Throughout the course of this casting semester, students will participate in a unique apprenticeship program. Students will be selected and placed into a participating New York City casting office to work full time (four days a week) as defined by the Tepper Semester program. The selected students will assist that casting director and staff in day-to-day operations. Student casting apprentices will participate and observe all aspects of the casting process, creative and business alike, for a production as designated. They will serve their assigned office as instructed where the level of involvement is of most educational benefit.
This apprenticeship is intended to be an intensive, hands-on study. While each apprenticeship will be structured by the individual casting offices, all student casting apprentices will be called upon to assist in preparing and delivering casting sessions. They will develop skills such as script and character analysis and will assist in scheduling while being exposed to the professional business and creative abilities that a casting director needs. They will learn how to evaluate a resume and why or why not an actor was a smart selection for an audition. They will work with industry representatives, producers and actors on a professional level. Apprentices will begin to establish and create new professional industry relationships with all departments and parties involved in on-camera and/or theatrical casting and also attend a regularly scheduled meeting with the executive casting director to deepen the educational aspect of this mentorship.
In addition to the in-depth apprenticeship, students will take a series of classes as a part of their immersion experience while participating in the New York City program. The 15-credit curriculum (6 credits of classes and 9 credits of independent study apprenticeship) includes seeing up to 28 Broadway and off-Broadway shows along with a theater analysis class and an Advanced Directing Scene Study class from a casting perspective. The core curriculum is rounded out with master classes and cultural/museum field trips.
By the end of this apprenticeship program, students will understand the fundamentals of:
- Character and script analysis for the purpose of casting
- How to serve a director's vision and needs for the characters
- Systems and technologies used in preparation for auditions and evaluating submissions and auditions
While the individual strengths, interests and preferences of each applicant will be taken into consideration, placement in a casting office will be evaluated and ultimately decided upon by a committee of the Casting Society of America (CSA).
