Casting director Geoff Josselson of JZ Casting has had a two-decade career in casting, mostly for theaters throughout the country, including Broadway. In an interview with Variety, Josselson explains his casting process and how his team seeks actors and how they support their careers.
Regarding how he finds new talent, Josselson says:
“We see lots of theater, and we go to showcases and teach a lot. So we get to know students that are graduating school or have come through other sort of training programs or master classes. We also are constantly digging and doing outreach to different communities, depending on what we’re looking for. Whether we’re looking for kids of a certain age, reaching out to teachers, or academies in certain areas. Or if we’re looking for actors of certain backgrounds, reaching out to organizations and individuals that we may know of, that may be connected with those pools. We also do open calls and meet a lot of actors that come to an EPA [eligible performer audition] or just a general open call. And then we also just get lots of recommendations from trusted colleagues and friends. Being a casting director is like being a sponge; we’re constantly taking in all the information around actors and our performers that are out there, and trying to make mental notes of what they may be right for or where they may fit in a general sense.”
With that said, once his team has expressed interest in an actor, Josselson says that there is no secret formula to getting cast in a production:
“I tend to shy away from ever feeling like there is a hard and fast truth to any of this or any real rules, because every rule that’s out there in books is made to be broken. And I’ve seen people do all the opposite things that have been espoused and book the job or be wonderful. I think the biggest detriment is when an actor comes in trying to do what they think we’re looking for, or trying to emulate somebody else’s performance, or trying to please the people behind the table. Because it’s really not about us. Ultimately, we are there — and the director and producer are there — to find the actor that can tell the story and represent the production on stage. And that comes from an actor sharing themselves authentically and being vulnerable and making choices and sharing their version of the role, whether it’s right or wrong for that given production. I always tell people that the baseline of what we see in auditions very talented people — everybody that comes in typically is very talented. So it’s not about talent, it’s about being right for that role and that show, within a director’s vision on that given day or that given time.”