On the second day of rehearsals for Tisich Drama StageWorks' RENT, the musical's original casting agent, Bernie Telsey, dropped by to share memories about building the show's first cast, now twenty years ago for New York Theatre Workshop. "RENT was one of the hardest projects to cast," recalled Telsey, who is a Tisch Drama alumnus. "At the time, no one was producing its pop-rock sound and finding the talent was a challenge."
Telsey was up to it, eventually building a cast that became some of Broadway's best known names—including Idina Menzel, Jesse Martin, and Adam Pascal, who learned about RENT by a singing coach who advertised in the newspaper, The Village Voice. "Casting RENT is one my most rewarding professional experiences," Telsey told Drama students and faculty.
He also shared casting advice for the department's young artists. "Go beyond the material you are given to prepare," Telsey said. "Know it solid and make choices about it." He added: "Every audition is like a blind date. Your job is to get the casting team to give you a second date."
