Some of the most talked-about work in theater today isn’t necessarily happening on the Broadway stage. Off-Broadway companies like Playwrights Horizons fill their seasons with new works that feel unlike what’s happening anywhere else. Populating that stage is the company’s longtime casting director, Alaine Alldaffer. A self-proclaimed Off-Broadway “lifer,” she searches far and wide to cast a range of actors across her company’s varied slate of productions. To do so, she keeps up with the constantly changing pool of actors in and outside of New York City; she never knows where she’ll find her next star.
Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off- Off-Broadway—Everything you should know.
What opportunities exist for actors at Playwrights Horizons beyond the mainstage productions?
We do a lot of readings and workshops. Usually, the writers come in with their wish lists and once we get closer to the reading and haven’t cast certain roles, we can suggest ideas and bring people in. It’s a great opportunity for me with stage directions. If there’s an actor in town and there’s a great opportunity to get that actor in the room, I’ll [hire them as a reader]. Most of our readings are 29-hour readings; it’s 29 hours of rehearsal including the actual performance, so you’re in the room from Monday to Friday. So, if there’s an actor who just graduated from a program or somebody I met at an audition, an EPA, or a class, I’ll say, “Hey, want to read stage directions?” Then that person is in the room for a week with these writers and directors. Sometimes an actor will get an audition and when they have to slip out, the stage directions reader can fill in. That’s my sneaky way of bringing actors in that I’m trying to introduce to the community. And they get to watch [the reading]; it’s a master class. We do so many readings and workshops there are a lot of opportunities.
How is casting for Playwrights Horizons different from other companies?
Regional theaters usually cast out of NYC, so everybody flies in for three days and there are two days of auditions and a day of callbacks. We really have to boil it down and show them the best people, because they’re going to have to choose from those people. When I did work in television, it was the same thing. I would get a script on Monday, set up auditions on Tuesday, and they start shooting on Wednesday. Here, what’s unique is I can prescreen, I can do open calls, I can put emails out to lots of different actors and say, “Put yourself on tape for this project. I just want to get a sense of what I’m looking for.” I have a broader way of finding actors and discovering actors; that’s the luxury of working here and being the in-house CD. The other thing that’s different is I can throw in my wildcards here. I’ll try a person even though it’s completely different from what the breakdown says, just to be different and hear what it sounds like and see what it feels like. I’ve been in situations where I cast my wildcard because you’re seeing the same thing over and over, and then someone comes in and brings a fresh perspective.
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What is the audition process at Playwrights Horizons like?
The first thing I do is read the script, obviously, and sometimes we’ve even done some preliminary casting conversations. Then it’s a meeting with the creative team. The first thing I like to ask is, “In a perfect world, who would these people be?” Then I can get an idea of what they’re thinking and what qualities and energies would be right, and then we come up with our lists and we send them out. That first meeting is very important, because it sets the tone for the rest of the process. Then it’s [about] finding out who’s available when, or do we do a 29-hour reading of this play? Then the writer gets to hear the play and gets to work on it, and we also get to hear people who maybe are in our heads actually read it out loud and see if that can help us in the casting process. Then we have our open call with Equity so I get a feel from the community of who’s out there and get to hear it many times over, which is great because I learn so much about it from just hearing dozens and dozens of people say those words. Then we have the director and writer, and I’ll try to get as much time as I can, because the more time I get from them, the more actors I can bring in. Sometimes I can send [actors] sides to self-tape it, and if I feel like there’s something revelatory here, I can send it to the director and get their feel and see if they’re interested, and then I can bring that person into callbacks.
Where are you looking for new talent?
Talent is always incoming and outgoing, so you really have to be on your toes and be really aware. Now there’s a desire and mandate for actors of greater diversity. People who were considered character actors or supporting are now becoming the leads, which is very cool. It’s amazing to go and see understudies and covers, because you can see what they can do and consider them for roles. I get a lot of recommendations from directors, writers, agents, managers, and other casting directors. I meet a lot of actors in the classes I teach, and I’ve cast people that way. That’s another way people can get to know me. I go to the EPAs and I take them seriously. I have a set time every day that I make tea and chocolate and I look through my mail and I find people that way. It’s also really important for actors to have websites. It’s frustrating to me when I get a résumé for someone who looks interesting and I can’t see any of their work. Find something, create something, rent a camera and a studio. Even a monologue is helpful to me. If I can see what you look like and how you move and what you sound like and if you have an inner life, it’s helpful.
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What advice do you have for actors?
I think the most important thing is to star in your own life. You have to have a life. That’s going to make you more exciting and interesting to us, and you’re going to bring all that life experience into a role. The mistake actors make sometimes is they come into a room and try to be who we want them to be or think about what we want. Don’t worry about that. Just come in and do you. There are things you can control: You can control your prep, how much research you do. But you cannot control what they’re looking for, and 99% of the time, they don’t know what they’re looking for. We’re hoping that hearing and seeing all these people come in and give their take on it is going to teach us what it is and give us clarity. The other thing is competition. Competition stifles creativity. If you resent somebody else’s success, you sabotage your own, so stay in your lane. Just silently bless everybody in the audition waiting room, because sometimes it just feels so toxic. If it’s yours, it’s yours—you’re going to get it no matter what. Your time will come or their time will come. It’s hard to have empathy when your brain is always about competition. Also, don’t question where you are in your career. We get so hung up on our regrets from the past, and then we get so focused on fantasizing about our futures that we’re not enjoying the present moment. Understand and recognize that where you are in this moment is perfect and celebrate that.
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