Backstage Magazine Digital Edition 06.25.20

06.25.20

2020 Emmy Nomination Watch Milo Ventimiglia

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Kerry Washington Takes the Wheel

“You have to have the pedal meet the metal. You have to take action.”

talks ‘This Is Us’ and his 25 years onscreen ‘Pose’ breakout

Angelica Ross is making history

Plus:

Assessing COVID-19’s impact on the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards —and the industry at large

7+ Pages OF CASTING NOTICES

Contents

vol. 61, no. 13 | 06.25.20

Cover Story

The Pragmatic Dreamer From “Scandal” to “Little Fires Everywhere,” Kerry Washington has always acted with purpose page 16

The Green Room 6 Black Theatre United is born 10 This week’s roundup of who’s casting what starring whom

11 Matt Bomer on becoming a better actor

Advice 13 NOTE FROM THE CD

My very first self-tape

14 #IGOTCAST

Brooke Henzell

14 SECRET AGENT MAN The new normal

Features 4 BACKSTAGE 5 WITH...

Angelica Ross

12 MEET THE MAKER

Milo Ventimiglia, “This Is Us” actor and director

13 THE ESSENTIALISTS

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers

15 IN THE ROOM WITH Jon Comerford

21 AWARDS IN THE TIME OF CORONA Weighing in on the pandemic’s impact on a most extraordinary Emmy season

32 ASK AN EXPERT

Kelley Buttrick on whether you need a talent manager for voiceover work

Casting 22 New York Tristate 24 California 27 National/Regional

LIZ COLLINS/TRUNK ARCHIVE

All photos of Kerry Washington by Liz Collins/ Trunk Archive. Cover designed by Ian Robinson.

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Backstage 5 With...

Angelica Ross

By Allie Volpe

Angelica Ross’ path to acting has had many twists and turns. Growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, she performed in local theater groups, but later switched gears and enlisted in the Navy. Then, in 2014, she founded LGBTQIA+ co-working and -learning community TransTech while continuing to pursue acting. After getting cast on the Emmy-nominated web series “Her Story,” Ryan Murphy came knocking with breakout roles on FX’s “Pose” and “American Horror Story: 1984,” making Ross the first female transgender actor to sign on for two series regular roles.

What advice would you give your younger self? Let go. There were so many times I was worried. [Growing up,] I wrote music and traveled to state fairs performing my Christian gospel music and doing plays, but when I transitioned, I lost everything. I lost my voice; I no longer knew how to sing and translate that into my new body. I was too afraid to show myself. When I did acting class at Florida Atlantic University, I was terrified, because there were scenes where I’d have to kiss someone or scream or do things I thought would expose me. But I’ve learned the quicker I got about the business of accepting myself and knowing how unique my talent is, the quicker I would be in the position I am now, where the opportunities are endless.

the role. Everybody was there and I told them, “You girls can go home, because this role is mine.” I came there in the tightest top and had my hair vamped out really curly. I had my midriff out and really high stiletto heels, and I came selling sex, but in a way [like] I’m a stripper off work.

What is your worst audition horror story? When I auditioned for “Sesame Street Live!,” it was my first professional audition.

I go to the audition, and I am way out of my league. I get into the rows to dance and they’re teaching the choreography so fast. Everyone was so in it, like they’d been in a class for weeks.

It was mind-blowing to me. That’s when I first realized: You better learn quick what it takes to be in this business.

What performance should every actor see and why?

Angela Bassett in “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” I’m still angry that she has not received the proper awards. She’s playing a teenager all the way up to a woman in her 40s. She transformed her body. She gave a performance that was a master class. Hands down, nothing compares to it. It’s the most powerful performance ever.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done to get a role?

When I auditioned for “Claws,” all we knew was that they were trying to cast a trans girl and she was a stripper with Karrueche [Tran]. All the girls—and I mean all the girls: Isis King, Alexandra Grey, Trace Lysette—all the girls came out for

“A lot of people are still trying to play the game that Hollywood is dealing, and I’m trying to create a whole new game.”

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ILLUSTRATION: NATHAN ARIZONA/PHOTO: DFREE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

How did you first get your SAG-AFTRA card? I did a small web series called “Her Story” that was Emmy-nominated, and it was one of my favorite roles and one of the roles that opened me up as an actor. This was a web series, but it was SAG Low Budget, so the credit made me eligible to become SAG. When I got the call to do “Doubt” on CBS with Laverne Cox, they basically told me I couldn’t work until I paid my dues. I had to come up with another $1,500 or however much it was before I could start on Day 1. It’s one of those things that’s a hard process because you have to spend the money to make the money.

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HAVE YOU BEEN CAST IN A PROJECT THROUGH A BACKSTAGE CASTING NOTICE? Share your story with us and you might be featured in an upcoming issue! Just tweet @Backstage using the hashtag #IGotCast and we’ll be in touch to hear your success story! @BACKSTAGE

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Joshua Henry, Brandon Victor Dixon, Billy Porter, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Richard Riaz Yoder in “Shuffle Along”

Theater

Black Theatre United Is Born

In response to surges of Black Lives Matter protests, Black theater artists have formed a new coalition

By Casey Mink

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Brandon Victor Dixon, Norm Lewis, and Vanessa Williams, BTU has already begun to partner with existing theater and educational organizations.

One hope in particular is to implement programs, policies, and opportunities to support Black youth aspiring to careers in theater.

Additionally, the group plans to form an inquiry committee in order to create a space wherein past practices can be meaningfully discussed and assessed.

But BTU is working to dismantle racist practices outside of the industry, as well. That presently includes teaming up with Fair Count, the nonprofit

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and nonpartisan organization founded by politician Stacey Abrams, which works with “hard-to-count” communities in order to ensure a fair and accurate count of all people in the nation, especially pertaining to elections. (McDonald, along with fellow BTU founder Phylicia Rashad, took part in a Zoom event on June 17 to discuss what it means as Black women to be present for their community, while maintaining physical and mental health.)

Along with Fair Count, the group has partnered with Harness, the nonprofit started by actors America Ferrera, Wilmer Valderrama, and Ryan

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JULIETA CERVANTES

“THIS CALL TO ACTION IS just the beginning.”

That is the credo of Black Theatre United, a new coalition of Black theater professionals created in response to the most recent spate of police brutality targeting—and killing—Black people. As part of an invigorated push for racial equity across the industry, the group plans to use its members’ local connections as well as visibility in order to effect change on and off stages throughout the country.

Founded on June 16 by an alliance that includes Audra McDonald, LaChanze, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kenny Leon,

Piers Williams, as a way to engage artists across mediums in activism following the 2016 election. The two organizations together will launch a new campaign, #BeCounted; including Abrams, as well as Kerry Washington and other influential community leaders, artists, and activists, the goal is to encourage participation in the 2020 Census, ensuring that the subsequent $1.5 trillion federal funding reaches minority communities.

BTU centralizes four pillars in its mission to undo the systemic racism that has been foundational in theater, and especially on Broadway: awareness, accountability, advocacy, and action.

“As members of the Black theater community we stand together to help protect Black people, Black talent, and Black lives of all shapes and orientations in theater and communities across the country,” BTU’s mission statement reads. “Our voices are united to empower our community through activism in the pursuit of justice and equality for the betterment of all humanity.

We need every voice lifted and every heart opened, aligned with ours to fight against racist ideologies that have divided us by devaluing our lives. We will not be silent. We will be seen.

We will be heard. We are here.

Join Us.” BTU is classified as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. Along with performers, its members include writers, directors, technicians, designers, musicians, producers, and stage managers. Both members of the Black theater community as well as its allies are encouraged to get involved at BlackTheatreUnited.com.

ns o i t tula na a r g , m Con W alu GTON to G ASHIN this Y W d on R R er!

KE ature v o fe ’s c e u iss

THEATRE & DANCE

STUDY ACTING, DANCE AND PRODUCTION DESIGN WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN THEATRE OR DANCE 202.994.8072 • WASHINGTON, DC • ctad@gwu.edu

her back, largely in retaliation for another enslaved person who had previously escaped and never been found. The two must avoid discovery and decide who to trust on their journey to freedom. The series, cast by Francine Maisler and executive produced by Barry Jenkins, stars Chase W. Dillon, Thuso Mbedu, Aaron Pierre, Amber Gray, and Joel Edgerton.

Production is set to start in August in Savannah, Georgia.

Two More Series Prep for Production Sets look to open and reopen in the fall

By Rebecca Welch

STAY IN THE LOOP ON INDUStry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles!

While production restrictions are changing weekly, some Hollywood film and TV projects are moving forward with casting ahead of tentative shooting dates set for later this year once safe on-set protocols have been established.

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“The Underground Railroad” A series that has been in the works for quite some time finally has plans to go to set.

Amazon has quickly moved “The Underground Railroad,” inspired by Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name, into a series slot on its upcoming programming slate. An important part

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TELEVISION

Your Favorite Actors Are Going ‘Coastal’

By Casey Mink

For the latest news, check out backstage.com/resources to find thousands of production listings, casting directors, acting classes, agents, and more!

HBO HAS NABBED HALF A DOZEN A-listers for a satirical special, “Coastal Elites.” Starring Bette Midler, Issa Rae, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, and Sarah Paulson, the project centers on characters from New York and Los Angeles who are all uniquely dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and the current political moment. Produced entirely in quarantine, it comes courtesy of writer Paul Rudnick (“Addams Family Values”) and director Jay Roach (“Bombshell”). Set in the summer of 2020, it is on track for a September premiere.

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MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON

Get cast!

For more upcoming productions and casting news, visit backstage.com/news/casting

Please note that shoot dates are subject to state and county COVID-19 quarantine restrictions and may change. Refer to Call Sheet for the latest updates, and keep checking Backstage for the latest news on project development during this time.

of history takes focus in this period drama and alternate history, which tells the story of Cora, a young enslaved woman on a cotton plantation, who meets a newly arrived enslaved man named Caesar.

Their meeting leads her on a journey North to freedom via the Underground Railroad, which, in the book, is a series of safe houses on secret routes in addition to a rail system built to help enslaved people escape their conditions and the institution of slavery. Cora’s owner discovers she has escaped and launches a search to get

PETER KRAMER/USA NETWORK

What’s Casting

“At That Age” NBC is about to add more emotional fodder to its programming.

A Black American family deeply consumed by their multigenerational real estate business in Harlem finds themselves reeling from a catastrophic event. With the threat of long-held secrets coming to light, the seven family members must face a “foundational shift” that leads to brutal rivalries, personal dramas, and the struggle to maintain power against significant opposition.

The hourlong pilot has already lined up its leads, including Emayatzy Corinealdi and Christian Keyes, with the help of Zuckerbrod/Thomas Casting.

While production was set to start at the end of March, COVID-19 restrictions have pushed it to at least the fall, with official dates still pending. New York is set to host the project when it eventually goes into production later this year.

attorney. I could never come at him from a place of judgment because I figured once I did that, it was kind of over for me and it would lose all its appeal….

I tried to always come at it in terms of human behavior, his truth, what he was going through, and what his sense of convictions were in terms of his morals and philosophies.”

Matt Bomer and Parisa Fitz-Henley on “The Sinner”

Backstage Live

Taking it to Task

Matt Bomer on how “The Sinner” Season 3 made him a better actor

By Jalen Michael

The following Backstage Live was in part compiled by Backstage readers just like you! Follow us on Twitter (@Backstage) and Instagram (@backstagecast) to stay in the loop on upcoming interviews and to submit questions live on camera.

MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON

PETER KRAMER/USA NETWORK

TELEVISION

Michael Keaton Heads to Hulu

By Casey Mink

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THE HIT THIRD SEASON OF USA Network’s “The Sinner” wrapped earlier this year to high praise for its dark and intricate storytelling as well as its compelling performances from stars Bill Pullman and franchise newcomer Matt

THE ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE will return to the small screen for the streaming platform’s “Dopesick.” Given a straight-to-series order, the eight-episode project is based on the best-selling book by Beth Macy and is adapted by screenwriter Danny Strong and director Barry Levinson.

In addition to starring, Keaton is also attached to executive produce the series, which depicts America’s struggle with the opioid crisis. A premiere date is expected sometime in 2021.

Bomer. Playing the role of Jamie Burns, an upstanding-but-unraveling family man with a dark past, Bomer has never been better. He recently sat with us for an Instagram Live interview to discuss some of the shocking discoveries he made playing this character, as well as advice he has for actors at all stages in their career.

Even when playing a morally corrupt character, an actor should be their defense attorney.

“I would say the more challenging aspects [of playing Jamie] were keeping the character grounded in a sense of real humanity and truth, and keeping Jamie someone who could do anything at any given moment and making sure his unpredictability and his sense of danger was something that came from a really organic and true place and wasn’t just twirling a mustache or contrived in any way. As an actor, you’re always your character’s defense

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Dark characters can sometimes be hard to shake off.

“It did mess with my psyche in ways I didn’t even realize.

I’d been working on the role for about two months, or a month and a half, before I had a chance to go home. I was at the airport, and I started looking at the people around me and sort of judging and assessing people attached to their phones or disconnected from each other in a very similar way to Jamie, and it started to freak me out a little bit. So, you don’t really realize it when you’re in the thick of it how deep it can go…. I don’t know, I guess if you ask for your subconscious to be involved in the character, then good or bad [or] whether the character’s right or wrong, a part of you is a part of them. So it’s ultimately always going to be a little bit of you.”

At the end of the day, “The Sinner” made Bomer a better actor.

“Getting to work with great artists all around—[creator] Derek Simonds, who is so collaborative, and Chris Messina and Bill [Pullman] and Parisa [Fitz-Henley], too, are wonderful actors who never approach a scene in a contrived or linear way. There’s always going to be a sense of freedom and discovery in the moment when you’re working with actors like that, and that’s something that I would love, if possible, to carry with me on jobs to come.”

Want to hear more from Bomer? Watch our full Backstage Live interview at our Instagram page, @backstagecast.

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Meet the Maker

Milo Ventimiglia, “This Is Us” actor + director

Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore on “This Is Us”

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Finds His Soul” in 2009, and episodes of “Ultradome” and “Suite 7” in 2010 and 2011, respectively), “Storybook Love” marked the first time he had run the “This Is Us” ship. Speaking from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was set to begin shooting USA Network’s Evel Knievel series before the COVID-19 pandemic and industry shutdown, Ventimiglia says he relished the opportunity to work with actors he doesn’t typically share scenes with, due to Jack’s death on the series. It provided fresh insight for both director and actor.

“I rarely get a chance to work on set with Sterling, Justin, and Chrissy, never with Sully [Chris Sullivan], never with Susan [Kelechi Watson],” he says. “I just wanted to be there and observe and offer a point of view and perspective that

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maybe made things feel a little more fresh for them.”

But when speaking about any kind of leadership position he holds on the series, Ventimiglia quickly acknowledges that he always thinks as a producer: big picture. That’s thanks to his work with his production company, Divide Pictures, which he has co-owned with Russ Cundiff since 2003. He’s learned it’s part of the director’s job to give everyone else the space to effectively do theirs.

“For me, it’s serving the overall show, but serving each individual piece in a way that makes them their best,” he explains.

“It’s getting them whatever they need to be at their best.”

In doing so, the actor in him was ultra-sensitive to the various processes a creator must navigate on an ensemble series.

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RON BATZDORFF/NBC

FOR FOUR SEASONS, “THIS IS Us” star Milo Ventimiglia has played the patriarch of the Pearson family—his Jack the selfless anchor binding children Randall (Sterling K. Brown), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Kevin (Justin Hartley) together with wife and mother Rebecca (Mandy Moore), even after his wrenching death in ongoing flashbacks. While that’s due to the structure of the show, it’s also in no small part thanks to the magnetism the actor has brought to the screen for the last 25 years across film and TV. That energy served him well on Season 4 of the NBC drama, when he stepped in to direct Episode 5, “Storybook Love.”

While the three-time Emmy nominee has directed before (miniseries “It’s a Mall World” in 2007, TV movie “Dave Knoll

He recalls going to director and executive producer Ken Olin, who tapped Ventimiglia and co-star Hartley to direct episodes this season, for advice on how to give the actors what they need. “Again,” he says, “It all goes back to service.

“I think you have to have an understanding that we’re a group of artists and we all may have different points of view, but we all have to come together collectively for one shared point of view,” he continues. “We have to be willing to pour our hearts into something and then let it go, because it’s going to change and it’s going to shift. As an actor, you don’t know how it’s going to get edited, you don’t know how it’s going to get marketed, you don’t know how it’s going to get sold. So you have to be willing to expose that raw nerve of humanity and make it exist while the cameras are rolling and then just let it go.”

If you’re an actor looking to make the leap to creator, the best advice Ventimiglia can give is to focus on the work, not the result, and to home in on that collaborative spirit across all departments.

“The strength of being in this business for 25 years is [that] I care about the work,” he says. “I think many people lose sight of that and they get too far ahead of it, or they’ll dream about it and, when they get there, they don’t even know how to do it.

It’s not a world-ending job that we’re in. It’s inspirational and aspirational and it really can change someone’s point of view if you focus on that discipline of work.”

ILLUSTRATION: MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON; “WATCHMEN”: BORIS MARTIN/HBO

By Benjamin Lindsay

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Note From the CD

THE ESSENTIALISTS

My Very First Self-Tape

composers

TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS

By Marci Liroff

RON BATZDORFF/NBC

ILLUSTRATION: MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON; “WATCHMEN”: BORIS MARTIN/HBO

THE NEED FOR SELF-TAPED auditions has never been greater than now, during the global pandemic. Of course, they were around long before the coronavirus hit; casting directors were requesting them more and more as a way of quickly screening actors while simultaneously having in-person auditions for callbacks and beyond. Now, in-person auditions are at a standstill due to health concerns, and the need for actors to be able to create professional-grade audition tapes is even more crucial.

I had one experience with all this that I want to share with you. I had a brief glimpse of what it’s like to be in your shoes when you make a self-taped audition.

A journalist for a New York publication wanted to interview me about a new job that I’ve started.

Last year, I trained to become a certified intimacy coordinator for film and television. This job

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is somewhat new and became well-known when it was employed to manage the various intimate scenes on HBO’s “The Deuce.” The show is set in the world of sex work, and its actors regularly had to perform with nudity and simulated sex. Many of them felt vulnerable in these hypersexualized scenes and, inspired especially by the efforts of actor Emily Meade, they requested HBO provide some protection and guidance from an outside professional. But—more on that later.

Back to my interview: Because of COVID-19, the journalist couldn’t interview me in person, so I had to do a self-interview on-camera! She gave me a few questions and I answered them as a means of telling my story.

I didn’t have anyone to run the camera, so I had to do it all myself. I can’t tell you how many times I had to do it over because of the mechanical handicap of

Nine Inch Nails’ TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS have been dabbling in on-camera scoring for years. But their involvement in HBO’s “Watchmen” came about for one reason—more specifically, one person: Damon Lindelof.

the end is that you feel a certain way, that I have emotionally made you feel something, and it’s usually the lyric that’s delivering that message. If I swap out the lyric with the script, it becomes a much easier path for my brain to comprehend.

A song, like a script, tells a story.

TRENT REZNOR: If you’re presented with a scene where someone walks down a hall and goes up a staircase, how do you write for that? I can write a chorus, I can write a verse, but how do you do that? How do you write a 14-second segue?… My intent at

In “Watchmen,” listen for hints of NIN. ATTICUS ROSS: It was when we saw the pilot that we really understood what Damon was going for: Music is going to be a substantial character, it’s going to be a driving force in the show, and it’s going to allow us to dip into the toolbox that we

doing it solo. Also, I got stuck in that rabbit hole of trying for perfection. Do I sound smart?

Am I giving her what she wants?

Am I describing this new position clearly? Do I need a plain background or is it OK to have my artwork up on the wall?

Then I became obsessed with how I looked. Should I wear the neck scarf? Is it a bad hair day?

Nothing I did seemed to be right.

I’ve spent years giving advice on how to do this, yet here I was, completely flummoxed.

So, I went outside and took a deep breath and calmed down. I realized I wasn’t curing cancer and, although this was important, it wasn’t the be all and end all of my life’s work. Perspective is everything. Oh, yeah, that’s exactly what I’ve been preaching to actors for years! It’s the one thing you actually have control of. Once I got my head on straight, I came back inside

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By Casey Mink

hadn’t really previously explored in score before, which is some of the instrumentation and attitude of our Nine Inch Nails stuff. Obviously, we’re dealing with an immense story and subject matter, and there’s certainly a lot of emotion involved.

But there’s also a fun quality to it.

and did another take. Simple, straightforward, and to the point. Just the facts, Jack! I knew exactly what to say. I’ve been explaining this job a lot for the last year; in fact, when I work on a production, dozens of people want to talk to me about my function.

At the end of the day, the lesson here is to stop striving for perfection. There is no “perfect.”

Learn the material inside and out, sort out the backstory of your character, find your objective, make some strong choices, then get out of your own way. Trust your instincts and training. Find what makes you special and show it to us. And remember: You are enough!

Want more?

Read the full interview at backstage.com/magazine

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The New Normal

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the clients I represent who are in their 20s are not the ones fighting the future. They’re embracing it. I’m talking about the adults on my list who are constantly complaining about having to self-tape their auditions. They want to go in the room for every single audition, just like the old days. Well, the old days are getting older by the minute.

Self-taping, even for minor roles, has become more prevalent over the last few years. It’s an efficient process that saves everyone time, and the COVID-19 pandemic has kicked it up to a whole new level. Self-taping your audition is the ultimate form of social distancing between actor and casting director.

Busier casting offices that work on multiple shows are now having actors self-tape for the smaller co-star roles, and

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Brooke Henzell

By Franchesca Viaud A consistent Backstage user, BROOKE HENZELL knows how to see the potential behind every casting notice. And when an opportunity comes her way, she knows what’s possible when you show a little initiative.

There’s luck, there’s talent, and there’s both. “[For a recent project,] I was cast in a music video. I’d never done one before and it seemed like a fun way to step up as a leading actress after graduation. I have my settings set so that I get an email every time a job is posted to Backstage that’s a fit for me. I saw it, applied, and was hired the next day.”

Strive for growth.

“The best opportunities are those that feel like a step up from whatever I did beforehand, whether that means a type of project I’ve never done before or a character a little further outside my comfort zone.”

Backstage has a proven track record.

“I find that Backstage postings translate into real opportunities, and there are always some real hidden gems to apply for.”

TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS story in print, tweet @Backstage using thehashtag #IGotCast, or email us at igotcast@ backstage.com.

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ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; HENZELL: JESSICA OSBER

“IT IS NOT THE STRONGEST of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

That’s a quote by Charles Darwin, the British naturalist best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.

Darwin was a smart guy, and his writings can be applied to many parts of modern society.

That goes double for the entertainment industry.

Actors don’t like change. They study with the same teacher for too many years because they feel safe in that person’s class.

They stay with an agency that never gets them out because having an agent is better than not having one. In both cases, they fail to see that these are self-destructive acts.

The newest change a lot of actors are upset about is the rise of self-taping. To be clear,

#IGOTCAST.

RAQUEL APARICIO

Secret Agent Man

those actors are getting straight offers. That makes a lot of sense. And since the auditions aren’t in person, casting doesn’t have to limit the number of people they see. Now they can have 20 actors self-tape instead of seeing 10. We’re talking about more opportunity, and that’s the kind of change I like!

As human beings, our core wants are approval, control, and security. Take a closer look at the second one. Control is important, and that’s exactly what self-taping gives you.

Instead of entering into an allor-nothing situation where a casting director allows you one chance to read the sides, you can tape the scene 100 times in the comfort of your own home until you get it right. That’s a gift, not a hindrance.

And it’s not like in-person auditions have become extinct.

There’s a good chance the selftape you made on Monday will get you a shot to see the director on Tuesday. For larger roles, people are still going to want to meet you before they make an offer.

Actors in countries like England and Australia have been self-taping on American pilots for years. That’s how they get seen. Sometimes, the Los Angeles casting director will bring on a local person in those countries to tape everyone, but most of the actors end up doing it themselves. And let me give you a warning, my fellow Americans: They’re good at it.

Real good.

So, stop complaining about how the world is changing. It’s just evolution. The only difference between auditioning in person and self-taping is that you have more control over the process. So embrace that, because control is a rare thing in this business, and having it will give you a better chance to shine.

culture +

Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

In the Room With

Jon Comerford

The Canadian CD populated “Schitt’s Creek” with an ensemble fans have come to love worldwide

By Elyse Roth

comedic talent? What’s key to remember is although an actor may have less experience on their résumé, I audition and therefore work through scenes with them. It may look to audiences like we took a risk on an unknown or lesser-known performer when I’ve actually seen them prove themselves time and time again while auditioning for various projects over the years. I’m well aware of how talented and funny they are. It’s just a matter of the timing and role being right so that other people can finally see it, too.

What can an actor expect from auditioning for you? I like to really work on a scene, so if I have you do multiple takes and give you notes in between each one, don’t mistake that as having done something wrong.

We’re just circling in on the bull’s-eye, and that takes time.

How long is often dictated by the weight of the scene. It’s best not to gauge how well any given audition went based on how many takes we had you do.

RAQUEL APARICIO

ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; HENZELL: JESSICA OSBER

WHEN A LITTLE SHOW CALLED “SCHITT’S CREEK” STARTED AIRing on CBC in Canada, nobody involved could’ve guessed that the show would become an international hit. Six seasons, a pickup from Pop in the U.S., and a fistful of Emmy nominations later, fans all over the world said goodbye to the Rose family and their small, unfortunately named town. Those beloved characters were cast by Jon Comerford and Lisa Parasyn. Filling out an ensemble around creators Eugene and Dan Levy and comedy legend Catherine O’Hara wasn’t easy, but they assembled a cast of mostly fresh faces to invite viewers into this quirky new locale.

Talk about assembling the cast of Schitt’s Creek. We really went out of our way to make sure it wasn’t just a revolving door of faces you might expect to pop up on a show like this. The Rose family is suddenly dropped into a totally new world and initially don’t

backstage.com

recognize or relate to anyone around them, so neither should the audience. We really wanted them to stand out, because their characters do just that in the town. So, yes, you’ve got someone like the great Chris Elliott, whom everyone knows, but we really tried to populate

“Schitt’s Creek” with fresh, new faces from there. The most fun we had was casting Alexis Rose, when we had the final callback and screen test in Toronto with Eugene, Dan, and the whole team from CBC. Annie Murphy’s final screen test was so dead-on and had everyone in the room, including Dan, who was reading with her, on the floor laughing. The connection between them was magical and electrifying. It really was a match made in heaven.

How did you make sure some of the actors with less experience could hold their own opposite well-known

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You say you looked for fresh faces. Where do you look for new talent? I see a lot of theater. I began acting on the stage myself, so it’s my go-to when looking for new performers. For example, Patrick on “Schitt’s Creek” was a hard role to cast because it’s such an important addition to the main ensemble. I had just seen a great production of David French’s “Jitters” with Noah Reid in it. I was already very familiar with him, but that was just the right reminder at just the right time of what a strong comedic performer he is.

Want more?

Read the full interview at backstage.com/magazine

06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

The Pragmatic Dreamer From “Scandal” to “Little Fires Everywhere,” Kerry Washington has always acted with purpose

IT TURNS OUT THAT KERRY WASHINGTON IS a good deal less capricious than any of the women she’s become famous for playing. But that’s exactly how she ended up playing them.

“I put a lot of thought into figuring out how to do this in a way that was sane,” Washington says of a life spent performing. “It was that combination of dreaming that anything is possible and then creating these structures wherein I could pursue those dreams with some sanity.”

Though it hardly makes for the sensational first scene of a pilot or play, Washington has maneuvered the business reason-first, both feet tethered firmly to reality, since Day 1.

She has always, however, allowed herself to dream. The dichotomy explains why an acting career occurred to her at all, and why she was nearing adulthood when it did. Call it pragmatic dreaming, which, in practice, is exactly how Washington describes it herself.

“You have to pray to catch the bus—but then run as fast as you can [when it arrives],” she says. “If you don’t run, that could have BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

been your bus. But you can’t just sit around and daydream and expect things to unfold.

You have to also have the pedal meet the metal. You have to take action. For me, there was always this idea of ‘Stay in faith, dream big, take action.’ Then, if I don’t get the bus, it wasn’t meant to be my bus.”

Washington always loved to tell stories, but growing up, the idea of acting professionally only existed on a far-off plane. “To me, actors were famous people, people on the covers of magazines,” she explains. “I didn’t see myself as that kind of person, ironically.” Ironically because, well, Washington is now quite famous and she is also, presently, speaking (via Zoom) for the purpose of being on this very magazine cover.

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But even now, with four Emmy nominations to her name, her own production company, and, yes, having graced more than a few glossy magazine covers, Washington is clear that this type of exposure and adulation was never the pursuit. Actually, the big “aha moment” that made her say yes to a career in the arts— which many actors cite as a dazzling film performance seen as a child or an Oscars acceptance speech watched in the family living room—was a bit more functional.

“I was taking a class called Acting as a Business,” she recalls. “It was part of a conservatory program that I did at Michael Howard Studios [in New York]. In that course, our teacher started talking about unions. I hadn’t really conceptualized the idea that there were unions for actors. That, to me, meant there were lots of working actors who were making a living. I realized, ‘Oh, I could aim to do that.’ ” And there’s the rub: While so many aspirants are focused on the gleaming car, backstage.com

LIZ COLLINS / TRUNK ARCHIVE

By Casey Mink

LIZ COLLINS / TRUNK ARCHIVE

backstage.com

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06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

WASHINGTON: LIZ COLLINS / TRUNK ARCHIVE; “LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”: ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

“My job as an actor is to embody human reality and human beings in their journey through time.”

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backstage.com

WASHINGTON: LIZ COLLINS / TRUNK ARCHIVE; “LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”: ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

Washington has always been as concerned with the machinery beneath the hood. It explains why, even at George Washington University, where she matriculated, she didn’t major in acting, opting instead for anthropology and sociology. Her decisionmaking process, naturally, was multitiered and multipurpose.

“I didn’t study acting in college for two reasons,” she says. The first reason was for the realist in her: “I knew there were things like substitute teaching for New York City public schools that are harder to do with an arts degree. I didn’t know when I went into college that I wanted to be an actor, so I thought I might go to graduate school for anthropology, or that I might go to law school, or that I might get a master’s in education. I wanted to have options with my degree.”

The second reason, though, was for the dreamer who held out hope that the acting thing might pan out, even when the more rational parts of her id thought otherwise. “I also had a feeling that studying liberal arts, in particular social science, could maybe make me a better artist, right?” she says.

“If my job as an actor is to embody human reality and human beings in their journey through time, maybe knowing more about history and psychology and sociology could actually help me understand my role as an artist in embodying people.”

Though she didn’t intend to be an actor while there, she performed in many plays at college, and when it came time to graduate,

Washington’s conflicting natures struck a deal: She’d give it a year, and if in that time she could land some work and make some inroads, she’d keep at it. But if the year yielded little sign she was on the right path, she’d circle back to law school or something similar. As always, there was a plan beneath the plan (and, likely, another plan beneath that one, too).

“Saying, ‘I’m going to give myself a year to see if anything happens and if it doesn’t, I’ll go in a different direction,’ that was also part of how I motivated myself,” she says. “I knew a lot of people who were dreaming big but weren’t taking action. I think giving myself a year made me feel like I’d better be taking action in that year, because if this is all the time I have, I don’t want to waste it being in fear.”

Consciously choosing not to succumb to fear is another way in which Washington subverted the common pitfalls of earlycareer actors. While she admits to not having done so perfectly, she tried from the start to abide by the expression “Wearing life like a loose T-shirt,” which means exactly what it evokes: relaxing, not taking oneself too seriously. It mostly stuck, and was especially seminal in how she learned to audition.

“It meant that I could show up for auditions [thinking] it was just an opportunity to get to do what I love to do, which is act, for 15 minutes. Maybe you wanted me in your play or maybe you didn’t,” she says. “I could walk into a room without this feeling that I could do something to

control whether I was going to get the role.

It allowed me more healthy detachment and flexibility around auditioning, in a way. I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve had to work hard to cultivate that level of: walk in the room to be of service, walk in the room to have fun, walk in the room to participate in a joyful, artful act, as opposed to walk in the room to try to get people to like me.”

That thinking also helped Washington approach her work without a “please pick me” desperation, which can lead actors at any stage of their career to take on projects they don’t believe in or, worse, actively resent. After all, fear does not dissipate when success has been attained, it just mutates.

Washington planned for that, too.

After graduating but before pounding the pavement, she spent several months in India.

“Part of why I did that was because I really wanted to go somewhere and study where theater and movement arts were grounded in a rich spiritual tradition, because I knew I would get back to the States and would be desperate to book a fast-food commercial to pay my rent,” she says. “I knew that was going to be the dynamic. I wanted to give myself some time really discovering and allowing myself to experience the sacred nature of theater in ancient traditions so that I could hold a little bit of that with me as I was in these huge cattle calls for some insurance company commercial.

“As a woman, and particularly as a woman of color, there would come along roles that I felt were demeaning or culturally insensitive

With Reese Witherspoon on “Little Fires Everywhere”

backstage.com

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06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

And it’s certainly true of her latest project, “Little Fires Everywhere.” The Hulu miniseries, adapted from the novel by Celeste Ng, stars Washington as a single mother in the 1990s who moves to an Ohio suburb with her daughter and becomes enmeshed with an affluent family. As on “Confirmation,” Washington is a producer of the eightepisode series, on which she was equipped to act now and not a minute sooner. “I think characters come into my life when they have something to teach me,” she says. “Each character is a gift in that way, because they allow me to explore my own belief systems or values or mood or ideas. They meet me where I need to grow.”

“Walk in the room to be of service, walk in the room to have fun, walk in the room to participate in a joyful, artful act, as opposed to walk in the room to try to get people to like [you].”

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

With writer Celeste Ng and Reese Witherspoon on “Little Fires Everywhere”

2019 Broadway-turned-Netflix production “American Son,” both of which, through their exploration of sexual harassment and police brutality, have unfortunately become even more prescient today.

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WASHINGTON: LIZ COLLINS /TRUNK ARCHIVE; “LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”: ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

or perpetuating a stereotype,” she continues.

“It was important to me to say, ‘No, I’ll teach more yoga, I’ll do more shifts at the restaurant,’ whatever the hustle was, because I don’t want to be part of telling stories that I don’t think are good for people.”

She acknowledges, of course, that when it comes to selecting projects, “Sometimes you make the choice, sometimes the choice gets made for you.” But Washington has always tried to apply that thinking—having a net positive outcome from her work—when weighing a role. It was true for early standout parts like those in “Save the Last Dance” and then “Ray,” true for the seven seasons she spent as a crisis manager on Shonda Rhimes’ genre-defining “Scandal,” and true for the 2016 HBO feature “Confirmation” and the

Though she has more growing yet to do herself, part of the joy of doing “Little Fires” was the many scenes she shared with its young stars, particularly her onscreen daughter, played by Lexi Underwood. That, in itself, has been the lesson that keeps on teaching the actor.

“I learned really early on in my career that having this other human being to focus on wholeheartedly in the scene makes me better, because acting is doing,” she says. “If you’re just in a whirlwind of self-consciousness, that rarely lends itself to solid craft. I’ve found that if I come to the scene with the goal of making sure that the actor across from me is in truth, then I’ll also be reaching for truth, because I’ll want to do whatever it takes to get them to have the most organic, authentic reactions.

[It’s] that willingness to be more focused on your scene partner.”

That very same thinking—giving to receive—has been the driver of her work as a producer, which she has plans to do more of.

“I love providing opportunities for artists and artisans to do what we love to do. I guess in some ways, it’s the importance of believing that there’s enough for everybody and not buying into this idea of one small pie,” she says. “I think producing is my way of helping to make the pie bigger, for myself and for other people, by not just focusing on where can I get a piece, but instead focusing on how do I make more for all of us to enjoy?”

Awards in the Time of Corona

Weighing in on the pandemic’s impact on a most extraordinary Emmy season

ILLUSTRATION: IAN ROBINSON/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

By Jack Smart DEAR BACKSTAGE READER, During a recent video conference with my co-workers—somehow it’s only been a couple of months of video conferences, rather than years; what is time anymore?—it occurred to me that its “Brady Bunch”–like format, those squares of faces filling the computer screen, looked familiar. Just before the winner of an award is announced at a glamorous ceremony, each individual nominee appears on camera, televised in a split screen. Amid this coronavirus crisis, that breathless moment of anticipation featuring five or so glowing, expectant faces feels, to me, reminiscent of a damn Zoom meeting!

The funny (or, given our

backstage.com

circumstances, not-so-funny) thing is that this may well be how this year’s Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, are presented. For the foreseeable future, awards acceptance speeches could be delivered from winners’ homes via webcam, if at all. (Actors should take a look at Catherine O’Hara’s time speaking at the virtual podium during last month’s Canadian Screen Awards for a how-to from a remote speech master.)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s restriction of in-person gatherings to help combat the spread of COVID19 has caused arts industries, and their sacred award-giving ceremonies, to grind to a halt:

premieres and festivals canceled, film and television production suspended, the Oscars pushed to April 2021, Broadway and local theaters gone dark. It’s an unprecedented cultural and economic phenomenon with stillunforeseen ripple effects for the world of entertainment, and, as of yet, there’s no end in sight.

But while I, as your trusty Backstage awards editor, join the chorus of voices lamenting the indefinite postponement of most theater accolades, including the Tonys, grapple with the reality of a delayed film awards season, and sort out the confusion of an Emmy nominating period without a single FYC event, I also believe there are reasons to hope.

Somehow, in some way, the show must go on.

The delay of TV production may affect fall premieres, and the suspension of in-person events means an unusual summer for the Television Academy, but the

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72nd annual Emmy Awards race is largely unaffected. If anything, the 2021 season could be hit harder by the coronavirus crisis than the 2020 season, which as of now is on track to culminate in the Creative Arts Emmys Sept.

12–13, and the Primetime Emmys Sept. 20. Talent in the running for TV’s highest honors are still, thanks to the magic of modern technology, able to work with their publicists and members of the press to promote projects.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and as we all navigate a Phase 1 nominating window reduced from two weeks to 10 days, and the nominations announcement pushed to July 28, creative solutions to Emmy advertising and campaigning are underway. (Our “In the Envelope” podcast, for one, is recording 100% remotely!)

Meanwhile, opportunities for working artists have not disappeared entirely.

Commercials still need shooting, voiceover work still needs recording, and the technology has been in place since before COVID-19 to audition via web conference and submit selftapes seamlessly. Now is as good a time as any to get inspired, to rise to the occasion, and to create award-worthy stories and performances. These are scary times, made all the scarier by their distinct uncertainty. But I believe in the resilience of film, TV, and theater creators and the work that will emerge. We’re not in the midst of a stalled awards season—we’re in the midst of an awards season that will go down in history as extraordinary.

Whatever the future holds, I have no doubt that months of fear, hardship, and isolation will end with a renewed appreciation for entertainment and the act of coming together as a community to tell and hear stories. I look forward to the awards shows of the future, when we all truly honor the industry’s best and take nothing and no one for granted.

Sincerely,

Jack

06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

Plays Musicals Film TV & Video Commercial Modeling Variety Voiceover Gigs Events

Submit a Notice |

New York Tristate

SUBMIT YOUR CALLS FOR CAST AND CREW: Visit backstage.com/findtalent and click on “Post a Notice.”

Include all relevant project requirements, including any pay, fees, dues, costs, required ticket sales or nudity. purpose in life after she is suddenly forced to take care of her father who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Casting picks of the week

• Company: Grownny Boy Films. Staff:

Shawn Chaney, writer-prod.

• Rehearses via Zoom on July 17; shoots

July 24-27 in Brooklyn, NY.

‘Far Travelers’

• Casting two roles in “Far Travelers,” a

viking opera-musical feature film.

Production states: “‘Games of Thrones’ + ‘Phantom of the Opera’ = ‘Far Travelers.’”

• Company: Set Theory LLC. Staff: J.

Leiser, dir.-prod.

• Rehearses Jan. 12-13, 2021 in

Manhattan; shoots Jan. 14-16, 2021 in Brooklyn, NY. One required 5-hour rehearsal day (Jan. 12-13) for an additional $150 compensation.

• Seeking—First Nations Tribe/Family

member - Male: male, 18-30, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous/First Nations Tribe/ Family Member. This role portrays a 10-century Dorset tribe/family member.

Non-singing, non-dialogue role.

Indigenous/First Nations tribal affiliation a plus. The elder tribesman is a member of the Indigenous/First Nations community and we’re seeking support for him in these few key scenes. First Nations Tribe/Family member Female: female, 18-30, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous/First Nations Tribe/ Family Member. This role portrays a 10-century Dorset tribe/family member.

Non-singing role. Minimal dialogue role.

Indigenous/First Nations tribal affiliation a plus. The elder tribesman is a member of the Indigenous/First Nations community and we’re seeking support for him in these few key scenes.

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Read the description to see if you fit

this role. Note: Do not apply if you do not fit this description. We have also and will also continue to seek tribal blessing. Serious inquiries only.

• Pays $300/6 hr. day.

Short Films ‘Candy’

• Casting “Candy,” a short film. Synopsis:

A young woman struggles to find her

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

ity, and dedication to this project. Do not submit a cover letter with just your info or with just “available”.

• Footage for talent reels, travel fees,

lunch, and crafty will be provided.

BY LISA HAMIL

• Seeking—Candice: female, 25-35,

Feature Films

• In your cover letter, state your availabil-

Black / African Descent, Candice Burrows “Candy”; 5’ 8” athletic physique, very attractive. Candice works as an independent events promoter but currently at at crossroads in her life.

Gina Santana: female, 25-35, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, early 30’s Cuban/African American woman. She’s stunningly beautiful and has the personality to go with it. Everyone loves Gina. She’s a third grade school teacher and big sister to all her friends. Tasha Green: female, 25-30, Black / African Descent, the youngest of the crew. Very attractive, spontaneous and outgoing.

Crystal Holiday: 25-35, Black / African Descent; married and a mother of a two year old. The most rational and responsible out of all the woman. Darius Mills: male, 25-35, Black / African Descent; handsome but arrogant. Candice’s boyfriend who’s inconsiderate and only thinks about himself. Caroline Walters: female, 45-50, facilities manager who calls Candice about her fathers bill.

Nurse Gentry: female, 40-50, Black / African Descent; she works for the facility Mr. Burrows lives in and takes care of him daily. Alvin Burrows: male, 60-70, Black / African Descent, lives in a nursing home and suffers from the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s Disease but has no clue. He’s forced to spend a weekend with his daughter who has not been apart of his life over the last year.

stage

4th Wall Theatre Company Submit a self tape for these Houston, TX Equity productions

tv

‘Leverage 2.0’ Join Dean Devlin’s new comedydrama, one hour series In New Orleans, LA

film

‘Far Travelers’ Delight in this viking-opera musical feature film shooting in Brooklyn NYC

tv

‘North Ridge’ Revisit high school for this television pilot in Norman and Broken Arrow, OK

film

‘Lockdown’ Find the comedy in quarantining in this Los Angeles based film

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to gbfilms72@yahoo.

dirty past who is trying to live better in the present (grew up as a young arrogant person and mature to be a family man); Michael deep down has complicated thoughts and fights within himself with his past; one particle event is having a mistress who he kept hidden from his wife; sadly, she died while trying to give birth to their child. Mary: female, 25-35, all ethnicities, is the wife of Michael; she is a very easy-going, relaxed housewife who is happy to be a mother; unfortunately, she is unaware of her husband’s tricks and secrets; just an innocent bystander.

com.

• Script will be sent for a self-tape

audition.

• Pays $125/day, meals included. SAG-

AFTRA micro film rates.

‘The Pontianak’

• Casting “The Pontianak,” a short film.

Synopsis: The death of a mistress and her unborn baby comes back to life for revenge on the man who left her to die.

• Company: MAD Gothic Productions.

Staff: Romeo Ortiz, prod.-dir.-writer.

• Shoots August in New York. (Dates may

be subject to change.).

• Seeking—Michael: male, 30-50, all

• Seeking submissions from NY and NJ. • Apply on Backstage.com.

ethnicities, is a man of secrets and a

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Scripted TV & Video Nano Hearing Aid Infomercial • Seeking talent for a Nano Hearing Aid

infomercial.

• Company: Nomadic Endeavors LLC.

Staff: David Conaway, owner-CD.

• Shoots June (TBD date) in the New

London, CT.

• Seeking—Grandfather: male, 65-79,

White / European Descent, will require displaying a range of emotions. Wife: female, 61-78, White / European Descent, female to play wife, may not have a speaking role, but still needs to act. Mother: 30-45, White / European Descent, mother and 5-year-old child about 5-years-old. Production wants a mother/child combo. The mother has no speaking roles. The child may have to say “Papa” or “Granddad” but nothing hard. 5 Year Old Child: 5-8, White / European Descent, Mother and 5 year old child about 5 years old. We really do want a mother/child combo. The mother has no speaking roles. The child may have to say “poppa” or “Granddad” but nothing hard.

• Seeking submissions from CT. • Send submissions to netalentcasting@

gmail.com.

• Submit pictures, resumes, contact info,

and online video links. No in-person auditions or rehearsals, but may require submitting a cellphone audition.

• Pay provided.

Music Videos ‘Just Me’

• Casting “Just Me,” an independent art-

ist music video.

• Company: School of Visual Arts. Staff:

Nicholas Steriti, Cullen Robbins, student dirs.

• Shoots TBD in NYC. • Seeking—Lauren: female, 18-30, all

ethnicities, lead female role.

• Seeking submissions from NY.

backstage.com

STARS AREN’T BORN, THEY’RE MADE

Hard-core training for Musical Theater performers who want to realize their potential as great actors.

Earn a college degree while working all day, every day on your craft.

Find out how at nycda.edu

@nyconservatory

casting California • Send submissions to steritinicholas@

gmail.com.

• Schedule will be discussed after view-

ing application.

• No pay.

National Commercials Teeth-Whitening Product National Commercial Series • Seeking experienced actors between

ages 25-35 to be featured in a new series of national commercials promoting a soon-to-be-released teeth-whitening product.

• Company: Sheer Science. Staff: Colin

Scarpino, operational mgr.-recruiter.

• Shoot date TBD in Farmingdale, NY. • Seeking—Spokesperson/Actor: all gen-

ders, 23-40, all ethnicities, featured in a new series of national commercials promoting a soon-to-be-released teethwhitening product.

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to hiring@healthso-

lutionsmarketing.com.

• Pays $250/day. Nonunion.

Online Commercials & Promos ‘Infomercial’ Tobacco Prevention PSA

• Casting a tobacco prevention social

media ad in the style of an infomercial parody.

• Company: FCB. Staff: Jeremy Lerner,

prod.

• Works remotely. Recording session to

be scheduled with producer.

• Seeking—VO Lead: 18-45, infomercial

style voiceover. Speaking over a cheesy 1-800 style commercial. Male/Female Lead: all genders, 18-24, teen creator will self-shoot scene of themselves embracing healthy lung prop in infomercial parody.

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Submit an audition reading of the fol-

lowing line: “Lungs almost as fresh as the day you were born! No irreversible lung damage from vaping! Get your healthy lungs today. Stay vape-free!” to jeremy.lerner@fcb.com.

• Pay TBD.

Pipcorn Snacks Presents ‘Oversharing’

• Casting “Oversharing,” a lighthearted,

authentic, and fun video series for Pipcorn Snacks. Director states: “Featuring people sharing their real thoughts that might usually be considered an ‘overshare,’ but now is being embraced. I want to note that this is with a very small crew and we will take safety precautions to make sure everyone feels comfortable on set.”

• Company: Nice Bear. Staff: Jo

Gennett, dir.

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

• Shoots July 5 or 6 in NYC. • Seeking—Oversharer: all genders, 24+,

all ethnicities, looking for pairs or groups of three: real friends, roommates, couples, families, etc. Individuals also welcome to apply, but main focus is on pre-existing relationships. Share your real stories about something that you might not necessarily share with everyone because it would be labeled “TMI.” This film for Pipcorn is all about feeling free to overshare with the people you care about. Note: If you are in your late 20s-late 30s, include in your cover letter if you have children, as that is a dynamic production is interested in as well.

• Seeking submissions from NJ. • Send submissions to PallantePhoto@

gmail.com.

• Pays $700/day, meals included. Client

will possess rights to use images indefinitely.

Southern California

• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to tjgennett@gmail.

Plays

• In your cover letter, specify if you are

‘Broken Story’ Virtual Reading

com.

submitting as an individual or with someone else.

• Not required, but production is also

interested in hearing a “TMI” moment about you or your partner that you are eager to share.

• Pays $300/day (approx. four hours on

set).

• Seeking Los Angeles-based actors for a

virtual reading of “Broken Story,” a new play. Synopsis: A young NYC journalist becomes obsessed with assembling the pieces of a puzzling Hollywood crime.

As fantasies collide with facts, this dangerous pursuit of truth takes a personal turn.

• Note: “Broken Story” will be produced

Print Modeling Commercial Pharmaceutical Photo Shoot • Casting a commercial still photo shoot

for a pharmaceutical company. Images will be used on international collateral and advertisements.

• Company: Greg Pallante Photography.

Staff: Greg Pallante, photographer.

• Shoots for two days in July in Jersey

City, NJ.

• Seeking—Heavy Set Japanese Male 45

Years Old: male, 40-50, Asian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander, heavy set with a BMI of approximately 30. The listing is for a still commercial photoshoot to take place at a studio in Jersey City NJ jn July, dates TBD. The images will be used in international digital media and print collateral. Applicant must be of Japanese decent as the image will be used for promotions in Japan. Heavy Set Japanese Female 45 years Old: male, 40-50, Asian, heavy set with a BMI of approximately 30. The listing is for a still commercial photoshoot to take place at a studio in Jersey City NJ jn July, dates TBD. The images will be used in international digital media and print collateral. Applicant must be of Japanese decent as the image will be used for promotions in Japan. Heavy Set Male 45 years Old, Mixed Race: female, 40-50, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, racially and culturally ambiguous and/or mixed race. He is heavy set with a BMI of 27-30. The images captured will be used in print collateral and digital mediums for an international campaign.

Heavy Set Caucasian Female 45 Years Old: female, 40-50, White / European Descent, heavy set (BMI 27-30) with light colored hair. The shoot will take place over the course or 2 days at a studio in Jersey City NJ. The images will be used for international print collateral and online marketing materials.

(West Coast premiere) at The Sherry Theater in NoHo Nov. 5-28, 2021 (LA 50 Seat Showcase Code). The play premiered in NYC at The Gene Frankel Theatre Nov. 8-16, 2019.

• Company: White Horse Theater

Company. Staff: Cyndy A. Marion, writer; Tamara Ruppart, dir.

• Reading held via Zoom on Aug. 2 (3 p.m.

PST). Three rehearsals will be held via Zoom the week of July 26. Actors with Zoom experience/knowledge preferred.

• Seeking—Jess: female, 25-35, White /

European Descent, NYC journalist; determined to claim and break her own story; passionate, independent, idealistic with a vivid imagination; struggling with her sexuality; obsessed with murdered novelist, Jane Hartman. Jane: female, 45-55, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, White / European Descent, murdered novelist; daughter of famous mobster; eccentric, dramatic, & down on her luck; determined to make it big in Hollywood; fiercely loyal to those she loves; exists only as imagined or remembered. Darby: female, 45-55, all ethnicities, Jane’s best friend; California socialite; high-strung & head strong, she is focused on making the right connections; crafty, audacious, yet deeply emotional. Kip: male, 35-50, Jane’s manager; neurotic, competitive and protective; in love with Jane; the LAPD’s number one suspect for Jane’s murder.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Submit pics/resumes and reel.

• $50 stipend provided. Equity Staged

Reading Guidelines.

Feature Films ‘Lockdown’

• Casting “Lockdown,” a feature-length

film. Synopsis: In this comedy-drama

24

based on recent events, new roommates in a rental home are forced into quarantine when their house is put under lockdown during the pandemic.

• Company: Hope Studios. Staff: Jason

Beckman, prod.

• Rehearsals begin in late July, shooting

to begin in early Aug. in the L.A. area.

• Seeking—Mia: female, 25-35, confi-

dent, slightly arrogant business professional whose life is defined by her work.

Reuben: male, 20-25, Latino / Hispanic, sensitive, shy college student who acts as peacemaker in the house. Lori: female, 20-25, White / European Descent, naive country girl who seems easily overwhelmed but has undiscovered inner strength. Matt: male, 20-25, slacker dude, always “self medicated.”

Martina: female, 20-30, aspiring musician who sees life as a work of art in progress. Tony: male, 25-30, friendly, outgoing party guy, but hiding a dark secret.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Pays $1000/wk. for lead roles. Shooting

is expected to take four weeks. Meals provided, plus gas.

Short Films ‘Blink’

• Casting “Blink,” a psychological horror

short. Logline: After a cult ritual that allows people to re-experience their memories, one man’s traumas come to life in a physical form that appears when he blinks.

• Company: Ma & Pa Productions. Staff:

Torin White, prod.; Annabelle Smith, CD.

• Rehearses TBD dates in La Mirada, CA;

shoots July 24-27 in Idyllwild, CA.

• Seeking—Adrian Johnson: male, 18-25,

all ethnicities, 23-yrs-old, he is stuck between an abusive household and a zealous cult. Struggling with memories of his past childhood trauma, a cult ritual offers him a chance to face his past head on- but is he ready? Ash: female, 23-32, all ethnicities, a caring but manipulative cult leader, she wants to protect her religious family, but a newcomer threatens her place at the head of the group. Lucas: 23-32, all ethnicities, the right hand man to a cult leader.

Loyal, fierce, and protective- he is one of a small group of people who know the leader personally. Mom: female, 30-60, all ethnicities, simply named, Mom, is broken down by a physically and verbally abusive husband. She’s on the edge of losing her mind and she just might lose it. Nathan: 5-15, all ethnicities, he is a caring older brother who wants to protect his siblings from witnessing their Mom’s abuse. Young Adrian (Flashback): 4-12, he just wants to connect with his mother, but he witnesses her abuse by his father and worries for her health. Eventually finding his mother’s body, young Adrian’s trauma sets the tone for the entire film. Note, scenes involving graphic imagery will be filmed separately from when the child is on set and cut together later. backstage.com

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casting New York Tristate • Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to Tyler.a.skillings@

biola.edu.

• Payment deferred until funding

well. Leaves Eric the keys to the bar so the group can have fun there.

Waitress: 18-30, waitress at the cafe.

• Seeking—Single Woman in Her 30s:

edu.

gensen@itv.com.

secured for feature film

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to r.kotov@lafilm.

‘Photographic Memory’

• Note your availability throughout the

• Casting “Photographic Memory.”

Logline: Claire, a young woman, must reconcile with the death of her parents and stop closing herself off from her partner, Jason.

• Company: LMU. Staff: M. Kure, casting.

• Rehearsal July 10 (afternoon, exact time

TBD); shoots July 11-12 near the Monterey Park, Los Angeles, CA area.

• Seeking—Claire: female, 20-30, all eth-

nicities, a strong and independent woman but that strength is a weakness she has to let go of. She buries herself in work to avoid the grief of losing her parents but that grief is creating a rift between her and her partner.This role only requires moderate nudity (underwear on). Jason: male, 23-33, all ethnicities, a supportive partner to Claire. He respects her independence but wishes she would confide in him rather than keeping her emotions in.This role only requires moderate nudity (underwear on, no full frontal).

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to mkure1@lion.lmu.

edu.

• Include a video reel with your

submission.

• Transportation refunded and meals

provided.

Student Films ‘After the Funeral’

• Casting “After the Funeral,” a short

drama film about a group of childhood friends dealing with the suicide of their friend.

• Company: Roman Kotov Production.

Staff: Roman Kotov, casting dir.

• Rehearses throughout June, July, and

August; shoots in September in the L.A. area.

• Seeking—David: male, 40-65, a failed

writer, now lawyer, returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his friend, Adam. Restrained, welltempered, and educated, but indecisive and passive. With the progression of the story, he begins to value his friends more. Dylan: male, 37-70, kind and well-spirited best friend of David. Struggles with alcoholism.

Sam: male, 40-70, harsh and selfish military sergeant. Had a bad history with Adam, which ends up affecting him in the end. Left his friends and his girlfriend at the time, Lily, to join the army ranks. Lily: female, 40-60, emotional and caring, but frail. After Sam left her to join the military, she couldn’t find herself a partner. Eric: 40-70, short-tempered and selfcentered best friend of Adam. Has a bad relationship with Sam, who hated Adam. Hopelessly tries to bring everyone together to drink to Adam’s memory. Bartender: male, 40-60, worked at the Old-Fashioned Bar for a long time and knew the group very

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

female, 29-38, woman in her 30s who is looking to find love.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to jessica.jor-

• To be considered, fill out the casting

months of June, July, August, and September.

application at: https://singleinyour30s. castingcrane.com/.

• No pay.

• Paid, plus travel provided.

Untitled Short Film

• Casting an untitled short film. Synopsis:

Since the pandemic has forced people to stay indoors, Nathaniel has seemed to finally get to know his roommate, or rather notice how weird he is.

• Staff: Jovani Chavez, dir.; Remedios

Tiglao, writer-dir.; Ernesto Camacho, writer; Bailey Kikuchi, music supervisor; Betsy Valenzuela, technical dir.; Lilia Tsurusawa, editor; Lajenia Jones-Grant, casting dir.

• Scheduled to rehearse June 29-30 (sub-

ject to change); shoots week of July 2-10.

• Seeking—Mathias: male, 18-30, can be

standoffish but still wants to be part of the action. Keeps private information to himself. Open but not vulnerable.

Vampire. Mauve: female, 18-30, onspiracy theorist and Nathaniel’s childhood friend. Though she cares for the wellbeing and success of others, sometimes her own interests can get in the way. She’s curious and enjoys finding out the truth of any situation. The type to say “I told you so.” Nathaniel: male, 18-30, into Old Hollywood thriller movies. Likes to stay where things are comfortable and stable. Doesn’t hold on to grudges but is very cautious.

Suspicious of others, but trusts blindly those he holds dear. Can be anxious but is trying to overcome it.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to ljonesg@calsta-

tela.edu.

• Also seeking two actors who live

together.

• Contract details TBD.

Reality TV & Documentary Single Women in Their 30s for New Dating Show

• Casting single women in their 30s for

a dating experience like no other from Sarah Jessica Parker’s Pretty Matches Productions & ITV. Production states: “Do you live a fabulous life, full of great friends, professional fulfillment, and fun… but you’re still looking for the one? Are you over the dating scene where you live—tired of recycling through the same prospects on every dating app you join? Are you ready to look for love in a brand-new place? If this sounds like you or someone you know, apply. Singles must live within a two hour drive of New York, Chicago, Austin, Miami, or Los Angeles.”

• Company: ITV America. Staff: Jessica

Jorgensen dir.-development CD.

• Shoots fall (TBD dates) in TBD area(s).

‘Small Fortune,” NBC Game Show

• Casting Los Angeles locals for “Small

Fortune.” Production states: “NBC is casting teams of three people for a new ground breaking prime time game show - Small Fortune! This is a show that turns the smallest of games into the biggest of fortunes! Can you hold your own while playing heartpounding games that test your precision and technique? Looking for charismatic and confident teams of three.”

• Company: City Media Entertainment.

Staff: Dimitri Villanueva, casting prod.

• Shoots TBD at NBC in Los Angeles, CA. • Seeking—Small Fortune - Team Leader:

all genders, 16-60, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to dvilly.casting@

gmail.com.

• Apply now: https://nbcssmallfortune.

castingcrane.com.

• In your cover letter, provide a picture of

your team of three, along with a brief description of your group, and a team phone number and email to contact.

• When asked how you heard about this

casting, write “Dimitri” so that he can sort your app quickly.

• Production states: “Winners of small

fortune will receive up to six figures of prize money.”

TV Shoot, Latino Male Model • Seeking a Latino male model for a paid

• Seeking—Adult Actor to Play High

Schooler: all genders, 16-21, all ethnicities, high schooler introducing learning modules on forming good habits.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com.

• Send photos and reel. Cover letter not

necessary.

• Pays $300 for one-day shoot.

Multimedia Body Positive Lifestyle Host YouTube • Seeking body positive lifestyle host.

Production states: “A major digital brand is looking to cast a body positive lifestyle personality to be featured on their Youtube channel, which currently has 3 million + subscribers and counting! We’re also looking for someone who is capable of conceptualizing and ultimately creating video content centered around one or more of the following lifestyle topics: style/fashion, beauty, fitness/wellness, home, food, relationships/dating, or any other categories that they’re passionate about under the lifestyle realm!”

• Note: You must be based in the Greater

Los Angeles area and have a huge personality. Seeking to feature someone who’s opinionated, energetic, and an engaging storyteller on-camera. You do not already have to be an established on-camera host. Must be 18+.

• Staff: Sabrina, CD. • TBD. • Seeking—Lifestyle Host: 18-26, this will

begin as a remote opportunity with the potential to transition to filming in-studio with other talent, once it’s deemed safe to return to work.

TV shoot.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to Sabrina.safran@

Caputo, casting dir.

• Visit the production website that con-

• Company: All3Media. Staff: Chris • Shoots June 29 in L.A. • Seeking—Latino Male Model: male,

26-31, Latino / Hispanic, the scene will take place in a pool. Model will most likely need to wear a bathing suit.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to chris.caputo@

all3a.com.

• Submission must include email and

phone number.

• Pay TBD. Nonunion.

Demo & Instructional Videos Scripted Instructional Video Suite • Casting two adult actors to play high

schoolers in the 16-17 age range introducing instructional videos.

• Company: DEFINITE•. Staff: Kyle

Johnson, founding creative partner.

• Rehearses via video call; shoots the

first week of August in San Diego, CA.

26

hearst.com.

sists of our full-length casting application.

• Paid, rate/frequency TBD.

Online Commercials & Promos Commercial for Portable Charger Company

• Casting commercial for portable char-

ger company.

• Company: Iron Well Productions. Staff:

A. Afarian, casting.

• Shoots TBD dates in the Santa Ana, CA

area.

• Seeking—Social Girl Supporting: 21-27,

all ethnicities, the social girls are the popular influencer type girls who seek convenience and style. They need a cool product that keeps their phone charged conveniently, helping them stay connected. Social Girl Lead: female, 21-27, the social girls are the popular influencer type girls who seek

backstage.com

National/Regional casting

convenience and style. They need a cool product that keeps their phone charged conveniently, helping them stay connected. Casual Hiker Lead: male, 21-27, all ethnicities, these hikers are the day to day, normal people who enjoy casual hiking and want to stay connected while outdoors. They are young and relatable. They are looking for functionality and compactness while not having to carry a big charging block. Casual Hiker Supporting: female, 21-27, all ethnicities, these hikers are the day to day, normal people who enjoy casual hiking and want to stay connected while outdoors. They are young and relatable. They are looking for functionality and compactness while not having to carry a big charging block.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to armen@ironwell-

productions.com.

• Pay provided.

E.S. Kluft Mattresses Unboxing Video

• Casting an unboxing video for a mat-

tress company commercial. In the video, a man and woman will portray a couple unboxing a new mattress in their home.

• Company: Richter 10.2 Media. Staff:

Jacob Moreno, creative dir.

• Shoots July 7 or 8 in Corona, CA. • Seeking—Man: male, 35-45, Asian,

Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Indigenous Peoples, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, South Asian / Indian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander, 35-45; fit, friendly, and approachable. A husband who unboxes a new mattress with his wife. No dialogue. Woman: female, 35-45, Asian, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Indigenous Peoples, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, South Asian / Indian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander, 35-45; fit, friendly, and approachable. A wife who unboxes a new mattress with her husband. No dialogue.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to jake.moreno@

richter10point2.com.

• In your cover letter, note your

availability.

• Pays $500/day, plus meals provided.

‘Good Data’

• Casting a creative promo for a business

analytics platform.

• Company: New Evolution Video.

• Shoots in early July in San Diego, CA. • Seeking—Four Business Men: male,

35-55, no dialogue. All physical acting.

Actor will play four different men at different tiers of a business network.

Open to any ethnicity. No applicants younger than 35. Modern. Average or in-shape, clean but not necessarily “conservative,” Southern California or New York business man.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to corey@newevolu-

tionvideo.com.

• Include any video, if available.

• Pays $800 flat rate (ten-hour day max).

No travel or housing provided. Must provide wardrobe and arrive hair and makeup ready. backstage.com

National/ Regional Plays 4th Wall Theatre Company 2020-2021 Season, Equity Video Submissions, Updated With New Submission Email • Casting Equity actors for the 4th Wall

Theatre Company 2020-2021 Season.

Note: Due to COVID-19 and social distancing efforts, the 4th Wall Theatre Company will conduct 2020-21 seasonal auditions via video submissions in lieu of local live auditions.Local Houston actors particularly encouraged to submit.

Season includes “Between Riverside And Crazy” (Stephen Adly Guirgis, playwright; Bill Pruitt and Kim TobinLehl, dir. Rehearsals begin Aug. 18; runs Nov. 3-26, 2020), “Gloria” (Branden Jacob-Jenkins, playwright; James Black, dir. Rehearsals begin Dec. 8, 2020; runs Jan. 14-Feb. 6, 2021), “A Doll’s House, Part 2” (Lucas Hnath, playwright; Alanna Dorsett, dir. Rehearsals begin Feb. 16, 2021; runs Mar. 18-Apr. 10, 2021), and “Lifespan Of A Fact” (Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, playwrights; Kim Tobin-Lehl, dir.

Rehearsals begin Apr. 13, 2021; runs May 13-June 5, 2021).

• Rehearsals begin Nov. 9; runs Dec.

10-20 in Flagstaff, AZ.

• Seeking—All Roles: all genders, 18+, all

ethnicities, actors of color, non-binary actors, those differently-abled, and LGBTQ actors are highly encouraged to audition. Musical talent a plus. Training with Shakespearean text is available to all actors.

• Seeking submissions from AZ. • Send submissions to dtucker@flag-

shakes.org.

• Auditions are by video submission only.

Submit one Shakespearean monologue along with headshot and résumé.

• Pays $400 with housing provided (both

rehearsals and performances will be in Flagstaff, AZ).

Feature Films ‘Driftwood’

• Casting “Driftwood,” a slow-burn,

ethereal thriller about man trying to rescue his daughter from a vicious cabal of cultists.

Ajax: male, 18-50, Elder’s personal bodyguard. A massive human being.

The Artist: male, 40+, a wealthy, famous, and reclusive painter. Spencer: 18-30, a Nazi punk. Tiff: 18+, a Nazi punk. Sonya: 4-9, Sonya is an intelligent little girl who is obsessed with Astrology. She is stolen by a shady occult group, and her father must rescue her.

• Seeking submissions from NY, CT and

MA.

• Send submissions to brendan@tweed-

dreams.com.

• Pay rate negotiable.

‘Fight for Me’

• Casting “Fight for Me,” an independent

feature film in the comedic drama genre. Project Description: When a reformed drug addict finds out his teenage sister is pregnant, he promises to father the child to convince her to keep the baby; however, after she has the baby, the challenges of parenting may be too much for him to handle.”

• Company: Tyler Hunt. Staff: Tyler

Stephen Hunt, writer/dir./prod.

• Shooting early fall in Colorado Springs,

shoots begins in late August in Northeastern Connecticut.

CO & potentially Denver, CO. Rehearsals and shoot days will be flexible. Not a traditional shoot schedule, but will be determined upon availability of cast and locations.

ous, wealthy leader of a savage cult.

Note: Role requires nudity. Myrrha: female, 18-30, the leader of a pack of Nazi punks. Note: Role requires nudity.

ethnicities, girlfriend of the main character, attractive and confident, though not arrogant at all, grounded and well balanced, while also playful, she bal-

• Company: Tweed Dreams Media. Staff:

Alyson, casting dir.-prod.

• Rehearsals begin in early August;

• Seeking—Elder: male, 45+, the mysteri-

• Seeking—Rachel: female, 21-34, all

• Company: 4th Wall Theatre Company.

Staff: Kim Tobin-Lehl and Philip Lehl, co-artistic dirs.

• Season runs in Houston, TX. • Seeking—Equity Actors: all genders,

18+.

• Seeking submissions from TX. • For consideration, submit headshot,

resume, and video audition to info@4thwalltheatreco.com. For the video, prepare two contrasting contemporary monologues, or a short scene not to exceed three minutes total in length. If submitting a scene, only the auditioning actor should appear in the video (scene partner should be offcamera.) Include a slate at the end of the video identifying the auditioner and material. Submissions will be accepted June 26-July 3.

• Video submissions will be viewed by

one or both of 4th Wall’s Co-Artistic Directors, Kim Tobin-Lehl and Philip Lehl.

• Pays $309/wk. Equity SPT Cat. 2

Agreement.

‘Twelfth Night’

• Casting “Twelfth Night.” Project

description: “Viola washes up on the shores of a foreign country with a lovesick Duke, Orsino. Thinking her twin brother Sebastian is dead, she disguises herself in his fashion of dress and presents her self to work for Duke Orison as a boy. Antics, mistakes identity, reunification and love are all themes in this beautiful Shakespearean comedy.”

• Company: Flagstaff Shakespeare

Festival. Staff: Jim Warren, dir.

27

06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

OnliNe

S p ComEdy CaAGM ES 4-18 IMPROV • WRITING • MUSICAL IMPROV

90-MIN DROP IN $25 • 1-DAY $75 • 5-DAY $250 • 2ND CHILD DISCOUNT

800.896.8120 • SECONDCITYONLINE.COM

casting National/Regional ances the mania of the main character, she finds his extreme personality endearing, but also needs to bring him down to earth, but in a loving way. Dave: male, 27-34, all ethnicities, larger frame, lives in flop house with his girlfriend and their four-year-old kid, drug dealer, but not stereotypical., good guy with a good heart, but with a toxic lifestyle, weed during the week, coke on the weekends. Robert: male, 20-39, all ethnicities, heavy set, dorky, unaware, loyal employee whose devotion to his boss is beyond annoying. Bryan: male, 40-59, all ethnicities, strict and very annoying boss, described by characters in script as a manager who “sucks,” and “that dude with the weird hair.”

• Seeking submissions from CO. • Send submissions to tylerstephen-

hunt@gmail.com.

• Demo reel highly preferred, at least

some example of on-screen acting is most important. Head shots, but also realistic pictures, images not highly photoshopped, anything to give the most accurate representation of what you actually look like. On screen test will be required.

• Pay is TBD according to commitment

from actors; gas and food will be provided/covered

‘Hope & Joy’

• Casting the feature film “Hope & Joy.”

Project description: “Two sisters with a strained relationship are put in a life and death situation when one of them does a failed drug deal.”

• Company: L’Union Fait La Forces Films.

Staff: Sergio LeRoy, writer-prod.-dir.; Johnnard Harper & Chris Hill, prods.

• Shoots July-August in Houston, TX. • Seeking—Joy: female, 23, single young

mom struggling to make her way in life as she juggles motherhood and finding a job to support her and her child, has a strained relationship with her older sister. Hope: female, 25, Joy’s’ older sister, more practical, not far off from finishing school to become a doctor, acts like a mother figure to her younger sister, worries about her a lot. Anna: female, 50, a loving and kind spirit that enjoys helping out her younger daughter, but her health is failing, calls her older daughter Hope for help with her young sibling. Tony T: male, 27, Joy’s ex-boyfriend who Joy tries to get money from to support their baby she has for him,a deadbeat dealer who cares only about himself. Doctor Chen: male, 47, Anna’s doctor friend who she worked for before her foot surgery, kind and caring, loves helping people out.

• Seeking submissions from TX. • Send submissions to lunionfaitlaforce-

films@gmail.com.

• Some pay.

‘Kensington’

• Casting various roles in an

“Kensington,” an upcoming feature film shooting entirely in Philadelphia.

• Staff: Alexander Norton, prod.

• Tentatively shoots in September (dates

TBD) in Philadelphia, PA.

• Seeking—Sal: male, 40-55, White /

European Descent, Italian American born and raised Philadelphian. He runs a painting company and takes a chance by

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

giving the lead in this film a job. He’s kind, but is a no-nonsense guy. Tim: male, 30-39, White / European Descent, a born and bred Philadelphian and the lead’s boss at the painting company where he works. Chris: male, 18, Black / African Descent, a young corner dealer. Hard for his age and street-wise, but there is something innocent about his demeanor as well. 15 years old. Seeking 18-year-old actor to play 15. Mark: male, 50-59, White / European Descent, grew up in Philadelphia and has not had it easy. Selfmade, wealthy, and liberal. Loving husband and father to the lead’s love interest. While he doesn’t necessarily approve of their relationship, he sees that his daughter is happy and that’s enough for him. Nancy: female, 40-55, White / European Descent, lead’s love interest. Loving mother and wife of Mark.

Liberal. Lawyer and stay-at-home mom.

She is much more open to her daughter’s involvement and doesn’t share in her husband’s opinion of him, but thinks the relationship is a phase that will pass rather than anything serious. Curtis: male, 23-30, Black / African Descent, the lead’s loyal best friend. A drug dealer, but lovable. He’s hard and not someone you want to cross. If he’s your friend though, he’s kind and supportive. We see he has a good hart and is a product of his environment rather than a criminal at heart. He urges the lead to get out while he still can and make something of himself. It’s sad he doesn’t push himself in the same way. Jimmy: male, 23-35, Black / African Descent, part of the lead’s crew. Provides the much-needed comic relief in this harsh urban world that is portrayed in the film. Jarvis: 45-55, White / European Descent, the drug kingpin. Imposing, unapologetic, tough, and menacing. You don’t run the streets by being soft. Stefan: male, 18-21, Black / African Descent, a young and up-andcoming corner dealer with big plans for himself and a bright future on the streets. He wants to be the kingpin one day and will do whatever it takes to secure his name as someone to be feared.

• Seeking submissions from PA. • For consideration, submit a headshot

and reel or a video to info@somewhereent.com.

• Pays SAG-AFTRA min. per Ultra Low

Project Agreement (UPA): $201/8 hrs.

‘The Bluesman’

Scratch: male, 18+, the Devil, pale, tall, intimidating. Willie Odom: male, 20-29, Black / African Descent, funny, Robert’s conscience. Tassy: female, 20-29, Black / African Descent, beautiful and wicked.

Gary Gein: male, 30-39, White / European Descent, tall, creepy and scary looking. Sheriff Rollings: male, 50-59, White / European Descent, in charge of the town. Deputy Miller: male, 20-29, White / European Descent, arrogant rookie. Floyd the Bartender: male, 30-39, White / European Descent, benign. Music Store Owner in 1936: male, 40-49, White / European Descent, intimidated and kind. Son House: male, 40-49, Black / African Descent, elderly and rough. Texas Slim: male, 20-29, Black / African Descent, good looking, intimidating. Mrs. Kennedy: female, 60-79, grandma type.

Ruth: female, 40-49, secretary type.

Music Shop Keeper in 1938: 20-29, casual. Boy: male, 12-14, casual. Older Brother: male, 14-16, bully type.

• Seeking submissions from TX. • Send submissions to midnightstrikes-

films@gmail.com.

• Some pay.

Short Films ‘Aspersion’

• Casting “Aspersion.” Synopsis: A short

film from the award-winning production team Red Flight Pictures.

Aspersion tells the story of a young woman who learns how to love herself through a suddenly abusive relationship.

• Company: Red Flight Pictures. Staff:

Red Flight Pictures LLC, casting dir.

• Rehearses and shoots Fall TBD in NYC. • Seeking—Anna: female, 24-34, female,

24. (Lead) struggling to leave an extremely abusive relationship; smart and caring but lacks confidence and self-worth. Peter: male, 32-40, male, 30. (Lead); always wants to appear put together and successful; insecure and doesn’t know how to handle confrontation; Anna’s boyfriend. Gail: female, 50-70, female, 50; still recovering from an abusive marriage from over 20 years ago; extremely kind-hearted and tries to see the best in everyone; Anna’s mother.

• Seeking submissions from NY and PA. • Send submissions to casting@redflight-

• Casting the feature film “The

Bluesman.” Project description: “Tells the legend born many years ago on a dark Mississippi night. The Devil makes a deal with a young guitar player and a music legend begins.”

pictures.com.

• No pay.

Student Films

• Company: Midnight Strikes Film. Staff:

Eric Wayne Jones, writer/prod./dir.; Mike L. Hall, writer/prod.; Jeremy Settles, Larry LeMaster, Mike Madrigal, prods.

‘Mt. St. Mary’s MFA COVID Be Damned Project’

• Shoots Nov. 1-25 in Ennis, Dallas & Ft

• Casting talent for “Mt. St. Mary’s MFA

Worth, TX.

COVID Be Damned Project.” Instructor states: “Visual media is all about connecting. Given our new reality, we want to make short projects about connectivity. All projects will be shot while social distancing. Actors need access to Zoom and/or one other recording medium (i.e., laptop/desktop and cell-

• Seeking—Allen Wallace: male, 40-49,

White / European Descent, backwoods redneck type. Molly Wallace: female, 30-39, White / European Descent, homely, abused, tired, blonde. Robert Johnson: male, 25-29, Black / African Descent, humble and arrogant.

28

phone camera). Unless specified, roles are open to all gender identifications, races, and ethnicities. Looking for performers with the same ‘can-do’ outlook.”

• Company: Mt. St. Mary’s University.

Staff: Sharri Hefner, instructor; MFA student directors.

• Rehearsal dates TBD. Project shoots

July 19 and Aug. 2 (other dates to be arranged as needed) via Zoom/ FaceTime. Shoot times will be Pacific Time Zone (Los Angeles, CA).

• Seeking—Garsia R.: male, 28-36,

Indigenous Peoples, Latino / Hispanic, Vida’s son; complacent. Momma’s boy.

Lazy. Acts very young and looks younger than he is. While Vida may be going back in time, Garsia only sees/ interacts with his 54-year-old mother.

John W.: male, 16-24, Black / African Descent, athletic build. An urban athlete who is driven to excel beyond the environment which constantly reminds him of the poverty in his upbringing.

He’s finally placed in a group with a girl he has a secret crush on but has never spoken to before this. Determined to get his grade and a chance with the girl while not wasting this opportunity to address his disadvantages. Mallory W.: female, 18+, White / European Descent, a very intelligent girl who is excels academically. A bit naïve. Believes everyone shares the same heart as her. Usually shy. Experiences a different side of herself when she comes out of her shell.

Sheltered upbringing with strong beliefs. Has never fully considered anything beyond school. Tracy: female, 30-45, White / European Descent, Caucasian; wears glasses. Must have home office space. A witty, funny, personable mom not afraid to speak her mind. Protective over her daughter but trusting in her daughter’s ability to judge character. Open-minded with a forward approach. A business woman.

Shelley P.: 48-60, youngish figure.

Sexy. Likes to move/dance.

Tempestuous. Engineering professor but natural actress. While caring for her mother out of town, she falls in love with a college classmate over Zoom.

Note that you will be asked to dance/ move in the audition. Actors must have access to Zoom and/or one other recording medium (i.e. laptop/desktop and cellphone camera). SAG-AFTRA preferred (deferred pay per Student Film Agreement; per diem offered for this role). Jon Z.: male, 30-48, all ethnicities, cerebral and shy but funny and open with his small circle of intimates.

Jon loves his wife and embraces his future as a father. He is a scientific thinker and a staunch materialist thinks little of spiritualism, ritual, and all that goes with it. Extremely loyal. Valerie: female, 30-49, all ethnicities, pregnant (first trimester). Jon’s loving wife. Valerie is a free spirit and is as loving as a puppy. Enthusiastic. Appreciates a good intellectual argument as much as she loves to dance. A goof. Cries and laughs easily. Actor does not need to actually be pregnant for this role.

Ghost: female, 20-39, all ethnicities, matter-of-fact. Embodies hard-earned wisdom and sadness, but is accepting of her fate. Naturally funny. She died in backstage.com

National/Regional casting

the 1940s. Must be able to do own 1940s-style hair and makeup. Andrew A.: male, 20-34, all ethnicities, a charismatic young college student who has a unique way with words. He has a quiet confidence that defines his charm.

Jennifer: female, 18+, all ethnicities, a down-to-earth young journalist who has a unique sense of the media. She doesn’t get impressed as easily other girls her age and enjoys sarcastic humor. James: male, 20-33, a college prep who is accustomed to getting anything he wants. He never really had to work hard to get to where he is due to his parents’ business success. Clarice L.: 24-35, all ethnicities, an FBI agentin-training. Clarice is a stoic, hardworking young woman and knows she has a lot to prove. Dr. Hannibal Lecter: male, 40-60, all ethnicities, a well-known forensic psychiatrist (psychiatry related to criminology), but is locked up and infamous for being a cannibalistic serial killer. He has a high regard for manners and decorum. Abeline: female, 10-14, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, South Asian / Indian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander, African-American/Pacific Islander/South Asian. Very sweet, but with a strong sense of knowing. Highly emotive with an extremely expressive face, wide eyes, and a big smile. Experiences a range of emotions easily. Understands how to use TikTok and FaceTime. Dispatch Manager 1: 30-50, all ethnicities, strong facial features. Facial imperfections. Interesting voice. Dispatch Manager 2: all genders, 30-50, all ethnicities, androgynous.

Speaks very clearly, but speech pattern is clipped. Robotic. This character is emotionless, save for a tiny, very slight glimmer in the eye. Think Tilda Swinton or Grace Jones. Dr. Cain: 40-60, all ethnicities, very keen with tight facial features. Pinched. Mean, diabolical, and evil. A narcissist. Vocal timbre is deep, dark, and resonate. For vocal examples, think Joe Morton, Bea Arthur, and Whoopi Goldberg. Omala-ye: female, 28-40, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, East or West African. Youthful. Speaks English with a heavy, yet smooth accent. Her style is very bohemian and free. She is a ray of light. Detective Terry: all genders, 30-54, all ethnicities, an overworked cop who has been on the job for too long. Ray: male, 18-28, college student who is struggling to maintain a balance between work, school, and home life. Jesse: male, 22-30, all ethnicities, has a lot of friends, but has been single for a while, so he decides to meet and possibly date someone new through Zoom. He is funny, thoughtful, and would love to find the love of his life. Working as a journalist during quarantine. Celine: female, 18-27, all ethnicities, a social butterfly. While trying to attend to a networking event through Zoom, she accidentally joins Jesse’s Zoom dating meeting. Ended a long relationship before quarantine started, but had no intention of meeting someone new.

Linda Fox: female, 30-46, all ethnicities, as the last remaining member of her family, she runs the family business backstage.com

Good Spirits Tavern. She’s tough and determined but ready for some relief and a glimmer of hope. Matty Watts: male, 26-39, all ethnicities, after losing his mother, Matty traveled to his hometown in search of any remaining family he may have there. He’s down to his last dollar and his job prospects have come up empty. A little self-involved. Harper Amaty Pitt: female, 26-36, all ethnicities, an anxiety-ridden, agoraphobic, Mormon housewife transplanted from Salt Lake City. Has a pill-induced hallucination where she rejects the truth about her husband while meeting a potential friend/ally. From “Angels in America” (Part 1, Act 1, Scene 7). *Director offering per diem for this role.

Prior Walter: all genders, 26-38, all ethnicities, abandoned by his boyfriend after revealing he has AIDS. Dreams of losing himself only to have a friend show up to tell him he isn’t done yet.

Special activity: applying women’s makeup during the scene. From “Angels in America” (Part 1, Act 1, Scene 7). Role is open to transgender submissions. *Director offering per diem for this role.

Vladimir: all genders, 30-60, all ethnicities, dapper business person.

Impatient. Estragon: all genders, 30-60, all ethnicities, sloppy and unkempt. More patient. Tango Dancers: all genders, 18+, all ethnicities, must be willing to participate in a dance lesson.

• Seeking submissions worldwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Auditions will be held June 28 (3-9

p.m.). Callbacks TBD. All roles are in English. Projects shoot via Zoom/ FaceTime. Must have access to these tools.

Lawn Care Company Branding Commercial

& Angela A. Terry, casting dirs.; Jason Crow, casting assoc.

speaking role in a local lawn care company.

July 30, but role may work earlier) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

• Casting one actor for an on-screen

• Shoot starts July 20 (episode 2 starts

• Company: Clum Creative. Staff: Sara

• Seeking—Brenda: female, 18-29, Asian,

Brick, prod.; Kirk Norris, creative dir.

• Shoots one day in July (date TBD) in the

Cleveland, OH area.

• Seeking—Main Character: male,

28-40, the spokesperson for the lawn care company now and for future commercials. Looking for someone with personality who can deliver a memorable performance.

• Seeking submissions from OH. • Send submissions to sara@clumcre-

ative.com.

• Include a headshot and full-body shot if

possible. Do not contact Clum Creative directly. Considering submissions through Backstage only.

• Pay is all-in (includes day rate, usage,

full buyout, travel, any applicable agency fees, etc.).

‘Leverage 2.0’

• Casting the series regular role of

Brenda in “Leverage 2.0” a one hour comedy-drama. Note: Seeking someone with a strong comedy background.

Stand-up and/or improv a big plus.

• Company: IMDb TV / Electric

Entertainment. Staff: Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Rachel Olschan-Wilson, Kate Rorick; Josh Schaer, Jill Weinberger, supervising prods.; Brandon Lambdin, prod.; Dean Devlin, dir.; John Rogers & Chris Downey, writers; Barbara Stordahl

Asian American; strong comedy chops.

Comfortable playing LGBTQ+ character.

Sarcastic and intelligent, Brenda joins the team as a new kind of the hacker, the “relevant” kind. Her special skills include being a genius mechanical engineer (just ask her about her drones) and making social hacking and social media manipulation look like child’s play. Landing in the foster system after her parents’ tragic car accident, Brenda got lucky finding a home with Nana, and bonus big-brother Hardison (Aldis Hodge), who reached out to the spiky, scared 10-year old by teaching her computers and hacking. Now, Brenda has a wicked sense of humor and is a genius-level hacker (but doesn’t want to be known for just that -- hello, Asian stereotype). She also still has some of her spikes, seeing the world with the jaded view of Gen Z, having lived through 9/11, unending war, global financial crisis, and the destruction of the earth at the hands of the generations who came before. In short, she doesn’t believe that the system needs to be fixed, she believes that the system needs to be blown up… and she has decided that joining the Leverage team is the best way to do it. As Brenda trains in new skills with the other Leverage team members throughout

• No pay.

Scripted TV & Video

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL COACHING PRICES! Veteran Hollywood Casting Director, Producer and Acting Coach

‘Big Rigged,’ TV Show Host

MARCI LIROFF

• Casting “Big Rigged,” a new History

Channel TV series. Project description: “Seeking big rig experts or comedians who know how to give colorful sports style play-by-play to host a new major cable TV network show. Are you obsessed with big rigs, trucking or just have a big, curious personality and feel you can hold your own in the world of trucking?”

• Company: History Channel. Staff: Alicia

Good, casting dir.

• Shoot schedule is TBD. • Seeking—On-Air TV Host: all genders,

18+, all ethnicities, big rig experts or comedians who know how to give colorful sports style “play-by-play” to host a new major cable TV network show, no hosting experience necessary, just big personalities, unknowns welcome.

• Seeking submissions from NV. • For consideration, submit your name,

age, phone, email, location, trucking experience (is not required), recent photo/headshot, and a link to your reel (if you have one) to BigRiggedCasting@ gmail.com by July 6.

• Professional pay.

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Submit your picture/resume & demo reel (if available) when making appointment

For more information visit http://www.marciliroff.com/coaching Coaching is a learning experience. It is not an audition or employment opportunity.

Bond #CA 92 EJ W7628 State Farm and Casualty Company, Fidelity & Surety Bond Department

06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

casting National/Regional the season, she will learn to embrace and trust her new family and accept the fact that blowing it up isn’t always the answer, sometimes the way forward is to help just one person at a time…

(Series regular, 10/13) Note: Seeking someone with a strong comedy background. Stand-up and/or improv a big plus.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• For consideration, submit a picture and

resume, and comedy reel to sandtcasting@gmail.com for review. Self-tape instructions will be sent. Note: Seeking someone with a strong comedy background. Stand-up and/or improv a big plus.

• No pay.

Neuro-Diverse Actress for Mini-Series

• Casting a neuro-diverse actress, aged

23-38, of any ethnicity to play a leading character with high functioning fragile x syndrome, in a drama mini-series for mainstream television in 2021. The actress may be on the Autistic spectrum, or have Learning Disabilities. No previous acting experience necessary.

• Company: Rachel Freck CDG. Staff:

Rachel Freck, casting.

• Rehearsal and production dates & loca-

tions are TBD in the UK.

• Seeking—Neuro-Diverse Or Learning

Disabled Actress: female, 23-38, all ethnicities, actress may be on the Autistic spectrum, or have Learning Disabilities.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• For consideration, submit name, play-

ing age, location, a recent photograph, and a short video clip (no longer than one minute) telling us a little bit about yourself to rant@rachelfreck.com.

• Company states: “We are a London

based casting company who have cast many projects for TV across terrestrial networks and SVOD platforms.

Unfortunately, we cannot reply to all applicants, but we will be in touch if we feel you may be right for the role.”

• Professional pay TBD. Any access

requirements will be met.

‘North Ridge’

• Casting an independent TV pilot “North

Ridge.” Project description: “A tight-knit group of friends from North Ridge High School’s lives are all turned upside down after accidentally stealing from a local drug dealer and finding out the truth about how Edith Eubank died.”

• Shoots summer 2020 in Norman &

Broken Arrow, OK.

• Seeking—Connor Dempsey: male,

18-24, White / European Descent, Mason’s right hand man and best friend, the boys are inseparable and do everything together; talkative and outgoing. Mason Millard: male, 18-24, White / European Descent, Connor’s best friend and Madison’s brother, cool, calm and very popular. Madison Millard: female, 18-24, White / European Descent, the sister of Mason and North Ridge High’s biggest diva, Mason and Madison both come from money, flaunts her privilege. Alex Freeman: male, 18-24, Black / African Descent, Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent, the glue that holds

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

the clan together and is frequently the butt of all of the boys’ jokes, booksmart, but certainly not street smart. Olivia Crawford: female, 18-24, Latino / Hispanic, light-skinned, strong and independent, smart and very loyal to her friends, but needs nobody, acts as a mother figure to the boys when they’re misbehaving. Tyler Campbell: male, 18-24, one of the guys from the North Ridge football team, a good friend of Mason’s and the boys through him.

Cooper Madden: male, 18-24, White / European Descent, a friend of Mason and Connor’s and is the class clown, rowdy and a little loud. Evan Hanes: male, 18-30, White / European Descent, a North Ridge alum who graduated three years prior, a drug dealer and a menace to the clan. Police Captain Briggs: female, 30-60, White / European Descent, the town’s head sheriff, brave and intimidating. Police Sergeant Penner: male, 30-60, the captain’s right hand man, following leads in the case of Edith Eubank.

Shawn Dempsey: male, 35-50, White / European Descent, single father to Connor, a disgruntled widower, an alcoholic, renders Connor’s home-life unstable and hectic. Kevin Millard: male, 40-50, White / European Descent, father to Mason and Madison, husband to Alyssa, a rather successful businessman, holds Christian values and loves his family. Alyssa Millard: female, 40-50, White / European Descent, mother to Mason and Madison, wife to Kevin, a successful Christian book author and a caring mother and wife. Sheila Freeman: female, 30-45, Black / African Descent, mother to Alex, wife to Dale, a hard working woman who works at the local diner as a waitress, came from a rough life of poverty and wants that to change for Alex. Curtis Freeman: male, 40-50, Black / African Descent, father to Alex, husband to Sheila, a very hardworking man, works in construction as a means to put food on the table. Danny Crawford: male, 40-50, Latino / Hispanic, father to Olivia and Sophie, husband to Brooke, a police officer and a great dad. Brooke Crawford: female, 30-45, White / European Descent, a local realtor, mother to Sophie and Olivia and wife to Danny. Ella Crawford: female, 8-13, Latino / Hispanic, light skinned, sister to Olivia, daughter to Brooke and Danny, bright little girl, loves her sister, but can sometimes be a brat, possesses great verbal skills and enjoys a good argument. Ms. Edith Eubank: female, 50-65, White / European Descent, the talk of the town and the heir to her bloodline’s fortune.

Drug Supplier: male, 35-55, White / European Descent, Evan’s drug supplier has a small scene, keeping Evan on his toes, may or may not return in future episodes with a name as part of the cast, recurring role. Ms. Peterson: female, 30-40, White / European Descent, North Ridge’s first period World History teacher and is subject to scenes in the future, recurring role.

Forensics Team: all genders, 35-50, will be seen loading the body of Ms. Eubank in the coroner vehicle. Police Officers: all genders, 25-60, will be present at

the Eubank home crime scene and at the police station, real officers is helpful, recurring roles. Football Team: male, 18-24, for a scene during football practice and around school; future episodes will have speaking line; recurring roles. North Ridge Cheerleaders: female, 18-24, some extras will wear the North Ridge cheerleading uniforms and stand alongside coming cast members and will need to be a part of future episodes, recurring roles. High School Students: all genders, 18-24.

• Seeking submissions from OK. • For consideration, submit two recent

headshots, a full-body shot, and your résumé or demo reel (if applicable) to northridgecasting@gmail.com. Some background and featured extras are subject to being in future episodes.

These roles are labeled “recurring.” Do not submit for a recurring role if you don’t intend to be on set again in the future. This call is for the pilot episodes.

Most roles will return in future episodes, excluding extras.

• Pays $125/day (leads); $100/day (sup-

porting); $50/day (everyone else).

Reality TV & Documentary Dating Series, Sons & Daughters Seeking to Help Mom or Dad Find Love • Casting a new reality show from the

producers of “Queer Eye.” Production states: “Would you like to help your mom or dad find true love? Are they between the ages of 40-60? Whether your loved one is divorced, widowed, a serial monogamist or has never experienced love, if you believe that now is the perfect time for them to find their soul mate in a fun, supportive, rom-com inspired environment, we want to hear their story!”

• Company: ITV America. Staff: Brian

Puentes, casting prod.

• Shoots fall (TBD dates).

• Seeking—Son or Daughter: 18-30, sons

and daughters who want to nominate a mom or dad to find love.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• For consideration, include a cover let-

ter with your name, contact info, and information about your loved one, and why they deserve to find true love and a recent photo to brian.puentes@itv. com.

• Paid, TBD rate.

Host Who Can Eat for a Network TV Show

• Seeking host for a network TV show.

Production states: “This series follows our food-obsessed host on a mission around the country as she tries the most iconic dishes in each region and tackles some of the biggest food challenges along the way. Each episode, she will travel to a new city and check out some of the most buzzed about restaurants, sampling a famous dish at each one. Before she heads out of town, she’ll take on the food challenge

30

that town is known for and try to get her name on the wall of fame.”

• Company: Sharp Entertainment. Staff:

Christina Cappelli, casting prod.

• Shoot is TBD. • Seeking—Host who can EAT!: female,

26-45, all ethnicities, a food-loving comedian to host a major network show, specifically someone who has a passion for food and can eat large quantities of it; a lady who can keep up with the boys when it comes to consuming large quantities of food. The whole burger, plus seconds. An adventurous eater not afraid to try new and exciting foods. Cannot have food allergies. Bonus if this person has a background in food, whether that be in the industry (server/bartender/ hostess/cook) or simply, someone who knows their way around a kitchen!” Only apply if you can eat a lot! Think: “Man vs Food” level of eating. This will be a key portion of your audition submission.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to christina.cap-

pelli@sharpentertainment.com.

• Production states: “If you really want to

wow us send along a video submission of you trying your best at a “Man Vs. Food” challenge! Giant nachos? Truly massive burger? Describe it to us, tell us how it tastes and eat as much as you can! If filming on a phone remember that it must be filmed horizontally so we can see it full frame with you and all the food.

• Cable host fee commensurate with

experience.

Music Videos Nashville Music Video

• Casting for a music video.

• Company: On Location Casting. Staff:

Tina Kerr, casting dir.

• Shoots Feb. 18, in Nashville, TN. • Seeking—Girlfriend: female, 18-25, all

ethnicities, hip, stylish, attractive, in great physical shape, great attitude, confident.

• Seeking submissions from TN. • Send submissions to nashvilleextras@

gmail.com.

• Include first & last name, contact num-

ber, height & weight, city/state you are located in, and a recent photo taken within the past month.

• Pays $200/6 hours.

Demo & Instructional Videos Cedar Electronics Dash Cam Videos

• Casting nonspeaking roles in dash cam

videos for Cedar Electronics.

• Company: Clum Creative. Staff: Ernie

Farabaugh, dir. of marketing services.

• Shoots June 29 or 30 (eight-ten hours)

on country roads in Lorain County, OH. • Seeking—Uber Driver: male, 30-50, all

ethnicities, valid driver’s license required. Uber Passenger: female,

backstage.com

National/Regional casting

18-30, all ethnicities, passenger in a sedan. Working Tradesman: male, 28-50, all ethnicities, will be required to drive a pickup truck. Valid driver’s license required. Teen 1: female, 18-24, role may require driving a car. Valid driver’s license required. Teen 2: female, 18-24, all ethnicities, role may require driving a car. Valid driver’s license required.

• Seeking submissions from OH. • Do not contact studio directly. Only

submissions via backstage.com will be considered for roles. If you contact the studio directly, you will automatically be taken out of consideration.

• Pays $700 per actor. All-in payment

includes day rate, usage, full buyout, any applicable agency costs, travel, etc.

All roles are nonspeaking.

Multimedia Glamour, ‘Share a Meaningful Moment on Zoom’ • Seeking groups or two or more friends

or family members to share a meaningful moment via Zoom with a Grammy Award-winning artist for Glamour.

• Casting producer states: “Do you have

something you want to share with your family or friends? Create an impromptu musical composition with a Grammy Award-winning artist. A famous musician will join people over Zoom to compose with them (including melodic and lyrical messages) for their loved ones that they’ll send to spark joy and surprise. We’re searching for meaningful moments like: a couple who had their wedding postponed; someone in a long-distance relationship looking to do something special for their partner; a couple who’s quarantined separately/someone looking to do something special for their partner; a teen asking someone out for the first time; a graduation; an engagement announcement; a pregnancy; someone sharing good news with loved ones/ friends for the first time; anything you’d like to announce or tell someone.”

• Company: Bored Panda. Staff: J. R.

casting.

• Works remote/online.

• Seeking—Actress For Testimonial

video: female, 25-35, all ethnicities, look in their 20’s or 30’s; be available to shoot a HQ video at home (or similar location); be native American English speakers (they need to be from the United States); look fit; you’ll be requested to shoot yourself for a testimonial video for an app, so you should be OK with doing that without having actually used the app (we’ll provide you a text to memorize); you should look spontaneous and fresh. If you are shy and/or don’t like cameras, this job is not for you; your professional background is not relevant, as long as you meet all the requirements.

Share a Meaningful Moment: all genders, 18+, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions worldwide.

• Send submissions to fordcasting@

gmail.com.

• For consideration, include your info

and story in the following link: https:// bit.ly/Grammy-Musician.

• No pay.

• Casting women from the United States

for a fitness app testimonial video. backstage.com

• Self-recorded auditions will be by invi-

• Stipend Pay (dependent upon role;

Tyson’s Corner Medical Center Video

• Casting extras to play patients in a

video for Tyson’s Corner Medical Center.

• Company: Kaiser Permanente. Staff:

Kristian Perry, video editor.

testimonial.

• Staff: E. Kennedy, casting.

• No rehearsal. Production date is tbd

and flexible. Location is in your home with the help of a remote director.

• Seeking—Women Who Loves Her Cat -

science.com.

33-56, featured extras interacting in a medical setting.

• Seeking submissions from MD. • Send submissions to kristian.n.perry@ • Pays $100 for the day.

• Casting for an Asian family for private

reels and the production company website only.

• Pay provided.

• Casting cat owners for a women’s pants

Video For Company Website

• Seeking—Patient in Medical Setting:

for a testimonial video for an app, so you should be OK with doing that without having actually used the app (we’ll provide you a text to memorize).

Women’s Comfortable Pants Testimonial, Cat Lovers

kp.org.

entire day) in Tyson’s Corner, VA.

• Actors will be asked to shoot yourself

ranges from $350/day to $750/2 days)

Pants Size 2-12: female, 25-50, all ethnicities, 25-45, with a great big personality, who loves her cat, and isn’t afraid to shower attention on that cat on camera. Looking for Pants Sizes from 2 to 12 to do a Testimonial and Model the Pants. This is a work from home gig.

• Shoots June 26 (extras needed for

phone and/or camera. Submit your reel, portfolio, or a video introducing yourself.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to casting@tube-

• Pays a flat rate of $150 for a non-union,

all media buyout.

• Company: EmilyAnnRothFilm LLC.

Staff: Emily Ann Roth, casting dir.

Tech Company Commercial/ Branded Film

• Scheduled to shoot July in Salt Lake

City and Utah County.

• Casting a two-minute branded film for

• Seeking—Jia: female, 64-79, Asian, a

a Boston-based scientific instruments company. The film follows the recovery of a professional cyclist from a tragic accident through to his triumphant return to competitive cycling, all with the help of his family, medical staff, and trainer.

first-generation Korean American (other Asian backgrounds may also be included); a confident, fiery, and quirky woman who lives alone in a house that was once filled with family, she is a social person and craves to connect with her busy daughter and young grandchildren but isn’t sure how, acting experience a significant plus; as well as bilingual in actor’s first language and English (spoken English does not need to be perfect and heavy accents are definitely okay); pays $750 for one to two shoot days.

Sally: female, 35-45, Asian, Sally is Jia’s daughter, Sally is a nurse and single mother to both a son and daughter., she is smart, capable, and a hard worker, but a full work schedule and her kids stretch her to her limits, she loves her mom but can’t find the time to give her the connection she needs, acting experience also a significant plus, must be of the same ethnic background as Jia, bilingualism not required, pays $500 for one day shoot. Anne: female, 12, Asian, Anne is Sally’s oldest child, she is thoughtful, meticulous, and excels in school, she is not afraid to speak her mind, especially with her mom and brother, she admires grandma’s ability to speak English and Korean and enjoys her confidence and quirkiness, acting experience not required, must at least be the same ethnic background as Sally role, pays $350 for one day shoot. Jake: male, 9, Asian, Jake is a carefree and energetic boy, he loves to play and finds a new friend in his grandma, he thinks grandma is hilarious and loves joking with her, acting experience not required, must at least be the same ethnic

• Company: Glass Ink Media. Staff:

Andrea D., prod.

• Shoots mid-late July in the Boston, MA

area.

• Seeking—Professional Cyclist/Father:

dia.com.

• Date(s) TBD. • Seeking—Men & Women Looking to

age, phone, email, ethnicity, agency to emilyannrothfilmllc@gmail.com.

• Seeking submissions from UT. • For consideration, submit headshot,

(buyout).

• The actress should shoot herself with a

Fitness App Testimonial Video, Young Actress

Ford, casting prod.

headshot/photo and any reel or video clips.

• For all other roles, include a recent

• Pays $750/full day, $450/half-day

panda.com.

Online Commercials & Promos

• Company: Conde Nast. Staff: Nicole

background as Sally role, pays $350 for one day shoot.

tation for speaking roles.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to julian@bored-

male, 28-36, the lead of the video. Role requires cycling experience and involves filmed road cycling. Speaking role. Shoots over three days. If you have any photo or video content of you road cycling, include this in your submission.

Daughter: female, 10-15, a middleschool-age student with an interest in science. Helps her father (the professional cyclist) recover from his injury.

Speaking role. Shoots over three days.

Mother: female, 26-35, wife of the professional cyclist and mother of their daughter. Speaking role. Shoots over two days. Firefighter: male, 23-40, two firefighters who rescue the lead character. Role requires dialogue. One-day shoot. Trainer: 28-40, the professional cyclist’s trainer. He works with the cyclist to return to competitive form.

Speaking role. Shoots over two days.

Doctor: all genders, 28-50, doctor who assists in the cyclist’s recovery at the hospital. Speaking role. One-day shoot.

Physical Therapist: all genders, 28-45, physical therapist who guides the cyclist’s rehabilitation. Half-day shoot.

ferred. If you have any photo or video content of you road cycling, include this in your submission.

• Seeking submissions from MA. • Send submissions to info@glassinkme• For role of Professional Cyclist/Father,

cycling experience is strongly pre-

31

Singers ‘Brave Hearts for Broadway’ • Seeking singers who have either

worked on the front lines or as an essential worker. Producer states: “All medical/hospital personnel, police officers, medics, grocery story clerks, bank tellers, train conductors, flight attendants, pharmacy techs and more are invited to audition. If you worked the front lines or if your job required you to work in the public, you were essential and we want you to audition. This audition is to be part of The FrontLine Choir for a 90 minute to two hour virtual taped show premiering September 10, 2020 to benefit organizations like Actors Fund and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.” • Company: Brave Hearts for Broadway.

Staff: Michael E. Merritt, lead prod.; Tricia Brouk, dir.; Molly Brown, co-prod.-prod. lead; Jeff Brown, co-prod.-prod. lead; Matt Cusson, Terron Brooks, Elisa Nicolas, Andrew David Sotomayor, and Clé Holly, music & lyrics.

• Instructions, videos and music will be

provided to cast members. Works remotely. No travel required.

• Seeking—Choir Member: all genders,

15+, all ethnicities, a member of The FrontLIne Choir.

• Seeking submissions worldwide.

• Send submissions to info@bravehearts-

forbroadway.org.

• For more info on submitting and

recording your video audition visit www.braveheartsforbroadway.org and click on “FrontLine Choir” for audition instructions. Your video can post posted online or emailed directly.

Submissions deadline is July 10.

• No pay.

06.25.20 BACKSTAGE

Ask An Expert Agents Auditions Film Headshots Television Theater Unions Voiceover

Q:

Do you need a talent manager for your VO career?

—Sam H.

Our Expert

*Submit questions for our Experts on Backstage’s Facebook or Twitter accounts or via our forums page at backstage.com/forums!

The views expressed in this article are solely that of the individual(s) providing them, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Backstage or its staff.

BACKSTAGE 06.25.20

32

backstage.com

ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET RULING/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; BUTTRICK: COURTESY KELLEY BUTTRICK

Kelley Buttrick is a voiceover actor and a Backstage Expert.

The quick answer is no, but let’s dive into some related questions that might help you decide.

First, is there a difference between a manager and an agent? The answer can be confusing. Screenwriter Anna Klassen says on the ScreenCraft blog, “Agents are about today. Managers are about tomorrow.” Her definition rings true in the VO world, too. In my experience, the line between them is blurred in the voiceover industry and continues to get blurrier. An agent focuses on bringing work to the agency’s roster, which tends to be larger than a manager’s roster. Like agents, managers try to bring work to their roster. Agents, like managers, are dealing with casting directors and other voice booking entities, and both are interested in growing your career. The main difference in my own agent and manager relationships is in how they’re paid. My agents take 10–20% of jobs they book for me. My managers take 10% of my total VO income, no matter where that income originated.

I receive auditions from both and book work through both. Both are willing to talk to me about areas where I’d like to expand my VO career and submit me as an individual and as part of a roster. Both also help amplify my branding efforts.

Could your VO career benefit from a manager? Yes, but it could also benefit from pursuing a variety of paths. Agents and managers are out there hustling to bring work to the talent they represent, but there’s also a huge benefit to going out there and generating work on your own if you’re a nonunion voice actor. Search social media groups, the internet, and Backstage for how to get VO work, and you’ll be deluged with ideas. Make sure you have a variety of VO income streams rather than relying solely on one.

So, is a manager worth it? This answer is going to be different for each person. From a business perspective, you need to look at your ROI. From a growth perspective, you need to look inward to determine if your skills, network, and branding have grown. Ultimately, only you can decide if a manager is worth it.

The Slate

The Actor’s Quarantine Resource We’re not letting creativity + productivity stop in the face of coronavirus. We’re taking you directly to industry power players through Backstage Forums AMAs, Instagram takeovers and Q&As, YouTube Lives, and most excitingly, Zoom-hosted seminars for interactive group classes!

Guests include: Casting Director Robert Ulrich Casting Director Linda Lamontagne Talent Agent Jason Lockhart Casting Director Avy Kaufman Casting Director Carmen Cuba Talent Agent Chaim Magnum UK Casting Director Sophie Kingston-Smith Makeup Artist Bridie Coughlin Voiceover Actor Laurie Burke Voice Teacher Andrew Byrne and more!

To get all the details and view the full schedule, please visit backstage.com/magazine.

“WITHERSPOON PUNCTUATES HER PERFORMANCE WITH

SMALL CHOICES – A PINCHED FACE HERE, A CHILLY HAIR-TUCK THERE – THAT ARE LITTLE

MASTERPIECES OF PASSIVE AGGRESSION.”