Backstage Magazine Digital Edition: July 7, 2020

07.02.20

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Inside the Emmy Race 3+ Pages

Plus:

Spotlighting “Mrs. America,” “Normal People,” “Space Force,” + more

OF CASTING NOTICES

Chris Evans

goes deep on acting, creative rebirth, and finding freedom

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Contents

vol. 61, no. 14 | 07.02.20

Cover Story

Between the Lines On camera and off, Chris Evans is studying the human condition: “The empathy for a person’s process is such a beautiful thing” page 14

The Green Room 6 Results of the Actors’ Equity election 8 This week’s roundup of who’s casting what starring whom

9 Rose Byrne on bringing Gloria Steinem to the small screen

Advice 11 CRAFT

Defining success

12 #IGOTCAST

Rose Cavanagh

12 SECRET AGENT MAN Just following up

Features 4 BACKSTAGE 5 WITH...

Kevin Bacon

10 MEET THE MAKER

Greg Daniels, “Upload” and “Space Force” creator

11 THE ESSENTIALISTS

John Grillo, cinematographer

13 IN THE ROOM WITH Louise Kiely

19 EMMY-EMPTY

Attention, TV Academy: These contenders are ready for the win!

24 ASK AN EXPERT

Tony Rossi on gaining confidence and following your heart

Casting 20 New York Tristate 20 California 22 National/Regional All photos of Chris Evans courtesy Apple.

Cover designed by Ian Robinson.

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Backstage 5 With...

Kevin Bacon

By Benjamin Lindsay

With 40 years’ worth of credits across film, television, and theater, few actors working today are as recognizable as Kevin Bacon. After the ongoing coronavirus pandemic shut down production on Season 2 of his Showtime Boston crime drama, “City on a Hill,” he spread awareness on social distancing practices with his #IStayHomeFor social media campaign, which brought him to an advice-stuffed Instagram Live interview with Backstage. Catch him now in Universal Pictures’ psychological horror film “You Should Have Left.”

What has playing Jackie on “City on a Hill” added to your acting skills? I got this script for “City on a Hill,” and I’m looking at it; it’s long speech after long speech after long speech—this guy just does not shut up. To jump back into that kind of a character and to really embrace the verbosity of this guy was really exciting and almost Shakespearean. It’s like Shakespeare with a lot of fucks, and I really enjoy doing that.

How did you first get your Equity card? It was shameless nepotism, because even though I don’t come from a theatrical family, I had a cousin on my mother’s side who was a director, and she was doing a children’s theater tour in West Springfield, Massachusetts. I think I played a coyote.

Do you have an audition horror story you could share with us? [When I auditioned for Broadway’s “Got Tu Go Disco,”] they wanted me to sing a disco song. There was a song at the time called “I Love the Nightlife” by Alicia Bridges. I just got the record and sang along with it, but apparently the sheet music was in a way higher key. I took it in, and the piano player started to play, and it was way, way out of my range. I just kind of fell apart and my knees buckled and I said, “I’m sorry, I made a terrible mistake,” and I walked out.

What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self? It would be to take some advice, because I was incredibly cocky and I didn’t really think that anybody had any kind of good advice to offer me. I would pretend that I wanted it from an agent, from an acting teacher, from an older actor—but the truth is I was a know-it-all. The older I’ve gotten, the more I know there is more to learn.

“You have to have a very, very thick skin [as an actor], and you have to be ready for [rejection], because there’s gonna be some heartbreak along the way.”

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ILLUSTRATION: NATHAN ARIZONA/PHOTO: KATHY HUTCHINS/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

What’s one screen performance every actor should see and why? When I was about 15, in Philly, there was a local theater that had a double bill; it was, like, a dollar to get in and it was two movies: “The Graduate” and “Midnight Cowboy,” both with Dustin Hoffman. I looked at that and I went, “Holy shit, that’s the same guy.” Like, I thought that was just some homeless guy that they found, but that’s actually an actor, and I thought that was just some preppy kid that they found, but that’s the same guy. To me, that was very, very formative, because I went from thinking that being an actor was like being on “The Monkees” or something like that to [realizing] it’s actually about inhabiting different people’s essence.

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

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Kate Shindle Theater

Kate Shindle Wins Equity Election With record unemployment and a reckoning with industry racism, the union forges ahead

By Alex Ates

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

experienced in modern history.

From Broadway to Los Angeles, theaters are closed nationwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The union has 100% unemployment, and many experts, including labor leadership, acknowledge that live theater could be among the last sectors to return to activity.

Despite widespread unemployment, the election still had low voter engagement: Out

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of Equity’s more than 50,000 members, only 10,727 voted for president. The ballot also included positions such as regional vice presidents and councilors.

Dee Hoty was elected Eastern regional vice president—representing the nation’s theater economy epicenter, New York City—unseating incumbent Sid Solomon with a margin of over 2,000 votes. Kelley

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KATE SHINDLE HAS BEEN re-elected president of the nation’s union for stage actors and managers, Actors’ Equity Association. Shindle, who’s been president of the union since 2015, handily beat challenger Stephen Bogardus by winning 64% of the vote.

Shindle, a Broadway veteran, continues her leadership during one of the most challenging times the union has

Faulkner was elected Central regional vice president over Dev Kennedy. Doug Carfrae ran unopposed for Western regional vice president.

Thirty-six people were elected to various council positions, with two running unopposed.

In addition to an economic tailspin and an uncontrolled pandemic, the union is also responding to a nationwide reckoning of systemic racism in theater; anti-Blackness, particularly, has been a major focal point. In a June 8 open letter to the “white American theater,” Black theater artists wrote, “We have watched you turn a blind eye as unions refuse to confront their racism and integrate their ranks, muting the authenticity of our culture and only reserving space for us to shine out front on your stages but never behind them. We see you.” At the time of publication, the letter has been endorsed by more than 80,000 people who signed an accompanying petition.

The day before the election results were announced, Equity’s council approved a formal resolution stating the union’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement. In the declaration, the union vows to “address the systemic racism both inside our union and its structures—including one’s ability to join and sustain membership, as well as one’s access to full participation—as well as in our industry more broadly[.]”

In a press statement commemorating Juneteenth, Equity said it is taking steps to become an antiracist organization.

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6/26/20 14:28

team is hoping to start filming

by August.

Keke Palmer Is Going Back in Time Her new historical thriller, “Alice,” is casting

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!

Some Hollywood film and TV projects are moving forward with casting ahead of tentative shooting dates set for later this year once safe on-set protocols have been established and production is allowed to resume. Please

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“Alice” “Alice” is playing with time in a sinister way. The film, which is written and directed by Krystin Ver Linden, appears to take place in the 1850s American South on a cotton plantation in Florida that runs on the labor of enslaved people. The 55-acre plot of land is home to cruel treatment and abhorrent

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TELEVISION

Hulu Will Have ‘Conversations’

By Casey Mink

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

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF ITS adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel “Normal People,” Hulu has announced that it will air “Conversations With Friends,” adapted from Rooney’s debut novel of the same name. The 12-episode project has received a straight-to-series order from the streaming platform, which will be produced in association with BBC Three. Lenny Abrahamson will serve as the series’ lead director, and Alice Birch will be head writer. Casting for the series has not yet been announced.

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MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON

Get cast!

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

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

conditions, and the enslaved are prevented from leaving.

That is, until one woman, Alice, manages to escape. Once she’s off the plantation, she discovers it’s really 1973 and the world she escaped was only a surviving relic of the past.

Knowing the truth, Alice sets out to take revenge on her old master. The film is currently casting with Presser/Well and has already started lining up actors. Leading the cast is Keke Palmer, along with Common, Jonny Lee Miller, and Sinqua Walls. Production is heading to Georgia, where COVID-19 restrictions have eased, and the

SABRINA LANTOS/FX

What’s Casting

“Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” Judy Blume’s “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” has captured the hearts (and minds) of generations of young readers, and will now cement that love with a film adaptation.

The story follows sixth-grader Margaret Simon as she navigates religion and the changes that come with growing up.

Being raised without a strong connection to either her father’s Jewish roots or her mother’s Christian ones, she uses a school project to discover other faiths while still practicing her own form of nightly prayer.

Aside from her need to feel closer to a religion, Margaret also craves companionship at the onset of puberty. Banding together with three other girls, they form a secret club where they discuss sex, boys, bras, and how their bodies are going to change. Blume and the book are credited with making feminists out of a young audience, introducing adolescent girls to the normalization of periods, hormones, and all the emotions and products that come with it.

The film has yet to attach any actors but is currently casting with Melissa Kostenbauder.

Production is hoping for a Fall 2020 start in Cleveland, but has also set aside Spring 2021 if that doesn’t pan out.

Rose Byrne and Margo Martindale on “Mrs. America”

Backstage Live

Making it Special

Rose Byrne talks bringing Gloria Steinem to the small screen on “Mrs. America”

By Benjamin Lindsay

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

TELEVISION

Animated Series Make Voice Acting Amends SABRINA LANTOS/FX

MARGAUX QUAYLE CANNON

By Casey Mink

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DESPITE 2020 GOING DOWN in history as the year Hollywood—and the world at large—changed forever, it’s also more fortunately the year that Rose Byrne showed us exactly what she’s capable of. First, she turned in a monstrous, devastating performance in “Medea” at BAM as part of its winter theater programming; then she delivered a pitch-perfect comedic turn in Paramount Pictures’

AMID WIDESPREAD RECKONING WITH racial inequity around the country and the world, a number of animated television series have announced that white actors will be stepping down from their roles voicing nonwhite characters. Among those whose parts will be recast with culturally accurate actors are Kristen Bell as Molly on the Apple TV+ series “Central Park,” Jenny Slate as Missy on Netflix’s “Big Mouth,” and Mike Henry as Cleveland on Fox’s “Family Guy.” Also on Fox, “The Simpsons” has instated a blanket policy to no longer hire white actors to portray nonwhite characters.

“Like a Boss”; and then came “Mrs. America.” Byrne stars in the FX on Hulu limited series alongside Cate Blanchett, Uzo Aduba, Sarah Paulson, and many more as progressive revolutionary and feminist icon Gloria Steinem. The series from creator Dahvi Waller dives deep into the events that led to the rise of far right politics during the culture war of the 1970s, and Steinem and others’ efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. “It was an extra special experience, it really was,” Byrne told us over Instagram Live back in April. “You never get to work with that many women. It did feel special.”

“Mrs. America” shows the tapestry of the moment, through the eyes of living icons.

“I was initially like, ‘Are you crazy!?’ How do you even begin to do something like that? Obviously Gloria Steinem is still incredibly active and has so much presence in her activism and in her writing and in her voice, so that alone is intimidating, and then to bring such an iconic figure to life, who already has so many preconceptions about her…. You

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project so much onto someone that well known. But I couldn’t be more excited about it. It was this really unusual story of a time that in a way was quite forgotten in history, of the second-wave feminist movement, and all of the characters within that and all of the drama on the antifeminist side and feminist side, and the tapestry Dahvi had created. That, to me, was the point of entry of wanting to do it.”

Phyllis Schlafly (played by Blanchett) was a precursor to Donald Trump.

“I didn’t know much about Phyllis Schlafly until she came out in support of Trump in 2016, so revisiting this time in history, you really saw how everything was sort of engineered for today, in terms of the cult of personality in the GOP and the divisions that were really created, and just this idea of ‘alternative facts’ and stuff like that…. Often on set, we would be like, ‘Wow, we’re just talking about the same thing now 45 years later as what they’re discussing in 1975.’ So it was a bit surreal at times.”

Byrne was obsessed with getting Steinem right onscreen.

“There’s so much stuff about her out there. Gloria is just incredible. I didn’t know anything about her childhood, so just to read about that, and obviously one of her seminal books, ‘My Life on the Road,’ is a brilliant read and everyone should read it regardless of where you stand on feminism— it’s just a great book. But that was incredibly informative.

So I would carry all my books around and be constantly referencing them. And then it was just an obsession about trying to get the silhouette right. She’s so iconic with her look, and [I was] trying to make it more than just a caricature.”

Want to hear more from Byrne?

Watch our full Backstage Live interview at our Instagram page, @backstagecast.

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Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

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Meet the Maker

Greg Daniels, “Upload” and “Space Force” creator

Alice Wetterlund, Michael Hitchcock, Steve Carell, and Asif Ali on “Space Force”

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

for “Saturday Night Live” in the 1980s. “Space Force,” alternatively, was brought to him

by Netflix and his “Office” collaborator Steve Carell, pitched as a comedic take on the eponymous new branch of the U.S. military soon after it was announced in 2018.

But Daniels doesn’t just rely on different methods of creating; he also believes in a casting approach tailored to each project. For example, “Upload” is full of new (and new-ish) faces including Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, and Allegra Edwards, while “Space Force” is an ensemble of legends like Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, and Carell. Though known for building much-loved ensembles, Daniels sees merit in all types of casts. “It’s very fun to bring people to the audience who you

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haven’t necessarily seen before.

The cast of ‘Upload’ has done different things, but you don’t have a lot of preconceptions, and that’s fun,” he says. “There’s another excitement with ‘Space Force’— it’s like a supergroup.

You’re starting with somebody hugely famous [Carell], so it makes more sense to populate the world with people that feel like peers of his.”

Anyone familiar with Daniels’ comedy knows characters—and therefore casting—are paramount to the success of the story. That might be why he excels at building well-rounded ensembles, which benefit both actors and writers alike. “When you go to the trouble of casting it and you find an actor who is the perfect fit for that character, it’s exciting. You think, How do I give them jokes? How do I find

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AARON EPSTEIN/NETFLIX

EVEN IF YOU DON’T RECOGnize Greg Daniels’ name, there is virtually no way you won’t recognize his work. Daniels is behind some of the most beloved television comedies of the past two decades, including “King of the Hill,” “Parks and Recreation,” and that little show “The Office.” In May, he added to that impressive résumé with not one but two new series: Amazon’s “Upload” and Netflix’s “Space Force.”

As Daniels tells Backstage, “There are different ways to create a TV show,” and these two series are perfect examples of that. “Upload,” about a near future where people can choose to die or upload their souls to a virtual reality afterlife and still interact with the living, was a long-gestating idea that dates back to his days writing

moments for them?” he asks.

“Even side characters are thinking their own thoughts and are the stars of their own lives.

They’re going to do funny, surprising things because they’re not just standing there trying to hold a box and hand it to the lead; they’ve got their own lives.”

It’s been said that in television, the writer is king, and in today’s crowded TV landscape, great writers are in high demand—which actually informs Daniels from the start.

As he describes it, “Part of the writer interviews is me trying to explain why the show I’m hiring for is going to be an important, unique, groundbreaking show. And those sort of sales jobs that I’m doing often give me insight as to what I could do better on the show.”

That type of listening and questioning how best to use talent on both sides of the camera has helped him create ageless, fan-favorite work, and Daniels thinks the field is open for others to do the same. “I don’t think you have to just be a writer to create a TV show anymore. You have to think about character and plot; that’s what writers do, mostly. We’re in charge of telling the stories,” he says. So, transcribe your favorite TV shows to practice writing scripts, learn how to build character through topical jokes, and then write your own idea.

And, most importantly, don’t lose hope. After all, it took more than 30 years for “Upload” to become a reality.

“You’ve got to figure out the characters, but once you’ve done that, it’s still going to be funny 10 years from now.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET RULING/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; “WESTWORLD”: JOHN P. JOHNSON/HBO

By Elyse Roth

culture +

Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

THE ESSENTIALISTS

JOHN GRILLO

cinematographer

By Casey Mink

As cinematographer for both HBO’s “Westworld” and TNT’s “Snowpiercer,” two-time Emmy nominee JOHN GRILLO helms the aesthetic of not one but two of the most stylistic series currently on the small screen.

For both shows, cinematography is for storytelling.

“I’m always interested in the inner world of characters; even as a cinematographer, that inspires me to try and translate emotions into visuals. Every show I work on, even if it’s sci-fi or action, I’m always interested in character and I’m always trying

Craft

Defining Success

AARON EPSTEIN/NETFLIX

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET RULING/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; “WESTWORLD”: JOHN P. JOHNSON/HBO

By Harvey Young

WE NEED TO HAVE A CONversation about success, and what it looks and feels like.

Success sometimes—very, very rarely—involves holding a golden statuette. Measuring success solely by awards can make you overlook the many other successes you’re achieving in your career. It’s important to think about how you’re defining success and avoid the awards-only mentality that can blind you to your other achievements.

Here are five other ways you can define success in the industry.

Success is regularly practicing and, more importantly, deriving joy from the arts.

It is the doing and the making that keeps alive the flame of imagination that was

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first sparked years earlier.

We should draw inspiration from folks like actor Mike Nussbaum, who at the age of 96 remains an enduring presence on Chicago theater stages.

Success is creating sufficient balance in one’s life to be able to be an artist.

It is the barista or Uber driver who takes on secondary employment to make possible the pursuit of their primary interest. It is the person who carves out time to audition, rehearse, and take classes.

Success is maintaining healthy, supportive friendships.

It is being sincerely happy for pals whose careers advance more quickly than one’s own. It is being empathetic and present for those who are struggling.

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that takes place entirely on a train in a not-sodistant future.”

to figure out how I can visually represent what the characters are going through internally.

‘Westworld’ deals with a very interesting dynamic, which is artificial intelligence gaining consciousness and eventually becoming human…. The challenge with ‘Snowpiercer’ was having a modest budget [and] trying to tell a story

Success is having a passion for the arts.

In much the same way that we pause to celebrate the appearance of a rainbow, we should marvel at how the creative work of artists in theater, film, and dance improve our collective lives. To make art is to do something extraordinary, to positively impact society, and, in the process, brighten our days.

Success is seeing the value and importance of one’s activity without the need for external accolades.

We know that an actor’s performance can be life-altering for both the performer and audience member without it ever being reviewed by a critic or nominated for an award. Although external recognition is always nice, it’s introspection—an honest self-examination—that meaningfully creates a sense of

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A DP’s job, like an actor’s, is to stay present.

“We’re there to help [actors] get to that place where they and the director want to go.

The better they do, the better I do. The better a performance they give, the better my work looks. They elevate my work, as well. I totally understand that, and it’s a give and take. There are moments when actors come on set and they see a light coming through a window and they play to it; it goes both ways.”

pride and a feeling of success in the work created and the experience shared with others.

When we have too narrow a sense of what success looks like, we overlook the good, satisfying, and fulfilling activities that abound in our communities. To better spotlight these achievements is not to dilute a dream or downgrade an aspiration. Rather, it is to remind ourselves of the fact that an award is not and should not be the only measure of success.

Young is the dean of the College of Fine Arts at Boston University and a Backstage Expert.

Want more?

Read the full interview at backstage.com/magazine

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Don’t pitch me crap.

I’m always amused when actors try to get me excited about something that amounts to nothing. Telling me you had several callbacks for a mainstream casting director is intriguing. Telling me you booked a short film or some web thing is not. Always lead with your best and most recent accomplishment.

Watch your language.

No, I’m not talking about profanity. I mean you shouldn’t come across as an amateur by using the wrong words. For example, we have casting directors in this country, not casting agents. There are many other examples. See how many you can come up with. It’s fun!

Show me what you look like. You should always paste your headshot in the body of your email. It’s the perfect visual reminder, and it gives me an immediate sense of who’s contacting me. Just keep the image small so it doesn’t overwhelm the text. And go with your best picture, the one everyone loves.

Include a link to your website. Don’t have a website? Your Backstage profile will do! But do not include a link that forces me to download your material—I won’t. You can also attach a few pictures and a PDF of your résumé. The idea is to keep it simple and easy to navigate.

Grab my attention.

That’s where the subject line comes in. “Looking for representation” will not get me to open your email. “We met at Bob Smith’s workshop” will.

Follow-ups are a little easier than blind submissions because you’ve already met the person you’re contacting. That doesn’t guarantee a response, but it does increase the chances your email will get seen. And that, my friend, is half the battle.

#IGOTCAST. Rose Cavanagh

By Franchesca Viaud

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Just Following Up

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go into pitch mode. There’s no bigger turnoff than actors who go on and on about all the reasons their life cannot possibly continue unless I sign them.

You’re off to a bad start if your submission sounds like you’re trying to sell me a used car.

Give me the facts.

Where are you based?

Who’s your teacher? Do you have representation? And since this is a follow-up, please remind me how we met. I encounter a ton of actors, and my brain only has so much RAM. Use proper nouns.

Telling me, “I just did a play” means nothing. However, “I just booked a supporting role in ‘Macbeth’ at the Antaeus Theatre Company” means something.

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Follow-ups are a little easier than blind submissions because you’ve already met the person you’re contacting.

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As they say, there are no small parts.

“I typically look for strong female roles.

I’m less fussy about how big the role is and more concerned about the uniqueness of the character.”

Backstage has everything you’re looking for.

“I keep coming back to Backstage because I believe it provides the widest range of auditions—from unpaid student films to EPAs, there is something for everybody at every stage of their acting career.”

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

backstage.com

ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; CAVANAGH: LAUREN TOUB

HAVE WE MET? Is it possible that you did a scene for me during a workshop? Could it be that we talked after I saw you perform onstage? Or were the two of us introduced at some sort of social event?

Well, it doesn’t really matter how our paths crossed. What matters is that they did. And as a motivated reader of this column, you should follow up with every industry professional you meet. The best way to do that is by email.

A well-crafted follow-up is a beautiful thing, but a lot of actors get it wrong. I can almost feel the flop sweat as I read their desperate emails. So, here are a few suggestions that will help you get it right: Stay short and sweet.

This is not the time to tell me your life story. All I need are the basics about your career.

You can also share a little personal stuff, but please don’t

Prioritize your profile.

“I have been using Backstage for about a year now. I graduated last year and it was the first thing I joined…. I check for new casting calls every morning. It’s always an advantage to be among the first to apply for a project.”

RAQUEL APARICIO

6

Secret Agent Man

ROSE CAVANAGH made the jump from student to working actor seamlessly. Equipped with a Backstage profile and an ever-increasing arsenal of skills, she landed a part in a play at the Hudson Guild Theater straight out of college.

culture +

Spotlighting the people and projects you need to know

In the Room With

Louise Kiely

The Irish CD searched extensively for the central couple of “Normal People”—and made two instant stars in the process

By Elyse Roth

adult themes and go on a huge journey. Each job has different requirements, and that was a really big one.

What were some of the challenges that came with this process? We had to be really careful around nudity, which everybody was. That was something I hadn’t dealt with to that extent before. Also, I had never reached out to casting directors in North America. I’ve met them before, so we know each other and that was nice, and there was one in Copenhagen who helped us out over there.

That for me was a really interesting process, to be the casting director who was leading it.

RAQUEL APARICIO

ILLUSTRATION: SPENCER ALEXANDER; CAVANAGH: LAUREN TOUB

WHEN HULU’S ADAPTATION OF SALLY ROONEY’S NOVEL “Normal People” was released in May, it broke the internet, as the saying goes. The chemistry between the Irish romance’s two leads, Connell and Marianne, whose magnetic connection takes viewers through their on-again, off-again relationship, drew in fans of the book and created new ones around the world. Casting the right actors was essential; enter Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones—and the casting director who found them, Louise Kiely. Kiely knew the importance of her task and embarked on a search that spanned countries and lasted nearly an entire year. Here, she shares with Backstage how she did it.

What was the casting process like for “Normal People?” It all hinges on the two of them. The fact the book was so beloved and readers are so connected to the characters internationally, that comes with a big expectation. If the reader doesn’t

backstage.com

fall in love with Marianne and Connell, there’s going to be something that feels uncomfortable and wrong with that.

We felt it was important to get going as soon as possible, because we weren’t sure how long it was going to take.

How does the passage of time in the story affect the casting process? You have to believe that they can be 17 and you have to believe that they’re in college as well. Thinking about actors who are 17 is probably not right, because the nature of it is that they have to be adults and, obviously we don’t want to generalize, but 18 still feels a little young. Equally, someone who is 27 might feel a little bit old. It was something we thought about a lot. They have to be believable onscreen to cover this time, but they also have to be old enough as humans and artists and actors to play that arc and deal with

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What advice would you give an Irish actor who wants to work in a larger market? I would say the same thing to them as when they were starting out before the smaller roles, which is to keep your head clear and work hard. You can only do your best. Keep yourself in physical shape. Keep learning, watch those movies, go to the theater, keep digesting as much culture as you can. The world is the same. We all work hard, and if somebody is working hard and doing a good job, that’s the best they can ask for.

Nowadays, we can cast from anywhere—and we do.

Want more?

Read the full interview at backstage.com/magazine

07.02.20 BACKSTAGE

BEFORE CHRIS EVANS BECAME CHRIS Evans, superhero and superstar, he made a habit of asking scene partners the question every starry-eyed artist wants to ask: “What’s your process?”

“I’ve met some actors who are wildly self-aware, wildly self-possessed, incredibly intelligent people,” he says. “I’ve also met actors who have no idea what’s going on around them at any given moment. And both can turn in phenomenal performances. It really begs the question: What is going on in your head when you see a piece of paper with a bunch of words?”

Somewhere on the journey from acting in school plays just outside Boston to a blockbuster career in indie flicks, on Broadway, and almost a dozen appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain America, and on to his recent impressive turn

on the Apple TV+ limited series “Defending Jacob,” Evans stopped asking the question— but not because he’d settled on an answer.

“The only conclusion I can draw is that there is no formula,” he says. “I think it’s meant to be in a constant state of rebirth.

It’s this organic, living thing that you have to re-examine with every character.

“Sorry if that made me sound pretentious; I’m hearing myself right now,” he adds with a groan.

Evans is too articulate about his 20-year love affair with acting and, frankly, too charming to ever come off as pretentious. In his conversation with Backstage, conducted remotely from his home in Los Angeles, he overflows with practical advice for his peers and fellow students of the craft.

Actors at the beginning of their careers could take a leaf out of Evans’ book: During

the summer before his senior year of high school, he wrote to New York City casting offices about interning. “I figured I should probably have a job that brought me into contact with agents,” he remembers. While he was assisting with casting bit parts on the Michael J. Fox sitcom “Spin City,” he ended up “talking to agents every day and keeping a little book of the agents who were nice.”

He then asked to read monologues for the agent who, after Evans finished school early to audition for pilot season, got him a role on 2000’s short-lived Fox comedy “Opposite Sex”—plus plenty of other auditions he did not book.

“Oh, god,” he says when the subject of auditioning comes up. “Ninety-five percent of the work is rejection. Those first 10 years, you’ve got to put the gloves on for every job and you’ve got to get in the ring.” For the first half of his career, Evans emerged from most auditions convinced he not only wasn’t getting the part, but that he wasn’t getting any part ever again. “When all you hear in your head is that high-pitched buzzing sound and your palms are sweating and you feel like you can’t catch your breath,” he deadpans, “that’s the opposite of trying to drop into a moment.”

Between the Lines On camera and off, Chris Evans is studying the human condition: “The empathy for a person’s process is such a beautiful thing”

By Jack Smart BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

14

backstage.com

With Jaeden Martell and Michelle Dockery on “Defending Jacob”

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

of it, and you revisited it in six months—A) I doubt you would be able to even play yourself properly, and B) I doubt that the words on the page would accurately encompass all the shades of who you are. I think one of the mistakes actors tend to do is believe that the words are their breadcrumbs. [But] it’s the characters and the spaces between.

“You have to start in a much more macro sense, in terms of [asking,] What story are we trying to tell? How does my character fit into that theme?” That brings us to a topic Evans is distinctly qualified to address: taking a well-known character in literature and bringing them to life on the screen.

Fans of Joe Simon’s and Stan Lee’s comics, for example, had been reading about the square-jawed, shield-wielding Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) for decades. Should moviegoers’ hopes and perceptions be an element in the actor’s adaptation process?

“There was this enormous expectation that these people already had in their minds, this idea of who this character was, and you have to respect that,” says Evans, who in 2010 hesitated in the face of those expectations before signing his multimovie deal. “Audiences are part of what will make

16

[these films] work, and I owe that group my understanding of what they see.” Again starting with context rather than dialogue, he took the macro approach, reading the nearly endless litany of material featuring the Captain.

The next step in adapting such a character, however, should be to focus inward. “At a certain point, you do have to say, ‘OK, I have to approach this the way I would anything else,’ and connect to it on a personal level without every single day being preoccupied with how it’s going to be perceived,” he explains. Whether it’s navigating the artistic process, a career in Hollywood, or just life, “trying to cut your cloth according to the way you’re seen is a risky approach.”

That’s why Evans is so enthusiastic about this most recent post-Cap phase of his career.

“I absolutely loved my time with Marvel; I already miss it,” he says, “but there’s no denying that it is very exciting to just have complete freedom to pursue whatever my creative appetite wants.” Whereas his franchise commitments afforded Evans the occasional passion project, like 2013’s “Snowpiercer” or 2014’s “Before We Go,” his directorial debut, he’s now ready to push backstage.com

LIZ COLLINS / TRUNK ARCHIVE; ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

“The most useful tool I could [recommend] to an actor or to anybody is cultivate the active participation of silence in your mind, cultivate the ability to surrender to the moment.”

OPENING SPREAD: COURTESY APPLE; “DEFENDING JACOB”: APPLE TV+; EVANS: COURTESY APPLE

But around the time that he began making a name for himself in comic book adaptations (“Fantastic Four,” “TMNT,” “The Losers,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” all of which groomed him for his Marvel franchise debut in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”), Evans discovered his favorite actorly trick.

“You pull up a script,” he says, of any favorite film or series. “You read the first scene and you make your choices as if you were going to perform this next scene.

Try and map it out. Then, immediately afterward, watch the scene.

“There is nothing more eye-opening that you can possibly do as an actor than to watch the way an actor you respect dissects a scene and makes their choices,” he continues. “To stretch your acting muscle, go compare your choices to some other actors’ choices.

If nothing else, you’ll be reminded of the dizziness of choice that’s available on any page of dialogue.”

It was while analyzing Jim Caviezel’s performance in the film “Angel Eyes” that Evans began relishing that kind of creative freedom. “Moments that I made a meal out of, he threw away. Moments that I threw away, he sank into the power of the pause. It was such a different dance that he created that had absolutely nothing to do with the words, but the words still fit flawlessly.”

In fact, the dialogue felt almost beside the point. “Words are really not indicative of who you are. If you, in your daily life, set up a camera and filmed a conversation with maybe you and one of your buddies, and then someone else printed it out, made a script out

LIZ COLLINS / TRUNK ARCHIVE; ERIN SIMKIN/HULU

OPENING SPREAD: COURTESY APPLE; “DEFENDING JACOB”: APPLE TV+; EVANS: COURTESY APPLE

07.02.20 BACKSTAGE

17

backstage.com

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

in between,” he says, “when an actor knows how to have restraint and ride the power of silence, of listening.... Acting is the empathy for the human condition. Whether you play a hero or a villain, the empathy for a person’s process—empathy for recognizing that you don’t know how other people experience things, and the curiosity about trying to draw parallels between their experience and your own—is such a beautiful thing.”

It’s further proof that approaching a story or character requires much more than memorizing lines. Case in point: the

18

ambiguous final scene of “Defending Jacob,” in which Andy is alone in his house. Evans sits wordlessly; instead of a conclusive action or symbolic gesture, there’s only stillness.

With that choice, he’s inviting us in; he’s showing us ourselves.

“This extends well beyond the realms of acting, to life in general: We are all victims of our own brain noise,” Evans says. “The most useful tool I could [recommend] to an actor or to anybody is cultivate the active participation of silence in your mind, cultivate the ability to surrender to the moment.

“I guess it sounds a little pretentious, but that really is all acting is, isn’t it?” backstage.com

COURTESY APPLE

himself as an artist—and subvert audience expectations—full-time. It’s what led him back to the stage for the 2018 Broadway revival of Kenneth Lonergan’s “Lobby Hero,” to 2019’s starry murder mystery “Knives Out,” and now to the role of Andy Barber on Apple TV+’s buzzy “Defending Jacob.”

Adapted by Mark Bomback from William Landay’s novel and directed by Morten Tyldum, the eight installments of “Defending Jacob” track the dissolution of Andy’s family in the wake of a murder accusation against his teenage son Jacob (played by Jaeden Martell). While Jacob maintains his innocence, mounting evidence and a series of revelations force his father to confront his own deceptions, and cause his mother, Laurie (Michelle Dockery), to have unthinkable doubts.

“Andy had a very challenging childhood,” says Evans of the character. “Most people who have traumatic experiences when they’re young, they build walls and coping mechanisms very early; they bury things deep down.” Asked whether Andy doubts his son’s innocence, he replies carefully. “Part of the process of leaving those demons from his past came from reidentifying with himself as a family man, a husband, a father. When all of a sudden, this family becomes in jeopardy— when this belief system, this identity that’s been truly his saving grace, is jeopardized—I think Andy cannot cope with the possibility of doing a deep dive and dumping this mess out and really examining it.”

And, Evans points out, a lot of people do indeed live that way. What makes “Defending Jacob” such a notable chapter in his acting journey is not only that it harnesses his page-to-screen adaptation process, albeit on a smaller scale (“You want to make sure you respect the author more than anything else,” he says), it enables him to play with context and obfuscation, those thrilling “spaces between.” How well can we really know our loved ones? What is the nature of guilt, both in a court of law and in our psyche? So much is unsaid between Andy and Laurie, or Andy and Jacob, or Andy and his father, Billy (J.K. Simmons)—as family members and as humans experiencing collective trauma—that Evans and his co-stars can plumb seemingly endless depths of subtext in their dynamics.

It’s the exact kind of specific-yet-universal subtext that audiences can relate to, and with which great actors love to play. Evans brings up a Julianne Moore quote about craft: “ ‘The audience doesn’t come to see you, they come to see themselves.’ Even when you’re playing an intimate, reserved, taciturn character, you still have to be open enough to let people in.”

Which brings us to Evans’ biggest tip for actors, both on camera and off: Cultivate the practice of stillness.

“Sometimes, the choices that I find most powerful and moving, the choices that make you lean into an actor, the choices that make you want more, are found in those moments

Emmy-Empty

Attention, TV Academy: These contenders are ready for the win!

By Jack Smart

Hugh Laurie

BY THEIR VERY NATURE, AWARDS SHOWS ALWAYS END UP WITH talented contenders who go home empty-handed. With the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards celebrating the best of scripted television Sept. 20 and nominees being announced July 28, Backstage is rounding up those actors who could—and, frankly, should!—be in the running this year, have been nominated more than once, and have, unfortunately, never won. It’s an honor just to be nominated…but in 2020, aren’t these stars long overdue?

the screen legend is back on Showtime with Jordan Cahan and David Caspe’s 1980s Wall Street comedy “Black Monday.” His cocky, cocaine-snorting Maurice Monroe, Emmy-nominated last year for Season 1, is a character for the ages.

Steve Carell

Christina Hendricks

EMMY NOMINATIONS: 10 ELIGIBLE FOR: “The Morning

Show” (Apple TV+) and “Space Force” (Netflix) With drama “The Morning Show” and comedy “Space Force,” Carell has not one but two chances to finally win that little gold statuette this year, an honor that was somehow denied to the comedic genius who made “The Office” such a phenomenon. With six acting and four producing nominations for that hit show,

until “The Handmaid’s Tale”; and Hendricks, a six-time nominee, is still empty-handed. Her fiery leading performance on “Good Girls” could finally get her in the club.

recognition from the Television Academy in 2020 would be better late than never.

Don Cheadle

EMMY NOMINATIONS: 9 ELIGIBLE FOR: “Black Monday”

(Showtime) Cheadle broke into the Emmys world with double nominations in 1999, then followed it up with nominated work on “Things Behind the Sun,” “ER,” and four nods in a row for the immensely enjoyable “House of Lies.” Now,

EMMY NOMINATIONS: 6 ELIGIBLE FOR: “Good Girls” (NBC)

There should be a Television Academy rule that if you get enough nominations in a row for the same performance, you’re guaranteed a win. That’s certainly what fans of “Mad Men” would have wanted, when year after year the show raked in drama Emmys but never for its actors.

It took Jon Hamm until the final season to win; Elisabeth Moss didn’t become an Emmy winner

EMMY NOMINATIONS: 10 ELIGIBLE FOR: “Avenue 5” (HBO)

Laurie has an astounding 10 Emmy nods to his name, the majority for his long-running performance as the title role on “House.” His scene-stealing appearances on “Veep” led to the leading role on creator Armando Iannucci’s new comedy “Avenue 5,” where Laurie plays a frazzled, deceptive, hilarious spaceship captain.

Sandra Oh

EMMY NOMINATIONS: 10 ELIGIBLE FOR: “Killing Eve”

(BBC America) Edged out at the Emmys last year by her co-star Jodie Comer, Oh has made a glorious return to our TV screens with three stellar seasons of Phoebe WallerBridge’s thriller-comedy-drama “Killing Eve.” Audiences (not to mention SAG and Golden Globe Award voters) all seem to agree: We’ve missed the comic timing and dramatic heft we saw from her long run on “Grey’s Anatomy,” which accounts for five of her 10 nominations.

Kerry Washington

NICOLE WILDER/SHOWTIME

EMMY NOMINATIONS: 4 ELIGIBLE FOR: “Little Fires

Don Cheadle on “Black Monday”

backstage.com

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Everywhere” (Hulu) and “American Son” (Netflix) Washington has been an illuminating presence on the small screen for long enough that audiences might assume she has at least one Emmy statuette on her mantel. She would if there were any justice in this world! With two nods for leading “Scandal” and two for producing and starring as Anita Hill in the TV movie “Confirmation,” Washington is primed for a return to the Emmys race this year on the buzzy limited series “Little Fires Everywhere” and in Netflix’s film adaptation of Broadway’s “American Son.”

07.02.20 BACKSTAGE

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

Submit a Notice |

New York Tristate Plays ‘A Dry Wind In A Desert Place’

• Seeking NY submissions for “A Dry

Wind In A Desert Place.” Synopsis: The play is an imagination of the take over of The Lafarge Cement, a French company here turned American, which was captured by ISIS in 2014. The play exposes corporate fraud and its consequences to the Syrian Civil War. • Company: GW Reed. Staff: GW Reed,

dir.

• Dates depend on the current Covid-19

crisis and when congregation will be allowed; runs TBD in Brooklyn, NY.

• Seeking—Equity Actors: all genders,

18+.

• Seeking submissions from NY. • For consideration, submit photo and

resume to gwreed521@gmail.com.

• Pays $50.00 for a rehearsal and read-

ing. Equity Staged Reading Code.

Student Films ‘Lizard Brain’

• Casting “Lizard Brain” a narrative short

film, psychological horror/dark comedy. Synopsis: “Lizard Brain” follows George on his psychedelic and terrifying experience with brain cancer, the American healthcare system and alien Lizard-men who want to eat his brains.

• Company: NYFA. Staff: Benjamin

Rummans, writer-dir.; Seika Paradeis, prod.

• Rehearses (six days, TBD) late July/Aug.;

films early or mid Sept. in location TBD. • Seeking—George: male, 40-60,

Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent, a bitter old man, has been through a lot in life and now he faces his most difficult challenge yet. As the lead character, the audience will follow his battle with cancer, loneliness and alien lizard-men who want to eat him. They see everything in the world as if we are seeing through George’s

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

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. eyes. Dr. Jones: male, 30-50, all ethnicities, George’s long time doctor; cares more about money than his patients; diagnoses George with brain cancer, which leads to George learning the truth about Dr. Jones...he’s a lizard-man. Note: This role will require heavy SFX make-up. Daughter: female, 21-30, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent, has been drifting away from her dad of years. In the film she exists only in his mind. Lizard Men: male, 25-35, White / European Descent, the main antagonists of the film, the lizard-men are an underground shadow organization secretly controlling America. They masquerade as humans who are in a position of power, in this case they are disguised as health-insurance salesmen. Note: This role will require heavy SFX make-up.

Casting picks of the week

BY LISA HAMIL

stage

‘A Dry Wind In A Desert Place’ The winds of change will blow through this Brooklyn, NYC reading

tv

‘Fatal Attraction’ Reenact deadly relationships in Knoxville, TN for this TV One true crime series

• Seeking submissions from NY. • For consideration, submit a cover letter

musical

with your availability for rehearsals in the months of July and August, headshot and resume to lizardbraincasting@ gmail.com. Video reel not required but preferred.

Florida Rep Season Sing your heart out for this upcoming season in Fort Meyers, FL

• No pay, but travel and meal allowance

and copy of film (after film festival run) will be provided.

print modeling

Whiskey Photoshoot Raise your hands in NYC for this major whisky brand

Print Modeling

student film

Whiskey Photoshoot

‘The Last Disco In Tehran’ Speak Farsi in this ambitious USC graduate project in Los Angeles, CA

• Casting a diverse range of hand models

for upcoming photo/video shoot with a major whiskey company.

• Company: The Brooklyn Brothers.

Staff: L. Weitz, prod.

• Shoots the week of July 20, 2020 in

NYC. Note: Must be local to NYC.

• Seeking—Hand Model #1: male,

24-50, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial.

Hand Model #2: male, 21-60, White / European Descent. Hand Model #3: male, 50-70, White / European Descent. Hand Model #4: female, 21-36, White / European Descent.

Tattooed Hand Model #5: male, 21-65, Asian, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Latino / Hispanic, White / European Descent, a hand model with multiple arm/hand tattoos. Applicant must be able to provide artwork clearance from tattoo artist(s). Hand Model #6: female, 55-80, Asian, White / European Descent.

Southern California

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

• Note: This is a hand modeling role.

Applicants must submit photos of arms and hands to be considered. Also submit a photo of your hand holding a cup or glass. Note any availability conflicts for the week of July 20.

• Pays $1000 flat for a one day shoot.

Meals provided. Transportation reimbursement up to $100 each way (receipts required). Usage: All media in perpetuity worldwide.

20

Student Films ‘A Ride to Fly’

• Casting “A Ride to Fly,” a CalArts short

student film.

• Production states: “Regarding to cur-

rent situation: Masks, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and gloves will be provided on set. Everyone except the performing actors in the crew will be expected to wear masks throughout the whole shoot, and be reminded constantly to wash hands and keep safe social distance.”

• Staff: Dazhi Huang, dir.-grad student

coord.

• Rehearses mid-July; shoots late July

and early Aug. (four days in between) in L.A. Production states: “We will decide the exact date once we feel it’s comfortable and safe for everyone in the crew.”

• Seeking—Dennis Mendoza: male,

20-27, Latino / Hispanic, computer engineer at an Austin tech start-up.

Grew up in an overly-protective rich family, he’s timid and naive. Wants to propose to his long-distance girlfriend Layla at Disneyland in LA for their 2-year-anniversary. Layla O’Reilly: female, 24-30, Middle Eastern, White / European Descent, an astrophysics graduate student, cashier, tour guide and waitress. Grew up in a working class family and receives her education through full scholarships; speaks French with a strong Quebec accent.

Free-spirited and pleasure-driven, she flirts and fucks anyone she’s attracted to, while maintaining an open-relationship with her long-distance boyfriend Dennis. She’s always firm and sure of her own mind, she would never let Dennis change her in any condition.

Alev Cholakian: male, 23-35, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Middle Eastern, L.A. born and raised. Uber driver. Womanizer, Workout Fanatic and Gun-lover. Flirts with Layla while Dennis’ around. Daniela Hernandez: female, 30-50, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Latino / Hispanic, Dennis and Layla’s Airbnb host. Making a living for her whole family of 4. Except being backstage.com

California casting

an airbnb host; has part-time jobs driving Uber and working in a laundromat; fierce and fearless, straightforward and never pretends to be polite. Spanish speaker preferred. Maria Hernandez: female, 19-28, Latino / Hispanic, Daniela’s daughter. L.A.-born and raised recent high school grad working at Target. She’s pregnant with her boyfriend in the her class, but he’s always absent. Nevertheless, She’s fierce and fearless too, just like her mother.

Bernadette Pelletier: female, 25-40, Middle Eastern, White / European Descent, Dennis’ Uber Share ride. Paris born and raised, working at a French bank’s Los Angeles subsidiary.

Suffering from recent breakup, she’s very sad when she’s taking this ride with Dennis.

• Company: City Media Ent. Staff:

• Shoots Fall 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. • Seeking—Kin: male, 25-35, Black /

• Shoot dates TBD in L.A. • Seeking—Teams of Three: all genders,

Sam Buckner, writer-prod.

African Descent, 29, humorous, irresponsible, good looking man; the type of guy who wants more out of life but doesn’t want to work for it; has a childlike complex of the little boy who won’t quite grow up. Celly: male, 25-35, Black / African Descent, Marcel Wiggins AKA Celly, 30, a self effacing, working class brother; he looks like the kind of guy who wears suits everyday of his life but without the neck tie; athletic build; very self aware although he doesn’t always like to show it; loves his complexion but hates it at the same time; a perfectionist; slightly neurotic. Aaron: male, 25-35, Black / African Descent, 29, a smooth brother, with a ton of charisma; very chill and drama free; a likeable and reserved personality; the guy all the ladies want and all the guys want to be, the only problem is he knows it; kind of a playboy.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to dazhihuang@

alum.calarts.edu.

• Unpaid.

‘The Last Disco in Tehran’

• Casting “The Last Disco in Tehran,” a

student short film. Synopsis: When Western media has been cut-off in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, Sepideh convinces her traumatized uncle to find her the coveted Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ tape in hopes of being the most popular girl on her block. Note: The entire film will be in Farsi as it is a period film set in 1980s Tehran.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to s.buckner@

student.nyfa.edu.

• Pay provided.

all ethnicities, who are looking to find a great agent and book TV Commercials.

Lindsay Spaulding, casting dir.

• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, actors must email

fun and dynamic teens ages 16-17 who want to be on a prime time NBC game show with their teen friends. Team examples: sibling teen team, BFF teen team, cousin teen team, triplet teen team, coworker teen team, sports teen team, etc.

the day and time they wish to attend to mike@heyisawyourcommercial. com. Note: This is an in studio class.

• No pay. No cost to attend class.

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

resume, and a cover letter with a contact phone number, Instagram link, and a bit about the teen team to lindsaycasting@gmail.com.

• No pay.

Reality TV & Documentary

L. Yavari, coord.

‘Just Ask the Baker’

• Shoots Aug. 29-30 and Sept. 5-6 in L.A. • Seeking—Sepideh: female, 18-28,

Online Commercials & Promos Hand Models for Product Content

Workshops

• Casting hand models for studio as well

work from home gigs.

• Staff: E. Kennedy, coord.

• No rehearsal. Production dates are TBD

‘How To Sign With A Top Commercial Agent & Start Booking! Also Energize Your TV/Film Career’

and flexible.

• Seeking—Female Hand Model:

Commercial! Staff: Mike Pointer, career coach.

female, 18-40, graceful, with long fingers, thin wrists, great skin, no scars or tattoos, and well-kept nails with a nice shape. Professionals parts models and beginners are welcome to apply. You would be demonstrating products for very close-up shots of a variety of products.

at Hey, I Saw Your Commercial! Studios (5511 West Pico Blvd.) LA.

science.com.

• Seeking participants for a free class,

“How To Sign With A Top Commercial Agent & Start Booking! Also Energize Your TV/Film Career!”

• Company: Hey, I Saw Your

• Company: USC Graduate School. Staff:

• Class runs June 30-July 2 (2:30-5 p.m.)

• Seeking submissions from CA. • Send submissions to casting@tube-

• Seeking—Actors: all genders, 18-65,

• Pays $150 flat; all media buyout.

• Casting “Just Ask the Baker,” a new

Middle Eastern, 16, has not fully come to grips with the newly oppressed reality she lives in; precocious, determined, and full of life (almost to delusion) despite the surroundings that try to stifle her; loves America. Daee Ali: male, 26-45, Middle Eastern, has returned early from the Iran-Iraq war, traumatized and withdrawn. His niece, Sepi, lights a fire under him to awaken back to the days of hope before the Revolution. Mojdeh: female, 18-30, Middle Eastern, the older sister and has been frightened into repression by the aftermath of the ‘79 Revolution. She admires her younger sister’s spirit, but is also terrified of it and finds it difficult, even in privacy, to be her authentic self.

Maman: 30-50, living on her own with her two teen daughters, and tries to take care of her traumatized brother; feels the weight of the world on her shoulders, and tries to keep her family alive while the world around them rages outside.

baking and advice show for a well known digital network. Production states: “If you’re in a sticky situation and need help with an issue or problem, our fun and hilarious host will serve it up to you along with her latest confectionery creations.”

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL COACHING PRICES!

• Company: Tastemade. Staff: Emily

Veteran Hollywood Casting Director, Producer and Acting Coach

Sweet, CD.

• Remote position.

• Seeking—Millennial Who Needs

Advice: all genders, 18-75, all ethnicities; needs advice about navigating Quarterlife, Mid-life, FOMO, toxic friendships, relationships, career or even baking. Casting asks: “Are you over the drama with your love life?

Can’t spend another minute with your family? Have you been burned by your roommate? Plotting out your next career move? Has your five-year plan turned into a recipe for disaster?

Jealous of your BFF’s newest friend?

Looking for tips on how to spice up your relationship? Is your boss making your blood boil?”

• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, submit your video

• Seeking submissions from CA. • For consideration, submit a cover letter

reel including a sample of your Farsi speaking skills to lyavari@usc.edu.

including the question (and any relevant backstory information) that you would like help answering on the show to casting@tastemade.com.

• No pay.

• Pay provided.

Scripted TV & Video

Prime Time NBC Game Show, Teams of Three Teens • Seeking fun and dynamic teams of

three teams to play tiny games for a chance to win big cash prizes on an NBC game show.

‘B.T.B’

• Casting “B.T.B,” a student film.

backstage.com

• Company: Invein Productions. Staff:

21

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07.02.20 BACKSTAGE

casting National/Regional

National/ Regional Plays Theatre Three 2020-2021

• Casting Equity actors for the Theatre

Three, 2020-2021 Season. Season includes “The Rocky Horror Show” (Jeffrey Schmidt, dir.; Richard O’Brien, playwright. Rehearsals Sept.

8-30; runs Oct. 1-Nov. 1), “Murder On The Orient Express” (Emily Scott Banks, dir.; Ken Ludwig, adapted by.

Rehearsals Nov. 3-25; runs Nov. 27-Dec. 20), “Oo-Bla-Dee” (Regina Taylor, playwright-dir.; Rehearsals Jan. 19-Feb. 10, 2021; runs Feb. 11-Mar. 14, 2021), “Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf” (Jeffrey Schmidt, dir.; Edward Albee, playwright. Rehearsals Jan. 14-29, 2021; runs Mar. 30-Apr. 7), and “The Music Man” (Joel Ferrell, dir.; Vonda K. Bowling, music dir.

Rehearsals May 11-June 2, 2020; runs June 3-July 11, 2021). Note: As part of COVID-19 precautions, the theatre requests a concession to request seasonal video auditions, instead of production-specific live Equity auditions.

• Company: Theatre Three, Inc. Staff:

Jeffrey Schmidt, artistic dir.; Christie Vela, assoc. artistic dir.; Sarah Barnes, company mngr.

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

18+, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions from TX. • For consideration, submit a digital

headshot, resume and a video audition to t3shakesdallasauditions@ gmail.com. For the video, prepare a three-minute audition consisting of either two contrasting monologues or one monologue and 32 bars. Videos must be submitted via a file sharing service such as Dropbox, WeTransfer, or Hightail. Files should be .mov or . mp4, under 100 MB 640x480 VGA. Do not include title cards. Slate at the beginning of the audition.

Submissions deadline is July 14.

• Pays $438/wk. Equity SPT 5

Agreement.

Musicals Florida Rep Theatre Season • Seeking video submissions from

Equity actors for the Florida Rep Theatre 2020-2021 Season. Season includes: In Florida Rep’s ArtStage Studio Theatre: “I Love A Piano” (Jason Parrish, dir. Rehearsals begin Sept. 8; runs Sept. 29-Nov. 8 or Dec. 6), “Driving Miss Daisy” (Alfred Uhry, playwright. Rehearsals begin Nov. 24; runs Dec. 15, 2020-Jan. 24, 2021 or Feb. 14, 2021), and “Good Americans” (Bruce Graham, playwright; Greg Longenhagen, dir. Rehearsals begin Feb. 2, 2021; runs Feb. 23-Mar. 28,

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

Student Films

2021.) In The Historic Arcade Theatre: “The Woman In Black” (Stephen Mallatratt, adapted by. Rehearsals begin Oct. 6; runs Oct. 27-Nov. 15), “West Side Story” (Arthur Laurents, playwright; Leonard Bernstein, music by; Stephen Sondheim, lyrics by; Kody C Jones, dir. Rehearsals begin Nov. 1; runs Nov. 24-Dec. 16), “The Humans” (Stephen Karam, playwright; Chris Clavelli, dir. Rehearsals begin Dec. 15; runs Jan. 5-27, 2021), “Into The Breeches!” (George Brant, playwright.

Rehearsals begin Jan. 19, 2021; runs Feb. 9-Mar. 3 or 31, 2021), “Buddy Holly: The Buddy Holly Story” (Alan James, playwright; Jason Parrish, dir.

Rehearsals begin Feb. 23, 2021; runs Mar. 16-Apr. 11 or May 2, 2021), and “Morning After Grace” (Carey Crim, playwright; Chris Clavelli, dir.

Rehearsals begin Mar. 23, 2021; runs Apr. 13-May 16.).

‘Time Stops for One’

• Casting “Time Stops For One,” a stu-

dent short film.

• Company: Butterfly Reels. Staff:

Kristina Nash, dir.; Kira Stegmeier, prod.

• Shoots in Oct. in the greater

Lynchburg, VA area.

• Seeking—Fay: female, 14-20, White /

European Descent, a writer/artist who has a lot going on upstairs. However, she’s always running behind her peers and struggles to keep pace with the rest of the world. Mr. Westley: male, 40-60, all ethnicities, a steadfast history teacher with many years of experience under his belt. Mrs. Alburta: female, 27-40, all ethnicities, a creative writing teacher who gets personally involved with her students in hopes of helping them grow and cultivate their talents. Diane: female, 35-50, White / European Descent, Fay’s mom, a business woman who works hard to provide for her family, but is easily frustrated when things fall behind schedule. Roy: male, 35-50, White / European Descent, Fay’s dad, a very laid back carpenter who specializes in ornate carvings. He is a protective father to Fay and always tries to encourage her artistic talents. Minerva: female, 50-80, White / European Descent, Fay’s grandmother, a woman with an air of mystery about her, Minerva spends most of her time traveling the world now that she’s retired. She is a painter with a strong mischievous streak in her despite the outward appearance of being a proper lady. School Competition Judge: male, 30-50, all ethnicities, the judge for a school writing competition. Talent Scout: male, 25-40, all ethnicities, the talent scout from a publishing company. Security Guard: male, 20-40, all ethnicities, a school security guard.

• Company: Florida Repertory Theatre.

Staff: Greg Longenhagen, artistic dir.; Jason Parrish, assoc. artistic dir:.

• Season runs in Ft. Myers, FL. • Seeking—Equity Actors: 18+.

• Seeking submissions from FL and NY. • Prepare one or two brief monologues,

or if you are a singer interested in one or both musicals, a monologue, and a 16-32 bar cut. If you’re auditioning for “I Love a Piano” accompany yourself on the piano if possible. Submit electronically via this link: https://bit. ly/3d94DRP or email to headshot, resume and link to video (eg. Vimeo or YouTube) to Auditions@FloridaRep. org. Submissions deadline is July 10.

• Note: The theatre plans to hold virtual

callbacks at a later date to be announced. The theatre plans to hold in-person auditions in Florida and New York when the CDC and AEA guidelines permit.

• 2020-21 salary pending (2019-20

weekly minimum was $682). Housing provided for out-of-town performers.

Equity LOA Agreement.

• Seeking submissions from VA. • Send submissions to kirastegmeier@

hotmail.com.

• Pays $30 for lead, $25 for supporting,

Short Films

$20 for featured extras.

about how you met and how the relationship fell apart. Time Limit: one three minutes per video clip.

• To view Brooklyn Pictures Entertainment’s TV Pilot trailer for “Hostile Take-over” about four women having lunch at work discussing being sexually harassed by their boss, visit https://vimeo.com/369937180/ b014edef86.

• No pay.

‘Fatal Attraction’

• Casting the TV One true crime TV

series “Fatal Attraction.” Project description: “The series features nonfiction narratives of crimes committed by a partner in a passionate relationship.” Casting dir. states: “In light of the current climate in our nation, we are taking extra precautions to abide by the 10 or less gathering suggestion, and will limit people on set.

Social distancing will be practiced and the crew will take extra precautions for sanitation. Do not submit if you are not comfortable wearing a mask on set. You may be asked to leave if you do not follow mask wearing protocol, and therefore won’t be paid. In addition to local talent only, all talent must be prepared to do their own hair/makeup and wardrobe styling for this shoot.”

• Company: The Hive Casting, TV One,

Jupiter Entertainment.

• Shoots July 6-8 in Knoxville, TN. • Seeking—Bria: female, 20-50, Black /

African Descent, must live within 30 miles of Knoxville.

• Seeking submissions from TN. • Send submissions to CANDICE.LIVELY@

thehivetv.com.

• Include name, location, current photos

(face & full body), height and weight.

• Pays $150/day.

Reality TV & Documentary Travel Channel Show, Kids (Aged 9-12)

• Casting young (9-12 years old) Native

Zoom Script Read

• Seeking actors to read a series of

one-minute scripts in front of your webcam using Zoom. Note: Ensure you have a computer with Zoom software installed, virtual backgrounds enabled, a high-definition webcam, and a microphone with reasonable fidelity. You will need to download a Zoom virtual background which will be sent to you.

Scripted TV & Video

American, Mexican, and Latino boys that can report to Garvin County for Travel Channel show. Everyone on crew will be COVID conscious and will be wearing masks the entire time.

‘Breaking Up’

Salvatore, prod. coord.

• Casting “Breaking Up,” about bisexual

dates and timing.

and gay women breaking up/ending their romantic relationship by talking to each other online in a video call using their computer’s webcam with Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger.

Opportunity to write your own dialogue and improvise your own material.

African Descent, White / European Descent.

Entertainment. Staff: Joe Ritter and Simon Rubenstein, writer-peod.-dirs.

• Company: Stanford University. Staff:

Joseph Hall, PhD student.

• Records remotely/online with flexible • Seeking—Actor: male, 18-35, Black /

• Company: Brooklyn Pictures

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Pays $25 flat rate for one hour record-

• No specific location; shoots from home.

• Seeking—Female Lead: female, 18-40,

all ethnicities.

ing session over Zoom with ten mins prior set-up.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Submit a sample break up video clip

and a sample document video clip

22

• Company: Travel Channel. Staff: Dana

• Shoots between July 9-14 in the Garvin

County, OK area.

• Seeking—Young Boy: male, 0-14,

Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Indigenous Peoples, Latino / Hispanic, South Asian / Indian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander.

• Seeking submissions from OK. • For consideration, submit a cover letter

with your cell number, email address, height, age, shirt size, pants size, (or dress size if you are a girl), and shoe size to danasalvatore@gmail.com. If you have a recent photo, attach that as well.

If you are only available on some days, and/or have a conflict with our dates, be sure to mention that in your email.

• Pays up to $100 for a few hours of work.

backstage.com

National/Regional casting

Music Videos Fustercluck Music Productions, Singers

• Seeking male and female singers with a

sense of humor to immediately record vocals to existing karaoke tracks for parody music videos with Fustercluck Productions. Lyrics are parodies of songs from the Great American Songbook and more.

• Company: Fustercluck Productions.

Staff: Keith Levenson, dir.

• Dates TBD. • Seeking—Male & Female Singers: 18+,

all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions worldwide.

• For consideration, submit an MP3 or

MP4 audio demo of your vocals directly to fustercluckmusicproductions@ gmail.com. No a cappella. Sing to a karaoke track if necessary. For more info, visit fustercluckmusic.com.

• No pay. International distribution.

Multimedia ‘Hunt a Killer Mystery Project’

• Casting the lead role in an exciting new

narrative project for “Hunt a Killer.”

• Company: Hunt a Killer. Staff: Melissa

LaMartina, dir. of prod.

• Shoots remotely summer 2020.

• Seeking—Nat: female, 21-33, young,

wide-eyed, and a little naive. Nat’s ambition is to become an Internet personality, so she is starting a true crime podcast in an effort to become a breakout star.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to melissa.

lamartina@huntakiller.com.

Online Commercials & Promos

• Casting for a women’s product

commercial.

• Company: Miami Talent Casting.

• Shoots July 7 in Miami, FL. • Seeking—Beautiful Girl: female,

20-25, Latino / Hispanic, nice, beautiful smile, expressive, approachable look, has to know how to act, know how to do yoga poses. Annoying Friend: 20-25, Latino / Hispanic, funny girl, almost a comedian, has to know how to do yoga poses.

• Seeking submissions from FL. • For consideration, submit pictures and

a phone number to miamitalentcasting@gmail.com.

• Pays $750.

backstage.com

‘Escaping Ordinary’

• Casting for the book trailer, “Escaping

ples in the Mid-West and Southern regions for a branded content campaign.

Julianne Gabert, casting dir.

dir.

• Company: Julianne Gabert. Staff:

• Company: Praxis. Staff: Nicholas Sailer,

• Shoot date and location will be

• Shooting date TBD in Raleigh, NC. • Seeking—Redheaded Boy: male, 11-15,

determined after booking. Remote shooting and 1-2 days in person.

Casting states: “All safety precautions will be taken.”

White / European Descent.

• Seeking submissions from NC. • Send submissions to nicholas@praxis-

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• For consideration, submit a resume

and short introduction letter to Auditions@floridarep.org. Submissions deadline is July 10. The season outlined above is subject to change, and all titles and dates are likely to change.

While the theatre is not yet ready to announce the anticipated changes in scheduling at this time, it wants to be prepared when it can move forward.

Florida Rep is committed to building an inclusive organization that reflects our local community and meets national artistic standards. We encourage stage managers from all communities to submit.

• 2020-21 salary pending (2019-20

weekly minimum was $682). Housing provided for out-of-town SMs. Equity LOA Agreement.

story.com.

• Seeking—Real-Life Mid-West/

Southern Newly Engaged Couples: all genders, 18+, all ethnicities, newly engaged couples in AL, LA, TX, IN, TN, Panhandle FL, MS, Fulton County GA, MO, IA, IL, NC, SC, should be considering whether or not to merge and manage their finances together. Must be comfortable discussing and learning about finances/financial literacy on a social media platform. Couples with unique perspectives and stories are encouraged to apply.

• To apply, submit headshot, voice

recording, and resume.

• Pays $300.

Print Modeling Haircare Photo Shoot

• Casting a haircare photo shoot. Project

description: “Talent must all have mid/ shorter length natural style hair that could be touched up/ trimmed with hair clippers. Nice clean trim is a necessity. If selected a trip to the salon/barber before the shoot will be reimbursed.

Shoot location will be a home that has already been selected near the northwest side of the city. We will be shooting casual lifestyle imagery of the ‘family’ engaged in home hair care indoors.”

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• Submissions deadline is July 13.

• Pays $1000 per family.

Real Moms to Talk About Organic Vitamins

• Casting a real moms to talk about

organic vitamins for her young children.

Work from home with a remote director.

• Seeking—Real Mom to talk Organic

Women’s Product Commercial

shoot date, no longer than six hours.

Ordinary.” Project description: “The new book in the Talespinners series, written by Scott Reintgen and published by Random House, coming in September 2020.”

• Pay is $250/day (planning to shoot up to

Local Commercials

• Pays $500-$1000 flat for the day. One

• Seeking real-life newly engaged cou-

• Include a headshot and video with your

10 days). The producers plan to apply for a SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement.

noting your availability and why you’re interested in being in this project to rodmanmonica@gmail.com.

Branded Content Campaign, Real Life Newly Engaged Couples, Mid-West & Southern Regions

• Staff: E. Kennedy, casting dir.

• No rehearsal. Shoots remotely from

submission. Audition sides are attached in this posting.

• Seeking submissions from DC. • For consideration, submit a cover letter

• Company: Donte Tatum. Staff: Donte

Tatum, photographer.

• Shoot dates TBA in Chicago, IL. • Seeking—Family: 6+, Black / African

home on or about July 7 (flexible) with the assistance of a remote director.

Descent, mother, father, and son, best if talent is all actually the same family to work around social distancing issues, however if at least the child is the son of either male or female adult then that would work as well.

Vitamins for Her Young Children: female, 25-40, all ethnicities, real mom to discuss kids organic vitamins.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Send submissions to casting@

tubescience.com.

• Seeking submissions from IL. • Submit photos, portfolio, or Instagram

Nonunion, all media buyout.

• Pays $250 per individual for 3-hour

links to info@dontetatum.com.

• Pays $150 per person flat rate.

shoot, plus $50 compensation for barber/salon visit before the shoot.

Stock Video Content, Queer and/or Non-Binary Talent • Seeking queer, trans, and/or non-

binary folk for stock video content. The goal of the project is to diversify stock content.

Stage Staff & Tech

• Company: Storyblocks. Staff: Monica

Rodman, DP.

• Shoot dates flexible beginning in mid-

Florida Rep Theatre 20202021 Season, Stage Manager

July in the Washington, D.C. area.

• Seeking—Queer Person 1: 18+, Asian,

Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Indigenous Peoples, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, South Asian / Indian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander. Queer Person 2: 18+, Asian, Black / African Descent, Ethnically Ambiguous / Multiracial, Indigenous Peoples, Latino / Hispanic, Middle Eastern, South Asian / Indian, Southeast Asian / Pacific Islander.

• Seeking Equity stage manager for the

Florida Rep Theatre 2020-2021 Season.

See season shows and dates in the Musicals section.

• Company: Florida Repertory Theatre.

Staff: Greg Longenhagen, artistic dir.; Jason Parrish, assoc. artistic dir:.

• Season runs in Ft. Myers, FL. • Seeking—Equity Stage Manager: all

genders, 18+.

23

Writers Hip Hop Musical for High Schools / Colleges / Regional Theaters • Seeking book writer for online and live

stage Hip Hop musicals that speak to Gen Z for high schools, colleges, and regional theaters.

• Company: International Producers

Circle Inc.

• Starts ASAP. • Seeking—Book Writer For Musical: all

ethnicities, 18+, must have experience writing books for musicals that have been produced at some level; must have fresh Gen Z voice with dialogue for a female protaganist.

• Seeking submissions nationwide.

• Apply on Backstage.com.

• For consideration, submit a writers

resume, one complete scene with a strong beginning, middle and end that shows fun dialogue, character arc, and surprising plot progressio (must include female character). Submit one scene only, not a full script.

• Collaboration Agreement signed

among writers.

Workshops Free Online Class, ‘How to Sign With a Top Agent & Book TV Commercials’

• Seeking actors for “How to Sign With a

Top Agent & Book TV Commercials,” a free online class.

• Company: Hey, I Saw Your Commercial!

Staff: Mike Pointer, career coach.

• Class runs online.

• Seeking—Actors Looking for a Great

Agent & to Book TV Commercials: all genders, 18-65, all ethnicities. Actors Looking for a Great Agent & to Book TV Commercials: all genders, 18-65, all ethnicities.

• Seeking submissions worldwide.

• To attend, visit https://www.heyisawy-

ourcommercial.com/live-webinars.

Note: If you miss the live run, watch the replay.

• No fees.

07.02.20 BACKSTAGE

Ask An Expert Acting Auditions Film Headshots Television Theater Unions Voiceover

Q:

I’m an aspiring actor, but I really lack confidence. My family also isn’t supportive of what I want to do. Any advice for dealing with this situation as I try to pursue my career?—@Corey, Backstage Community Forums

Our Expert Tony Rossi is an actor and a Backstage Expert.

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

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

BACKSTAGE 07.02.20

24

backstage.com

ILLUSTRATION: MARGARET RULING/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; ROSSI: COURTESY TONY ROSSI

Great questions, Corey. There will always be people who want you to do something different. I always remind myself that while they’re trying to help with their heads, they’ll never understand my heart.

It sounds like your heart wants to act. If that’s what it wants, honor that feeling until it tells you something different. When your heart is in it, the results your pursuits yield will speak for themselves.

As for confidence, I hear you. I lacked confidence through all of my teenage years.

I still lacked it in my 20s. And in my 30s? Still could use improvement. Here are a few tips that might help. Often, we lack confidence because we think others are judging us, but in actuality, no one really cares about us like we think they do. In fact, many judge us simply because it helps them feel better about their own lack of confidence.

Are you lacking confidence in an audition? Backstage has plenty of articles and videos on audition nerves. Personally, I see auditions as a business meeting.

We might not make a deal by the end of it, but they’ll remember me for future opportunities. You should also keep in mind that, frankly, you’re probably already doing better than you think!

Although I had little confidence as a teenager, I still booked my first professional theater show at 15. You can still book work without all the confidence in the world.

The more work you do, the more confidence you’ll get. In the meantime, keep following your heart. There are others who will benefit from you sharing your talents.

Keep it up, Corey.

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