Today I am especially excited for you to sit in on my conversation with Merri Sugarman, a top NYC casting director with Tara Rubin Casting. A few of her Broadway and National Tour credits include Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, SIX and many more. Merri has also worked on film and TV projects as the Director of Casting for Dramas and Movies at ABC Television, overseeing the casting of NYPD Blue, Alias, and The Practice. She also teaches, and I am lucky enough to have her teach many of my students in the Denise Simon Acting and Coaching Workshop Series.
Denise: You and I have worked a lot together over the years and I not only recognize your talent not only as one of the top casting directors but as a well respected teacher…let’s just dive right in. I’d love you to start off by clarifying exactly what a casting does.
Merri: Of course, a casting director is hired by the producers of a show, which is sometimes one and the same as the general managing company of the show and tt is usually with the creatives… at this stage because of Tara Rubin Casting’s reputation and longevity that we get hired based on repeat business but sometimes we “audition” and that is sort of going through an interview process. But basically what we do is we sit down with the creative team and we talk about their concept and the number of people who are going to be in the show… and what they are looking for in each role. Then we put out a breakdown. And then we start looking at the submissions for the breakdown and we look at our files and we start deciding who we are going to set up and get into the audition process. With a muscialt that means cutting sides and getting audition material ready for people to learn. It means doing open calls especially for kids all over the country.
Denise: I’ve heard it said that you bring people to the party, but at the end of the day, you are not that final decision maker about who gets cast in the show… and that’s the misconception... You have to be so good at know where to go and get {actors} but how do you find them or how do they find you?
Merri: I actually kind of start fresh with each new project so you know putting out the breakdown and having agents submit people who are hopefully actually available and interested in pursuing the job is extremely helpful. When it’s a long-running show, then I've been keeping files of pictures and resumes of people that I’m seeing over the course of months and sometimes years and i’m sure to look at them when we are looking for replacements…
No matter what I am working on, I am constantly thinking about all of my other shows as well. The open calls are really helpful, the equity calls are really helpful especially for banking people and the breakdowns are our three biggest resources
Denise: So many kids are not in the union, so when there is a union call I have always encouraged my clients to go because at the end of the day, chances are there is going to be time for you to see them. Is that true?
Merri: Not always, you should always still go if it isn’t keeping you from something that is important. You might just get a little facetime and you can always drop a picture and resume off which will get to me and I will look at it and based on my needs, it is something I’m going to heed at that moment.. I think the more exposure you have the better and if you don’t show up there’s that much less of a chance.
Denise: What if an actor doesn't have an agent or manager, then how can they get to you?
Merri: They can show up for equity or open calls. You can google local auditions for regional theatres and Broadway shows… To be far, without an agent or a manager it can be hard and you're not going to know about everything.
I always say if you’re actually good… we will find you for what we need to find you for once we know you actually exist so that's why showing up is so important.
Denise: So how do you accept pictures or resumes?
Merri: You have to think outside the box a little bit.. How can I make myself known to somebody?
Denise…Speaking of kids, they come with parents… How much does the parent’s involvement play a role with if the kid gets cast or not? Do you interview the parent as well?
Merri: I don’t normally interview the parents, but I do usually have some sort of contact…we see the parents in the waiting room and outside the auditions. We know that we are going to speak with them about things like housing and what kind of commitment it’s going to be and flat out asking them if this is something they are ready for… It’s a huge commitment and responsibility for the parents. I don’t really know how they do it but they are amazing. With most parents I have worked with they will move heaven and earth to make it work because it is a dream come true and just to be completely blunt about it there is an end date because they do age out.
Denise: I think so many people are scared of casting directors and thinking they are judging me and are they going to like me and it’s scary, but really you are there for them and you want them to be the best they can be in the room I imagine. So you really are this wonderful cheerleader for them.
Merri: I don’t think I'm so noble or extraordinary about that… i just think without creating a warm environment people can’t do good work. I definitely try really hard to create an environment where people feel as safe and relaxed as possible… but to be completely transparent you can tell which kids are ready
Denise: I would love you to elaborate on readiness.. What does that mean for a child to be ready to book a broadway show or national tour?
Merri: There’s only so much you can tell a child actor and their parents or guardians about what to expect…
I think it works the best and it is the most successful when kids are still allowed to be kids and that feeling pressure is really normal and that we’re going to try to tailor make everybody’s experience in order to succeed, but being ready means handling a lot.
Denise: I actually quoted you in my book that the most talented kid doesn’t always get the job but that there are so many other factors that go into it.
Denise: I would love to circle back about something you brought up of a child’s height and voice changing. Parents contact me all of the time… and they want to get them into professional work but they are 5’3” and she’s 15 years old. Can you talk about that age where it sort of starts dying off for kids to be able to book professional roles.
Merri: I think that is just the fact of it. Kids are going to have a chunk of time where they are much less castable, especially when they get into their teen years which is why you have so many young adults playing teens. It is a much more complicated process to hire kids.
Denise: Look, you’re a teacher at heart. You mentor, you teach parents, you teach kids. I think it is up to people like us to help guide because there is no “how to”
Merri: That’s the hard thing. You can never say, this is how to do it because it is constantly changing. Especially with kids, parents need some sort of something that is consistent.
Everything is so fleeting and so changeable that I think it makes it a really scary endeavor for parents to allow their kids to do it, but theatre especially in my opinion is a really joyful place and a lot of kids find their people there.
Denise: Not only that but it sets them up to be really successful adults with all they’ve learned.
Denise: One of the things that has changed…many of the auditions are on self tape and is that going to be the way of the future?
Merri: Yes, it’s interesting. I don’t know if people realize but as far as pre-screening goes…we’ve been doing self-tapes for a very long time….that is usually what we start with. Especially since we’ve cast our nets so much wider… especially with kids… we often start with a self tape. I don't think that’s going to change anytime soon, but I don't think anyone is going to get cast in a broadway play, an off-broadway play, or even a regional play without being seen in person at least once. I think the self-tape is really just the jumping off point.
Denise: You mentioned that you’ve done a lot of work with college students. We talked about those ten years where there isn’t a lot of work for actors… I always advise kids to train during those years because it’s so competitive, but what advice do you have for kids between the age of 12 and getting into college?
Merri: The same advice you have. That is the time to be in plays and read plays and watch television and see movies and start to formulate ideas about what moves you and what kind of work you want to doa nd how to continue to grow and get better at that. Sometimes that means a saturday morning class in the city…or hanging around your local community theatre and getting an internship…maybe you’re not a singer but now is the time to take voice lessons for six months so you start having an idea about how you want to sell yourself. It’s not about building your resume, it’s about honing your craft.
Denise: You teach, it’s another part of what you do and it complements your job I imagine…but when they’re young there’s a fine line of natural ability coming out and then somebody being trained. How do you feel about young actors training or what age do you think they should start training?
Merri: I don’t think it’s ever too early to start training. I do think sometimes parents will have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the person who is right for their kid.
{They’ll} know if someone is right for their kid if their kid is happen when they are working with them and if they are being taught that the human part of acting, the part that you get to just create a character, and that that character doesn’t have to be more than who that child is in that moment of their lives that's the most important thing: that a kid doesn’t feel like they have to be anything more or anything less than what they are.
Denise: …You have so much to offer and I tell parents this is a wonderful industry and don’t be scared of it because there are wonderful generous people like yourself who make such a difference in kids life and I think for parents if you’re on the fence…why not, just be smart about it.
Merri: I so appreciate that. I feel so privileged to walk in this world. I wouldn’t give it up for anything…I think people have this idea that the world of show business is intimidating and that people are mean…it’s just you’re always ong to find people who are unkind in every single business but i think here it's just so conducive to just doing you and being accepted for being your own amenable creation and keeping it fun and joyful, you know that’s the challenge because it’s a job. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t found their best friend in the world of theatre.
