Lindsay Levine–New York-based casting director, educator, and mom–describes her transition from performer to casting director and her journey through the theatre world–including how she’s found parenting along the way. Mother’s Day episode 2 of 4.
What’s inside:
- 1:02 : Defining the casting director role
- 2:32 : Where are you calling from?
- 2:38 : How long have you been in San Francisco?
- 3:37 : Are you working as a casting director while in California?
- 5:08: What was your journey like from musical theatre performer in to casting?
- 8:30 : Was your lifestyle growing up very different from what it is now?
- 9:18 : Were your parents supportive of you choosing this path?
- 10:55 : Did you ever have a back-up plan in mind?
- 12:10 : What is a typical day in your life?
- 14:42 : Was anyone aware that you had a 10-week-old baby when you were working?
- 19:00 : What has been the biggest risk you’ve had to take in your career so far?
- 19:53 : Is getting your MFA another transition?
- 23:00 : What rewards have you found in your career that your younger self would find
- unbelievable?
- 25:00 : What role has education and mentors played into your career?
- 27:15 : Do you feel like you’ve “made it”?
- 28:30 : How challenging is your lifestyle when both you and your husband are in the arts?
- 31:02 : Who did you see that inspired you to do this? See it to be it.
- 33:00 : During your acting days, did you have a survival job?
- 35:16 : What advice do you want to give students?
- 47:36 : Do you have any recommendations for listeners?
- 49:03 : Is it possible to have kids and still be in the arts?
- 51:00 : How can listeners connect with you?
Key Quotes:
- “I went to about 165 auditions before I got Mama Mia.”
- “About a year in, I realized I probably wasn’t long for the world of performing…but I tried to take the opportunity of being in a big production to learn who all of those people were.”
- “[When you have a kid] your life changes, and no one else’s does.”
- “In this business it’s really hard to control your own schedule.”
- “As a casting director, you’re given a lot of opportunities to teach.”
- “I realized I would have the opportunity to be a part of a lot more Broadways shows and work with people I had grown up idolizing in a different way, rather than as a performer.”
- “I got my Equity card doing children’s theatre.”
- “You don’t need to give up on your dream, but it’s okay for your dream to change.”
- “There could be more conversations about listening to the world and letting your dreams change and become something different.”
- “At what point do you listen to the doors that are opening for you?”
- “It’s okay to let go of the identity of being a performer and you can still be in theatre–or not!”
- “Being a parent in theatre may not look exactly like how your childhood looked like…but it’s possible.”
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