When the entertainment industry went into quarantine earlier this year, everyone found a different way to use their newfound free time. Many actors explored new avenues to train and stay sharp with the help of casting directors’ virtual Q&As and classes. But Stephanie Klapper took her lockdown time a step further. In addition to continuing to work on casting projects where possible, the theater CD began writing a book and is in the process of launching a podcast. Before Klapper began casting theater on Broadway and around the world, she worked in everything from stage management to arts education to Broadway advertising—and she’s ready to dish on it all. With her latest endeavors, she hopes to help aspiring actors take the next step in their careers, no matter what that step looks like.
“I think that the most powerful thing [actors] can do is reach out to their community. Out of those conversations, they can find something to create, and it doesn’t have to be a means to an end.”
How did the quarantine pause lead to you writing a book?
I’m writing it with a friend, Raphael Crystal, and the way the book came about was really at the beginning of COVID-19. We were talking, and I was just feeling so sad and wondering what I had to offer and what was going on. I love teaching, and I love helping people. There’s really no book that talks about the journey to becoming a professional performer. We thought it would be really interesting if we did it from both of our points of view together. We’re tentatively calling the book “Building a Life in Musical Theater.” It’s an instructional, anecdotal, practical-advice skill book on what to do and how to do it. It covers a little bit of everything, but it’s really for people who are in high school or college or are involved in community theater, or people later in life who think, I’ve always wanted to do this.
What do you hope aspiring performers can take away from the book?
You don’t have to be on Broadway if theater is something you love. If you want to go that route, this is one way to do it. But if you just love it and you want to know how to approach it and do it with more of a professional mindset, these are the things you could do to make that [happen].
COVID-19 Resources for Actors, Performers, and Creators What advice do you have for actors looking to take the next step in their careers?
Really look inward and check to make sure it’s what they really love to do. Have the perspective of why they continue to do it and what they have to offer. We all know it’s not easy and it’s not getting any easier, so it’s really always checking on that. Make sure it’s what you love to do most of all and [you] can find ways to keep yourself engaged and creative. I guess the two things I’m doing are good examples of trying to find other paths to still continue to do what I love to do and build outward from there.
What makes an actor memorable to you in an audition?
I just want them to be well-prepared and happy to be there. I’m not just something they’re checking off their to-do list. I think sometimes academic institutions or training programs instruct students to just go in for it. I get it. You need to try it out and get your muscles to be in a good place. But I think that when you’re coming in for me, I really want you to be there because you want this opportunity—not because you think you have to do it.
Where do you look for fresh talent?
I love research so much. I was just casting for a reading that we’re doing as a fundraiser, and there were roles that were really complicated. It was great to reach out to people who knew the community the characters were from. That helped sort of steer me in the right direction. Then I just kept building out from there. It was really that starting conversation with people that helped me start another conversation that led to another conversation. That’s how I love to search and look under rocks. I think one of the most fun things about casting is not the easy answer, but really having to find that special person who’s not the one everybody goes to.
COVID-19 Has Taught This Casting Director That All Actors Need a Plan B How did your quarantine also inspire a podcast?
A friend of mine who is a wonderful actor, Angela Pierce, and I were talking. We were both, again, sad, panicked, [and] worried about losing our centers and trying to figure out the world as it’s spinning around us. I said, “I’m so interested in learning more about podcasts and audio theater.” I meant more from a casting point of view, or maybe doing some producing, which I’m interested in. And she said, “I think we should do that together.” Then, suddenly, I’m a co-collaborator on a podcast with her. Next thing I know, she got somebody on board to be our producer. It’s called “Someone’s Thunder,” which is based on something from “Macbeth.” The idea is that it’s very accessible and it’s like two friends talking, but we talk about: What is that hidden ingredient in somebody’s performance? Or maybe something that we experienced in life or work. It’s kind of easy and warm and playful and, hopefully, inspiring.
What advice do you have for performers and other creatives who might feel frustrated by work being on pause right now?
I think what’s been helpful from my story of getting into the business is: It’s been connections every step of the way. I feel like my conversation with Angela about the podcast came out of just saying, “I’m thinking about this. What do you think?” It’s about thinking, What do we have to offer? It was out of conversations with friends and just brainstorming. It’s in these times that are so difficult, when it feels like we’re not doing a thing, [when] I have to circle back and remember, maybe I actually am doing something. I think conversations with friends and people that are important in our lives are how things happen and keep us going. I have even cast a few things now, too, which has been really nice, and they’ve come out of conversations and relationships and not taking anything for granted. I think actors are very good at showing the face that pretends like everything is OK. And I think that the most powerful thing they can do is reach out to their community. Out of those conversations, they can find something to create, and it doesn’t have to be a means to an end. It doesn’t have to be for anything other than just to feed their soul in a way that it needs that nourishment.
This story originally appeared in the Dec. 17 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.
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