Episode Transcript
Transcript:
Intro: This is words that move me. The podcast were movers and shakers. Like you get the information and inspiration. You need to navigate your creative career with clarity and confidence. I am your host master mover, Dana Wilson. And if you're someone that loves to learn, laugh and is looking to rewrite the starving artist story, then sit tight, but don't stop moving because you're in the right place.
Dana: Hello. Hello everybody. And welcome to words that move me. I'm Dana and I am stoked that you are here. Yes. This is week two of audition August all this month. I am talking to different people from all sides of the casting table about what the audition process is to them and what usually works. What usually doesn't, how are auditions changing and how might we change to ensure our ability to create work for ourselves? It's a big month. And at the end of this big month, really big event, I will be hosting a virtual workshop event via zoom on how to audition. Yes, I will be dishing out almost all of my personal tips and tricks. Come on. I'm no fool. And I will go deep on the art of the self tape as that is the primary way people are submitting for projects right now, the workshop itself will be on August 31st from 4 to 5:30 PM Pacific. More details and info about registering. It can be found on my website, the Dana wilson.com. And you better believe I will be shouting about this loud and proud from the gram I'm @danadaners and the podcast is @wordsthatmovemepodcast. So check out all of those spaces for more information, so jazzed about it. Okay. Let's move on to wins. Yes. This week, I am celebrating a project, a new seaweed sisters project. If you do not know what and who the seaweed sisters are, I strongly encourage you take a google dive and watch our video work, but also give a listen to words that move me episode 15, where the sisters and I sit and chat about ourselves. Very, very special. Anyways. Yes. The seaweed sisters have another video in the works. It is in the camera already actually. And, um, I always celebrate my time with the sisters, but this one is particularly special, not just because we are creating with our dear friend and longtime collaborator, Isaac Ravishankara who also directed us in number two, the sequel and number three part tree. And not just because we shot it socially distant and, um, corona compliant. But also because we got the ball back rolling on this one. Now I'm sure that everyone listening has experienced an unusual pattern in their motivation. At some point, during 2020, for me, this is a matter of momentum, more or less when things especially projects are rolling, they stay rolling. But when they're on pause, it can be extra hard to get things moving again. So I'm celebrating this project as a win because it is an awesome example of people coming together to push things into motion. And I'm so excited for it to exist. And I'm excited to share it with you. Okay. What's going well in your world. What's moving.
Okay. Killer great. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Congratulations. I'm so glad that you are winning. All right. Let's dig into it. This week's guest is Kristian Charbonier. He is an associate casting director at Telsey and Company. One of the biggest casting offices in New York city. And we met on In the Heights. Um, the feature film adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda is Broadway hit, In the Heights. Uh, we met last year and Oh, yes, don't worry. We're going to talk plenty about In the Heights, but this conversation really looks into what a casting director does and what you can do to create memorable casting and audition experiences. We talk collaboration, we talk inclusion and equity on Broadway, on stage and behind the curtain on screen and behind the camera. Oh, we talk a great many things. So let's dive in. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Kristian Charbonier. I'll talk to you guys later.
Dana: Kristian! Welcome to words that move me. Thank you so much for being here today. I'm jazzed about it.
Kristian: Thank you for having me I'm jazzed as well.
Dana: Yay. Um, okay. So one of the things I like to do on the podcast is I have my guests introduce themselves. So tell us a little bit about you and what you do.
Kristian: Yes. So my name is Kristian Charbonier. I reside in New York city. I'm currently, given the circumstances, in Miami, Florida with my family, where I was born and raised. Um, I am a casting associate at Telsey and Company casting in New York. Our office is a little different from most casting offices, just considering we do a very big collaborative situation of all the projects we work on. We work on TV shows. We work on films, broadway musicals, Broadway plays, commercials, any sort of situation where we need a cast dancers for fashion week. Like we've done some time. Throw us something we've probably done it. We've cast people for video games before. Um, and I have worked there for about four and a half years now. I started there right as I graduated college and I've been there since, and I have learned so much and I have grown so much as a person, as an employee. I'm sure we'll get into it.
Oh, we're going into it. We're going into all of the things. Um, so I'm glad that you kind of dropped the line about all of the different things that casting directors, casting associates and casting assistants do. Um, but before we dig deeper on that, could you touch on the difference between those three titles?
Absolutely. So you typically in casting start as an assistant, which is the way I started as well. Um, assistant sounds just like it is, you are assisting on every single thing that the project calls for in regards to casting. So you're putting out the appointments, you're helping cut the sides for the auditions. You're prepping the audition with the casting director and with the associate you're uploading the tapes to send to the team. Um, you're really the main point of focusing in terms of organization. I say to all of our interns and the assistants who come in and out of our office, that our main job there is organization. The best associates were amazing assistants as well. If you move from assistant to associate, then as an associate, you really take a lot more responsibility than you did as an assistant. You're the one in the session, reading with the actors, coaching the actors, you're really discussing with the creative team on a more personal basis, a lot more than an assistant would. Um, I think this is really the point in your career where you're really formulating yourself into being a casting director, which the director is the face of the project. The person who's on all calls is negotiating. The deals with the big agents is giving you the ideas that you might not typically think of as an associate. Um, you're, you're the main source of collaboration in that specific field. Um, I'm sure you know this because you are so collaborative in everything we've done together. Um, the collaboration is so key, especially in those relationships. You have to have an open form of communication. You really have to be able to trust each person that you're working with because when you fall, they'll pick you up when they fall you're supposed to be there to pick them up.
I love this notion that behind every individual role, there is a team. Like there is no such thing, especially in terms of making a movie or a Broadway show of one person carrying all the weight. It might be one person carrying all the post its or highlighters, but it is absolutely a team effort and you have to be a collaborative person to succeed. So, okay, this week on actually not just this week, this month on the podcast, I'm talking exclusively, almost exclusively about auditions. So that makes me talking to you really, really exciting because not many people get a direct line of communication with the casting associate or the casting director. Um, other than that quick 20 minutes in the room. So I think this is an awesome opportunity to hear a little bit more about A. what you do B. how it works behind the scenes and, um, C. kind of what you look for, what stands out to you in the process. Um, so I, I guess let's dig into it. You mentioned that Telsey does everything from Broadway to film to fashion week. All of the things. I know that in the past they've cast, um, actually current Broadway shows Hamilton, Wicked, West Side Story, Frozen to name a few, but in the past, everything from American in Paris to Fiddler on the Roof to, I mean, quite literally all the things Oh, in the Heights obviously, um, which transitions us into film, you guys were the agency behind, um, is that correct? The agency? What is Telsey? The agency.
The office
Oh, okay. Great. So, so Telsey was the office behind, um, casting In the Heights. The film that I worked on with Christopher Scott, Emilio Dosal, um, Ebony Williams and Eddie Torres jr. What a dance team, shout out friends team, um, Telsey also was responsible for casting the Greatest Showman, Mary Poppins, the one with Emily blunt, which I love. And one of my favorite movies of all time Across the Universe directed by Julie Taymor, which between you and I, and now between us and the world, there is not one thing that I would change about that movie. I would not change a single character casting. I wouldn't change a step. I wouldn't even change the one part where the guy with the briefcase kind of slips and falls a little bit. I love it. I would, I love it all. It's so great. Um, but you guys don't just do musicals. I guess one thing I'm curious about is the difference in process. If there is one from casting, a Broadway show that involves singing, dancing, all the things to casting a dramatic film or TV series, um, I mean, obviously you would audition one for singing and dancing and not the other, but other than that, is there a difference in process for different mediums?
It depends on the medium. Um, I would say that in TV and film, there's more structure to the process in terms of deadline and when certain things have to happen, because there are so many moving parts in that regard. Um, whereas in a Broadway show, there is a structure and a deadline, of course, because we have dates. We have first rehearsal, we have the presentation, we have all of those outlying dates. Um, but I do think that in terms of a Broadway show, there is a little more time to really amp up the pace. Whereas TV and film, you really got to go from the start just because you know, that that first day of principal photography is not moving and you have to get that that day, um, which is something you and I learned very well together.
That is exactly why I found myself in the middle of times square at Telsey and Company. Well after hours, I don't even remember what time it was, but there was nobody there except for In the Heights choreography team and you and we were sitting in an office with probably a hundred headshots on the floor and magnetism or pinned to the walls. And we're just moving people around, having conversations, imagining this person with this person, no, that person with this person, these people, as a group, this person as a standout individual, you know, all of the different combinations of people. And that was because we were pressed for time, extremely pressed for time on that project. Would you say that that's standard when you work on films, does that sort of thing happen often?
Yes. I will say once we get past the point of the principal players in the film, which that's not even ultimately true, because sometimes we are casting go, go, go, let's cast every single principal, that's cast every single supporting role, let’s cast all the dancers and singers at the same pace. In the Heights was a little different because we really had time to prep for those principles and then once we started together, as we've said, five times already, it was go, go, go from the start. Um, that to me is the way I love to work, so it was never anything alarming or crazy to me. It was just like the thrill of sitting there and just moving everything around is like, it's just, I can't explain that. I never will be able to. Um, so that, that in regards to again, a TV/film project is more so that way where let's sit here for three hours at 9:00 PM and let's go through it all and let's make it happen.
Yes. Let's make it happen. That is the energy. That was the energy of the room. Um, do you have a steel trap memory for names and faces? Are you, are you really like, even outside of your job training, have you been good at that?
I, I really, it's kind of weird that I do have that and I don't think I really realized it until I started working professionally. I still see people to this day who I remember, like seeing them perform it in high school at our like state competitions. And I'll be like, Oh yeah, that girl sang this song from bat boy, my junior year of high school. And now she's in final callbacks for Elphaba on Broadway. Like those things happen all the time. Um, which again, I think is such a healthy and good thing for my specific position in the company, because you have to be that person to be able to remember, um, Chris Scott and I had a big joke where he would always be like, who was that girl again? And I'll say she was wearing the red shirt that I had like a T on the side. And then she had like purple shoelaces, remember? And he'll be like, how did you remember that? And I'm like, I don't know. It's just the way my brain works. It's the way we work. You know,
I love that. And in the event that your sticky brain slips and misses someone, tell me about the room that you showed us at Telsey that is literally floor to ceiling binders of everyone that is auditioned for projects in the past. Um, you keep all the headshots, resumes, bios, like that room was such an incredible archive of, of audition history.
Yes, it's amazing because we, number one, thankfully have this space for that. And number two, um, we see so many incredible people all the time. That just because they're not right in that exact moment, doesn't mean that a year from now two years from now, six months from now, they will, they won't be the right person. It's it happens all the time. And the best thing is, is when we get a new project and you're like, I worked on, I worked on this commercial like two years ago that I needed a 75 year old who could do a pas de bourses, let me go find those schedules and see who it was that got called back for that, because I knew those people again, right now. That's an amazing archive that we have. And it's also really fun as an industry slash theater nerd, to just look through those schedules. We do it all the time. We're like, can you believe that? So, and so came in for this role in 1996 and got like, it's just, it's unbelievable. And you saw them yourself. There's so many. Um, and it's just
Floor to ceiling as big as my living room and bigger maybe. I mean, incredible amount of history and information. And yeah, as you pointed out like some super special, uh, like historic moments in terms of transformation and trajectory, the existence of that room in and of itself speaks to a motto that I hold when I go into auditions all the time. And that is, it's more important to be memorable than to be perfect. And once I lift the pressure of being perfect, once my only objective is to be memorable, I opened myself up to new potential. That's just not stressed out energy, but also to sticking myself into the mind of somebody like you, who really might remember that moment as being the right moment for something else, trying to be the perfect thing for every project just doesn't exist, but trying to be memorable enough to stick in someone's mind so that when the right product project comes along, you're there at the top of the mind. Like that is so cool. And it's so cool that you guys have a paper trail for that.
And I love that motto that you said, yes, it's perfection. It, it's not necessary. It's for that specific, be the best that you can be in that moment. That's it. There's nothing more. That moment exists, one time, you leave. It won't happen again. That's it.
I love this. Let's talk through the role of an associate casting director on the day of a massive audition. Go.
Great. So typically, because I, even though I just said, you don't have to be perfect, am a perfectionist in my mind. So the night before I am very excited, but also just thinking about every single thing that I can do to make it go flawlessly, which again, we both know that that really doesn't exist. Um, but we can try. But, um, so we'll get to the studio about an hour before we start session, um, with our hundreds of schedules and all the names. Um, two days prior to that, I'll spend all day on the phone with the agents talking about who's new that I don't already know that I haven't scheduled yet, who they think I should try.
These are talent agents.
Yes. Talent Agencts. Um, we'll get to the studio an hour before we'll start to get the room going. Everything's set up our systems. And then once we bring that first group in, it's go, go, go. As you know, until that last second that the studio director comes and tells us you have to leave. Um, which once again, we have, we have experienced together,
Probably why we wound up back at your offices. They were like, you don't have to go home, but you got to get out of here. And we all look at you like, uh,
And, um, as, as you associate in those moments, really what you're there to do is to serve the creative team. We're trying to help you guys figure out your vision and figure out what you think is necessary to achieve what you have in your mind. Um, we're also there to help you out in the event that you're not really familiar with someone and maybe you're, you want some sort of extra feedback about someone that we're very comfortable with and have tried multiple times and have booked on jobs or are big fans of, um, so there's a lot of that. There's a lot of, again, the word that always comes to mind every time I'm discussing any of these things is collaboration and the best people to work with are the people who we collaborate with. That's something that I experienced with you and Emilio and Ebony and Chris, all from the second I met you guys was that it was such a collaboration and it was such a dialogue the entire time, It was never, I want this and that's it. It was, I want this, what do you think? Right. Which is so important.
So helpful. So helpful. Yes. Okay. So that's a big day. Um, so you come in, sorry, you, you talk to the agencies, you make the schedule, you talk to the creative team, you have an understanding of what it is that the creative team is looking for. You have sign up sheets, you make sure everybody is where they need to be at the right time. And then we hit record on cameras. Choreo team kind of takes it away. We start funneling people through, we teach material, we break people into groups, make sure everybody's visible on camera and that we know how to contact people when we're ready. And then of course begins the, um, endless watching of the footage, which there was a bundle of. Um, and I love that by the way. I, wow. Can't imagine how things were done before. Um, actually I can just much more labor intensive on the dancers behalf. Like I can watch you dance 12 times on tape instead of making you dance 12 times in person.
Exactly. Yeah. It's amazing to think. And you see these old movie musicals with these hundreds of people in the background and you're like, how did they do this without a computer. And they danced
They danced! And they took notes and they took notes and the danced, that's it. Um, okay. So then you organize that, that footage I'm assuming, and that goes into an archive somewhere.
Yes. We upload 'em to a system that's called Cast It, which a lot of TV and film offices use. And that's another way that everything stays really organized. So that in the event that you're asking me for tape on a person, I can just easily go into the, into the archive and find that tape and send that to you all.
So you've got all the digital organized, you've got all the material, you know, the paper headshots and resumes organized. And then the moment comes where creative has decided that we're ready to book people in. What is your role in doing that? How does that, how does that work flow pan out from me saying, I want Sarah to Sarah getting a phone call saying show up at this time, on this day for this many dollars. What's that work flow
Yes. So that's the best part about our job is when you get to call someone and tell their agent that they got the job. Um, so once we hear from you and we have all approvals to move forward and hire this specific person, or people we’ll call the agent will say, Hey, so, and so's getting the job. I'm going to email you all the offer details. We'll send all the offer details. Once we close that deal, I will say, I will fill out a whole bunch of paperwork, send that over to production. And then production is the person who takes over and then does all the phone calling, sets up their fittings, lets them know what day they need to be where. Um, preps them for any sort of information that they would need in order to be there on that day. Um, and then believe it or not, people show up to set and shoot a movie. And then the movie is made. It's unreal to me even now, even still, I still work on projects and I, I go to a screening of the film or the TV show and I'm like, they made this movie or this tv show, like it happened
That got done. That was headshots on the floor. And now it is a movie.
Yes. And even like specifically for a project like In the Heights where we did do a massive open call and found a whole bunch of actor, actors and dancers that we never would have met coming from an agency just specifically because they didn't have representation to see them on screen in a trailer or in the film. You're like, this was a person who just showed up to this audition and he's now in this movie, it's unbelievable. It's so it's so cool and rewarding.
Let's dig in a little deeper on that. That's one thing I think was really unique about In the Heights is our efforts to be as inclusive and true to the story and the culture and the time as possible. And I do think we made opportunities available in ways that maybe traditionally aren't, um, you know, in other film projects, it's probably standard for a casting director to call the talent agency. The talent agency sends their top five that might be a good fit. And then, then some, one of those five gets the job. But what about the people who don't have representation? What about the people who aren't uh, uh, the top five? We really had several opportunities for people without representation, people without having done a film or a TV show or an any show. I, I think that this project was very inclusive. I think that this project gave the floor to a lot of people who either haven't seen it in a long time or aren't used to taking the floor. Broadway has a nickname, um, the great White Way. And I can understand why, I do think that that's changing. Um, but I can imagine that the casting directors are feeling a lot of that heat because a lot of people think that it is the casting director's choice. You just highlighted that the casting director serves the creative team, it comes back to the creative's decision. Um, do you feel in your role heat from Broadway and film entertainment, not being inclusive enough?
I have been lucky in, in my personal trajectory that I have worked on so many different projects that have started that very first conversation with let's find the best person. It doesn't have to be a specific person. Let's find the best person, especially in regards to something like In the Heights where all we were looking for were people who would perfectly and realistically portray this very real story and this very real community. And I think that these creative teams and everyone in the industry has just tried to go the easiest route. And that's why we end up in the place that we are instead of digging deeper and finding these underrepresented communities and trying to give opportunity to these people. Like we said, who have no representation who probably honestly never thought in their lifetime, they would even be in a major feature film. I think that that's one of the main things that we, again collaboratively did together on this project. And I think it's something that once you do it one time, you know, that it's possible.
I might also add not only do you find that it's possible, but you find that it's worth it, especially on a project like In the Heights, which is about your dreams, it is about living your dreams, but more so it's about fighting for them. It's like the themes of this film are the themes of today. And I think it would have been a shame to watch that watch the leading roles and the supporting roles to watch the dance, to watch all of it, be danced by people who live on the silver screen and eat from a silver spoon. It just would have so missed the mark. Um, and what I experienced in working with people who have never been on set before, um, and working with people who are aren't SAG card holders was not that it was a hot mess of disorganization and not that there was unprofessional, um, behavior on set, but actually quite the opposite, extreme respect, extreme enthusiasm, readiness, willingness. And I think that we'll see in the, in the, uh, in the final cut how important it is to have representation, inclusivity, authenticity, especially when you're, when you're telling a story like that one.
Absolutely. And I started, I love that you used the word authenticity because In the Heights specifically means so much to so many people because it was something that they could see and see themselves on that Broadway stage, which is what we're doing in the film now as well. It's showing so many kids from Washington Heights itself that they can be a movie one day that they can be dancers in a film. They can have speaking roles. And if I'm that, it's all doable.
I am wondering what are the things, the changes that you've noticed in your industry in the last handful of years and what do you hope to see in the next handful of years?
Yes. Um, something that I've seen, which again goes back to something we talked about a little earlier, is this idea of who else is out there. I think that's always existed in our industry and we always, casting people specifically, like you're never satisfied until you know, that you, until you see that electricity in front of that camera and you know, that that person is it, you know. How much more are we going to do to find that person? And what more are we going to do to find that person.
Leave no rock unturned?
Yes. Or just again, like we were saying re-inventing and thinking of things a different way. I mean, Ali Stroker who won the Tony for Oklahoma, um, that's it, it's just unbelievable to see Ali Stroker who we have auditioned for years. Like finally be raised up to this pedestal and be like, this is someone who is so talented and so worthy. And I also feel like that's something we can do even more with underrepresented communities, um, with Latino communities, with Asian communities, with the black community. I think that those are so important and it's something that maybe we produce more content that centers around these communities. Um, but I think it's something that, that the, that the industry is in this moment focused on. And I hope that they continue to focus on that
All different levels, right? Like on the talent, of course, yes. Like the onscreen representation, but also behind the curtain, the writers, as you mentioned, producers, but on Broadway also, literally the people behind the curtain
Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. And it's something that I've discussed with a couple of people around my age, how we were all so lucky to end up where we are, because we were able to go places and intern for free and be able to be financially supported to do that where so many people aren't able to, and that's why they're not able to break into the industry because they didn't have those same opportunities that we had. And we have to find ways to be able to reach those people and allow them the same opportunities that we've all had. I think that's another thing that the industry is really focusing on now is how can we bring people who don't have the same opportunities that we've had into not just in front of the camera or on the stage, but into the costume shops, into the casting offices, into the tech sides of the industry, into the stage management offices, all of those different facets that the, the, the audiences don't see, but surely exist and drive that product. And that product would never happen without those people. I mean, I, my family is Cuban and I'm so I'm so lucky to be where I am, So I could have been supported by my family. And I told my parents, I wanted to be a casting director. They didn't know what that was, but they said, yeah, sure, go for it. Why not? Um, and it's so important and so exciting to see other Latino people in the industry and be like, Oh my God, yes. Like, you know, it's happening, we're doing it. Um, it's something that's so spotlighted right now. And I think that once, like I mentioned before, once we, and we have started, once we continue to really drive that car forward, we're never going to look back. We're going to be like, this was the way we need to continue. And this is the way that we're going to continue.
Yes. I'm just like, I wish that everybody could see me. I'm just like nodding perpetually nodding in agreement. Um, so it sounds like you are glad to see the, that casting directors and casting offices are doing more outreach, doing more in terms of going out and finding, but what would you say to somebody that might be listening that wants to be found? What would, what would you say to somebody who believes that they are talented and out there and don't want to wait for you to come find them?
Right. Um, we're lucky enough to be in the age of the internet and the internet has been just, I, I, I don't know how people lived without the internet truly. Um, number one, I think actors, I think dancers are just the most gracious people because to get up every single morning and go to auditions and put yourself on the line every single time, I think that that is more commendable and more brave than I could ever be. Um, and I think that, that goes for the same, for the same people that you were describing, go to these open calls, we are looking, and we are paying attention. If you, if you see something about a video submission, take the time and make the best video that you can make and submit, do these things to put yourself out there and get yourself in front of all of these people who are looking for you because we are, um, and don't be afraid to do it. I feel like there's so, like, what's the worst that could happen. You send the video and you don't hear anything. At least you sent the video, you would never hear anything. If you didn't send the video at all, you know, um, it's it's and again, it's tried and true. We cast people from open calls. Like we said, so many of those people in, In the Heights where people who we just, I put out an ad and said, Hey, show up at this location on this day and be ready to dance. And that was it. And they showed up and then they ended up in the movie
Where was that ad. And where do people look to find those?
So our company has that, I would say, because I help run the social media of our company. I might be biased. So we do post our stuff on, um, our social medias. Um, our, all of our handles are @Telseyandco Um, and again, we, as casting, people are very good research papers as well. So I spent two or three weeks calling every salsa studio in New York, calling all the agents and saying, Hey, do you know this person who like shot this salsa commercial one day? Um, and the agent would be like, I don't really know them that well, but I'll shoot them the flyer and see who they want. Um, Eddie Torres Jr. Was a huge source of finding so many organic, authentic New York dancers.
People that don't have studios that they train out, they train in clubs. They dance socially, not in, not in little structured pods.
Exactly. Um, so there's so much research that goes into it. Um, but again, so many of these calls are now publicized on the internet that you you'll be able to find them and follow our social medias. And I'm sure you'll see. I mean, if you scroll for our Twitter and our Instagram, it's literally all just ad after ad, after ad open call for Wicked open call for In the Heights open call for third, every, every project that we're looking for, very specific people, it happens.
Cool. Very cool. Good to know. Good to know. Um, okay. Rapid-fire burnout round. What are the things that people who book consistently consistently do in auditions?
They exude positivity. They are on time. I love people who are on time. I highlight — I highlight them highly. If they're on time,
High highlights.
Yes. I love. There was such a thing. Oh, yes. Amazing. Um, and people who are open and game to do anything, I think that you can really tell that from a person in a room very, very quickly. Um, it's also so fun to be on the sidewall, the, the choreographers and the associates and the assistants are teaching because you're watching these people and you really, really get to know the way they work. Um, and the number one thing that I see in so many people, and I find so commendable is if they may, if they mess up, they, you, you're not really convinced they messed up by the second count because you're, you're like, wait, what? Like they, they just effortlessly go over that. I think that's something that's. So especially about dancers. So unbelievable is that you almost think you're like, did I just blink and miss something? Or did they mess up? Yes. Yes. Because they just keep going. And that is the number one thing, not only in a specific audition, but just in the industry, in the industry in general, you should have to keep going. You have to keep doing it and it's going to happen if you keep doing it. And if you are being the best that you can be,
Oh, that's such great advice. I should have ended on that. But instead, I'm going to ask what, what are the telltale signs of somebody that is not ready to be working professionally?
That's a little bit of a hard question, because if they're not, if they're not ready for that specific project, like we said before, they might be ready for something else. Um, what I, rather than not ready to work. One thing that I realized in people who don't audition the best is that they are so in their heads, that you can see the, you can see them thinking above their head. Like you see the word scrolling over their head. Where it's, I think that, that shuts you down so much, both externally and internally that you just got to roll through it. If you are, if you're stressed about it, if you're not having a good time, it's okay to walk over to the casting person and let them know, Hey, this isn't the right one for me.
Not my best take, not my best.
Absolutely. Or let's say perfect example, someone who does perform for the camera, we say, thank you. And they didn't feel that good. Come on over and say, Hey, I'm so sorry. Can I just do it one more time? Like I know that I can be better. I think that knowing that and being that thinking in that space makes you so much more successful. If you don't think in that space, I think that you just, you're doing yourself a disservice because the only person that you're hurting is yourself. In that regard, you have to be your, you have to think for yourself and you have to be your biggest fan. In those moments, you have to trust yourself and know that you are doing the best you can do. And if you're not doing the best you can do, if you're not having a good day, come on over and tell us, let us know where we are there. It's what I always tell people. Especially when I talk to like kids in high school, who I work with, or kids who have just graduated from college, our job is to cast the project. So all we want more than anything is for you to be amazing. Like that's, that's all we want. We don't want anything less than that. So if you're not being amazing, we want to help you be amazing. Let's figure out what it is that we can do to help you be amazing. Lets figure out what we can do to help you be amazing.
Exactly. You guys are trying to cast the project. You want to cast the project. This is great. And somebody's performance in an audition really doesn't have everything to do with their readiness or not to work professionally. So thank you for calling me out on that. Very gently. Um, but also thank you for the perspective of, yes, you guys want them to be the right person. So although it can be tough, I'm saying this from the performer's point of view, to be both inside yourself, enough to deliver an impassioned performance, but outside yourself enough to have seen whether or not that was your best work, it really takes a multilevel awareness of yourself and your performance be able to say, Oh, that wasn't it. Let me, let me ask, let my outside self ask for one more time. And then let me go back in and make the corrections that really helped me hit. And that takes time. It takes practice and it takes permission. So I'm so glad that you opened that line of communication. Like, if you feel like you need one more, come and ask, it's one of my favorite things to do at auditions. Whether I feel like I nailed it or not. I say, alright, that's pass number one. Is there anything else you'd like to see differently? I love to be directed. And with that statement, very simple statement, you know, Oh, this is the person who can communicate and talk about their work. Oh, this is a person that wants to deliver. Um, and Oh, this is a person that actually likes feedback because that's another thing that I know on both sides of the table. I like working with people that are open to feedback and open to making change and getting better. It's what film productions need and film, especially you have to do those things quickly. So if you see somebody do that in a casting, when the, when you've got like a 15 minute window, if they can do that in that window, imagine how much they can do in a nine hour rehearsal.
Absolutely. And again, you, you said it exactly in the event that someone does ask those questions, you see, you're like, okay, this is someone who, who does take direction very well and who is open to direction and is collaborative in that regard. Again, it all goes back to collaboration. We all want to work with people who are collaborative because it, number one makes the project more fruitful and you never know what any single person is going to bring and how it's going to better, any single thing that you're doing. But also it just makes it easier. Like, of course you want to work with people who are going to be easy to work with. That's the whole point of collaboration it's going to be. We're all going to click where, and like our specific example is all of us together working on In the Heights. We all were there for each other. We were all collaborative in that regard. We were all doing the work together and that's why we have a great final product.
Okay. Kristian, final thought before we go, and this is a doozy. So take a deep breath. What are your thoughts on the shutdown on Broadway right now? And what do you think we can expect once Broadway reopens? Give me the real, Real.
I think that we can expect joyous, joyous, joyous, first curtain calls. I think that people will be just so, I mean, it's us New Yorkers, especially it's our, it's our life. We go to the theater all the time. You know, it's something that, uh, number one, it's, it's a lifestyle for so many of the people who are on Broadway because they are so unfortunately unemployed right now because of the shutdown. Um, what we can expect. I think that there will definitely be a lot of internal look at everyone on Broadway and how we can better the industry. Once the industry picks back up again, although we are already doing that, I firmly believe, um, I think that the industry will look different in that regard. I think we'll be a lot more discussion regarding inclusion and collaboration and bringing so many other underrepresented communities and underrepresented people into the industry. Um, of course that takes time, but I think that people are willing to put their thoughts and finances towards that. Um, as far as what it will feel like to be in a theater again, I, I, I can't imagine it just because it's been so long, but I know that it's going to be amazing and I know that we need to make it happen because number one, it's a lifestyle for so many people. Like we said, we need this to happen so that people can survive financially. And how boring would the world be without Broadway or without entertainment at all? Not interested. It would, it wouldn't, it would not be a good one. My friends and I used to joke when we were younger. We're like, what's more important than Broadway, as a joke, of course, now that we're older, we all understand, but it's true. What, how, how could we live in a world without any of these parts of our industry and not specifically just Broadway, just TV and film and how all of these films are so delayed now because of the shutdown. And it's like us, for example, again, I keep going back to us, but we thought the movie that we saw would have been out for a month today, and now it's another year. You know, I think, I think it's gonna be a very interesting world to go back to, but I think it will be a more open and more thoughtful world than it was before the shutdown.
It's a beautiful way to wrap it up. I truly do believe that after the depression, after the recession, there is a Renaissance and I can't think of a place better suited for that than Broadway. Because although you did mention it's part of a New Yorker’s culture. Most of the people in the film In the Heights never saw the Broadway show In the Heights because they couldn't afford. There are less jobs because if I've learned nothing, not every show on Broadway structure was built to exist forever. Maybe a new structure needs to show up probably in order to be fewer disdain. God knows what happens next. I hope it's not enough pandemic, but I really do think, as you've mentioned, surveillance is a time where we get to look deep I and do the more time intensive and thought intensive work. I think that you are a person who is completely dedicated to doing that. I am working to become a person that is totally dedicated to doing that. I'm so grateful for you and getting to meet you. I think we learned a lot today. I'm so grateful that you, uh, decided to chat and share with us. Thank you so much.
Thank you. I'm so happy I could do this and I'm naturally such a fan and
Yeah, I would love to do an in the Heights exclusive super podcast someday. So perhaps we'll get to talk again. Um, yeah. Okay, Kristian, thanks again. Have a great rest of your day
Thought you were done. No. Now I'm here to remind you that all of the important people, places and things mentioned in this episode can be found on my website, theDanawilson.com/podcast finally, and most importantly now to become a words that move me member, so kickball change over to patreon.com/WTMMpodcast to learn more and join. All right, everybody. Now I'm really done. Thanks so much for listening. I'll talk to you soon.
