Join us for our Online 2-Week Comedy & Drama Intensive with Legendary Casting Director, Lisa Beach!
This class is for actors 16 years old and up and will be held online via Zoom. This will be a live, interactive class with a Q&A and the opportunity to perform for and get feedback from Lisa. You will be able to download recordings of your performances for educational purposes only. You can also share your headshot, resume, and reel with Lisa for feedback and instruction only. All materials will remain under the studio’s control and will not be used for casting, employment, or representation purposes.
Back in 1973, Lisa went to see SLEEPER, and as Lynn Stalmaster’s name came up in the credits, her mother turned and whispered to her, “Now wouldn’t that be a fun job! You should write to her!”. Some 30 years later, as Lisa received the Artios Award for best comedy feature casting for Wedding Crashers, she was able to tell Lynn Stalmaster that very story and thank HIM for influencing a young girl in Pittsburgh all those years ago.
It was a circuitous route to get into casting, as it wasn’t offered as a major at Harvard, where she went to find a husband after seeing Love Story 13 times -- but that’s another story altogether. Failing in her life’s dream to find Mr. Right, she headed to TinselTown in 1984, found a job as a Director’s assistant, and was then fortuitously espied by David Rubin when he was casting a movie for said Director. On October 20, 1986, Lisa started working with David as his Assistant, and her career was finally born.
After a few years of an invaluable learning experience with David, she spread her wings to go off on her own, and over the next decade established herself as both an independent Casting Director, and as a Casting executive at both Hollywood Pictures and HBO.
She began working with such directors as Alexander Payne, Wes Craven, David Dobkin, and James Mangold, and has in the ensuing decades established herself as an independent Casting Director with an eye for both comedy and drama, and a work ethic that leaves no stone unturned in finding the perfect fit for each role. She has been partnered with Sarah Katzman since 2001, and together they have cast such features as Scream 1-3, Election, Wedding Crashers, Horrible Bosses, We’re The Millers, Wolverine, and Logan. Branching out into television, Lisa and Sarah have successfully worked in both network and cable on numerous shows including Hawaii 5-0, The Detour, Hung, and Impulse. Creative and collaborative, Casting has been a dream career. Almost 35 years on, Lisa still has the same love for the job as she did when she started. Long may that continue!
Prep Instructions:
- Please prepare 2-page TV/film scenes from both a comedy and a drama to perform live in class. Instructions on where to upload your scene for our reader will be sent upon registration.
This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.
Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.
