

If you’re having trouble finding the good people in our industry, Leah is the perfect reminder that they’re out there. They’re out there doing good work and rooting for you.

Leah! One of my favorite names to pop up in my inbox. Would you introduce yourself to our readers with some “human facts”?

Hello readers! I’m Leah Shapiro (first name pronounced ‘lay-uh’). I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. I was a bit of a shy and anxious child, so my parents put me in theatre classes to help get me out of my shell and let’s just say the rest is history! I’m currently the Casting Assistant on Inventing Anna, a new Shonda Rhimes’ television miniseries for Netflix at Estrin/Bergstein Casting in NYC. 

You double majored in Theatre/Human Development Connecticut College. Did you always know you wanted to get into casting? Were there certain skills you possessed that lent themselves to the casting world?

I was one of those people that truly had no idea what I wanted to do until senior year of college. I majored in Human Development because I’ve always loved people and interacting with them and also, sadly, felt I needed a more “practical” major besides Theatre. I majored in Theatre because I knew it was likely my last chance to perform unless I wanted to make it my career and I knew I didn’t. I’ve loved performing my whole life and while it always brought me great joy, I never considered pursuing it as a career. I respect actors the most, especially now as I get to witness daily the hard work and perseverance acting requires. Yet, even when entering college, I knew the hustle needed to pursue an acting career would take away the joy of performing for me.

Still, I loved the world of theater and I loved the people and community it provided. I desperately wanted to find a way to stay in this community in my professional life and so senior year I started brainstorming what that could look like – a career in the arts that didn’t require performing. 

I actually can pinpoint the moment that I had the ‘aha’ moment about casting. During my senior year at Conn, I was sitting in the library with a friend and we were discussing different ideas, and she said, “what about casting?” In that moment something just shifted. I was like, “hmm, that’s a really interesting idea;” as I thought back to the different creative processes I’d been involved in during college, I realized I had always loved facilitating the audition process. Ultimately, combining my acting experience with my degree in Human Development (which is essentially understanding why people are the way they are) felt like the perfect way to realize my passions. 

You attended the Tepper Semester, a program through Syracuse University, where students spend their spring semester of the senior year working and training in NYC. How did this program help your launch into the professional world? Any other advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in casting? 

I firmly believe I wouldn’t have the career I have today without the Tepper Semester. I worked at my sleepaway camp every summer of college and didn’t do any internships, much to many people’s shock and dare I even say, disapproval. I have zero regrets about that choice. Yet, I did graduate without that crucial ‘foot in the door’ that most people accomplish through internships. Through Tepper, I was able to be a student again for a semester, and I was able to apply and get an internship at Telsey + Company. Ultimately, I needed an introduction to this industry and world and the Tepper Semester provided that for me. I made great connections and learned so much from the internship, the classes and professors, and being able to see two shows a week. The program seamlessly launched my career. In fact, I got hired for my first assistant position a month before the program ended by Stephanie Klapper, who also happened to be one of the Casting Directors we met through our coursework. I’m so thankful to Stephanie for giving me my start in this career; I learned so much in that office and it was the best first job I could have ever asked for. 

I also do not want to miss the opportunity to recognize the immense privilege I have. Being able to afford and complete an additional semester of school through the Tepper Semester to help me further my casting career aspirations was a privilege. While I believe it was 100% worthwhile, and it truly did pay off for me, in that I’ve been employed (pandemic hiatus aside) ever since I finished the program, I realize this route is not possible for many. My experience highlights the need to make the casting profession and frankly, the entire entertainment industry, more accessible.

You’ve worked at some wonderful casting offices including Telsey, Stephanie Klapper, Shayna Markowitz and have now landed at Estrin/Bergstein. What has been the most rewarding project to work on and why?

This is such a hard question for me as I really do value everything I’ve worked on. I believe every new project has taught me something new that I can then take to my next project. But…if I had to pick just one, it probably would be “Dash & Lily” because it was my first exposure to the world of TV/film casting. Up until then, I’d solely been working in the theatre world, and while I learnt so much in my first year and a half as a Casting Assistant for theatre, that’s always been a familiar universe for me. 

Getting hired on “Dash & Lily” threw me into an entirely different world, with a new schedule, pace and lingo. The Casting Director, Shayna Markowitz, and Associate, Betsy Fippinger were so wonderful to me. They gave me the space to learn and grow, while also pushing me to be better and learn every day on the job. In the end, through working on “Dash & Lily,” I discovered I really enjoyed casting for television and wanted to continue pursuing those types of jobs and projects. I’m so grateful to Shayna for taking a chance on me with no previous television casting experience, as I believe that job changed the trajectory of my career. Also, “Dash & Lily” is the first television show I’ve worked on to come out on a global streaming service, so that in itself was a very exciting, rewarding, and full-circle experience. 

What’s the change in our business you hope to see coming out of this time of a racial reckoning and a global pandemic?

I touched on this a bit above when discussing my own entrance into this industry, but I really hope to see more accessibility and representation in all aspects of the business. Naturally, those go hand-in-hand. We will see more representation when there is more accessibility and in order to see these changes, we need to act. It’s important to not just wait for the changes to happen but to hold ourselves accountable and be a part of those changes. In our office, we started having conversations this summer about how to make the possibility of a career in casting more visible to BIPOC youth. Further, we discussed creating a path to working in casting offices for high school and college students, and even young adults for whom it’s not feasible to take unpaid internships and/or opportunities. We’ve explored and discussed the possibility of free informational interviews, free mentorship, and paid training programs. I’m looking forward to seeing how these types of ideas and programs will be implemented across our industry. 

We’ve used the metaphor of a mountain to be analogous to our career accomplishments, dreams, and changes. We feel a lot of our reader’s “climb” is on pause. Has your mountain ever changed? Is it changing now? What’s keeping you moving?

I tend to get extremely overwhelmed by the big picture and the future. Questions like: “where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?” have always really stressed me out. I heard the saying recently, ‘trust the timeline of your life’ and it really spoke to me. It’s helped me focus more on short term goals, which ultimately, I know will be the stepping stones to my more long-term goals, and prevented me from getting too bogged down by the unknowns of the distant future. 

In my opinion, this pandemic has been a perfect example of why we shouldn’t spend too much time focusing on the future – I don’t think any of us saw this pandemic coming and it shows we really cannot predict what’s going to happen in life whether it be on the personal or global level. That’s not to say we shouldn’t have goals and aspirations; we absolutely should as that’s what keeps so many of us driven. But if we’re talking in terms of a mountain metaphor, I now try to have goals of one summit at a time as opposed to looking towards the very top of the mountain. For me, this shift in mindset is leaving me more space and openness for pauses, changes, and shifts without ever feeling like I’ve failed to reach the ultimate goal. 

RAPID FIRE:

Favorite Quaran-TV: “Normal People” & “The Great” 

Quaran-reads: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Favorite Dash and Lily scene?: Ugh so hard to choose! I actually have several, but for the sake of conciseness, I’m actually obsessed with the montage in the last episode to Gracie Abrams’ ‘Stay’

Exercise routine (if you are into that): My quarantine fitness routine has been entirely Jabs by Gina!!! (www.jabsbygina.com). Obsessed. 

Favorite food: Ice Cream

Advice to someone walking into your audition room or, for a while, self-taping for you?: We want actors to succeed and do well. Actors succeeding helps us accomplish our job!! Also, to know that a “good” audition is so much more than booking the job. A good audition leads to us remembering actors and calling them back in. 

Thing you have missed most since March?: Live theater and eating out

Religious, Spiritual, or Nah: Yes, I would say 100% culturally Jewish! I’m not extremely observant in terms of the religious aspects, but I do connect to a lot of those aspects and celebrate all the holidays.   

Favorite spot in, your hometown, Baltimore: Harbor East in downtown Baltimore

I feel most at peace when _________: I’m in Maine on a lake in the summer. 

Social Media Feelings: Can’t live with it, can’t live without it! My sister actually said to me recently, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” That’s helped shift my relationship towards social media recently. I now strive to think of my social media as a place to hold my memories and experiences, for me, and no one else. It’s mostly been working!!

Casting for theatre or casting for TV?: I like both for different reasons but I think TV and (hopefully some film) for the foreseeable future ☺ 

Social Media Handles: IG @leahameliashapiro & Twitter @leahashapiro

Anything you’d like to promote?: It’s not for me, but my younger sister started a podcast during Quarantine and it’s really good. It’s called Listening for Love. In her words, it’s “A podcast where I set up my friends on virtual blind dates and we follow along as they listen - cameras off - for love.”

Photos:

#3: Leah and family

#4: Leah and sisters

Quick side note from Kat: I have the pleasure of getting to work with Nathan every day at my job. He is personable, hard working, and is incredible to work with. He graciously reached out after seeing our video, and shared some inspiring words with us. He is a gem of a person, and we are grateful he is sharing some of this experience with us.

‘Hey Kat! I saw your and Peter's video and felt like I should share a bit of my experience during this. Work has slowed for us in the casting field, but it's been such an incredible opportunity to meet actors who we haven't gotten a chance to meet yet through virtual generals! Personally, it's been lonely and uncertain, but the positive feedback we've received from agents, managers, and actors for holding these generals has been super uplifting. So many words of thanks, encouragement, and positivity from faces new and old for the distraction and the opportunity to do some work. In the past three days, we've seen over 10,000 (what!) submissions, directly from actors as well as from reps. It's been overwhelming and exciting to see the subsequent work coming in from actors who we would otherwise not have the opportunity to see. As we work through these many self-tapes, I can't help but feel connected to and grounded by the community, isolated as I am, as I see some of my favorite monologues being performed, songs being sung, instruments being played, and passions being exercised via the often criticized form of self-tape. Not only do I appreciate actors putting in the technical work to put these tapes together, but they are all going the extra mile to showcase themselves and their passion for this lovely industry that we've committed to, for better or for worse. We're facing a daunting and uncertain time, but doing this work is proving to me that, as I've always known, theatre will flourish. Even if all the lights were to go out, if we were to lose the internet, television, phones, or all of our technology, people would still get up on a stage and play. It's how the Greeks did it! Anyway, this has turned into a novel so I'll stop. But thank you for posting that great video. Sending love!’

From Kat: Our husbands serendipitously made their Off-Broadway debuts together, which happily led to an after-party introduction to Kevin.

I was very new to agenting, yet he was the loveliest person to ‘talk shop’ with. Instead of brushing off the new girl, he treated me like an old friend and a person that had been in the business far longer than I had. When we said goodbye that night, I said I'd hope we see each other again soon. His reply? "I'm not worried about it. We'll work together."

 A year later, we do just that. I get to work with Kevin on a daily basis through HCKR, as Tara Rubin’s office is one of our accounts. In a world of emails without faces, it's refreshing to see a familiar name in my inbox every day. Not to mention, their office is one of the most helpful, encouraging, and professional offices in town. He has a generous heart, a rich history, and big ideas for how to influence our industry in a positive way through casting. We're excited to introduce you to Kevin Metzger-Timson.

Kevin! What an honor to have you on our blog! Would you please introduce yourself to our readers?!

I’m Kevin and I work for Tara Rubin Casting. I’m originally from Orange County, CA. I went to the Orange County High School of the Arts, and grew up doing theatre around the area. I even worked at Disneyland for a summer as a performer in the parade!

You received your BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and started your career as an actor. How did those two things impact your career?

NYU taught me there is more to theatre than just splashy Broadway musicals. I studied in the musical theatre studio, but had other classes with students studying at Atlantic Theatre Company, Experimental Theatre Wing, Stella Adler Studio, etc. etc. It opened my eyes to the full scope and possibilities of what theatre can be. I saw so many varied productions and different styles of theatre. 

How did you know you wanted to go into casting? Can you talk us through getting started and finding that first job? 

Ironically enough, my current co-worker Kaitlin Shaw is who inspired me to go into casting. I stopped performing because one night I found myself onstage more excited about the post-show party than what I was currently doing in that moment. I knew I had to make a change. In searching for that change, I briefly worked for a company in New York that ran casting director and agent classes, and Kaitlin came in to teach one of those classes. While sitting in on her class, I was so inspired by what she had to say and her perspective on the industry. I thought: “I want to do THAT!”

So I quit that job and started looking for casting internships. That’s the best way into the field. Joy Dewing Casting brought me on as an intern, and a month or so before my internship was set to be over, Joy hired me as a full time casting assistant. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Currently, you’re working for the incredible Tara Rubin and casting multiple National Tours, Off- Broadway, and Broadway shows. What is your favorite show you have worked on? Why?

The best part about working in casting is that you’re constantly juggling multiple projects and shows. Each show I work on has that magical moment where you watch the puzzle come together, and you see the piece come to life through the work the actors are doing in the audition room. Each project holds something special for me. There are moments that I’ll never forget: opening night for Ain’t Too Proud - my first Broadway opening for a show I directly worked on, or the 5-year anniversary celebration for Aladdin on Broadway, another show on which I was fortunate to join the casting team when I started at TRC. 

What’s the most important thing you’ve done in your career so far?

Every day working for, supporting, and fighting for actors is important, especially those who are currently underrepresented in the industry. I was in the room when we cast the first Annie of color in the national tour of Annie. I think it is incredibly important to encourage creative teams to think outside the box. Why can’t that role be played by a transgender or non-binary actor? Why can’t the actor in a wheelchair or with a prosthetic leg be featured in a dance role? Ideas such as colorblind casting, gender diversity, and inclusion in casting are incredibly important, and are ideologies we should continue to strive towards in this industry. I strive to continue that work, and to learn from my colleagues and the actors so that what we are seeing onstage and onscreen reflects the diversity of the real world.

What’s something you wish you had done or wish you had known earlier?

I have no regrets up to this point. Everything I’ve done in my life – from the six years I spent as a working actor, to the varied casting offices I have worked for, has led me to exactly where I am today. I’m a big believer in the “Butterfly Effect,” and I trust that if you just make a decision and move forward, you’ll land exactly where you are supposed to.

Biggest surprise in the industry? 

How hard and heartbreaking it can be to try to get a show to Broadway. And how exhilarating it is when it happens!

Where are you on your mountain?

Still climbing up to the peak – and I hope to continue that climb for a long, long time. Do we ever really reach the peak in life? I’m not so sure I’m interested to see what the climb down the mountain looks like. It’s the climb up that excites me.

RAPID FIRE!

Favorite Broadway show of all time: West Side Story

TV show that you love: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” 

Thing you’re listening to on your commute: Podcasts: “The Daily” and “My Favorite Murder”

Any other obsessions?: Cooking

Social media is ________: Something that each person has to individually navigate and assess how it is working for, or against them. 

Religious, Spiritual, or nah?: Spiritual

Actor-ism that frustrates you: Not trusting themselves and their work.

Biggest beef with the business: There’s not enough jobs.

Favorite part about casting: Watching an actor that you’ve believed in from the beginning rise to the occasion and get the job.

You would like for every actor to know ______ before walking into your room: We are on your side.

I get inspired when _______: I see people who I believe in succeed.

Social media handles: @kevmetz – across the board.

Anything you’d like to promote?: Also check out my husband who produces shows around the city! @cmt.nyc on Instagram

Photo Descriptions L to R:

Opening Night of Ain't Too Proud on Broadway

Kevin with Felicia Rudolph at the Aladdin 5 Year Celebration

With Husband, Chris at the Jersey Boys Off-Broadway 1-year anniversary

Kevin with Tara Rubin and Merri Sugarman at the opening of Last Days of Summer at George St. Playhouse

TRC opening night of King Kong

From Peter: Ally’s first year of college, I had been tapped to be a student mentor for their freshman introductory class. Being a musical theatre lover, I would occasionally (AKA ad nauseam) make them watch Tony Awards videos and then put together short quizzes on who won what, who won which year, etc. Ally ALWAYS knew the answer.

Fast forward 4 years, I hear Ally’s planning to go into casting- making her the FIRST person we knew that would stay in the business, but not as an actor. The year after that, we hear she turned her internship into a job. That job into another job. Then, 3 years after she graduated, we heard Ally was partnering with Daryl Eisenberg to open Eisenberg/Beans.

In many ways, Ally is responsible for The Obvious Path. When you come from “small” schools, more people quit the business than figure out how to lean into their strengths. You’ll hear Ally beat herself up for not doing that sooner, but she’s the first person I knew to “lean in” unapologetically. She’s always had a remarkable memory, zeal for the business, and confidence in her talents. The way she lives challenges us to be braver- we hope she does the same for you.

Ally! We know you… We went to college with you! But for our readers who didn’t have the PRIVILEGE of knowing an 18-year-old Ally, would you briefly introduce yourself?:

Y’ALL! I’m Ally Beans. I grew up in Dallas, Texas and fairly early on in my life knew I wanted to be an actress. I started out acting in film (I have some pretty wild roles on my resume from non-union independent film work I did as a kid) and eventually started self-producing (hahahaha) my own sketches when I saved up to get me eMac (they don’t even make those anymore) so that I could use iMovie. I had grown up knowing and loving musicals but it didn’t register until I started working with a voice teacher as a teenager that musical theater was a legitimate career I could pursue - and I was hooked. I wound up at Abilene Christian University for my BFA in Musical Theatre and there are several true answers as to how I got there but the one I’m sharing today is that Kat, Peter, and a host of others in the program at the time blew me away in their production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. After seeing those Christians dance, I knew I had found my people. 

As I said, Ally went to Abilene Christian University (Go ‘Zac Efron-less’ Wildcats!) with Kat and I, and then at the Tepper Semester in NYC through Syracuse University. Can you tell us about your time there and how that impacted your career? 

I pretty much owe my career to Tepper. Until recently, there hasn’t been a training ground of any kind for Casting - Tepper was it. I was very grateful to be paired with a casting internship and to be learning from Casting Directors every evening while simultaneously seeing all the theatre NYC has to offer…but I was also so naive because it wasn’t until post-graduation when I was starting to pursue work that I realized the magnitude of that opportunity. Casting internships alone are so competitive and to have my first one handed to me? Insane. I can’t imagine what I’d be doing or where I’d be if I hadn’t done Tepper.

You studied musical theatre in college and got to play some really cool parts. Can you talk us through your thought process on how you knew acting wasn’t the career for you?

I’ll be honest, college was frustrating for me as a performer. Admittedly, I wasn’t accepting of my type nor my strengths. I wanted to be doing triple threat roles, I saw myself as a showgirl. What I was getting cast as and what I should’ve leaned into were acting-heavy roles. If I had to do college again, I would go as an acting major - I wouldn’t have gone into musical theater. And since we’re being really, really real here - I was tired of not being the best at something when I knew I had a lot to offer. I took a hard look at my strengths and outside of performing, I had a vast knowledge of the business, the players, etc. and I decided to transition into something where I could work on the other side of the table. Eric Woodall, who was a CD with Tara Rubin at the time, visited ACU my junior year for showcase and after one coffee with him, I knew casting was a world I could thrive in. I spent the summer before my senior year doing summer stock, researching, reading all of the trades, and getting really excited about my big leap. Ironically, I landed my biggest collegiate role that fall back at school - Diana in Next to Normal. I had finally let go of what I thought I was and embraced what I actually was and it was not coincidental that it was probably the best performance I’ve ever given.

What were the things you did in the first year to help you make the transition to being a Casting Director?

See everything, meet everyone.

You made the brave leap to start Eisenberg/Beans with Daryl Eisenberg, after working for Daryl and another well-known office in the business. How did you know opening your own office was right for you?

When I have the power to call the shots, I get to create a workspace I’m proud of and I would never fully be able to do that without being my own boss. I’m able to manage expectations, create a warm environment for actors, be a cheerleader for actors to my clients and be a cheerleader for my clients to agents and managers. 

You have cast both film/TV and theatre. What is your favorite to work on? What are the biggest differences? 

Theatre is always going to have a big piece of my heart but I have found such fulfillment in working in independent film and I’ve formed some really incredible relationships through my work in film - both professionally and personally. The timeline is the difference that makes the biggest difference for me - I feel more involved in a film process. In TV, we are constantly casting roles and when we’re not casting roles we are reading the script for the next episode full of roles that we’re going to be casting. Usually, with theater, we in casting are spending our time solely on the front end - we assemble the cast and then send them off with the rest of the creative team to build a tight-knit family over the course of rehearsals and performances. Whereas, when I’m working on a film or TV project, I feel like part of that family because I’m involved through the end of the process like everybody else. 

What’s the most important thing you’ve done in your career so far?

Married a sane dude. I am nothing without Owen beside me to encourage, push, and (most often) give me a reality check.

What’s something you wish you had done or wish you had known earlier?

I touched on this earlier but when I started fully embracing myself and the talents that are unique to me, I started having the most fun I’ve ever had as a person on this planet. 

Where are you on your mountain?

I hope I haven’t even begun ascending. This is all a prelude. (Okay so I’m scared of dying and live in fantasy world where I live forever - please let me have this)

RAPID FIRE!

Favorite Broadway show of all time: Am I basic for saying Legally Blonde? As a New Yorker I take B’way for granted, of course, but at that time...there was something about the lead up to traveling to NYC to see THE SHOW you’ve been listening to over and over (and watching on MTV) and I saw it on my birthday in 2008 and that feeling of being there in THE PLACE to see THE SHOW...was magic.

TV show that you love: Fleabag and Succession.

Favorite music on your commute: Kacey Musgraves.

Any other obsessions?: Dogs and plants.

Social media is ________: toxic!!! But I will tweet until my final breath.

Religious, Spiritual, or nah?: Apologetic Christian.

Actor-ism that frustrates you: push-ups in the hallway are dOoOoUchEyyyy (but if it works for you, fine)

Biggest beef with the business: elitism.

Hardest part about being a Casting Director: Only one person can play the role.

Best part about being married to an actor: The very tangible experience of getting to show up and cheer on my spouse. 

I get inspired when _______: I see other artists in their zone. I love watching Directors work in an audition setting, the mental gymnastics directors do to craft a show - not my gift. Forever fascinated by them. Same with Actors, Music Directors, Stage Managers - y’all crush it at your thing.

Social media handles: @castingbyally for my unsolicited attempts at comedy, @ebcastingco for my biz. 

Anything you’d like to promote?: I’ve been developing a feature film (working title is THE DOULAS) and I’m saying that publicly on this blog so that I’m held accountable to finish it. So I guess I’m promoting my writing that nobody has read or produced. 

From Peter: Is Kate the master of forward-thinking? A master teacher? The master standard-setter? The master of social media? Maybe she’s the master of positivity? It’s likely all of those… and so much more.

If you follow Kate on social media, (and if you don’t, you should) you know the things she stands for. Kate is all of those things in real life: authentic, positive, inclusive, inspiring, creative, talented, and fun. If you’re lucky enough to audition for her, she brings all of those things into the room with her. It radiates the space in a way that is tangibly different. Whatever that mastery is that I can’t put my finger on… I wish everyone in our business had more of it.

So, without further ado, here’s a small sliver of the make-up and mind of the person that inspires us so much.

Would you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?:

Of course! Hi, I’m Kate Lumpkin! I am a New York based Creative, Casting Director, and Educator. I specialize in finding multi-hyphenate artists for new and challenging works. Collectively, as a casting professional, I have worked on over 40 TV/Film productions and 80 theatrical productions in New York City and across the USA including shows at The Kennedy Center, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, The A.R.T, and many others. In addition to teaching workshops in New York and at numerous Colleges and Universities, I am also a private coach to clients all around the world and am the Head of Education for The Broadway Collective. My mission is to curate artistic families for challenging new works that are being crafted by groundbreaking creatives AND to holistically educate the next generation of great young artists.

Where did you go to school? How did your time there impact your career?

I spent some time in the BFA Musical Theatre program at Ithaca College, studied the Meisner technique at The William Esper Studios in NY, and then studied Anthropology and Folklore at Indiana University. My higher educational journey has impacted every moment of my career. I think every institution helped me craft my world view and understand how I best move through life. Specifically, Ithaca taught me how to make tough decisions. Esper taught me how to listen. And Indiana taught me how societies are formed and remembered through the power of storytelling. Together, those three things led me straight towards a career in casting.

We know you started your career as an Equity actor before going back to school to study anthropology. Can you talk us through your thought process on how you knew acting wasn’t the career for you?

Here’s the thing, acting will never not be a part of my career. When I am in an audition session, I use every piece of my life as an actor to make the work I do happen. When I read plays and books, I hear the characters in my head and can see the action onstage. When I tell stories, they are rich and full of life. When I write breakdowns, I write them how I wish I had seen them written when I was an actor. My training and experiences as an actor influence everything I do in my current craft.

About ten years ago, I knew that my anxiety was causing me to suffer as an artist. It was crippling and I became overwhelmed at the idea of auditioning and telling stories in front of others. I knew I had to make a shift towards a healthier way of life and in that time realized that what I really wanted to do was to be, what I call, a "creative anthropologist." I wanted to craft the artistic families that were telling stories and through that curation, change the way others see the world. So that is what I am doing right now through casting. That might change tomorrow and I will never rule out any aspect of my creativity. I will go where my mind+heart tell me to go.

I’m seeing on your website you’ve had lots of other jobs. You’ve been a brand ambassador, a teacher in Tanzania, worked in development for National Geographic, and were the VP of Marketing and PR for a private consulting firm. Were you ever scared that if you took jobs outside of the business, you might not come back?

The reason I am where I am today is because nothing about my path was traditional. Honestly, I did a lot of those jobs out of fear. In my early 20s, I tried everything else I could outside of this industry to see if it would fulfill me. I was so scared to fail in the community I loved, that I needed to know if I could find satisfaction outside of it. So actually, I think it was the opposite. I was so scared that I would fail IN this community, that I decided it might be easier to succeed at something else and never look back on purpose. 

But that is not what was meant to be for me. And at the end of the day, every job I have ever had, centered around storytelling. It might have been brand or financially based, but it was always about finding the human connection through story. All of those jobs served me and taught me how to better craft a story and community. They taught me, then brought me back home.

{PS: Failure is a societal construct. It doesn't really exist. Don't let the idea of it do to you what it did to me!}

How did you know you wanted to be a Casting Director? What were the things you did in the first year to help you make that transition?

It’s so funny – I don’t think of myself as just one thing. I see this question and it makes my stomach turn. Sure my title on a contract or in a Playbill is “Casting Director.” But in my heart, I feel like an artist and an educator and listener and a change maker...all of which currently add up to a Casting Director position. So honestly, I don’t know when the exact day was. Truly there was no lightbulb moment. I think that a lot of things in my life led me in this direction and there were beautiful moments where opportunity, need, and passion all met at the right time and I said “Yes!”

I think the first year I started in casting was tricky, as I was learning the craft and working for other people. So the number one thing that I really told myself was that I needed to listen and learn every single day. I looked for the details that weren’t being spoken. I wrote down the advice that I will need forever. I learned what I like and what I don’t like in leadership. I started to create relationships that would help me in the future. Looking back, I think the best thing I did was be a futurist right at the start.

You made the brave leap to start Kate Lumpkin Casting in 2016. How did you know opening your own office was right for you?

A huge part of why I wanted to start my own business was because I didn’t want to spend the foundational part of my career learning someone else’s habits and then not being able to break them in myself later. I wanted to form my own and begin to create audition spaces that felt safe, progressive, and warm in my own signature way. I wanted to see casts that were reflective of my taste and hopes for the future. I wanted to work with artists I respected and I wanted to have control over where I put my creative energy. I knew it was right for me because I am a firm believer that change does not come by following the leader --- it comes from those who lead by example. I was ready to fight for my place at the table and just did it.

What’s the most important thing you’ve done in your career so far?

I am a woman in my early 30s, who lives in New York City, and I pay all of my bills by making art under a company with my name on the door. I’m damn proud of that achievement and it feels pretty important. I have also stood up for myself and the people I believe in, in very public ways. I’m very proud of that as well.

What’s something you wish you had done or wish you had known earlier?

I am not someone who claims to have no regrets. I have plenty of regrets --- and I have learned to let them fuel me. I wish I had done and been a great many things. I mostly wish I had not let people-pleasing take me off course.  

 Something I wish I had known earlier is that your passion should serve and not punish you. You are allowed to change your mind a thousand times. You are allowed to try something new AND turn right back around. I wish someone had told me that when there is a pit in your stomach you will never forget or outgrow it --- pits are seeds and seeds grow.

Are you at the top of your mountain?

I’m scared that I will never feel like I am at the top of my mountain – the earth seems to keep shifting around me. I am working very hard to begin enjoying the view at each overlook rather than chasing the peak.

RAPID FIRE!

Favorite Broadway show of all time: Ragtime

TV show that you love: Any and all British Period Dramas. Currently obsessed with Poldark.

 Favorite music on your commute: Blossom Dearie and Motown

 Any other obsessions?: Iced Coffee, the Modern Love column, color coding, and travel.

 Social media is ________: A very useful business tool. My digital dossier. And unfortunately, the easiest way for me to lose precious creative time.

Religious, spiritual, or nah?: Highly spiritual. Huge believer in karma and kindness.

 Actor-ism that frustrates you: “Musical Theatre Voice” in normal social situations and auditions. Why must we all speak like we just walked out of a 1940’s dinner party?

 Biggest beef with the business: People who have creative minds and progressive ideas, but who sacrifice them in order to cater to the least common denominator. We must collectively have more courage and faith in our audiences. They will rise to the occasion if the challenge is worth it.

 Favorite part about teaching: When you see that someone has really heard you, taken the thought, put it into their body, and then pushed through to something new. When they stop --- their face changes and you can see that they know they had a breakthrough. That is the best moment you could ever ask for.

 Hardest part about being a Casting Director: Three things keep me up at night:

- Not having final say and being publicly blamed for decisions that I did not actually get to make.

- The fear of not being able to find the answer to an equation that is constantly being rewritten.

- Being feared, disliked, or judged simply because of my job title.

 I get inspired when _______: People show up for themselves without questioning their worth. YOU DESERVE TO BE HERE. Don’t you ever forget it.

Social media handles: kate-lumpkin.com + @katelumpkin

Anything you’d like to promote?: Kindness, voting, empathy, equality, continuing education, and self-care. I think we should all be promoting those things. It’s the real work, right? Everything else you can find with a quick google.

From Kat: Peter and I are lucky to both know Paul. Peter knows him as a Casting Director who gave him a very fulfilling ‘first’, a world premiere play. But that isn’t the reason Paul was a top choice to begin interviewing CDs. Sure, Paul, James, and Erica run one of the best casting offices in NYC. And, yes, Calleri is one of the accounts I work with through HCKR, so I work with him on a weekly basis. Paul won my heart, however, a day in last July, the week I started my new job at HCKR. He took the time to get on the phone, introduce himself, claimed our mutual connection from casting Peter, and say that he was excited to work together. It was probably not a memorable phone call for him, but for this ‘new girl on the block’- it meant so much. I suddenly felt more ‘in the know’, better connected, and at peace in my new desk. You know, I felt pretty cool getting a call from a casting director I already admired. And that’s just the person you’ll find on this blog. Kind, honest, thoughtful, funny, and just plain cool. Enough from me, we’ll let him take it from here…

Paul! We’re honored to have you launch the Casting Director portion of our blog. Would you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?: 

I grew up in San Diego and fell in love with theater as a child. My family had front row season tickets to the Starlight Civic Light Opera, run by Don and Bonnie Ward, which did a season of outdoor musicals in Balboa Park every summer.  My father hates driving in traffic, so we’d kill a lot of time after the show, and got to see the crew and actors come out after, and I was transfixed by it all. As a teenager I worked as a dresser there and after college performed in a season of shows.  Oh, I almost forgot, the theater is in the flight pattern of the San Diego Airport so, no joke, a member of the crew would alert the conductor about oncoming planes, and, in turn, he would, stop the orchestra (20+ times a night) and the actors on stage with FREEZE mid-song / scene. Then they’d resume when the green light came back on.  Stop and go theater! (Which I thought was the most normal thing in the world – to see a Von Trapp child freeze mid side down the banister, or Eva Peron stand motionless for 10-15 seconds on her balcony only to resume telling Argentineans to not cry after the plane passed). I also took classes and did shows at San Diego Junior Theater (whose alumni include NY professionals Brian Stokes Mitchell, Casey Nicholaw, Clarke Throell, Mylinda Hull, Jessica Sheridan and Brad Bradley – to name a few).  Shameless plug for SDJT, which taught young people to infuse their passion with a strong work ethic, and the now-defunct, but hopefully reinventing itself Starlight – see savestarlight.org).

You went to UC Irvine...and James Calleri (of Calleri Casting was your first teacher). Can you talk about how that school and meeting James impacted your career? 

I had no idea that my friendship with James would impact my career (I did, however know that I wasn’t a very good actor!).  I just knew that I liked and admired him and we became pen pals (way before e-mail!) while he was an Agent at Gersh and I was dancing for Princess Cruises.  There’s a quote from Taylor Mac that circulated Facebook a couple of years back about hanging out with the people you like and then the business side of things taking care of itself out of having made organic connections.  In my case with Calleri, that’s really true.

You studied Musical Theatre and, we think it’s a fun fact, you started your career as a dancer on cruise ships and at dinner theatres. How did you know acting wasn’t what you wanted to pursue? 

So, I sorta always knew I wasn’t especially competitive as a performer despite the joy it brought me. Not to diminish the jobs I did land (including my first job dancing and lip synching in a show at Sea World called City Streets). But after moving to NYC and having AEA Eligibility (something that no longer exists) and going to anxiety inducing dance calls and seeing the top drawer talent here, I slipped into a long-term temp gig and settled into the joy of taking class but not auditioning.  

What led you to becoming a Casting Director? What were the things you did in the first year to help you make that transition? 

I only vaguely knew about casting as a profession.  In school at UC Irvine, Jeff Greenberg, who cast CHEERS and had been an Anteater (yes, UCI’s mascot is an Anteater.) came to talk to the students.  And by the time I moved to NYC after working on the cruise ship, Calleri had segued from agent-ing to casting. My therapist (a former Broadway dancer) told me about Career Transitions for Dancers, and I went in for career counseling with them, got my first non-performing resume together, and started applying to any and all jobs (many of which came in from the fax machine at Playwrights Horizons where Calleri was casting).  I very luckily landed my first assistant job with Betsy Bernstein and Howie Cherpakov who were casting Chicago and the revival of Annie Get Your Gun for The Weislers. And the transition was moving from an office gig at a merchant banking firm to running dance calls so getting into casting felt more like a homecoming/reunion of sorts. It’s a world I love with people I love.

What’s the biggest difference between casting for TV and casting for Theatre? Do you prefer one over the other? 

The pace of casting for TV is much faster.  Shoot dates can’t change, and wardrobe needs to do fittings, so there isn’t time for an extended process – too many moving parts in the fast moving world of production.  So, rarely are there call backs. Sometimes a chemistry read or work session, but most often, it’s super swift (and rarely do actors get feedback, adjustments or 2nd takes).

Depending on the play/role, the casting process for theater can extend over many months with extensive searches and deep exploration of the material.

Honestly, I love that I get to work on everything from a TV show to a movie to a play or a musical.  And I love that we can cross-pollinate actor lists from different arenas. That’s the joy of working in New York City.

Can you talk about the commitment staying at one office for many years? What’s the best part about working with the same people for your career? 

In the past I had commitment issues working for ‘the man’ whereas being in a small business partnership with James Calleri and Erica Jensen just feels right (and has for many years). They are the best collaborators and consultants for all things professional and personal.

What’s the most important thing you’ve done in your career so far? What’s something you wish you had done or wish you had known earlier? Are you at the top of your mountain? 

I followed James Calleri’s advice (“New York’s bark is worse than it’s bite”) and moved here. When I auditioned for (and barely got) a scholarship at Steps, the coordinator there said she admired my “stick-to-it-ness,” So, I showed up in NYC and I’ve stuck to it. 

I wish I had started “showing up” earlier in life. I tend to run anxious / default to negative prediction, and it’s been a process to chip away at those obstacles.  Long ago I read a book, “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” (the title pretty much says it all) and that helped.  And thankfully I’ve got a supportive community, life partner and gym (shameless plug for Mark Fisher Fitness).  I’m on the mountain trail and loving the hike!

RAPID FIRE!


Favorite Broadway show of all time: I’m a Libra, I can’t pick just one! I just can’t.  

TV show that you love:
 Just finished and loved PEN15 which is so lovely and funny.

Favorite music on your commute: I’m deaf in one ear and don’t do headphones, but I do like to eavesdrop with my good ear.

Any other obsessions?:
 Daily news podcasts (Up First, Start Here, The Daily), dogs, cats and wigs (our old office was next to Wigs and Plus, and let’s just say that the staff there knows me.  And baking. I like to bake.

Social media is ________: mostly great, but don’t forget to say ‘hi’ or introduced yourself to ‘friends’ when you see them in person!  

Religious or nah?:
 subtly spiritual

Actor-ism that frustrates you: There is no shame in not booking a job, sometime actors think that they did something wrong in the audition or call back when the truth is, we can only cast one person to cast. If you are getting out there you are doing it right, remember that.

Favorite part about teaching:
 It’s a mutual learning process for teacher and student.  I’ve taught for many years for The Tepper Semester and now am on year two at The New School and Brooklyn College.  I get to evolve my syllabus and hopefully become a better teacher in the process based on seeing how students learn.  

Hardest part about being a Casting Director:
 Only getting to cast one person in a part when you see so many great / exciting auditions.

I get inspired when _______:
 Good things happen to good people. 

Calleri Casting takes the BEST glamour shots; True or False: Perhaps not glamorous, but having office dogs certainly enhances our office photo shoots!

Anything you’d like to promote?: Dickinson on Apple TV, created by the sublimely talented Alena Smith.  (Lin-Manuel Miranda’s been tweeting about it and critics/audiences are loving it so I suppose I don’t really need to be doing any promoting, but I’m proud to work on the show, so give it a watch if you haven’t!)

Interview by Kat Hargrave

From Peter: Courtney is another one of the ones we’re lucky to know together. The first time I worked with Courtney (as a reader), she was a Casting Assistant at Eisenberg/Beans. She conducted the eight-hour session, prepped for the next day’s eight-hour session and then headed out the door to start her shift waiting tables.

It was, to me, a reminder that artists of all kinds are sacrificing to be a part of entertainment magic and was, honestly, the pristine embodiment of the artist hustle. It inspires me still.

Nowadays, Courtney has a full-time gig as the newest Casting Director at Wojcik|Seay. Her hustle isn’t the only thing we admire. She’s a great example following the winding road of the arts, having left a successful acting career a few years ago to explore the passion of ‘the puzzle’. She’s a great example of moving with confidence, with a unique understanding of how each job informs the next. And, most importantly, she’s a great example of kindness, humility, and fun. We’ve loved getting to know her over the past two years and think you’ll really enjoy her too. We’ll let her take it from here.

Courtney! We’re honored to have you contribute to our Casting Director portion of our blog. Would you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?: 

Of course and thanks for having me!  Aloha all! I’m originally from Los Angeles, CA, and come from a long family line of actors, musicians and talent agents.  I’m sure my parents would have loved if I had chosen to attend medical school, but they kind of set me up for failure there!  I grew up at Disneyworld.  For real. My mom worked as the talent buyer for “The Mouse” in Orlando, FL so most of my childhood was spent running around the most magical place on earth.  I attended Dr. Phillips High School’s Performing Arts High and then went on to earn my BFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts CAP21 Studio. After several years living and working as an AEA actress with various jobs in between, I made the official switch to casting in 2017.  I started at Eisenberg/Beans as an Apprentice and quickly moved to Assistant and then Associate. In October 2018 I was hired at Wojcik|Seay as the Associate and I just celebrated my one-year anniversary with a promotion to Casting Director!

You went to NYU, Tisch School of the Arts….Can you tell us how you ended up there and how it impacted your career?

I applied to several colleges around the country, but New York was always the dream.  My grandparents lived here so as a child I was really lucky to visit and see Broadway shows and explore the Big Apple.  In high school I was a theatre kid through and through, Company Manager of my theatre troupe, President of Drama and super involved with the programming and shows.  I was also a bit of a scholastic Hermione type (yep, I’m a Harry Potter nerd) and so I craved a university experience that was equally academic as it was artistic. NYU was my number one choice so when I got in, all bets were off.  NYU was an incredible college experience, even if I will be paying off those loans for the rest of my days. Being immersed in the city and surrounded by theatre, art, museums, restaurants…it makes you grow up pretty quickly. NYC is a tough town so navigating my way at such a young age definitely prepared me for a career here.  A lot of my teachers were working actors so I felt immediately connected to the community I would eventually work with. 

You were very successful in your acting career. You toured internationally, worked regionally and led shows aboard cruise ships…. How did you know acting wasn’t what you wanted to pursue anymore? 

I love the rehearsal process, loved being in shows and I love the craft of theatre.  There is nothing like being in a company of like-minded artists. But if I’m being honest, I just wasn’t obsessed with it the way I could see that others were.  Looking down the pipeline at the trajectory of what I wanted out of life, it started to give me very real anxiety. The constant struggle of “Am I skinny enough? Blonde enough? Funny enough? Did I belt high enough?” just started to wear me down.  The inevitable and constant asking for validation as opposed to using my brain to create and problem solve isn’t what I wanted in a career anymore. Maybe that’s what happens in your 30’s. I SO admire the drive and tenacity of the talented and brave women that continue to pursue this career path.  I just realized it wasn’t the life I wanted.  

What led you to becoming a Casting Director? What were the things you did in the first year to help you make that transition? 

I knew that I wanted to be more involved in solving the “puzzle” of creating theatre.  I wanted to make the magic in a different way. I didn’t know what avenue to take so I emailed a Casting Director that I knew, Daryl Eisenberg, and asked if I could come learn from her. Try something new.  Why not? She graciously offered me an apprenticeship at Eisenberg/Beans Casting (I won’t say internship because I was a full-grown adult at this point) and invited me to learn and grow while I was still waiting tables full-time to survive.  I will always be grateful to her for that. Ally Beans and Daryl trusted me with their new office and together we worked our asses off to build something great. It was a hard and fulfilling and exhausting and transitional and gratifying 6 months. I was learning and growing in ways I wouldn’t realize until much later.  I still had my agent, was still singing and acting here and there, went through a big breakup and had basically no social life. If I wasn’t at the office or in session, I was at the restaurant working to pay my bills. I told myself that as long as I wasn’t getting paid to work in casting, then I could still have my toes dipped in the “acting pool” with no conflict. In November of 2017, Daryl and Ally cornered me at Ripley Grier studios one day after a session and officially offered me the Casting Assistant position.  Business cards and all. In my mind, to accept the position would mean I worked in casting “for real” and would have to say goodbye to my actress life. What surprised me is that I didn’t even hesitate – I said yes and then immediately started crying tears of joy. It was the easiest decision; I had no qualms and knew it’s what I wanted. I called my agent the next day to tell him and then dove into the work. For the following year that we worked together we had incredibly varied, exciting projects come across our desks and in August of 2018, we made our Broadway debut.  It was thrilling.

Did you ever feel overwhelmed or think you weren’t going to be able to be successful after making the switch?

I really didn’t.  It felt right. It was an immediate fit.  I think the main thing is that I didn’t doubt myself.  I took one day a time and embraced whatever project or challenge came my way.  Am I saying that I’m confident 100% of the time and never worry? Of course not.  I have doubts and fears and questions every day. I still don’t know exactly where I will wind up in this industry, but do I know that as long as I keep saying “yes” to good work and good people, it’s all going to land where it should.  And that is a very freeing feeling.

When I first started out, I had this feeling of being ‘late to the party’. After acting for so many years, did you ever fight any of those feelings? Or did you feel like your journey into casting aligned nicely in your timeline? I for sure wondered if it was insane to make the switch.  To accept a glorified internship at 31 years old is NOT where I thought my path was headed, but as soon as a I started, those feelings went away.  I, generally speaking, try to be as receptive as possible in my life to new situations. I’m not someone that is afraid of change. When I started in casting I was like a sponge.  I wanted to learn everything I could. A few months in, I realized that I actually already possessed much of the skillset required for this line of work. Because of my acting career, I actually knew (or at least knew of) a lot of the people we were working with and I of course understood the world of auditioning well.  I felt the pressure actors felt and I also started to understand what creative teams were looking for. Waiting tables taught me to time manage, work under high pressure, juggle different personalities and to let things go at the end of the day. Working in Event Management gave me more administrative skills than I even knew I had!  So, though casting was “new” and I suppose I could feel late to the party, a lot of what the job actually entailed were all aspects I was very comfortable and confident in. In regard to my timeline, I think the only reason I am where I am now is because it all happened when it did.

What’s the most important thing you’ve done in your career so far?

Important?  Oh, wow this is a tough one.  I’ve worked on some really exciting projects and all of them have truly important to me.  Right now, I think the most IMPORTANT thing I get to do is teach. I’ve had some really lovely opportunities to work with both working professionals and younger students on their audition technique and it has been so incredibly fulfilling.  I love teaching. I love engaging with actors and helping them. I love the “aha” moment where they realize what’s been missing. I love sharing what I’ve learned thus far and know that my knowledge base is only going to expand. I think it’s important to empower the next generation of artists and remind them that their uniqueness is what is going to set them apart in this industry.

At the onset of your career, what was the definition of success you were aspiring to achieve? Now, where you are now, how do you describe your success?

Don’t we all dream of Broadway?  Of course, as a young musical theater actress that’s what I thought I wanted.  As I continued acting however, that began to shift. I had lots of wonderfully talented friends on Broadway and though they were (are) so grateful for their success, they still had bad days.  Complaints about their jobs. Frustrations with their career. The shine started to wear off for me and it became less important to “make it” as it was to sustain my lifestyle by working. Regionally, touring, cruise ships…it truly didn’t matter as long as I was happy doing what I was doing.  What’s funny is that when I decided to switch my career path, I wound up making my casting Broadway debut less than a year later. All I could think was, “good one universe”. Now I am casting for regional houses I used to dream of working in, tours I would have loved to be a part of, and I know that I am far happier on this side of the table. It brings me the most joy to support an actor I adore, push for them and then hopefully see wonderful things happen for them.  It’s a far better feeling than any applause I may have received for myself. So how do I describe my success? As long as what I’m doing brings me the most joy, I feel pretty damn successful.  

What’s something you wish you had done or wish you had known earlier? 

That there is no “one way”.  I think as a kid and young actress I wanted to do everything “correctly” and “perfectly”.  But the truth is, that doesn’t actually exist. There are no guarantees and there is no formula to follow.  Everyone’s journey is different and there is no straight line to where you are headed. Truly. It’s a pretty windy road actually…and isn’t that more fun to drive anyway?

Are you at the top of your mountain? No way. I just started climbing.  

RAPID FIRE!

Favorite Broadway show of all time: Currently, it’s Come From Away.  All time? Lippa’s Wild Party. Ok ok ok it’s technically Off-Broadway…but it’s my all-time fave.

TV show that you love: Friday Night Lights

On my commute, I’m listening to: Usually Marco Polos from my friends.

Any other obsessions?: Does wine count?

Social media is: Time consuming.

Religious, Spiritual, or nah?: Namaste.

Actor-ism that frustrates you: Apologizing.  STOP APOLOGIZING.  You are a talent and a gift and are unique and we are lucky to share an audition room with you.  Oh….and be nice to the monitor. And the accompanist. And me. Just be nice.

Biggest beef with the business: From my side of the table?  When actors aren’t prepared for their appointment after I’ve spent HOURS making sure they have exactly what they need.

Favorite part about working at Wojcik/Seay Casting?  The team.  They are dedicated, hard-working, intelligent and KIND.  Truly some of the kindest people I’ve ever worked with and it is refreshing.

Favorite part of being on the other side of the table? Being a part of the creative process and being a champion for actors I adore.

I get inspired when: I hear a new song, see a reading of a new play or experience an actor doing a rendition of a classic that makes it unique.  

Anything you’d like to promote?: Audition season is coming up. But y’all already know that.

Interview by: Peter Hargrave