How to Get Cast on ‘Sesame Street’

“Sesame Street,” created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett with puppetry from the legendary Jim Henson, is one of America’s longest-running television shows. The educational children’s series first lived on PBS, but it moved to HBO in 2015 after experiencing some financial issues. (The series still airs later on its original network.) 

“Sesame Street” continues to be a household name when it comes to teaching young viewers how to count and spell. No matter how many seasons have come and gone or what network the show lives on, the lovable (and sometimes grouchy) Muppets have been a constant for kids—and kids at heart. From Elmo and Zoe to Bert and Ernie, Big Bird and his pals still have plenty of wisdom to impart.

Courtesy HBO

Because the show has been on for more than 50 seasons, the cast has naturally gone through many changes—both within the human and Muppet cast, including voice actors and puppeteers. Here’s the current lineup:

• Alan Muraoka as Alan
• Christopher Knowings as Chris
• Suki Lopez as Nina
• Chris Costa as Dave
• Olivia Perez as Mia
• Alex Weisman as Frank
• Violet Tinnirello as Charlie
• Matt Vogel as Big Bird and Count von Count 
• Eric Jacobson as Oscar the Grouch, Bert, and Grover
• Peter Linz as Ernie
• Ryan Dillon as Elmo
• David Rudman as Cookie Monster
• Jennifer Barnhart as Zoe
• Carmen Osbahr as Rosita
• Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Abby Cadabby
• Stacey Gordon as Julia
• Martin P. Robinson as Mr. Snuffleupagus and Telly Monster

In recent years, the cast has seen some shake-ups in an effort to improve diversity and reflect the ever-changing American family dynamic. Carol-Lynn Parente, who served as the show’s executive producer from 2005 to 2017, ran the show’s first-ever open casting call for a Hispanic neighbor role in 2012. The audition required participants to speak and sing fluently in Spanish and perform cold reads. “We know that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing, and ‘Sesame Street’ has always modeled that diversity from the very beginning,” Parente said. 

One auditioner told us, “I think that having an example for kids that are Latino, for kids that are immigrants, for kids that are Spanish speakers, that aren’t native English speakers is really important—because they see it and say, ‘I belong.’ ”

Callbacks involved actors appearing on camera and performing with a Muppet. After a series of auditions, Ismael Cruz Córdova landed the role of Mando, appearing in 12 episodes before joining other big projects, such as “Ray Donovan,” “The Mandalorian,” and the upcoming “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” 

Córdova told NPR that the audition process “was like ‘American Idol,’ but for ‘Sesame Street’—the amount of people [that] were there! They were looking for a bilingual person to begin with—so it was open to males and females—that had good comedic skills and charisma, [and] that could sing. We were able to interact with the puppets…. You know, they were seeing who would surrender to that and just enjoy it and live in it, and just be able to interact with these puppets as equals, as well. That’s the other thing: We embrace children as equals.”

Nobody knows that better than filmmaker Shola Lynch (“Chisholm ’72: Unbought & Unbossed,” “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners”), who appeared on “Sesame Street” between the of ages of 2 and 6. “First of all, you’re not acting—let’s just be clear on that,” Lynch told RogerEbert.com of her time on the show. “They select kids that interact and are good at make-believe and will play along…. I thought of it as playing. I knew I was playing with my friends Ernie and Bert, and I knew that they were puppets…. It was a lot of fun, just pretending with them. It wasn’t a documentary, because there was a script for the adults, but the kids were not scripted, exactly, and they would keep rolling until they got the interaction they were looking for.”

Courtesy of Sesame Workshop/HBO

According to Kidscreen, filming for the upcoming season, which is slated to premiere on HBO Max during the 2022–2023 television season, began in January. Sal Perez, a Sesame Workshop veteran, is taking on the dual role of vice president and executive producer, making him the first Latinx exec to helm the iconic children’s show in its decades-long history, according to the Hollywood Reporter. This move aligns with the program’s recent push to improve diversity both onscreen and behind the scenes.

Courtesy HBO

“Sesame Street” is currently casting. Production is looking for young talent of any gender, aged 4–9. While no date has yet been announced, filming will take place in Brooklyn. 

For those searching for similar opportunities, take a look at this roundup of great gigs for children. Those with singing and dancing experience may also want to keep an eye on casting calls for “Sesame Street Live,” the franchise’s nationwide stage show.

Courtesy HBO Max

Over the decades, “Sesame Street” has had many casting directors and assistants; but most commonly, casting is conducted by different teams, with producers reaching out to local and regional talent agencies to find prospective performers. Most of the series’ casting department focuses on finding children. Gabrielle Howard cast over 160 episodes from 1988–1997, and Carolyn Volpe cast 21 episodes from 2010–2014. McCorkle Casting has also been involved. Carol-Lynn Parente, the executive producer from 2005–2017 and winner of numerous Emmy awards, has also been extremely hands-on when it comes to choosing the show’s new and diverse faces.

Courtesy of Sesame Workshop/HBO

Be yourself. Sonia Manzano, who played Maria from 1971 to 2015 and worked as a writer on the show, first responded to a casting call for the show at 21 years old in order to “contribute to a society that didn’t see me.” As she told the Daily Beast, “Every other job that I went up for, I had to have an accent or act older than I was so I could be the maid. Or I would get sent up [to play] the sassy Black girl…. But here was a show that said, ‘We just want you to be yourself so that children in the inner-city neighborhoods who are watching you will have someone to relate to.’ ”

Know that the CDs want you to do well. Casting wizard Pat McCorkle has helmed several calls for the show over the years, including the NYC auditions where Córdova was found. McCorkle told us, “In casting, we’re like personal shoppers for directors and producers. We listen to what they want and how they work and try to find the best fit to fill the need. If you’re chosen to come in, that means we think you have a shot. I want you to be good. I’m absolutely rooting for you.”

Sometimes, your personality will shape the character. “I got a call from my agent about the audition, and I went in with about 100 or so other actors, both women and men,” Alan Muraoka, who has been on the show since 1998, recalled in conversation with Muppet Musings. “At that point, they didn’t know what they wanted, so they saw a variety of people. Most of the prior owners of Hooper’s Store were older and more grandfather-ish, and I was hoping that they were looking to go in a new direction. 

“I had a total of four auditions for the show, and each time, there were fewer and fewer people,” he continued. “At my third callback, they had decided that they needed Asian American representation on the show, so there were 10 of us. And at my final callback for the producers, I got to improv with Telly Monster, who is one of the Muppet characters on the show. It was very nerve-wracking, but at the same time, I knew that I was a good fit for the show. I had done a lot of children’s theater in the past, and I love kids. So it seemed like a natural fit. They thought so too, and I got the part.”

Make your interactions with the Muppets believable and convincing. Suki Lopez, who joined the show as Nina in 2016, told NBC News, “Originally, at my first audition, it was a reading with another person doing Elmo’s line in their own voice, which was kind of weird…. But it was a regular audition; I just went through it trying to keep it real and believable. It was a scene where Elmo and I had a heart-to-heart talk. The second time around, at my callback, I auditioned with Murray [one of the Muppets]. We did a little scene, and we sang together and did an improv. It was actually super fun. It was one of the coolest and most fun auditions I have ever experienced. That day, I remember thinking that even if I didn’t get the job, I was happy to go through the process. I just thought it was amazing. I mean, talking to a puppet?!”

Don’t be afraid to act like a regular kid. When it comes to selecting children to be on the show, authenticity is key. As Lynch recalled in a conversation with C-SPAN, “I was a talkative little kid, and I used to run ahead of my mom in our neighborhood. And one neighbor said, ‘Hey, there’s this new show I work for at WNET called “Sesame Street,” and we’re looking for kids.’ My mom said OK and took me down to the studio. And I was good at playing games; I liked playing games…. I was two and a half, and they loved putting me next to Big Bird, because I was so small. It wasn’t professional; it was fun, it was games. You weren’t brought in as an actor; you didn’t have to learn lines; you were essentially who you were.”

Courtesy HBO