Lights, Camera, Learning: Casting Director Gives Advice To Theater Students

SYOSSET, NY — Long Island High School for the Arts students had a visit from a theater casting director, Michael Cassara, on Tuesday.

Cassara gave the musical theater students a master class on audition techniques, such as individualized feedback on their audition monologues, song selections, resumes, and headshots.

The casting director has over 1,000 film and theater casting credits to his name.

LIHSA Principal Lindsay Rogan said having Cassara review the students' auditions is a huge opportunity for them.

“Our Musical Theater students work incredibly hard to hone their craft, and receiving individualized feedback from a casting director helps demystify the audition process," she said. "Experiences like this reinforce that a successful career in the arts is attainable. We're grateful to give our students that opportunity at an early stage in their career."

Some of the students who participated in the class weighed in.

"It was a great experience to network with someone who we will hopefully be working with in the future. It's an experience we wouldn't have gotten anywhere else," Denver Hanson of Lindenhurst UFSD, said

Nicholas Schiavo of Copiague UFSD added:

"Working with Michael was great because you're getting the experience of auditioning for a professional in a setting where you can comfortably fail. It was awesome."