10.22.20
A Touch of Magic Mark Rylance reveals the process that made him one of the greats
6 Pages OF CASTING NOTICES
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How “The Haunting of Bly Manor” star Oliver
Jackson-Cohen
found his confidence
So you landed an agent— now what?
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Summer Teen Ensemble
Contents The Green Room 4 Breaking down the unusual 2020 Tony nominations
6 This week’s roundup of who’s casting what starring whom
7 Oliver Jackson-Cohen talks “The Haunting of Bly Manor”
Advice 9 NOTE FROM THE CD
vol. 61, no. 24 | 10.22.20
Cover Story
Simply Sublime
He’s possibly the greatest living actor on Earth, but it seems at times that Mark Rylance may not be of this world at all page 12
Stand out for the right reasons
10 #IGOTCAST Trystan Colburn 10 SECRET AGENT MAN Lines of communication
Features 3 BACKSTAGE 5 WITH...
Noomi Rapace
8 MEET THE MAKER
Susanne Bier, “The Undoing” director
9 THE ESSENTIALISTS Glen Keane, director
11 IN THE ROOM WITH
Jason Wood
17 STRONGER TOGETHER Mat Fraser talks “CripTales” and how disabled actors make for better TV 24 ASK AN EXPERT Jason Lockhart on the best time of year to submit to agencies
Casting 18 New York Tristate 20 California 21 National/Regional Mark Rylance photographed by Henry J. Kamara on Sept. 23 in London. Cover designed by Ian Robinson.
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Backstage 5 With...
Noomi Rapace By Casey Mink
As both an actor and producer, Noomi Rapace feels a responsibility “to bring stories to life that might not be told if I don’t tell them.” It’s what led to her latest feature, “The Secrets We Keep,” which she stars in and executive produced; it’s now available on demand. Here, the actor talks inspiration, advice, and the extreme measures she took to land her role in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
ILLUSTRATION: NATHAN ARIZONA/PHOTO: LEV RADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
What performance should every actor see and why? Gary Oldman [in anything]. I remember when I saw him as Sid Vicious [in “Sid and Nancy”], I couldn’t believe that he was an actor. And then I saw him in “State of Grace” and I thought, He’s just magnetic. Then I saw him as Dracula [in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”] and thought, How is it possible this is the same person? And then I saw him as a director—he directed a film called “Nil by Mouth”—and I was so blown away. He’s just an incredible artist in every form.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to get a job? It’s not really getting a job, because I already had the role, but I was doing a lot of prep for a character, and I bleached my hair. I put in really long, ugly blond extensions. I lost weight, and I was doing research, I was spending time with people doing heavy drugs. It was a very intense period in my life, when I went really deep into this character—and then the movie fell apart three weeks before we were going to start shooting.
Do you have an audition horror story you can share? When I auditioned for Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” the producer wanted me because he’d seen me onstage, but the director kept saying that I was too feminine. I don’t know if this is a horror story, but for me, it was quite shocking to hear that I was too pretty and too girly and too feminine. I was like, “Wait, are we talking about the same person?” They called me back, and I dressed in my husband’s clothes and I was fully dressed as a man. I went in and said, “When I bring this to life, I’m going to do a piercing here in my eyebrows. I’m going to do my nose; I’m going to add three more to my ears.” I just went in and presented this whole plan to him: “I want to get a license for a motorcycle; I want to learn how to do all the fight scenes; I’m gonna cut my hair.” I remember seeing him totally overwhelmed and like he didn’t really have a choice. I am her; I understand her; I know her. And he was just like, “OK, I get it. Fine.”
How did you get your SAG-AFTRA membership? I think I was asked to join, and my team just asked me lots of questions and filled in the form. It feels a bit lazy! What is the advice you’d offer your younger self? I would tell Noomi to relax, chill. It’s OK. Don’t take yourself so bloody, deadly serious. I was so serious. I was so unkind to myself. I was very unforgiving toward myself. Now I try to have more fun with myself. I’m actually quite nerdy, and I’m stupid most of the day, and I allow myself to be.
“Stepping into the other side and being a producer, I can see more now why something can’t always work.”
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Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
Awards Season
The Nominees (Finally) Are…
Following uncertainty over whether the show would go on, the 2020 Tony Award nominations were announced last week By Casey Mink
BACKSTAGE 10.22.20
cutoff. (“West Side Story,” which opened Feb. 20, was thus out of the running.) On the musical front, jukebox tuners “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” and “Jagged Little Pill” are up for top honors; “Jagged Little Pill” leads the pack with a total of 15 nominations. Adrienne Warren—considered by many to be the frontrunner long before the shutdown—was recognized for her work in “Tina” in the leading actress in a musical category, alongside “Jagged Little Pill” star Elizabeth Stanley and Karen Olivo of “Moulin Rouge!”
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Also nominated for “Moulin Rouge!” is Aaron Tveit, the sole nominee for leading actor in a musical; featured actor Danny Burstein, notching his seventh nomination; and Sahr Ngaujah, also in the featured category. Burstein and Ngaujah are joined by Derek Klena and Sean Allan Krill for “Jagged Little Pill” and Daniel J. Watts for “Tina.” In the running for featured actress in a musical are Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, and Lauren Patten for “Jagged Little Pill,” Myra Lucretia Taylor for “Tina,” and Robyn Hurder for “Moulin Rouge!” On the play front, Jeremy
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MATTHEW MURPHY
IN A MOST UNUSUAL FASHion, James Monroe Iglehart announced nominations for the 2020 Tony Awards on Oct. 15, recognizing the best of 2019–20 Broadway—a season cut painfully short by the coronavirus pandemic. Still, many shows bowed before all theaters shuttered on March 12, though the Tony Awards eligibility committee determined only shows that opened on or before Feb. 19 would be considered. As such, only four musicals, four play revivals, and 10 plays were in contention for this year’s prizes; no musical revivals had the chance to open before the
O. Harris’ “Slave Play” leads with 12 nominations, the most ever for a non-musical straight play (as opposed to a play with music). The critical darling is nominated for best play alongside Matthew Lopez’s seven-hour saga “The Inheritance,” Bess Wohl’s dramedy “Grand Horizons,” Simon Stephens’ and Nick Payne’s two-for-one “Sea Wall/A Life,” and Adam Rapp’s haunting “The Sound Inside.” Contending for play revival are Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” Terrence McNally’s “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” and Charles Fuller’s “A Soldier’s Play.” The leading actor in a play category, expanded from the usual five nominees to six, is comprised of Ian Barford for “Linda Vista,” Andrew Burnap for “The Inheritance,” both Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge for “Sea Wall/A Life,” Tom Hiddleston for “Betrayal,” and Blair Underwood for “A Soldier’s Play.” Leading actress in a play nominees include Joaquina Kalukango for “Slave Play,” Laura Linney for “My Name Is Lucy Barton,” Audra McDonald for “Frankie and Johnny,” and Mary-Louise Parker for “The Sound Inside.” At the time of nominations and as of this writing, the American Theatre Wing and Broadway League have still not announced a date for the actual Tony Awards, nor is it clear where or how the 74th annual ceremony will be broadcast. These nominations come on the heels of the news that Broadway theaters will remain closed until at least June 2021. “Don’t worry,” said Iglehart before signing off. “Broadway will be back. And it’ll be worth the wait.”
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story from 1980s Detroit. The series follows two brothers, Terry and Demetrius Flenory, as they give rise to an influential crime family, getting involved in both the city’s drug trade and hip-hop scene. Along the way, the loyalty between the brothers begins to erode. While 50 Cent isn’t anticipated to act in the series, his production company, G-Unit Film & Television, will executive produce alongside Randy Huggins, who is also writing the series. Kim Coleman is casting the project, which has yet to attach any actors. Production is set to begin in Atlanta in January 2021.
Officer Spock (Ethan Peck). Set directly before “Star Trek: The Original Series,” “Strange New Worlds” will follow Pike and his crew as they explore alien planets across the galaxy. Casting is going through the office of Simkin/Sitowitz, which has already added Mount, Romijn, and Peck, reprising their roles from “Discovery.” Production on the pilot is aiming for a February 2021 start date in Toronto.
‘Star Trek’ Travels Back in Time A new addition to the franchise goes back to the beginning 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! Please note that shoot dates are subject to state and county restrictions and may change. Refer to Call Sheet for updates, and keep checking Backstage for the latest news on project development during this time.
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“Black Mafia Family” As part of an overall deal with Starz, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will executive produce “Black Mafia Family,” based on a true
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Adrienne Warren’s Big Week By Casey Mink
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IN ADDITION TO RECEIVING HER SECond Tony Award nomination for playing the titular role in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” Adrienne Warren had even more reason to celebrate this week: It’s been announced that the triple threat will lead ABC’s “Women of the Movement,” portraying Mamie Till-Mobley, a mother who is seeking justice for the murder of her son, Emmett Till. The six-episode limited series is the work of creator Marissa Jo Cerar and will be produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith, among others. A premiere is set for some point in 2021.
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“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Following the success of “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Picard,” CBS All Access is launching a new series in the franchise among a handful of other original content. Spinoff “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” co-created by Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, and Jenny Lumet, has been added to the streaming service’s 2021–22 season. The show will explore the years before Captain Kirk set foot on the iconic USS Enterprise. The crew includes Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), and Science
EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX
What’s Casting
“The Guilty” Jake Gyllenhaal is officially signed on to star in upcoming film “The Guilty,” a remake of 2018 Danish thriller “Den Skyldige.” The Netflix project tells the story of a cop who, after being demoted to desk duty at an emergency call center, receives a call from a woman who has been kidnapped. As he helps her find her way to safety, he grapples with his own difficult past. Gyllenhaal is currently the only actor attached to the crime drama. Betty Mae is handling the casting for the movie, which is set to shoot this November in Los Angeles.
you, I find it so weird because it then becomes a fake performance that you’re doing. So whenever I have the option, I’ll go, ‘I’ll tape, thank you!’ ”
Tahirah Sharif and Oliver Jackson-Cohen on “The Haunting of Bly Manor”
Gaining confidence in your choices as an actor can take time. “I feel it’s important to defend something that you really, truly believe and think is right for a character, but ultimately, you’ll just get fired [early on]. I was so worried [about] getting fired, so I’d just be like, ‘I’ll do what you want!’ But I think over time, you build up a certain amount of confidence—of trusting not that you know better, but [that] what you feel is going to be a choice [that] will resonate honestly in a way for you.”
The Slate
follow-up to “The Haunting of Hill House.” While quarantining in Greece before filming his latest screen project, JacksonCohen spoke with Backstage as part of our Slate programming about “Bly Manor,” which premiered earlier this month. He emphasized the core tenet of his acting work: making every character he plays his own.
Finding His Confidence “The Haunting of Bly Manor” star Oliver Jackson-Cohen goes for the bold choice By Gillian Russo
The following interview for Backstage’s on-camera series The Slate was compiled in part 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 your questions.
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HBO Max Sets ‘Sex Lives’ Cast EIKE SCHROTER/NETFLIX
MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON
By Casey Mink
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OLIVER JACKSON-COHEN IS making 2020 his year. Following the February release of the critically acclaimed “The Invisible Man” remake, in which he starred alongside Elisabeth Moss as the titular villain, he wrapped filming on Mike Flanagan’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor” on Netflix, the
“Bly Manor” carries over some of the themes of “Hill House,” but sets itself apart. “Similar to the first season, the idea of ghosts—ghosts don’t have to be these spectral things. They are things in our lives that follow us and things that have been an imprint on our life, and [my character] has done that in a way that’s made it about love.”
CASTING HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED for all four leading roles in the upcoming HBO Max series “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” Co-written by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the comedy will star Pauline Chalamet (sister to Timothée, making her television debut), Amrit Kaur, Reneé Rapp, and Alyah Chanelle Scott as students and roommates at the elite New England Essex College. Along with writing, Kaling International will produce the series in association with Warner Bros. Television. A premiere date is not yet known, nor is there a production timeline.
Jackson-Cohen still prefers self-tapes over live auditions. “I’m terrible at auditions…. I have this thing that acting is that base of stuff—you listen and you respond, and so it’s a sort of Ping-Pong match that goes on. And if the reader is sort of doing this [staring down at a script] and not looking at
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Now, Jackson-Cohen finds himself in every script and character he takes on. “The idea of playing a part is something that I find quite strange. I think that it always has to come from somewhere in you, so that’s the first step, is finding how to tap into something and then make it your own. And I know, with ‘Bly Manor,’ for example, [my character] Peter [Quint], on the page—the idea of Peter was very different from what I ended up bringing to it. And I kept on saying to Mike [Flanagan], ‘It would be more interesting or more human if we explored this part.’ ” He encourages other actors to do the same. “At the beginning, I was just sort of doing what I was told and doing what I thought people wanted me to do or wanted of me. And I think something changes when you start to go, ‘Well, hold on a minute. Where does this lie within me? What can I bring?’ There has to be this kind of click within you.” Want to hear more from Jackson-Cohen? Watch our full interview at backstage.com/ magazine, and follow us on Instagram: @backstagecast.
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Susanne Bier, “The Undoing” director By Casey Mink
Hugh Grant, Noma Dumezweni, and Nicole Kidman on “The Undoing”
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you need to cast accordingly,” she says. “When I see a weak movie or a weak television show, I see it in all the smaller bits. You have a star here, but you haven’t actually focused on all the smaller bits, and it just doesn’t work. Every single role needs to be accurately and very finely tuned in terms of cast.” Fortunately for “The Undoing,” which comes from “Big Little Lies” creator David E. Kelly and premieres Oct. 25, the cast’s magnetism wasn’t an issue; the leads are Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, and the ensemble
“If you cast one person in a particular role, it asks lots of questions of the other roles, and you need to cast accordingly.”
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is rounded out by Donald Sutherland, Lily Rabe, Michael Devine, and Noma Dumezweni. “It’s also about: Who do you think is a sexy couple? There is an intuitive sense of whether people make a great couple, because you can see amazing actors, and sometimes there isn’t really any energy between them,” Bier says. “And I felt there would be that [chemistry] with the two of them [Kidman and Grant]. “You can see her as coming from a very privileged background, but you can also see that she’s someone with huge secrets,” she says of Kidman, who was already attached when Bier joined the project. “And Hugh Grant—he wanted to do something very different. It’s
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COURTESY HBO
LIKE ROMANCE ITSELF, director Susanne Bier knows great casting sessions are the result of something indefinable. “When actors come into the room, I want to be seduced by them. I want to kind of feel that I’m falling in love with them,” she says. “It’s also that sort of intangible [question], Am I fascinated by this person?” But Bier, who directed every episode of HBO’s upcoming limited series “The Undoing,” also knows that a single magnetic performer cannot bring a project to life. Any palpable spark, she argues, depends on near-molecular connections among all those onscreen. “If you cast one person in a particular role, it asks lots of questions of the other roles, and
one of those things where you have this incredible charm, and you also have a strong sense there’s a lot of other things going on. But you are always seduced by the charm.” Based on the Jean Hanff Korelitz novel “You Should Have Known,” the series follows a high-powered Manhattan therapist (Kidman) who is forced to take drastic measures after her husband goes missing and her life begins to unravel. After reading a draft of the first episode, Bier—best known for directing the 2018 Netflix thriller “Bird Box” and the Emmy-winning 2016 BBC miniseries “The Night Manager”—met with Kelley and gave him a creative ultimatum of sorts. “I was like, ‘Look, I think this could go two ways: It could either be more drama or more thriller, and I’d be very keen to do this if it becomes more thriller,’ ” she recalls. “And he totally agreed. David is super collaborative. He clearly has an opinion, but he is also incredibly curious and open, and very keen. He’s so confident in what he does that he’s not at all about power games. Once he feels comfortable that we have the same show in our heads, he is very respectful and kind of steps aside and just enjoys watching.” Her relationship with Kelley and her work on “The Undoing” in general exemplifies Bier’s advice for emerging directors, particularly those who are women: Make a decision, and it will become the right one. “A lot of decisions for a director are arbitrary, and sometimes it’s just more important to be able to trust that decision,” she insists. “I want to own my own thing. Don’t let anybody frighten your own trust in yourself, ever.”
ILLUSTRATION: MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON; “OVER THE MOON”: NETFLIX
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Stand Out for the Right Reasons
THE ESSENTIALISTS
GLEN KEANE director
GLEN KEANE was instrumental in what’s now known as the Disney animation renaissance, animating such classics as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” and “Pocahontas.” But with “Over the Moon,” which hits Netflix Oct. 23, he was given the reins as a feature director for the first time.
By Marci Liroff
COURTESY HBO
ILLUSTRATION: MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON; “OVER THE MOON”: NETFLIX
I’VE BEEN TEACHING SEVeral online classes over the last few months, and one question that consistently comes up is: What makes my audition stand out? It’s a tough one to answer because, as a longtime casting director, I know a talented actor when I see one. So much of it is subjective, but my yearshoned instinct for noticing talent usually wins out. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, actors are strictly auditioning remotely. This means we casting directors are viewing large numbers of self-taped auditions, along with holding auditions over online platforms like Zoom, Skype, WeAudition, and others. If you aren’t fully prepared to selftape in your home and audition over these platforms, now is the time to learn. I attended a Casting Society of America webinar the other day that focused on self-taped
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auditions. One of the takeaways was that, for now, CDs are definitely cutting actors some slack in terms of the technology. No one is expecting a perfect tape. We do not want you putting yourself in harm’s way by going to a professional taping facility. We realize that many actors live alone and don’t have the proper equipment, much less a good reader. We’re happy so long as you are well-lit, the sound is good, and you’ve done the proper prep. But in terms of really standing out, there’s a lot to be said for good old-fashioned charisma and magnetism. That’s something you can’t buy. Obviously, being über-prepared is a given. After that, showing us your authentic self is first on my list. I can always tell when an actor is pushing and straining to become the character. There is no try, just be. You should disappear into the character.
Inspiration for animation is everywhere; you just have to look for it. “The way a woman may be holding her baby on her hip and not even thinking about it, the way she holds them—you know there’s love there,
By Casey Mink and there’s a moment coming somewhere in your animation where you’re going to need that little bit of truth to put into your work. It’s observing the world around you and finding a way to bring that into your work. People identify with it. That’s been the key for me throughout my whole career.” “Over the Moon” is this generation’s “The Little Mermaid.” “The No. 1 thing for me is to identify with the character. That was the first prerequisite for me to direct [‘Over the Moon’], saying yes to: Do I believe in this
Look at a few of Meryl Streep’s characters and you’ll see that she is no longer there, because she’s subsumed by her character. Additionally, we often suggest that actors make a strong choice when they’re auditioning. My coaching clients constantly tell me they’re worried that their strong choice will be the wrong choice. Especially with self-taped auditions, you can feel as if you’re acting in a vacuum, as there is no immediate feedback in the room. But here’s what I see: If an actor makes a strong choice that’s headed in the wrong direction, and if they seem to be right for the role, I want to work with them to steer them back in the right direction. Because they’ve made a strong choice, I can see they are an intelligent actor and have done the work, which indicates that giving them adjustments, notes, and
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character? Can I live in her skin? Do I really get her? And Fei Fei [made me feel] like, Wow, I want to animate her. It felt like Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid’ for me. I knew this character from the moment I started reading her…. You dive into the thing that you’re most familiar with, and that’s drawing for me.”
direction is worthwhile. The thing that I miss about live auditions is that indescribable feeling I get when I’m in the presence of a talented human being. Their ease and confidence while performing can change the chemistry of a room. I’m sure you’ve felt this when you’re at a dinner party and your seatmate is easy to talk to—or, on the flip side, if they have toxic, inauthentic energy. You can feel it immediately. That energy is infectious, and it can inspire us or it can make us feel like we want to run out of the room! Do what you can to bring the best of the IRL experience to the camera.
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familiar faces. You can start by not disappearing. Seriously. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve signed someone and then never heard from them. I’m not suggesting we hang out on the weekends, but it’s a good idea for us to have some kind of a relationship. I imagine the reason for this vanishing act is that actors have always been told not to bother their agents with too many calls or emails. There’s some truth to that, but you can’t just go into radio silence mode. You need to find the middle ground.
You might be thinking the burden is on me to know my clients better. I’ll carry some of that weight, but consider this…
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Trystan Colburn By Jalen Michael Keeping an open mind is important for TRYSTAN COLBURN. However, he also knows how special it is to find a role that he relates to deeply.
Backstage brings roles to you. “Backstage has a lot of quality casting calls of all levels. It’s nice to see what’s casting and what I would be a good fit for. I love it when I find an LGBTQ+ role that I believe would be a good match, because I get to shine in a way I couldn’t in other roles.” Opportunities to learn are all around you. “Being on set is a great opportunity to connect and hear about other artists’ journeys. It’s all a learning experience in which you get to decide what may work for you and what won’t.” Patience and honesty go a long way. “My best advice [is] to just be yourself. Be patient and honest with yourself. Even if you don’t know who you are or feel like you’re lost, trust that you’ll find your way eventually.”
TO SEE YOUR SUCCESS story in print, tweet @Backstage using the hashtag #IGotCast, or email us at igotcast@ backstage.com.
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ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; COLBURN: CHRIS JON PHOTOGRAPHY
CONGRATULATIONS ON signing with a brand-new agent. That’s great news! In this business, every accomplishment should be applauded, so go ahead and start clapping. Now, what’s your next move? I guess you could sit back and wait for the auditions to pour in. Or you could head down to the local Porsche dealership for a test drive. Those are fun ideas, but I’d like to present a third: You could try to forge an effective relationship with your new reps. As the latest client to join their roster, you’re just a name on a list. They have placed you in a generic category like “white male, 25–30,” and that’s how you’re being submitted. The problem is you’re not the only one there, so you have to find a way to rise above that pack of
#IGOTCAST.
RAQUEL APARICIO
Secret Agent Man
So if my assistant calls you with an audition, feel free to send me a quick email explaining how excited you are about the opportunity. That’s a positive moment of connection. And you should definitely give me a call after the audition to tell me how it went. As an agent, I set up auditions, but I don’t get to be there; I will always take a call from a client who just had one and is eager to fill me in on the details. That’s another positive moment of connection. There are also personal ways to accomplish the same goal. I remember this one time when a client bonded with me in a quick but effective manner: When we first met, I mentioned that I live in on the west side of Los Angeles. A few weeks later, he gave me a quick call to tell me about this amazing restaurant he had discovered in my area. And that was it. No business was discussed. That call seamlessly bonded us on a more personal level. You might be thinking the burden is on me to know my clients better. I’ll carry some of that weight, but consider this: My office has three agents and 140 clients, and there are only so many hours in the day. You could help me out by at least making an effort. I promise I’ll respond in kind! Now, it’s time for a quick note about managers. These days, everyone seems to have one; and that’s totally cool, but your manager should never act as a buffer between us. This means that if I need to speak with you, I will call you directly. I will not go through a manager. And that’s that. Once again, congrats on your new reps! Now, take the time to get to know them; just be smart about how you do it. Don’t be a name on a list when you can be so much more.
culture +
Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know
In the Room With
Jason Wood
The Lifetime casting exec and consultant says that there’s something for every actor on the network By Elyse Roth
RAQUEL APARICIO
ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; COLBURN: CHRIS JON PHOTOGRAPHY
DESCRIBING A LIFETIME ORIGINAL MOVIE IS BEST LEFT TO THE old adage, “You know one when you see one.” The network is known for its niche within the genre of TV film in style, content, and aesthetic. (It’s a little soapy, a little campy, and it definitely goes down easy.) Both actors new to the craft and those with long résumés can be seen across the cabler’s wide array of stories, from true crime to Christmastime. Jason Wood, Lifetime and A&E’s casting consultant, oversees the networks’ casting operations and is always trying to find the best talent for an ever-increasing slate of programming. As the person who gets to see contenders across the networks, he says he’s always on the lookout for confident actors who fit the diverse stories being told. How is your role different from what an independent CD does? The casting director is more of the online day to day. They’re in the room with the actors doing the auditions, taping, setting up the callbacks, making the lists, really making sure the producers and directors see the right
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people for each project. I work closely with the casting director and the producers and directors to make sure everybody has all the support they need to do their best work and to help guide them in some ways. I also keep an eye on where the Lifetime brand is and the talent that we
look for—at least, some leads in the movies—and then to help manage the process internally. What is the casting process like for a Lifetime project? For Lifetime movies, there aren’t that many hurdles, and movies are the bulk of our scripted programming. A lot of times, you audition, go on tape, the producers love you and send your audition forward to the network, it’s approved, and you’re off for wardrobe. Occasionally, there are callbacks. If we’re doing biopics based on real people, there could be additional steps in terms of coming back and doing chemistry reads. Sometimes we’ll even do a hair and makeup test.
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What is the Lifetime brand identity you think about when casting? Lifetime as a brand has always been female-focused, and our priority has always been creating opportunities for women in front of and behind the camera. There will always be accurate and, hopefully, full representations of women in our movies; they tend to be the leads; a lot of it is self-empowerment, some of it is wish fulfillment. Occasionally, it’s victim to victor. That’s been a big priority for us, and I think for quite a while, a majority of our movies have been directed by women. Diversity has always been very important to us: ethnicity, gender identity, shape. Everything should look like the world we live in. What can an actor expect from auditioning for you? I hope they come in confident about their audition and leave feeling like they had a collaborative, positive experience. That’s really the most you walk away with. It’s audition to audition, not job to job. If you’re doing good work, the right job will find you. What is memorable to you in the audition room? I think when an actor is self-aware and not self-conscious, it comes through in the audition. You see somebody being vulnerable and inhabiting the dialogue as it’s written. They might not be the perfect fit, but you have a sense of who that actor is. We respond to that authenticity. An authentic, vulnerable, illuminating audition will stand out, even if that person is not right for the part they’re auditioning for.
Want more?
Read the full interview at backstage.com/magazine
10.22.20 BACKSTAGE
He’s possibly the greatest living actor on Earth, but it seems at times that Mark Rylance may not be of this world at all By Casey Mink Photographed by Henry J. Kamara
Simply Sublime “You have a need to convince yourself you’re not there, that it’s someone else standing in front of people. Your own need not to make a fool of yourself, to not be thought of as bad—you have to overwhelm that with something, and so you overwhelm it with the objectives, the actions, the obstacles, and the characteristics of the character you’re playing. “You invest so much in that situation,” he continues. “You have a need to invest in that situation because of your own fear.” It’s just after 10 a.m. GMT on an early autumn day, and Rylance has no qualms about wading into ponderous territory, even as he’s still finishing his preferred hot beverage. He’s chatting via Zoom from his London home, the city in which he has primarily lived, worked, and advocated for various social and political causes since finishing high school stateside. He has heavily invested in the U.K.’s institutions, as they have in him; after training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rylance made his professional debut at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow. That was in 1980, 15 years before he went on to serve a 10-year stint as the first artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe, where he has starred in 18 productions to date. He’s won two Olivier Awards for his work in the West End and was knighted in 2017 for his contributions to theater. But his successes aren’t limited to one side of the pond. He’s appeared in six plays on Broadway, and in 2016, he won the Academy Award for his portrayal of a real-life 1950s Soviet intelligence officer in Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies.”
AFTER TWO OF HIS THREE TONY AWARD WINS, IN 2008 AND 2011, Mark Rylance recited the work of poet Louis Jenkins in lieu of a traditional acceptance speech. “Unlike flying or astral projection,” he intoned from memory, holding the trophy he’d just been given for his performance in Jez Butterworth’s “Jerusalem,” “walking through walls is a totally earth-related craft, but a lot more interesting than pot making or driftwood lamps.” The moment was deeply triumphant, but those watching in the audience at the Beacon Theatre or on television at home didn’t know the half of it. “I couldn’t speak very well when I was a young boy, and I was taken to speech therapy classes,” Rylance recalls. “I was—I still am—primarily a listener and an observer, in that I didn’t have a lot of faith in my tone and my mouth’s ability to keep up with the speed of my thoughts and my imagination.” That Rylance, regarded by many as one of our greatest living actors and by even more as the greatest living interpreter of Shakespeare, struggled with language early on has colored his entire understanding of acting. In fact, it is what lured him to the craft in the first place. “The common conception of actors is that we are showoffs, that we like to have a lot of people looking at us,” he says. “And actually, in my case, it’s the absolute opposite that caused me to be an actor, in that the only way I really felt comfortable when I was a kid was to create imaginary situations.” In imagination, Rylance insists, there is dissociation:
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10.22.20 BACKSTAGE
With Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
With Eddie Redmayne in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
BACKSTAGE 10.22.20
I’m Farinelli,” he says of the title roles in “Richard III” and Claire van Kampen’s “Farinelli and the King,” both of which he’s performed in London and New York. “I’ve got to go out and say these words. What do I want? What’s in my way? Why am I speaking? What do I need? What do I want to say? “But actually...” he recalibrates for a moment. “I’ve even been questioning that as limiting, too. There’s a danger, even with those concepts in your mind, of limiting your ability to be present. You have to be careful about that, about plotting and planning results, I find.” Despite the endless hours he commits to finding the way a character should sound, Rylance becomes depressed every time he watches one of his films, convinced he didn’t get it just right. It’s why he says that he will no longer watch his on-camera performances; the self-criticism is not constructive. More perilously, thinking too closely about your own performance, by ridiculing it or otherwise, is the enemy of the actor’s eternal question: What is the objective? “Absolutely simple answer: to be present,” he says. “When I was younger, my own critical thoughts were, at times, completely overwhelming and made the process very painful, so that many times, I really thought I should quit, that I couldn’t cope with it,” he says. “And they obviously can stop you from being present with the whole of yourself. The great moments are when you feel completely present with your whole body and your mind and your emotions, and even your soul and spirit. You just feel, in a way, more alive than you do when you’re not acting, and that’s the drug for me.”
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NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX
He got an Emmy nomination for the BBC Two adaptation of “Wolf Hall,” and had standout roles in “Ready Player One” (a reunion with Spielberg), “Dunkirk,” and Disney’s live-action “The BFG.” All this to say that there is no Mark Rylance “type.” On a dime, he gives you towering, then neurotic, and he can match any regional dialect down to the vowel. Given his fixation with language, it’s no surprise that’s where he starts with every new character. “I find the way people speak is the thing that really obsesses me,” he says. “When I feel like it sounds right in my own ear, then I feel I’m in the person. And when it doesn’t sound right, that’s very panicky for me. With Colonel Abel in ‘Bridge of Spies,’ there was a tiny bit of footage of him being arrested, but that was very key to me, just watching that over and over again.” When Rylance says a character’s verbal tendencies obsess him, he means it. Currently, he’s preparing to play the golfer Maurice Flitcroft, who, in 1976, shot the all-time worst round at the British Open Championship. “The worst golfer in the history of golf,” Rylance says with a chuckle. “Fortunately, there’s a little clip of him on breakfast television back in the early ’80s. That little clip will become really essential to me. I will watch it thousands of times by the time the film is done. I’ll watch it every morning; I’ll have it on a tape recorder.” But it isn’t just how his characters are speaking; it’s what they’re saying—and, more importantly, why. A grasp on their intent, even a tentative one, is crucial. “So, here, I’m entering. I’m the first player to speak. I’m Richard or
The great moments are when you feel completely present with your whole body and your mind and your emotions, and even your soul and spirit.
NIKO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX
In talking about acting, Rylance frequently references the apex of the physical and spiritual worlds, sounding more like a practitioner of religion than craft. When ask if he considers acting to be a game of psychology, he shakes his head. Though the psyche is present, the brain alone, he’s certain, could never account for the liminal space created during a performance, particularly a live performance. “Yes, it’s psychological, but it’s also very physical and visceral. Visceral, I think, is the word. Sensual,” he says. “Of course, psyche is everywhere—in the physical world, in the spiritual world, in between. The waking world sometimes seems more like a dream than the dreaming world. Particularly in the theater, there are moments of collective unconscious and of a collective spirit in the room [that] you can’t create. It’s a random thing; it’s a touch of grace, really. I find, onstage, I get new thoughts, I get new awareness of what the story is about. There’s a connection between the actors that’s not just psychological, but actually lifting into an area of a collective spirit.” Tapping into that sublime present can frequently prove challenging, particularly during a long run of a play. However, Rylance has found some effective tricks. For starters, he allows himself to transcend his physical surroundings by first becoming intimately attuned to them. He also takes time to envision that evening’s audience—where they came from, the method they used to purchase their tickets, the young people who will watch and may themselves become actors one day. “I imagine, quite intensely, the place, what the present is, because the present has all these influences—some tangible, some intangible, some conscious, some unconscious. Your mind will be focusing on aims and objectives or past successes or failures, and pull you out of the present,” he says. “One of the things I really try to do is wake my senses: my smell,
BACKSTAGE 10.22.20
my hearing, my touch. And so I like to play a game of volleyball in the stalls of the theater, and we’ll play for about half an hour before acting a play. That just brings you right into the present, and it also awakens a kind of childish sense of play, which is the other thing you really need on a film set or on the stage: wanting to play, really.” Though his heart is in—and of—the theater, Rylance continues his prolific on-camera streak. He’ll likely enter the awards conversation again next year for his standout work in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is now streaming on Netflix. Rylance’s performance has already been singled out among those of Jeremy Strong, Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. But don’t expect Rylance to be a regular fixture on the press circuit during this unusual awards season. (He famously did no publicity or campaigning the year he won the Oscar.) As is by this point clear, he is not in pursuit of industry prizes or prestige. Though he insists that acting healed him as a young person (as well as making him less susceptible to drugs and other forms of release), it’s now something that gives him overwhelming joy. The act of unearthing, of searching for a character’s reasons to be, is simply what he loves to do. “Underneath those outer things of convincing myself I am this person, I’m hunting for what the person needs, what drives them. Because if you get that desire right, the thoughts and the actions will follow correctly,” he says, speaking to the actor’s ever-elusive process. “The mind gives shape to the unconscious needs and desires of what you might call the heart. And then the will decides which form is going to be spoken or acted upon. “This is all very obvious stuff,” he adds with a wink. “I’m not very clever.”
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Jackie Hagan, Liz Carr, Carly Houston, Mat Fraser, Ruth Madeley, and Robert Softley Gale on “CripTales”
Stronger Together Mat Fraser talks “CripTales” and how disabled actors make for better TV
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO/BBC AMERICA
By Allison Considine THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY has a long history of presenting stories about people with disabilities without their input. BBC America’s anthology series “CripTales,” which premiered earlier this month, aims to change that by bringing disabled artists to the fore. The anthology series features six short monologues written, directed, and performed by people with disabilities. The series was curated by Mat Fraser, an actor, writer, and disability advocate known for “American Horror Story: Freak Show” and “His Dark Materials.” “The whole process of writers choosing subjects and choosing actors was a real joy,” says Fraser, who also wrote and stars in one of the monologues. The other writers include Jack Thorne, Genevieve Barr, Tom Wentworth, and Matilda Ibini. Fraser’s only
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parameter for the writers was for the stories to be truthful and “not safe,” he says. “They did not disappoint—there’s some really intense stuff.” The episodes include stories about a disabled actor lamenting the audition process, a wheelchair user contemplating getting an abortion in the 1960s, a woman dealing with the inefficient benefits system in the U.K., a young man exploring his sexual freedom upon getting his first electric wheelchair, an amputee looking for love, and a wheelchair user grappling with a controlling caretaker. These monologues, which run the gamut from surprising to heartbreaking, are performed by Robert Softley Gale, Ruth Madeley, Jackie Hagan, Liz Carr, and Carly Houston. “These monologues prove that the industry is missing out on a
huge section of voices that have exciting stories to tell,” says Fraser. “Bring us in, and we’ll help make dramas better, is all I can say.” October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and “CripTales” serves as an example of the importance of inclusive hiring practices and meeting employee needs. For the project, BBC America procured an accessible studio, and Fraser spoke with the crew about how to best work with actors with disabilities before the filming began. “A lot of people would rather just not talk about it because they’re afraid of saying the wrong thing, and so I had to blow that open a bit,” he says. The “CripTales” team worked together to create an environment that allowed the actors to do their best work. “My one overarching goal
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with ‘CripTales’ is that each creative disabled person involved in it gets one more job in the television industry,” says Fraser. “That would be the real mark of success.” Looking back on his long career, Fraser notes that accessibility and representation in the entertainment industry has improved. “I find there’s a real ease with disability where there hadn’t been before. One of the reasons is a lack of embarrassment; there’s more willingness to learn.” Plus, producers and studios are “finally realizing that they do need disabled writers to tell their own stories, or stories involving people with disabilities,” he says. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the 10th anniversary of the U.K.’s Equality Act. These milestones come at a major turning point— the coronavirus pandemic, which has opened up accessible performance and viewing opportunities for actors and audiences alike. While “CripTales” was filmed before the pandemic brought the industry to a standstill, the series’ format and delivery is apt for the moment. “The monologue is ideally suited to this weird post-lockdown COVID-ian society we find ourselves in,” says Fraser. With theaters shut down and many film and TV projects on hold, the Zoom monologue has become de rigueur. “It’s a window of opportunity for disabled people because it has leveled the playing field, metaphorically and literally.” For Fraser, the premiere of “CripTales,” which is available to stream for free via BBC America, AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, and AMC+ throughout the month of October, points to a more inclusive future. “This is the way things go forward: little blips in landscapes, opportunities are made, dances are taken, and then they can’t go back,” he explains. “It’s all very well to open the door, but what we need to do is literally remove the door from the frame so that people can come through.”
10.22.20 BACKSTAGE
Plays Musicals Film TV & Video Commercial Modeling Variety Voiceover Gigs Events
Submit a Notice |
New York Tristate Plays ‘Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley’
• Seeking photo and resume submissions
from Equity actors for “Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley.” Synopsis: Lizzy & Darcy. Jane & Bingley. Lydia & Wickham. But whither poor Mary, the bookish, oft-neglected middle sister of the Bennet clan? In this delightful sequel to Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” Mary takes her turn at center stage and possibly even love as a Christmas celebration at Pemberley brings together beloved characters in a droll and delicious new holiday story. There are some new faces (one in particular) and a new tradition that involves dragging an evergreen tree from out of doors and standing it in the middle of a room. • Company: Syracuse University. Staff:
Robert M. Hupp, artistic dir.-dir.; Laura Gunderson and Margot Melcon, writers; Harriet Bass Casting, casting; Harriet Bass, casting dir.; Gama Valle, casting assoc. • Rehearsals/Filming Nov. 10-Dec. 4,
2020 in Syracuse, NY; runs Dec. 4-20 (streaming.) Note: The production will rehearse and film in Syracuse, NY. First week of rehearsals will be via Zoom.
• Seeking—Arthur de Bourgh: 18+, male
identifying, 22, any ethnicity; a studious, unsociable, only child who has never been around women or large families; he is a loner who prefers books to people; he has recently inherited a large estate and has no idea what to do next. Fitzwilliam Darcy: 18+, male identifying, 30, any ethnicity; a loving, generous, and smart (if slightly stiff) husband; he is quiet and vigilant and thus sees what others often miss; he knows what being lovelorn is like. • Seeking submissions from NY. • Auditions will be self-tape by appoint-
ment only. For consideration, email your photo and resume to hbasscasting@gmail.com. No physical submissions are being accepted at this time. Submissions deadline is Oct. 27.
BACKSTAGE 10.22.20
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. • From submissions received, selected
Casting picks of the week
actors will be invited to submit a video audition. Callbacks will be held virtually Oct. 30 by appointment only. Harriet Bass Casting encourages people of all races, ages, ethnicities, abilities and gender identities to apply. Note: BIPOC performers are highly encouraged to apply.
BY LISA HAMIL
stage
• Pays $924/wk. min. (pending AEA
approval.) Equity URTA Agreement.
‘Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley’ Celebrate the holidays in this Syracuse, NY Equity production
‘We Are America’
• Seeking photo and resume submissions
from Equity actors for “We Are America.” Note: Zoom Reading Will be streamed for seven days. Play celebrates American diversity and honors the current events tradition of Hallie Flanagan’s Living Newspaper.
tv
‘The Gilded Age’ Memorialize the past for this HBO production shooting in Sleepy Hollow and Long Island, NY
• Staff: Del Fidanque, playwright-dir. • Rehearsals Nov. 5, 2020 from 1-2:15
p.m. and Nov. 10, 2020 from 1-3:30 p.m. over zoom; reading runs Nov. 12, 2020 from 1-2:15 p.m. • Seeking—Young Woman #1: female,
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20-35, all ethnicities, perky, inquisitive and somewhat of a nuisance. Able to read transliterations in Italian and Yiddish while also speaking fluent English throughout the piece. Replacement actor.
‘We Are America’ Honor American diversity in this Equity virtual production
voiceover
• Seeking submissions from NY. • For consideration, email photo and
Medical Explainer Videos Play doctor for this remote voiceover opportunity for a national healthcare provider
resume to weareamerica@optimum. net. Submissions deadline is Nov. 3. • Pays $80 Stipend sent via mail after
performance. Equity Staged Reading Code.
‘Devil’s Due’
• Production states: ”Film is a spinoff of
‘Billy’s Cult,’ the 2013 feature film and winner of the Buffalo Screams Festival, Nevada International Film Festival, NJ Horrorfest among many others. Devil’s Due is the first piece of a short digital horror anthology series.”
• Company: All That’s Good Productions.
Staff: Elena Ordille, casting dir.
• Shoots Oct. 30-Nov. 2 in Woolwich, NJ. • Seeking—Jules: female, 18-28,
Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial,
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good.tv.
• For consideration, include your avail-
ability in your cover letter and a video audition with your submission. You may use a monologue of your choice, or read the sides provided upon request. Note: Candidates must be local to South Jersey. • Pay TBD.
Student Films ‘Al-ison’
• Casting “Al,” a 6-10 minute pilot epi-
sode for a Hofstra University Television Production class. It is a dramedy set in a NYC apartment and is about a recent college graduate coming to terms with their gender identity as non-binary. • Company: Hofstra University. Staff:
Haley Torres, dir.; Alex Cianciolo, AD; Jack Vitale, cinematographer; Jennie Golub, script supervisor; Lior Molder, writer-production designer. • Shoots Nov. 10 (1-8 p.m.); reshoots (if
necessary) Nov. 14 (1-8 p.m.) in Huntington, NY.
• Production states: “Note that the sec-
‘Persuasion’ Be persuaded to join San Jose, CA’s Equity production
Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent, the drummer of the headlining band: Devil’s Due. She is confident and motivated to improve her life after a rough childhood. This band is all she has. Des: female, 18-30, all ethnicities, the free-spirited lead singer of the band. She just wants to have a good time, which causes tension with her lead guitarist/boyfriend, Chet. Larry: male, 30-50, all ethnicities, the mediocre band manager and a long time friend of Chet. He loves the band but doesn’t seem to be of any help when the going gets tough. Snag: male, 30-50, all ethnicities, a big brute of a
der female, 22-27, (soon to be known as Al) a 23-year-old college graduate. She is relatively short, about 5’0”, and is curvy. She has long, dark hair and soft eyes. She wears very basic clothing Alison is a perfectionist and tries her hardest to make sure that everyone around her is happy and always avoids conflict. Whenever tension starts to rise in any situation, Alison is there to talk it through and solve it. Although she is on her way to follow her dreams, she is still lost for who she truly is questioning her identity as a woman. With the help of her friend Felicity and through her experiences, Al navigates through her transition from Alison to non-binary Al. Non-binary actors welcomed to apply.
• Casting “Devil’s Due,” a short film.
Synopsis: An ex news reporter attempts to expose a satanic cult while they trap and try to sacrifice members of a rock band at a ceremony disguised as a horror-themed music festival.
• Seeking submissions from NJ. • Send submissions to casting@allthats-
ond day of production is only in case we do not have enough time or need to reshoot some lines. This day may not be needed, but we would like for you to keep it open in your calendar just in case. Also know that times for the set dates might change as well to better accommodate cast and crew.”
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Short Films
man that says everything with his eyes. He is the head of security at the location of the music festival, and his duty is to keep a watchful eye on the band.
• Seeking—Alison “Al” Carter: transgen-
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New York Tristate casting
• Seeking submissions from NY. • Apply on Backstage.com. • Send a one minute comedic
monologue.
• Travel and a free meal will be included.
Note if you are a vegetarian or vegan so that production may accommodate to your diet.
‘King FunGuy’
• Casting “King FunGuy.” Synopsis: A
teenage grocery store clerk is summoned by a cult of mysterious creatures in place of their god. Chaos ensues.
• Company: SVA. Staff: J. Mitchell, coord.
SVA casting, School of Visual Arts casting office.
• Remote recording should be completed
around Oct. 25, 2020. Recording remotely, so must have at-home capabilities.
• Seeking—Jerry: male, 16-20, timid,
dorky, and avoids confrontation at all costs; a little simple. Not assertive in any fashion; voice reference could be Michael Cera in “Juno” or Cody from “Total Drama Island.” Trent: male, 30-38, owner and manager of your local grocery store; stern, bossy, opinionated, and thinks he is smarter than everyone; snaps fingers at people aggressively; overcompensating for how insecure he really is; voice reference could be Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation” or Jon Hamm in “Mad Men.” • Seeking submissions from NY. • Apply on Backstage.com. • Talent will be paid $40/flat for their
voice in this non-union, student animation (School of Visual Arts).
‘Margot & Max’
• Seeking teenage actors for the lead
roles in “Margot & Max”, an NYU thesis film. Synopsis: A pair of troubled teens in an inpatient hospitalization program decide to run away together. Note: Production dates have not been confirmed yet, but we are aiming to shoot in May or June 2021 and wish to get our lead actors onboard early. • Company: New York University. Staff:
Daniel Padberg Bartoo, writer-prod.-dir. • Aiming to shoot in April or May 2021, in
CT, with cast and crew based in NYC.
• Seeking—Margot: female, 15-18, (17), a
troubled teenager, possibly suicidal, obsessed with ghosts and running. Max: 15-19, (16), a troubled teenager who doesn’t know what he wants or how to get it.
• Seeking submissions from NY and CT. • Send submissions to dpb344@nyu.edu. • No pay.
‘Telling Time’
• Casting “Telling Time,” a three part
music video series that explores Elena’s splintered perspective of childhood and adulthood. • Company: School of Visual Arts. Staff:
Giulia Aguiar, dir.
• Shoots Nov. 12-16 in New York City. • Seeking—Elena: female, 20-35, stuck
in quarantine all by herself, telling time becomes one of Elena’s biggest nightmares; as a result of her solitude, she begins to spiral trying to determine the role time and maturity has played in her backstage.com
life; is she a kid that grew up too soon; is she an adult stuck in her childhood fears; is there a world where she can be both? Younger Elena: female, 10-13, is a young independent girl with a thirst for growing up; she dreams of living a busy New York City life, walking through streets and running errands in full fashion; her childhood knocks on her door trying to remind her of who she still is and she does her best to ignore it. Older Elena: female, 50+, wakes up in the middle of one of her biggest nightmares, walking alone in the dark; growing up and maturing never seemed to scare her fears away and it really shows as she roams around all by herself, scared like a little kid.
ors are okay, confirmation what dates you’re available for to gildedage@gwcnyc.com with the subject line “Backstage 1880’s KIDS, fully available.” • Pays $178/8 hrs.
‘The Gilded Age’
• Casting season one of the HBO series
“The Gilded Age.”
• Company: Grant Wilfley Casting. Staff:
Belle GWC, casting dir.
• Fitting in Greenpoint, NYC sometime
next week; Covid Test in Greenpoint, NYC a week before your first work date; shoots Dec. 7, 8, 9 in Sleepy Hollow (must be available all three days). • Seeking—SAG-AFTRA or NonUnion
Caucasian Men: male, 18-32, White / European Descent, 5’11”-6’2” to portray 1880’s footmen.
• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to gaguiar@sva.edu. • Food and travel will be compensated.
• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to gildedage@gwc-
Actors will be provided with raw footage as well as a copy of the final product.
nyc.com.
• For consideration, email gildedage@
gwcnyc.com and change subject line to read “Backstage Footman Avail.” Include the following in the body of your email: Name; Union Status (SAGAFTRA or Non-union); Phone #; Current selfies that show your current hair length/color; Waist up photo in plain jeans and tshirt for us to submit to the director; Full sizes: height, weight, jacket, neck x sleeve, waist x inseam, shoes; Fully avail all three work dates; Available for fitting and covid test.
Scripted TV & Video ‘The Gilded Age,’ Children
• Casting season one of the HBO series
“The Gilded Age.”
• Company: Grant Wilfley Casting. Staff:
Belle, casting dir.
• Pays $178/8 hrs. (SAG-AFTRA). If you
are nonunion, we would be requesting a SAG waiver for you.
• Fittings this week or next in
Greenpoint; Covid testing in Greenpoint; shoots Nov. 3 on Long Island. • Seeking—SAG/Nonunion Girls Age 6: all genders, 6-9, White / European Descent, to portray caucasian siblings on train; SAG-AFTRA/Nonunion; to portray young girl on the train with mom. NYC/Tristate area locals only. Scene is set in the 1880s; must have long natural hair colors; unfortunately no braces. Boys Age 9: all genders, 6-9, White / European Descent, to portray caucasian siblings on train; SAG-AFTRA/ Nonunion caucasian boy age 9 to portray young boy on the train with mom; must be around 22”-24” waist! NYC/ Tristate area locals only. Scene is set in the 1880s; must have natural hair colors, ok getting period haircut; must have at least an inch or so of length on the top and sides. • Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to gildedage@gwcnyc.com. • For consideration, email your name, union status (SAG-AFTRA or nonunion), phone number, confirmation that you are local to the NYC tri-state area, several candid full body photos, boys photos from the sides and back that show your hair length, all current wardrobe sizes. Include height, weight, chest & waist measurements in inches, shoe size. (very important as period costumes are mostly determined by measurements and not modern sizing!), which forms of IDs you will be bringing for your i9 if booked (if you have a VISA or Employment Authorization Card, please let us know!), your child’s work permit expiration, age and date of birth of your child, confirmation that exteri-
Reality TV & Documentary Discovery Vintage Toy Series • Casting a new series for Discovery
about vintage items and collectables. • Company: MY Entertainment. Staff:
Cara Weissman, casting dir.
• Shoots TBD for one day for a few hours
in November.
• Seeking—Vintage Toy Lover: 18+, vin-
tage toy lover checks out a cool toy collectable from the past. • Seeking submissions from NY. • Apply on Backstage.com • For consideration, include a brief mes-
sage about what type of collectable toys you love and why. • Pays $100 for two-three hours of
filming.
Demo & Instructional Videos Everlast Fitness
• Casting fitness trainers for new Everlast
fitness app for boxing and mma inspired workouts using Everlast trusted equipment.
• Company: Everlast. Staff: Joshua
Mevorach, senior marketing manager.
19
• Dates and times of actual shoot to be
discussed when talent is chosen.
• Seeking—On Screen Trainer: all gen-
ders, 21-40, all ethnicities,fitness and fight sports trainers to run on camera work along with me type program; must be able to put together and effectively describe workouts while relating back to fight sports; good candidates will have opportunities for a longer term sign on for project. • Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to josh.mevorach@
everlast.com.
• For consideration, submit a short clip
including a work out with some instruction. A video from a previous job or something done quickly just for audition is fine. Not a must, but preferred video includes some kind of boxing or mma inspired workout. • Pays $500 for up to an 8 hour day of
filming. Opportunity for multiple days of filming.
National Commercials Christmas Toy National Commercial
• Casting for national commercials for a
new Christmas toy: a hobby rock tumbler kit. Note: Looking for all genders and a wide range of ages, including children. See roles for details. These will be “Talking head”-style videos. NYC local applicants only. Company states: “Note: Due to COVID-19, we will be taking extra precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of our staff. These include but are not limited to: 1) Limiting the total number of occupants at any given time to no more than 50% of the maximum occupancy for a particular area as set by the certificate of occupancy. 2) Maintaining a distance of 6’0” between people whenever possible. 3) Mandating that masks be worn any time workers or visitors must come within 6 ft. of another person. 4) Regularly disinfecting commonly-touched surfaces. 5) Making protective masks available for free.” • Company: Quantified Commerce. • Shoots Oct. 27 or 28 in NYC. • Seeking—Grandma: female, 50-90,
talks about her experience having bought the rock tumbler for her grandkids; gentle and loving, but worried; she sees the rock tumbler as an alternative to video games, reality tv, and all the other ills plaguing the young generation with obesity, drug abuse, internet addiction etc. Grandpa: male, 50-80, talks about his experience having bought the rock tumbler for his grandkids; loving, but concerned with the state of kids these days; he sees the rock tumbler as an alternative to video games, reality tv, and all the other ills plaguing the young generation with obesity, drug abuse, internet addiction etc. Mom: female, 30-50, talks about her experience having bought the rock tumbler for her kids; gentle and loving, but worried; she sees the rock tumbler as
10.22.20 BACKSTAGE
casting New York Tristate an alternative to video games, reality tv, and all the other ills plaguing the young generation with obesity, drug abuse, internet addiction etc. Dad: male, 30-50, talks about his experience having bought the rock tumbler for his kids; he sees the rock tumbler as an alternative to video games, reality tv, and all the other ills plaguing the young generation with obesity, drug abuse, internet addiction etc. Adolescent Child: all genders, 8-13, acting alongside the older leads, you are their child/grandchild; you play with the toy and look excited; nonspeaking role. • Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to drew@quantified.
media.
• For consideration, submit a headshot
and a video reel. Auditions held virtually. This is a full-day shoot. While actors will likely only be need for half the day, they should be prepared to be there for longer. • Pays $200/day, no meal or travel
included. Potential for future bookings with the company.
Online Commercials & Promos Cat Litter Shoot
• Casting female actress and her cat for
a cat litter client onsite in NYC. Note: Must have a cat that plays nice with the camera to be considered. • Company: Lilo Social. Staff: Zac
Fromson, CCO.
• Shoots TBD in NYC. • Seeking—Actress: female, 20-35, with
cat.
• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to ashley@lilosocial.
com.
• For consideration, submit a photo of
yourself and your cat so we can pass along more details from there. Note: A shoot date has not yet been determined, but job will require an all-day commitment. • Pay provided.
Sneaker Brand Commericial Shoot • Casting a sneaker brand commercial
looking for models for an online commercial highlighting their holiday collection.
• Company: Palette Group. Staff: Edem
Kwakumey, prod.
• Shoots Oct. 27 in Brooklyn, NYC. • Seeking—Man: male, 18-30, all eth-
nicities. Woman: female, 18-30, all ethnicities. Kids: 7-15, all ethnicities.
• Seeking submissions from NY. • Send submissions to edem@palettegrp.
com.
Southern California
VISIT BACKSTAGE.COM/CASTING for full character breakdowns, script sides, and more casting notices
BACKSTAGE 10.22.20
• Company: American Film Institute.
Staff: Thomas Hartmann, prod.
• Shoots Nov. 12-15 in Los Angeles, CA.
We will only need you for one or two days. • Seeking—Kissy (the lead) | Body
Plays
Double: female, 10-12, Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent, seeking a body double for our lead actress. Must have blonde hair. Old Man by the Sea | Fisherman: male, 65-85, all ethnicities, a featured background to play a fisherman by the sea.
‘Persuasion’
• Seeking video submissions from Equity
actors of all ages, ethnicities, and genders for San Jose Stage Company’s upcoming virtual production of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” adapted by Jennifer Le Blanc.
• Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com. • SAG Deferred. IMBD credit and meal
provided.
• Company: San Jose Stage Company.
Staff: Kenneth Kelleher, dir.; Randall King, artistic dir.; Cathleen King, exec. dir. • Rehearsals begin Dec. 14, 2020;
‘Roselily & Dandylion’
• Casting “Roselily & Dandylion,” a
rehearsal week/recording: Dec. 14 -19 in San Jose, CA, 2020; pre-recorded video streaming Dec. 23-27, 2020. • Seeking—Equity Actors: all genders,
18+.
• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, fill out this form to
submit your online video submission: https://zfrmz.com/sdz7rY8szqfraMJoeV9j. All auditions will be online video submissions. Due to COVID19, we are not holding any inperson auditions at this time. Prepare a period-appropriate monologue in the Standard RP dialect totaling no more than two minutes. Ensure that your video recording is uploaded to to a streaming service such as Youtube or Vimeo with all access permissions set to allow San Jose Stage Company access. Submit the YouTube to https://zfrmz.com/ sdz7rY8szqfraMJoeV9j. • Pays $520 (BAT Tier 3) Equity Bay Area
Theatre Agreement.
Short Films ‘Invisible Gods’
• Casting “Invisible Gods,” an indepen-
dent short film produced by the Naked Ape Studio and Stink Films. • Company: ®JONES. Staff: Ricardo
Jones, film dir.-prod.
• Rehearses and shoots in November in
the L.A. area.
• Seeking—Jesus: male, 25-40, Latino /
Hispanic, Middle Eastern. Mary: female, 23-36, Black / African Descent, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern. Joseph: male, 35-40, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern. • Seeking submissions from CA. • Apply on Backstage.com. • Pay provided for two rehearsals days
and one shoot day. Food and transportation will be covered by production.
• Pays $150/day, 30 days after
production.
short of a girl who discovers a shark dying on the beach.
Student Films ‘Kissy & The Shark’
• Casting “Kissy & The Shark,” an AFI
Chapman graduate thesis pilot that follows the artist’s journey through the lenses of a niche subculture. Synopsis: Inspired by the films of Edgar Wright, Takashi Miike, and Japanese pop culture. A young artist tries to join a group of hobbyists, but struggles to find her voice as they give her a near-impossible initiation task. • Company: Chapman University Dodge
College of Film and Media Arts. Staff: Alexandra Kiselyov, showrunner-prod.; Luis Reyes, dir.; Natalie Cooper, 1st AD.
• Rehearses December and early January
in Orange County, CA; shoots Jan. 29-31 in in Orange County, CA. • Seeking—Lilyrose Walsch: female,
18-21, all ethnicities, open to gendernon conforming individuals; an art student who’s not exactly confident, but is trying to find her place in the art world; the definition of a shy wallflower; she struggles to communicate with others, but manages to do so through her art and through her love of anime, manga, and cartoons; however, most of her friends are on the internet rather than in real life; she’s the type who sits in the corner to avoid being noticed; she has a great deal of insecurity and frequently blames herself for everything, believing herself to have no talent at all; however, she hides a secret fire and passion that ultimately trumps everything else; fine arts skills preferred, but not required. Dandy Walsch: female, 25-30, all ethnicities, open to gender-non conforming individuals; a lawyer who is a hardass in almost every sense of the word, she’s one of the youngest partners at her firm and knows how to deal with people; her bark is equal to her bite, and her bite is much worse; since their parents died suddenly, Dandy has taken it upon herself to take care of and help raise Lilyrose; she’s an uncompromising lawyer who believes in justice for all, but doesn’t really understand Lilyrose’s sensitivity or lack of backbone (as she calls it); however, she loves her dearly, and does her best to help her. Ken Tenpouin: male, 25-30, Asian, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, ideally Japanese or multiracial Japanese; an unemployed “NEET” (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) who makes a living as a scalper; overdramatic; has no intentions of growing up, and believes himself to be one of
20
“justice” and “integrity” who will follow the person he respects most. Ray Voorhees: male, 20-25, all ethnicities, open to gender-non conforming individuals; a jack-of-all-trades, Ray is both a tech whiz and the artsy type; he lives on the fringes of every subculture, wearing Gothic style clothes and never seen without a toothpick between his lips; he’s highly dedicated to his art, and has the praise to back up his arrogance; he’s smart, but judgmental; he’s only concerned with the integrity of his own work, and considers himself a “high class” consumer of the arts – but secretly hides insecurity about his talent; he views Lilyrose as a bug under his shoe, and serves as her character foil, both artistically and personality-wise; fine arts skills preferred, but not required. • Auditions will be held in Oct. 25 from 10
a.m.-7 p.m. (by appt.) via a Zoom Meeting Room.
• Send submissions to kiselyov@chap-
man.edu.
• For consideration, include the charac-
ter you want to read for, as well as your availability on the audition date so we can schedule you accordingly. All sides and the script are attached to this post. The Zoom link for the audition room will be sent out, so join at your allotted time for your audition. Let us know if for whatever reason you cannot make your audition time, and we can reschedule you for a different day. Filmmaker is second year graduate student in the Television Writing and Producing showrunning program at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Team consists of like-minded graduates and undergraduates alike wanting to bring to life a challenging yet rewarding thesis pilot. • Meals, transportation, and a copy for
your reel are provided. A great opportunity to build your resume and work on a COVID-19 compliant graduate thesis at Chapman University.
‘Noxious’
• Casting “Noxious,” an LMU senior the-
sis with a $10,000 budget. Synopsis: On the eve of the apocalypse in 2047, a designer baby attempts to reunite with her ex-lover. The director’s junior thesis has won multiple accolades and has been selected for various film festivals. • Company: ONYX Films. Staff: Anastasia
Zavodnick, prod.
• Shoots January and February 2021 in
Los Angeles, CA.
• Seeking—Jade’s Dad: male, 35-55,
Jade’s father is a wealthy, stern, emotionless man; he designed Jade in a laboratory and sees her as a trophy of sorts. • Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to azavodni@usc.
edu.
• Copy, credit, and meal provided.
‘The Model’
• Casting “The Model”, a graduate pilot
production at Chapman University: Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. Synopsis: A Model United Nations student obsessed with winning must find a new competitor when a team member quits. • Company: Chapman University: Dodge
backstage.com
New York Tristate casting
College of Film and Media Arts. Staff: M. Halpin, coord. • Shoots Jan. 15-17, 2021 in the Orange
County, CA area.
• Seeking—Bailey: female, 18+ to play
15-17, woman, open casting; a type-A perfectionist high school student and president of the Model UN club who thrives on conflict; she strives for power and control since she values herself by her successes; she wants to be the best delegate in Model UN and win the top awards. Corban: male, 18+ to play 15-17, man, open casting; an outwardly confident, preppy high school student and perpetual middle child who is Bailey’s foil in every way; he loves to argue, and despite his attitude, he deeply cares about Model UN. Caroline: all genders, 18+ to play 15-17, woman or non-binary, open casting; a hippie, pacifist high schooler who wants to change the world; they’re Bailey’s best friend and date Alex; they’re not the strongest debater, but they’re passionate and write killer papers. Alex: all genders, 18+ to play 15-17, man or non-binary, open casting; a high school student who is passionate about theatre, dance, and performing; lives life by the eight-count and is the dance captain for the musical; they are surprisingly competitive. Ms. Yates: all genders, 30s-50s, woman or nonbinary, open casting; a high school teacher who talks about politics like a six-year-old going to Disney for the first time. • Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to halpin@chapman.
edu.
• We will be holding auditions on Nov. 7,
8, 13, 14 from 3-7 p.m. via Zoom. The first round of auditions will be held via Zoom. • Credit, copy, and meals will be
provided.
Scripted TV & Video ‘Helicopter Parents’
• Casting “’Helicopter Parents,” a
Chapman thesis pilot. Logline: An angsty college student returns home to his coddling parents to discover that a stranger has replaced him as their new son. Synopsis: After studying abroad, Eric visits his folks, Mitchell and Mary, but is reluctant to do so due to how suffocating it was growing up as an only child. His parents welcome Eric home and reveal to him that they’ve taken in a teenage boy, Warren, to live with them. Eric notices the close relationship Warren has with his parents and starts to feel worried that his role of son is getting stolen from him. Later, Eric makes the shocking discovery of Warren’s true identity: a scared deliverer named Zane that Mitchell and Mary kidnapped. • Company: Chapman University Dodge
College. Staff: Jake Labay, writer-prod. Patrick Skehill, dir. • Rehearsals begin week of Jan. 4, 2021;
shoots Jan. 15-17 in Orange County, CA. backstage.com
they are at least 13 years old and have a work permit and Coogan account. Otherwise, everyone should be 18 and up. This is a nonunion, paid opportunity with a popular digital production company and for a beloved American brand.”
• Seeking—Eric: male, 18-25, all ethnic-
ities, an angsty and rebellious college student who’s annoyed at the idea of seeing his parents again but is surprised when he meets a stranger that’s stealing his parents’ affection; serves as an outsider in the chaotic setting of his family home. No minors. Warren/Zane: male, 18-25, all ethnicities, an obedient and frightened young deliverer who plays the role of the ideal son for two obsessive parents who have kidnapped him but is always searching for ways to escape; no minors. Mary: female, 38-60, all ethnicities, a doting and firm mother with a traditional personality who needs to pour her love into a child; no matter the cost. Mitchell: male, 38-60, all ethnicities, a jolly and energetic father with a strange quirkiness who needs to pour his love into a child; no matter the cost.
• Company: FBE Productions. Staff: Jean
Arthur, casting dir.
• Shoots one half-day in early November
in L.A.
• Seeking—Duos to Share Family
Chocolate Holiday Recipe: all genders, 18+, all ethnicities. • Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, email your names,
ages, contact number, chocolate recipe, and the story behind it with pictures of the food/dessert and of your duo to chocolaterecipecasting@gmail. com. • Pay provided.
• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to labay@chapman.
Smart Face Mask Product Video
• Auditions will be held Nov. 7, 2-6 p.m.
upcoming smart tech face mask for well-known tech company. Video consists of lifestyle shots of talent using product - walking through the city, out for a jog, picking up coffee/food, etc.
edu.
• Seeking talent to be showcased in
and Nov. 9, 6-9 p.m. via Zoom. For consideration, submit your headshot and a copy of resume to labay@chapman. edu. Call backs will be held Nov. 14 via Zoom.
• Company: The Wild Productions. • Potential shoot dates in the next 2
• Meals, transportation provided and a
copy for your reel.
weeks in SoCal. Note: “All production crew will meet COVID guidelines, and masks will be required. Thankfully with the product being a mask itself, it will be even safer!”
Online Commercials & Promos
• Seeking—Young Woman: female,
22-35, all ethnicities, wearing smart mask and going about daily tasks while showcasing product. Young Man: male, 22-32, all ethnicities, wearing smart mask and going about daily tasks while showcasing product.
Body And Skin Oil Product, Digital Content Shoot
• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to hello@thewild.
• Casting digital content for a body and
skin oil. Note: Shooting on-location at a beach in San Diego to launch a product for our client in Korean - looking for a true Korean model to support the market launch.
productions.
• For consideration, submit a variety of
• Company: Taylor & Pond, LLC. Staff:
photos/headshots, and attach instagram username. Client would like talent to have a substantial following, but not a dealbreaker.
• Shoots TBD on the coastline of San
shoot.
Matt Torres, video prod.-dir.
• Pays $150/day; Most likely only one day
Diego, CA.
• Seeking—Skin Model 1 - Korean:
female, 18-25, Asian, Korean model for oil product -- must have great skin. lorpond.com.
Stage Staff & Tech
contact information.
‘Persuasion,’ AEA SM
tuity for digital.
“Persuasion.”
• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to mtorres@tay-
• For consideration, provide photos and • One-two day shoot, licensing in perpe-
• Seeking Equity SM for the
• Company: San Jose Stage Company.
‘Family Chocolate Recipe’
Staff: Kenneth Kelleher, dir.; Randall King, artistic dir.; Cathleen King, exec. dir.
• Seeking duos for “Family Chocolate
Recipe.” Casting director states: “Do you have a chocolate recipe that the family makes every holiday season? Do you have a story behind the recipe? How it came to be? Why your family makes it every holiday season? We are looking for pairs of relatives (siblings, mothers-daughters, cousins, husbands-wives, etc.) in L.A. and surrounding areas that can share their chocolate recipe and story with us!. All ethnicities. Kids will be considered if
• Rehearsals begin Dec. 14, 2020;
rehearsal week/recording: Dec. 14 -19 in San Jose, CA, 2020; pre-recorded video streaming Dec. 23-27, 2020.
21
Northern California Online Commercials & Promos Paid Social Ad, Female Actor/ Influencer • Seeking a female actor to pose as an
influencer for a home crafting project. Production states: “We will film parts of you talking to the camera and then b-roll of you working on the project. We will be decorating a work from home desk environment with print out photos from a printer.” • Company: Grow With Bamboo. Staff:
Stavro Victor, content prod.
• Shoot TBD in San Francisco, CA. • Seeking—Female Influencer: female,
20-42, all ethnicities; speaking role requiring talking to the camera.
• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, attach recent head
shots.
• Pays $200-$600+.
Commercial & Fit Modeling Outdoor Product Commercial Photo Shoot
• Casting an outdoor product commercial
photo/video shoot in the Bodega Bay/ Inverness Area. Note: Talent must be local, no travel expenses will be covered. • Company: Gretchen Bell Inc. Staff:
Gretchen Bell, owner.
• Shoots Nov. 10-12 in Bodega Bay and
Inverness area in San Francisco, CA.
• Seeking—25-35 Active, Fit Outdoorsy
Talent: 25-35, all ethnicities, 25-35 year old men and women who are active, fit and photogenic for a commercial product photo/video shoot; experience not necessary; must be comfortable in the outdoors. • Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, submit smiling, nat-
ural photos and contact information to gretchen@gretchenbell.com.
• Pays $500/day rate for photo and video
images for commercial product company.
National/ Regional
• Seeking—AEA Stage Manager: 18+. • Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, stage managers may
Plays
• Pays $654 (BAT Tier 3). Equity Bay Area
• Casting Equity actors for “Caping.”
submit resumes to production@thestage.org.
‘Caping,’ Equity Video Submissions
Theatre Agreement.
COVID Safety: For the protection of our
10.22.20 BACKSTAGE
casting New York Tristate artistic and production teams, this project will be entirely virtual. All production and design meetings, rehearsals and performances will be done virtually via the Zoom platform.
Apr. 20, 2021; tech May 7-9, 2021; runs May 11-30, 2021).
Staff: Michael J. Bobbitt, artistic dir.; Miranda Adekoje, playwright; Dawn M. Simmons, dir.
• Season runs at Sidney Harman Hall in
• Company: New Repertory Theatre Inc.
• Rehearsals begin Nov. 10, 2020; runs
Nov. 21-Dec. 13, 2020 (Four shows per week running Fri.-Sun. All performances will be streamed live each night. Patrons will receive a password protected link to their ticketed performance.). • Seeking—Monica Jenae: female, 18+. • Seeking submissions nationwide. • We are now accepting video submis-
sions through Friday, Oct. 23. Material for audition: Read from Caping audition script at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ uvts7p3bre5ofnr/Caping%20-%20 Audition%20Script%20.pdf?dl=0. Actors do not have to be off book. Submission: Limit your video submission to three minutes maximum. This time limit includes your slate (your name, name of play and character of the piece you will be performing). Upload your video audition to Youtube, Vimeo or similar a video sharing site and provide a link for viewing. Do not share via WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud or other file sharing platform. Use this google form at https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/ e/1FAIpQLScsA9XLkLH6ru2iDSAzPda t4_P0GbRtTd_4ygtEDaphz9ulw/ viewform?pli=1 to submit your video audition. At the bottom of the form, you will be prompted to submit your headshot and resume in PDF format. Reach out to New Rep Artistic and Engagement Manager, Sarah Morrisette (sarahmorrisette@newrep.org) with any questions. Submit to https://docs. google.com/ forms/d/ e/1FAIpQLScsA9XLkLH6ru2iDSAzPda t4_P0GbRtTd_4ygtEDaphz9ulw/viewform?. New Rep actively seeks diversity, equity and inclusivity because we know that all people are vital and that their stories are our stories. Actors of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and actors with disabilities are strongly encouraged to audition. • Pays $340/wk. Equity NEAT Category 4
Agreement.
Shakespeare Theatre Co 2020-2021 Season, AEA • Casting Equity actors for the
Shakespeare Theatre Co 2020-2021 Season. Season includes: “The Chairs” (Eugen Ionesco, playwright; Martin Crimp, translated by; Alan Paul, dir. Rehearsals begin Jan. 5, 2021; tech Jan. 22-24, 2021; runs Jan. 26-Feb. 14, 2021), “Red Velvet” (Lolita Chakrabarti, playwright; Jade King Carroll, dir. Rehearsals begin Feb. 9, 2021; tech Feb. 26-28, 2021; runs Mar. 2-21, 2021), “The Crucible” (Arthur Miller, playwright; Whitney White, dir. Rehearsals begin Mar. 16, 2021; tech Apr. 2-4, 2021; runs Apr. 6-25, 2021), and “As You Like It” (William Shakespeare, playwright; Simon Godwin, dir. Rehearsals begin
BACKSTAGE 10.22.20
• Seeking submissions worldwide. • Apply on Backstage.com. • For consideration, in your cover letter
• Company: Shakespeare Theatre
Company. Staff: Simon Godwin, artistic dir.; Chris Jennings, exec. dir.; Carter Wooddell, resident casting dir.
mention, name, height, city of residence, if you a have passport and if you have any acting training and / or stunt training. Include a slate and the monologue as separate clips.
Washington, DC.
• Seeking—Equity Actors: all genders,
• Actors will be paid industry standard.
18+.
• Seeking submissions from DC. • Prepare and self-tape one (1) classical
Short Films
monologue, preferably Shakespeare, and a contemporary monologue of your choosing. Prior to beginning your monologues, state your name and what you will perform. Total audition should not exceed three minutes. For consideration, submit auditions (videos in the form of a link to view, not a file to download) and photo/resume to castingshakespeare@shakespearetheatre.org with subject line “EPA Submission STC 2020-2021 Season.” Submissions deadline is Oct. 22, 2020. For actors who wish to submit only a headshot and resume for STC’S 2020-2021 season, email your headshot and resume to castingshakespeare@shakespearetheatre.org with the email subject line: Headshot/Resume Submission STC 2020-2021 Season. You may also mail headshot and resume submissions to: Shakespeare Theatre Company: Casting, 516 8th St. Southeast, Washington, DC 20003. Resident Casting Director, Carter Wooddell; Associate Artistic Director, Alan Paul; and Line Producer, Grace Ann Roberts, will review all AEA submissions. STC is committed to building an inclusive organization that reflects the national artistic landscape and communities that we serve. We encourage people of all communities to audition for all roles available. Note: Casting will not review materials of non-AEA/EMC actors at this time. You must be a member of AEA to submit an electronic audition.
‘Adventus’
• Seeking photographs only to be fea-
tured in “Adventus,” a student short experimental film.
• Company: University of Georgia. Staff:
Jane Turula, dir.
new U.S. citizens and voting in their first election for CBS’ “Every Vote Counts.”
gmail.com.
• Include the photograph intended to be
featured in this film. Additional photos of similar style may also be accepted for use in production design, but are not necessary. • No pay. Accepted submissions will be
given credit.
‘Amnesia’
• Casting “Amnesia,” a short film shot on
analogue Super 16mm film (B&W Tri-X). Synopsis: An old amnesiac man is interrogated about his presumably deceased wife by a hardened psychiatrist in search of the truth. A stylistic short film dealing with dissociative amnesia. It leaves much to personal interpretation and ends on an ambiguous note. The film follows a man waking up to a dark room, bound to a chair. As we peel back the layers, we’re ultimately left conflicted as to who to trust, where the film is headed, who the interrogator is and what actually happens to the wife.
Tess Joseph Casting, New Talent
• Casting key roles in an action/stunt
heavy feature film, which is a contemporary take on Indian mythology. Produced by an international studio. • Company: Tess Joseph Casting. Staff:
Tess Joseph, casting dir.
• Prep begins March 2021; shoots June to
December 2021 in India and other countries. • Seeking—Eva: female, 25-36,
Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, South Asian / Indian, Indian origin; looks 25-36 years old; must speak Hindi; 5’5” or taller. Fierce. Physically strong and fit. Stunt training a plus. Open to all countries; key role. Zeus: male, 28-45, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, South Asian / Indian, Indian origin; looks 28-45 years. Must speak Hindi, 5’10” or taller. Physically strong and fit. Stunt training a plus. Open to all countries; key role.
• Company: Independent. Staff: Andy
Birdinc, writer-dir.-prod.
• One rehearsal date TBD; shoots Nov. 7
in the Boston, MA area. Due to COVID19 safety regulations, the crew count will be barebones (five people). • Seeking—Interrogator (Hardened
Psychiatrist): female, 25-50, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, a hardened, emotionally
22
Reality TV & Documentary
• Seeking—Sinister Old Man: male, 45+,
• Seeking submissions nationwide. • Send submissions to jane6turula@
Feature Films
pensation, acting credit, and completed film provided.
CBS, ‘Every Vote Counts’
White / European Descent, headshot of a bearded old man with piercing and judgmental gaze, as though haunting the onlooker. Must wear clothes that are ambiguous enough to appear very dated in style. This photograph will function as the main antagonist of the film. Eleanor: female, 18-35, White / European Descent, headshot of woman with short hair and a mature, distant expression with a faint smile. The painting “Portrait of Andronikova-Halpern” by Zinaida Serebriakova may be used as a reference. Must wear clothes that are ambiguous enough to appear very dated in style. This photograph will be the audience’s only visual contact with the protagonist of the film.
Rep Agreement.
• Seeking submissions from MA. • Apply on Backstage.com. • Pay TBD. Meals, transportation com-
• Accepting photo submissions until Nov.
10; shoots the weekend of Nov. 20. Final cut to be completed by Nov. 28.
• Pays $1,064/wk. Equity LORT B+ Non-
distant, veteran psychiatrist that interrogates the man bound to his chair; unrelenting in search of the truth. Note: Plant/Herbal film prop cigarettes (nontobacco, non-harmful cigarette-replicas) will be used. She has a smoking habit and will incorporate it into her performance.
• Casting individuals nationwide who are
• Production states: “We’re looking for
new U.S. citizens (became a citizen within the last five years or so) who are voting in their first elections to speak to the beauty and value of true democracy and free/fair elections and civility in the voting process. ‘Every Vote Counts’ is a special produced by Global Citizen that will be airing on CBS on Friday, October 30th. The special is a nonpartisan celebration of American democracy in the hopes of encouraging as many voters as possible to go to the polls on November 3rd.” • Company: CBS. Staff: Amelia Baker,
coord.
• Shoots via Zoom. • Seeking—New U.S. Citizen: 18+, all eth-
nicities, new U.S. citizens (became a citizen within the last five years or so) who are voting in their first elections to speak to the value of true democracy and free/fair elections and civility in the voting process. • Seeking submissions nationwide. • Send submissions to ameliabmail@
gmail.com.
• Note: Only apply if you’re recently vot-
ing for the first time and just became a naturalized citizen. • No pay.
Real Engaged Couples
• Casting real engaged couple nation-
wide for a new show on the OWN Network.
• Company: Caracasting.com. Staff: Cara
Jedell, casting dir.
• Shoots February 2021. • Seeking—Real Engaged Couples: 21+,
casting real engaged couples age 21-80!
• Seeking submissions nationwide. • Apply on Backstage.com. • Submit by filling out this link https://
caracasting.formstack.com/forms/ own_engagement?source=Backstage. • Pay TBD.
‘Virtual Court’
• Casting “Virtual Court,” an improv
court show that has actors appear before a judge and argue a case with at least one scene partner. Note: The actors will be given a story and a character before hand and then improv the backstage.com
California casting
scene on the show. Improv experience a huge plus. • Company: Nosey/Baxter. Staff: John
Elander, casting dir.
• Shoots remotely Nov. 16-20 through
Zoom.
• Seeking—Litigant - Improv Court Show:
all genders, 18-70, all ethnicities, a semi-scripted improv court show where actors will play litigants in a court case, and have to argue their case in front of a judge; casting over 50 lead parts, so all applicants are welcome; improv experience is a huge plus. • Seeking submissions nationwide. • Send submissions to johnelandercast-
ing@gmail.com.
• All auditioning will be done over Zoom,
so it is required that actors have stable internet connection and a suitable camera/lighting setup at home. • Pays $275/4 hour day. All auditioning
and shooting will be done remotely via Zoom.
• Seeking—Healthcare Professional
• For consideration, submit photos of
(Male): male, 35-55, all ethnicities, male between 35-55 to act as a healthcare professional in an online explainer video for social media. Script provided for two short explainer videos. Actor will be required to dress smart casual/office wear (no suits and no ties). If possible, actors should bring one change of clothing so that the videos will seem as if they have been taken on separate days. Healthcare Professional (Female): female, 35-55, all ethnicities, to act as a healthcare professional in an online explainer video for social media. Script provided for two short explainer videos. Actor will be required to dress smart casual/office wear (no suits and no ties). If possible, actors should bring one change of clothing so that the videos will seem as if they have been taken on separate days.
hands and current headshot - including full body shot to ace@contentpictures. com. • Total rate $1500; payment covers time,
travel, and usage (shoot is two days; day 1 is 12 hrs and day 2 is 10 hrs.) Buy-out contract.
Film & Documentary (Voiceover) Medical Explainer Videos
• Casting a female voice actor to provide
VO for a series of medical explainer videos. Production states: “We are working with a national healthcare provider on a series of animated explainer videos, detailing the roles of the different healthcare departments and providing basic information on different illnesses and conditions. Each video will be twofour minutes in length. The animations have already been finalized and timed to a scratch VO track, so the key to this project will be matching your timings to the established animations. We will send you scripts in batches along with a reference video for you to time your narration.”
• Seeking submissions from England. • Send submissions to milescapp@kirk-
stonemedia.com.
• For more info, contact milescapp@
Online Commercials & Promos Corporate Training Video Shoot for Major UK Chain
• Casting a series of customer service
scenario videos to be used as part of an online training module. Creative director states: “The shoot will be COVIDsecure with pre-shoot testing.” • Company: DMB Films. Staff: Dan
Bryant, creative dir.
• Shoot date TBD (four-six hours) in
London.
• Seeking—Member of Staff and/or
Customer: male, 18-50, all ethnicities. • Seeking submissions from England. • Send submissions to dan@dmbfilms.
co.uk.
• Send a link to your showreel. • Pays £200 plus travel expenses
covered.
Digital Game Reaction Shots
• Casting people with great reactions to
a video game. Work from home. Possible purchase of audition of it’s on the money.
• Staff: E. Kennedy, coord. • No rehearsal; work from home. • Seeking—Female 18-24: female, 18-24,
all ethnicities, expressive, to record reaction shots to an on-line game for cutaway shots. • Seeking submissions nationwide. • Apply on Backstage.com. • Pays $100 for the audition tape if it’s
chosen. If additional reactions or a production day are needed, it would pay $150. Non-union, all media buyout.
OFH Care Corporate Shoot
• Casting a series of explainer videos for
OFH Care, a mental capacity assessment and case management provider based in London.
kirkstonemedia.com.
• Copy provided. Must be able to travel to
Hanworth, West London. Director states: “These videos will be posted on OFH Care social media channels and by participating in filming, you are agreeing to this. The final content will be owned by OFH Care; however, we are happy for you to use the content for future promo and will be given a copy of the final content for your own promotional purposes.”
sent in batches as collections of videos are completed.
• Staff: Katherine L, creative marketing
25-55, a warm doctoral female voice for a series of medical explainer videos. Tone should be informational but kind and approachable, not lecturing or harsh. Scripts will cover a variety of medical topics. Must be able to match VO timings to the finalized animation / scratch VO track.
Coordinator states “Pets love playtime and they want to play all the time. Sometimes that can get tiring for pet owners who need or want to being doing something else. Well luckily with our mobile games, you can! All you need is one free hand to play games and win money and prizes.”
• Seeking—Female Doctor: female,
coord.
• Seeking submissions nationwide. • Send submissions to info@rota6.com. • For consideration, submit a voice reel
• Talent shoots remotely from home. • Seeking—Pet Owner and Pets: all gen-
ders, 25-50, all ethnicities.
with your application. If possible, read the provided sample script, as this will give us a better idea of how you fit the project.
• Seeking submissions nationwide. • Apply on Backstage.com • Pays $100 for a few shots of you playing
with your pet and playing a game on your phone.
• Pays $75 per script.
Animation & Video Games (Voiceover)
Print & Digital Modeling Stanley Black & Decker Shoot • Casting photo shoot for a new vacuum
‘The Vegan Ingredient’
• Company: Content Pictures. Staff:
Ingredient,” a short student animation (approx. 5 min.) about a young vlogger witch who does whatever it takes to harvest the ingredients needed for her anti-aging lotion. Synopsis: When confronted by a monster of the forest, she must hide her true intentions from the camera.
by Stanley Black & Decker.
• Casting voiceover talent for “The Vegan
Antonio Esposito, prod.
• Shoots Oct. 28-29 in Norwalk, CT. Must
be able to self report.
• Seeking—Woman: female, 25-39,
per actor) in Hanworth, West London.
MA.
backstage.com
• Talent works remotely. Scripts will be
• Casting creators for a Pet Playtime Skit.
Miles Capp, dir.
• Shoots 7 Nov. (no more than two hours
Gilbride, post prod. mgr.
Pet Playtime Skit
Asian, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, must be fit and toned; no tattoos on hands, wrists or neck and face; brunette/dark hair.
• Company: Kirkstone Media Ltd. Staff:
• Company: Rota6 Films. Staff: Erich
23
• Seeking—Winnie: female, 18-25, a
cheerful, bubbly and energetic witch who isn’t afraid to get combative if her familiar, Mimi, is in danger; maintaining her young, charismatic online persona means everything to her. Barky: male, 18+, a horrific-looking monster made of vegetation; he is incapable of speech and can only make various low moaning/ growling sounds; despite his scary appearance, he is soft at heart and welcomes friendship.
• Seeking submissions nationwide. • Send submissions to jwucasting@gmail.
com.
• For consideration, include a cover let-
ter noting your availability and what time zone you are in. Talent must have personal recording equipment and be willing to sign an actor release form upon final casting. • No pay.
Stage Staff & Tech ‘Caping,’ AEA SM
• Seeking Equity SM “Caping.” COVID
Safety: For the protection of our artistic and production teams, this project will be entirely virtual. All production and design meetings, rehearsals and performances will be done virtually via the Zoom platform. • Company: New Repertory Theatre Inc.
Staff: Michael J. Bobbitt, artistic dir.; Miranda Adekoje, playwright; Dawn M. Simmons, dir. • Rehearsals begin Nov. 10, 2020; runs
Nov. 21-Dec. 13, 2020 (Four shows per week running Fri.-Sun. All performances will be streamed live each night. Patrons will receive a password protected link to their ticketed performance.). • Seeking—AEA Stage Manager: all gen-
ders, 18+.
• Seeking submissions nationwide. • For consideration, submit resume and
cover letter to Director of Production, Hannah Huling at hannahhuling@ newrep.org.
• Pays $404/wk. Equity NEAT Category 4
Agreement.
Shakespeare Theatre Co Season, AEA Stage Manager • Seeking an Equity Stage Manager for
future consideration for the Shakespeare Theatre Co 2020-2021 Season. • Company: Shakespeare Theatre
Company. Staff: Simon Godwin, artistic dir.; Chris Jennings, exec. dir.; Carter Wooddell, resident casting dir. • Season runs at Sidney Harman Hall in
Washington, DC.
• Seeking—AEA Stage Manager: 18+. • Seeking submissions from DC. • All stage manager and ASM positions
• Company: New York University. Staff:
for the season have been filled, but SMs and ASMs may submit for future consideration. Send resume for future consideration by Oct. 22 to employment@ shakespearetheatre.org.
• Remote recording sometime between
Rep Agreement.
Jessica Wu, student.
• Seeking submissions from CT, NY and
Oct. 25—Nov. 7 (subject to change) with direction over Zoom.
• Pays $1,412/wk. Equity LORT B+ Non-
10.22.20 BACKSTAGE
Ask An Expert Agents Auditions Film Headshots Television Theater Unions Voiceover
Q:
When is the best time of year to submit to agencies?
—@krystnchn From my experience, there are two schools of thought on when the best time to submit to an agency is. Choose the path that seems best suited to you, based on your work ethic and current career status.
Our Expert Jason Lockhart is a talent agent.
The anytime approach There’s a devil’s advocate in my gut that says to submit whenever you’re ready, at any time of year, as long as you have all your ducks in a row. I’d never want to discourage someone from taking steps forward if their materials are ready to rock the money-making world as early as tomorrow. You never know what’s dancing across my desk the day you submit. This past pilot season, for example, we had four new shows casting a ton of 18 TPY roles (meaning characters that are under 18, but because of labor laws, production wants actors aged 18 and older to play younger). Though I was unbelievably slammed, I could’ve used a few more talented actors in that category, provided they had strong résumés, reels, and headshots. On any given day, there could be a right-place, right-time opportunity. What’s shooting in your local market is just one of many things an actor should be researching. There’s always a chance your type may be in demand for certain upcoming projects, making you more valuable to an agent at a particular time. That’s certainly worth knowing. Knowledge is power. *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 10.22.20
24
backstage.com
ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET RULING/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; LOCKHART: COURTESY JASON LOCKHART
The logical approach There are certain peak busy times that might be wise to avoid, such as pilot season (February to March) and episodic season (September to Thanksgiving). We’re slammed during those months and likely avoiding distractions. December is generally the slowest part of the year; it’s when we have the most free time to hold meetings and consider new talent. I’m not saying you should wait all year and only apply to agencies in December, but if it works out that way, you’ll certainly have more of a chance of grabbing our attention. This approach also gives you a clear calendar goal to prep your toolkit for impactful submissions.
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