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With 15 wins and 76 nominations, Bernard Telsey is one of the premier Casting Directors in the industry. Casting our favorite films, television shows, and Broadway shows, Telsey Casting is well known for excellence in casting. From the original production of RENT to NBC's This Is Us to Only Murders in the Building to Wicked (both the upcoming movie and the show), their office is constantly busy. In this episode, we talk about: • His first job as a casting assistant and building his rolodex of actors • Casting RENT as an off-broadway musical and why it was a difficult year long process • Putting an ad in the Village Voice for a rock musician for RENT • That ideally, he would like to be part of the early development process of a project • Giving Casting their credit and how that has evolved and how he hopes Tonys will offer a category to acknowledge casting • How is the office doing post-pandemic • What he sees in actors who shine with 4 lines or for a lead role, like in the case of Analeigh Ashford • How actors can get on their radar and what projects Telsey is working on now Guest: Website Wikipedia MCC Website Instagram for MCC Theater Instagram for The Telsey Office IMDb Host: Instagram: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneMiller Twitter: @MentorsontheMic @MichelleSimoneM Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mentorsonthemic Website: www.michellesimonemiller.com and www.mentorsonthemic.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/24mmichelle If you like this episode, check out Becoming... Casting Director Susanne Scheel ("Past Lives," "The Wife") --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michelle-miller4/support
Isaac Mizrahi chats with casting director, Bernie Telsey (“The Color Purple”, “Only Murders in the Building”) about why he can't believe movie stars email him sometimes, how a teacher changed his life, the sacrifices he made for his career and more. Plus, he shares invaluable tips for actors and performers about auditions.Follow Hello Isaac on @helloisaacpodcast on Instagram and TikTok, Isaac @imisaacmizrahi on Instagram and TikTok and Bernie Telsey @bernardtelsey and @thetelseyoffice.(Recorded on November 1, 2023)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jenna Rich is an amazing marketing professional and producer based in NYC and working on countless Broadway and Off-Broadway productions! Right now, she is on the Marketing Team for Winnie the Pooh Off-Broadway and is the brain behind the New York City-wide Honey Hunt and various other partnerships. She has also run the social media for Chicago the Musical, Waitress the Musical, Company Revival, and much more! In this episode, we discuss her winding path to working in press and marketing, random encounters with Bernie Telsey, her advice for getting into the industry as a marketer or social media manager, and you can get some VERY helpful tips to creating successful partnerships (from one of the best)! If you want to check out some of the amazing resources Jenna has put together, check out the link below: jennaonstage.com/links Find Jenna on social media: Instagram - @rich_jenna Twitter - @rich_jenna TikTok - @jennaonstage This season I want to highlight the people that can and should be the mentors for people of all ages wanting to get into the industry! Join me in connecting to Broadway and figuring our way into the industry! While I have you, please check out my socials to keep up to date on all things Broadway: Instagram – @_RealTalk_Pod Twitter – @_RealTalk_Pod TikTok – @RealTalkPodcast Website – realtalkmasonbray.com Facebook – Real Talk with Mason Bray Thank you so much for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Paul grew up in Novato CA, and has performed and taught all over the world. As an actor, he most recently flipped across the stage in the original cast of the Tony award-winning musical Kinky Boots, as an Angel and Dance Captain. Other Broadway credits include Legally Blonde, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, La Cage Aux Follies, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Miss Saigon. Also, the National Tour of Annie Get Your Gun, Radio City Christmas Spectacular (New York), and regionally he performed at Papermill Playhouse in Miss Saigon and Carousel, and the Fords Theatre in Hot Mikado. Paul served alongside casting director Bernie Telsey, and screenwriter Heather Hach as a judge on the MTV reality show “Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods.” He also appears in the films Sex In The City 2 (including the movie soundtrack) and Across the Universe (directed by Julie Taymor). He partnered with director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell to launch The Original Production, a dance licensing company that offers high schools and regional theaters a digital instructional tool to learn steps and the licensing rights to perform original Broadway choreography: www.theoriginalproduction.com. As a theater educator, Paul founded the non-profit arts organization Take It From The Top with co-founder and Tony award nominee, Laura Bell Bundy, to allow aspiring young artists the opportunity to explore theater with mentoring Broadway professionals: www.takeitfromthetop.org. He has taught and developed arts programs in New York with The Broadway League's “Kids Night On Broadway” and served as a judge for The National High School Musical Theatre Awards - The JIMMY Awards. He also served as artistic director for the Broadway Dreams Foundation for four years. Paul feels passionate about making performing arts education accessible for students everywhere to inspire confidence and create a pathway for young artists to achieve their highest potential.
Frozen: The Musical's Noah Ricketts talks to Emily and Jessica about his unique journey to Broadway, his time on the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, the time Bernie Telsey brought him his dance shoes to his final Frozen callback, and much more. New episodes every other Saturday!
“The Dramaturg” premiered on February 19th, 2013. It was written by Larry Shaw, and directed by Bryan Goluboff, both newcomers to Smash as of season 2. The viewership was 3.29 million viewers, which was 1.16 million down from the previous episode two weeks prior. We saw new material from both of our up-and-coming shows this episode! We were treated to a brand-new song from Bombshell, called “Our Little Secret” written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, and a preview of a song from currently-unnamed-show-soon-to-be-known-as Hit List, called “Good For You” written by Drew Gasparini. The episode also featured Megan Hilty singing a cover of Robyn’s ”Dancing On My Own,” as well as snippets of The Wiz’s “Soon As I Get Home” sung by Jennifer Hudson, and Katherine McPhee’s mini-rendition of “They Just Keep Moving The Line.” Eileen demands that Tom and Julia meet with a dramaturg named Peter Gilman to make the quick fixes she thinks the show needs. Tom thinks Peter could be a shepherd for their play, but Julia is afraid dramaturgs are parasites especially when he reads her for focusing on DiMaggio instead of putting the sex appeal into Marilyn herself. Derek knows that new musicals take years to develop, but needs something now, something big. So he’s burning the candle from three ends: staging a Bombshell number for producers, scheming with Veronica Moore to get his job back at The Wiz and agreeing to meet Kyle and Jimmy about the plot that goes around their great songs. Ivy talks Smash’s real casting director Bernie Telsey into letting her audition for a revival of Liaisons, but feels like she has little chance of booking up again “real names” like Jen Damiano and Jessie Mueller. When she stops by Bombshell rehearsal to ask Derek for advice, she realizes that she needs to start “dancing on her own.” Tom helps her to realize the Liaisons role is more like Marilyn than she imagined, but the boost helps her win the part. Inspired or in spite of Peter Gillman, Julia writes a non-PG number for Marilyn and JFK called “Our Little Secret.” It loses Derek a job on The Wiz but Eileen calls it the perfect direction for Bombshell. Jimmy is his usual angry-white-man self, seemingly pissed off at every opportunity Karen and Kyle provide him to share their show with the world. When they finally meet, Jimmy describes the story of their show: a young man who hates the world but has a treasure trove of mind blowing music. Stealing his songs to catapult her to fame, a female fling gets addicted to the fame his music provides - and he lets her even though his love will destroy him. Derek is intrigued enough to pound beers with the team, and they begin their work on the new musical... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bernie Telsey is one of the biggest names in the business. You may not see him on stage but he has introduced the world to some of the biggest names on Broadway. He and his team at Telsey + Company have cast literally hundreds of Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional productions, in addition to your favorite TV shows and movies, and more. He is also one of the co-creators of MCC Theatre, which he started right after graduating NYU. Bernie got his big break after casting one the most beloved musicals, Rent, and started a casting trend that almost single handedly changed the face of the industry, and helped to bring the large volume of filming tv, film, and commercials to New York City that we see today. Among many things, we cover: The behind the scenes of casting a show and how it is different for each genre Starting MCC Theatre with friends from college Getting his big break casting Rent, after trying to not do it How the internet has helped (and hurt) how shows are cast these days What it takes to run bi-coastal, massive casting agency How he helped usher in a new wave of Broadway and changed the industry Advice on how to get seen in this business, and the proper way to submit yourself to casting agents Connect with Bernie www.telseyandco.com IG/Twitter: @telseyandco Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!
Bernie Telsey started his casting career back in the day alongside Risa, and popped into BGB to sit down with Risa + Steve to talk about it all.As head of the massive- and massively successful- Telsey + Company in New York (and LA), Bernie Telsey is a true titan in the casting industry. In this episode, listen in as he talks to Risa and Steve about his passion for collaboration, what he hopes to see from actors in the audition room, and how his unique approach to casting- stemming from a deep love of the theater and the experience of connecting to a performance on a profound, emotional level- has made him one of the most sought-after (not to mention beloved) casting directors in the world.Explore these related BGB resources and take your craft and career to the next level!Free PDF: 21 Ways To Make A Casting Director HappyTelsey + Company siteMCC Theater siteEp 2: Choose Your Own Adventure: An Artistic RoadmapEp 6: The Secret To Successful PreparationDo the work necessary to move your career and craft to the next level. Jump into one of our career-changing CLASSES!----We are offering CAREER + LIFE DESIGN COACHING (find out more + add promo code PODCAST in your APPLICATION for a 10% discount!)----MORE ON RISA MORE ON STEVESUBSCRIBE! And…If you're loving the Podcast, leave a review and rating.Your words will help connect us all and bring these valuable conversations to even more actors- and other artists- around the world.AND… Screenshot, post + tag us @bgbstudio on IG!Have you heard the other episodes in Season 1? Make sure to listen NOW!
Bernie Telsey has been casting hit musicals, films, and TV shows for over 20 years. In this week’s episode of Working, Bernie talks about what he’s looking for in an audition, how diversity has changed on the stage and screen during his time in the business, and how finding talent isn’t necessarily the hardest part of the job. In a Slate Plus extra, Bernie and Arun talk about casting Ricki and the Flash with Meryl Streep. If you’re a member, enjoy bonus segments and interview transcripts from Working, plus other great podcast exclusives. Start your two-week free trial at slate.com/workingplus. Working is brought to you by Braintree. Looking to set up payments for your business? Braintree gives your app or website a payment solution that accepts just about every payment method with one simple integration. Plus, we’ll give you your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free. To learn more, visit BraintreePayments.com/Working. And by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater. Email: working@slate.com Twitter: @arunNYC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tune in for a special morning edition of That's Entertainment as I talk with the Casting Director of NBC, "The Wiz," Mr. Bernie Telsey. Mr. Telsey returns to our show to talk about the up coming auditions, as well as what we can expect in the new version of this favorite movie classic. Join me on Friday, June 5th at 7:30 am ET "as we ease on down the road" with Mr. Bernie Telsey. Go to www.blogtalkradio.com/tammyjones-gibbs or call in to listen at 347-637-2656. Like that's entertainment on fb at - facebook.com/thatsentertainment.radio Follow us on twitter at - thatsentertain1
Bernard Telsey is a casting director and co-founder of MCC Theater. In the 1980s, he began working for Simon & Kumin Casting as an assistant, then a casting director at Risa Bramon & Billy Hopkins Casting. Shows his company has cast include (Broadway) Rent, Wicked, In the Heights, South Pacific, Hairspray, Rock of Ages, Equus, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair, The Homecoming, Talk Radio, November, Grey Gardens, The Color Purple, The Rocky Horror Show, All Shook Up, Tarzan, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, (Off-Broadway) reasons to be pretty, 50 Words, Almost an Evening, and De La Guarda. He has cast for several theatre companies including the Atlantic Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Westport Country Playhouse, New York Theatre Workshop, Drama Dept, ACT in San Francisco, La Jolla Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, and Goodman Theatre. Films cast include Rachel Getting Married, Sex and the City, Margin Call, Across the Universe, Dan in Real Life, Pieces of April, Rent. Rent established Telsey as someone who casts unconventional shows, which got him assigned to cast The Capeman. He is notable for discovering Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, and Jesse L. Martin. Telsey has also served for seven years as the New York Vice-President of the Casting Society of America. Listen to this podcast and hear: Why a Casting Director is just like a Designer. What it was like seeing Idina Menzel audition for Rent before she was Idina Menzel. How talent has changed in the last twenty years. What Bernie looks for when actors walk in the room. The difference between casting theater and tv/film. And oodles more . . . Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tune in for a special edition of That's Entertainment as I talk with the Casting Director of NBC, "The Sound of Music," Mr. Bernie Telsey. Mr. Telsey will be stopping by to talk about up coming auditions for the movie as well as what we can expect in the new version of this favorite movie classic. Join me at 9am ET "as the hills comes alive" with Mr. Bernie Telsey.
Theater Talk is joined by Broadway casting directors James Calleri, Tara Rubin and Bernie Telsey, who discuss their important profession as gatekeepers for actors to get parts in theater, television and films.
Casting Directors Tara Rubin ("Spamalot", "The Producers"), Laura Stanczyk ("Translations", "Sweet Charity"), Daniel Swee ("The Coast of Utopia", "The Vertical Hour"), and Bernie Telsey ("Wicked", "Hairspray") explore and explain the work of the casting director, touching on issues from the best advice they can give actors about auditioning, how they work with directors and writers in the casting process, the challenges of luring stars to the stage, how they feel about stunt casting and televised casting competitions, and why judiciously mailing head shots and resumes can be an effective job-seeking strategy for aspiring actors.
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