Ask an Insider

How Do You Give Notes?

"I think giving notes is among the most important tasks a director must do. And how one gives a note is often as crucial as what the note is." -- Scott Alan Evans, Co-Artistic Director of Actors Company Theatre

How Can an Actor Be Proactive in His or Her Career?

How to engage our developing clients in their own destiny, how to empower them, how to put them in the driver's seat -- those are the questions we confront daily.

Marci Liroff on the Life of a Casting Director

In a new Q&A series on her Facebook page called "Inside the World of Casting," Hollywood casting director Marci Liroff is currently answering questions from a college student.

Keeping a Long-Running Show Fresh

If a regular rehearsal doesn't work, then I have the actors do an improv but don't allow them to use any of the show's lines. As a result, they remember the show's purpose.

Prefer Actors Working Inside Out Or Outside In?

"Good work is good work, no matter how you get there. However, it's thrilling to witness character-building based on externals." -- Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney

Do You Attend Workshops and/or Showcases?

I love to attend showcases and workshops. The problem is allotting the time to do so.

Costumes and Props at an Audition?

If dressing in character or carrying a phone works, use it! The time an actor spends in the audition room is that actor's time to get the role.

What Should an Actor Look for in a Headshot Retoucher?

"The most important thing an actor should look for is a professional retoucher who also does headshots. Look for people who specialize in headshot retouching."  -- J. Jhaveri

Why Are You a Casting Director?

"My whole reason for being, practically almost my mission in life, is to get the actor to the next level. They would make it there without me, but to be able to help push it through a little sooner."

Can a Musical Theater Actor Learn from a Non–Musical Theater Coach?

"I have witnessed some extraordinary musical theater acting, and I have found that almost every musical theater actor I have taught comes into my studio in some variation of the same rut: They overact."