"an audition technique class for actors at any level. The objective is to create an approach to the material that is simple, immediate and honest when preparation time is limited. Analyzing a scene quickly in a way that John has found effective during his years of casting and teaching. The class simulates an audition experience but includes appropriate adjustments and tips so the actor can improve. A headshot or descriptive breakdown of each actor needs to be sent ahead of time so John has enough time to choose an appropriate scene to work on in class. The material will be from one of John's respected shows and is handed out after the lecture segment of the class. After receiving the scene, everyone has 20 - 30 minutes to apply the techniques discussed in the lecture.  When ready, each actor reads with John as if it was an audition in his office while the rest of the class sits and observes. In the end there will be a question and answer session motivated by the discussion of "what to expect as an actor in Los Angeles"and "what is expected of an actor once arrived."

Karen Kondazian's The Actor's Way

WORK ETHIC - "ER" casting director John Levey works to create an authentic audition environment. All he asks in return is authentic acting.

     John Levey was born in New York City to a Ph.D. scientist (indeed, one of the first women to receive an advanced degree in the hard sciences from Columbia) and a New York Times reporter (a tradition his brother carries on with a daily column in the Washington Post, providing Levey with what he jokingly calls "a suspicious relationship with the press").  He started going to the theatre at a fairly young age, when his mother forced him to stop playing basketball and took him to shows instead. It wasn't long before theatre was the preferred pastime.
     He began his career as a director, first as a directing fellow at the Center Theatre Group, where he assisted director Jose Quintero.  While there he helped produce the Taper Literary Caff at the Itchey Foote Restaurant and directed the Taper, Too productions of Estonia You Fall and Cakewalk.  His other directorial work includes Shades at South Coast Repertory and The Dining Room at the Coronet.
     As a casting director, Levey's most notable work includes China Beach, Head of the Class, Growing Pains, the MOW's Promises to Keep, Roots Christmas and Babe Ruth.  Now he is best known as the casting director of the acclaimed ER, for which he won two Emmys and, recently, a fourth Artios Award, a particular distinction since the award comes from their peers in the Casting Society of America.

BSW:
     What do you think makes you such a good casting director?

JL:
     A lot of people come to casting having been someone's assistant and they learn the rules and regulations and the procedures.  I grew up surrounded by talent--later, I had to learn the rules and regulations.  But being around talent was never intimidating to me.  I understand the writer, I understand the director, I understand the actor.  I understand their process and their needs, and I can foster communication between these groups that don't often understand each other even though they're so intrinsically tied.  Directors are so visual and actors are so instinctively emotional and writers are so cerebral.  When they combine in a beautiful way you've got the whole deal.
     The best part of the work that I do on ER isn't the result, although I'm very proud of the result; it's the environment that actors get to audition in.  An actor just sent me a thank-you note saying that I made it easy for him in that I gave him the opportunity to stop thinking about being in a room auditioning and to commit to the work.  If I do anything that I'm really proud of, it's that I create an environment for actors to do their best.

BSW:
     What is your advice to actors who have a hard time relaxing into that environment?

JL:
     The solution to everything is, Do your work.  If you're looking in the hallway and thinking, She's prettier than I am, or, It calls for a bald guy and I have more hair, your goose is cooked.  Come in, play the scene.  Do what you intend.  Make a choice, execute your choice, and go on with the rest of your day.  If you end up punching the steering wheel and saying, "Why did I do that?" or "Why didn't I do that?" then you're watching yourself. Just come in, take a big swing at the ball, it lands where it lands, and go on with your day.  Nothing you're thinking about which is about you the actor is relevant.
     Do the work; it's the answer to everything.  How do you cope with your nerves?  How do you cope with your insecurity about your pimple which they may or may not notice?  Do the work.  You can't control the other stuff, but you can control the work. It's all you can control, so if you want to be in control as an actor or an auditioner or a person, do the work. It's about authenticity -- that's what I try to bring to my work in the environment I try to create for actors, and that's what I expect from actors:  that they are going to bring authenticity, not falseness of any kind.  No acting, please--being.  If I do anything to help actors achieve that, it's that I'm authentic.  I'm myself:  I fool around, I talk about my problems.

BSW:
     I would imagine that you get your choice of actors. Everyone wants to be on ER.

JL:
     One of the nice things on ER is that I often get away with asking people to do roles that are a little smaller than they're used to.  But I actually just got a call from a young woman who got a great role in a feature which doesn't start until December.  Her agent thought this was a perfect window for her to do ER.  She didn't think so.  She thinks she's at that cusp moment where she's got this great part in a feature and that any television appearance would stigmatize her as an actor who does television.  Personally, I think that ER has done a lot to erase the line between film and television for actors.  George Clooney, for example, has a major film career after several years of being a television star, and I personally think it's going to last.   All of the ER regulars have a real shot at that, whereas when Hill Street Blues ended, for example, not a lot of those actors went on to feature careers.  A lot of them got stuck in the roles they played in the consciousness of America.  A lot of them have gone on to direct -- Betty Thomas, Charlie Haid.  But I think that the opportunities for the ensemble television stars of the '90s to do features, and then return to television when they choose to, is a real opportunity.

BSW:
     How can an actor get to meet you?

JL:
     I don't know.  I just know that when someone hits my receptivity, they hit.  Just yesterday we put out a breakdown.  I went through enough pictures to fill six U.S. mailboxes with the people I'm not going to see.  I got one or two who I will bring in and who may be among the six or seven people I bring to the producers for each role.  I'm sure it's not fair, and I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot of great people, particularly young kids who haven't yet landed.  When I first started working with Barbara Claman many years ago, she said, "I've got a working knowledge of 10,000 actors."  I didn't know how that was possible.  And now I know.  I've been casting for more than a dozen years and I've seen a helluva lot of people.  I can't always remember my children's birthdays, but I can remember all of those people.
     I also do go to the theatre, although more and more I go to see somebody who I already know and like.  In so doing I will, of course, see the other people.  I went to see an old friend in something last year and there were other people in it who were wonderful. I brought them in and one ended up on the show.  I go to the Taper more often than I go to [Equity 99-Seat] theatre because I like to be a regular guy and just be entertained.  I don't like it when people know that I'm there.  I get a great many invitations and I go when I can.  My assistant Cheryl is very diligent and goes to a lot of stuff. I also do look at tapes, though I don't accept unsolicited tapes under any circumstances.  I send them back unwatched.

BSW:
     The next thing I want to ask...

JL:
     Do the work.  That should be the answer to every question you ask me.

BSW:
     A lot of actors are doing their work!

JL:
     Not all of them are.  I think that actors are a singularly lazy group.  A lot of them rely on how cute or funny or charming they are.  Most of them don't do their work even if they're in class.  They must learn to bring their authentic self to their work.  Most actors I know are strategizing and hiding--relying on tricks they've had success with in the past and pretending to be the people they're supposed to be inhabiting.  That's not doing your work, that's relying on how great your eyes are, how sharp your smile is, how great you look in an A-line skirt.  That's not the answer.  Those are all wonderful attributes, but drawing from the well of the truth and exploring how to get more and more of your authentic self into your work is doing the work.  Hiding behind the various successful masks that you've used in the past isn't doing the work, it's faking people out.  Most actors fake people out.

BSW:
     Now, I'm not talking about "faking people out," but there are so many actors who become actors because they're shy of who they really are and they need to cover.

JL:
     Ah, the dilemma.  What they really need to do is artistically uncover.  The only thing to do in the gym of class is to develop the ability to bring more and more of your authentic self to the work.  Garry Shandling was recently talking about the value of terror and harnessing that terror instead of trying to hide it.  Terror can overwhelm your ability, but if you can harness your terror then you have an engine.  Find a way to roll with what you actually are instead of trying to hide it.  Part of what we do in a casting situation is say:  "Can we spend a whole day with this person--or five years with this person?"

BSW:
     Actors are going to read that and think that they have to be charming.

JL:
     No.  Some people want to spend five years with the most interesting person, not the most glib person.  George Clooney is charming and funny and great-looking, but what he's done so beautifully in ER is participated in exploring aspects of himself on-screen that are the counterpoint to his charming self.  There was that whole arc last season of him as the promiscuous Dr. Ross having all kinds of meaningless relationships in a search for intimate contact.  That arc was terrifically good because George allowed an aspect of himself that's true into the work.  After all, if an actor doesn't invest himself, what else does he have?  A piano player has 88 keys, and each key has its sound and will always have it.  As an actor, you are the instrument and the player, and you've got to find where G is.  All you have is your own uniqueness.  If you try to homogenize yourself, you're diluting your uniqueness.  If you try to guess what they want and become that, you're strategizing and you're not in the moment.
     All you can do is what you can do. And that's not a limitation.  Your responsibility is to become as interesting a person as you can.  If you're going to tell human stories, be as dimensional a human being as you can.  Actors spend far too much time at the gym, and while it's nice to have a good body, actors could be as interested in developing themselves spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually as they do physically.  They tend to think that grooming, attire, and body -- the physical self -- is the true self.  Truth is exploring your own humanity.  Most of us spend time with people who are mirror images of ourselves, and it can be pretty boring. It doesn't enhance you as an artist in any way to do that.  See if you can spend a third of the time that you are spending in the gym doing something that you don't have an inclination for, and see if you can develop an inclination for it.

BSW:
     Is there anything that you want to say to actors about auditioning? Anything that drives you crazy?

JL:
     Don't be late, don't be unprepared, and don't blame me for you being unprepared.  People come in and say, "Oh, I just got these sides," and I'd like to kill them because I made the sides available at least the day before.

BSW:
     What do you think of the huge sums series regulars on hit shows are commanding these days?

JL:
     It's like baseball players.  If the networks are paying the regulars what people think of as excessive money, it's because those actors are participating in generating profits which justify that kind of a fee.  Great guest stars make a show terrific, and consistent great guest star work contributes to the show immeasurably, but it's the core ensemble of stars and the core of writers and directors who are making ER a multi-million-dollar franchise.  And I'm not denigrating the value of the visiting weekly players, but they're not generating the profit.  I'm not generating the profit, I'm just a worker.

BSW:
     It's interesting how you talk about servicing the show as a whole.

JL:
     You try not to get caught up in that myopic thing of one task.  You try to step back as often as you can and say, "Where does this scene come in the script and who was in the scene before?  When do I need to have him?  How many brunettes do I have in that scene?"  All of those little and big things. You've got to zoom up on the crane and look at everything from above every once in a while. Episodic television is physically, emotionally, and intellectually draining.  It's extremely hard work; the moment you say "Yes!" because you've finished an episode is followed immediately, if not preceded by, "Oh God, I'm behind on the next one."  This is even more true for my assistant, Cheryl, than it is for me.  I'm in awe of the work that she does; I couldn't do her work.

BSW:
     Any final words?

John Levey:
     I'll say it again: Do your work. If you want to do this rather awesome thing--the storytelling of our time -- then you have to invest yourself in being part of the archetypes of our time.  You have to understand something about the evolution of human nature.  Certainly it's fun to get awards and drive in limousines and drink champagne, but it's more exhilarating by far to do your work with all of yourself.

-BSW

The following is an article as it appeared on

Performink.com (11 Questions):

      John Levey, a casting director and vice president at Warner Bros. Television in Los Angeles, is responsible for casting the current dream team of TV ensemble dramas - The West Wing, ER and Third Watch. Before TV, Levey had a career as a successful theatre director, receiving the NEA Fellowship Award for directing at the Mark Taper Forum (1980). He has won three Emmy Awards (most recently for outstanding casting for a drama series for The West Wing) and five Artios, awarded for outstanding achievement in casting by members of the C.S.A. (most recently for the pilot episode of The West Wing).
     As someone who learned how to program a VCR for the sole purpose of catching ER every week, I jumped at the chance for an interview. He recently took a breather after the busy pilot season to answer 11 questions about the business. In addition to casting and stage directing, Levey has been teaching audition and acting technique for more than 20 years. He hopes that by conducting classes and workshops he can demystify the fear that surrounds casting directors. "I want actors to know I’m a person invested in their success, not a wall between them and their success," says Levey.
     Set your sights on the possibilities of spurting blood all over Eriq La Salle or exchanging witty banter with Allison Janney and read on.

For many years before television you had a successful career in theatre. What made you switch from theatre directing to casting for TV?
     Money. No, seriously. I had the NEA Director’s Fellowship at the Mark Taper Forum, and I was directing theatre all around the West Coast. At the time I had a wife and a young child. Although my dreams were coming true, my wallet was empty. So I went into TV–with a big chip on my shoulder. Fortunately I found that the people in television were smart and serious, and that it was not a land of horrors.

Television seems to be a fast paced medium. What do you like most and least about casting under pressure and tight deadlines?
     I like casting for TV because people have to make decisions quickly. In film you can work for days and at the end of it they say, "What about the blonde we saw on the first day?" In TV when they see someone they like they make a decision on the spot. What I don’t like is that sometimes you don’t get to be as thorough, and so you might not be as open to a new person as you would like to be.

You are frequently cited as someone who does not like to attend showcases–that it even makes you feel a little "dirty." Why is that?
     Let’s just say if you’re doing good work in the theatre world and I’m doing my job well as a casting director, you and I will cross paths.

What do actors keep doing in auditions that make you slap your forehead and exclaim "Dear God! Do they never learn?"
     My worst thing is when an actor walks into the audition and says, "Oh I just got these," meaning the sides. Please! I know exactly how long the sides have been available. The reason they "just" got them is because they didn’t return a page or they were re-recording their outgoing message or something.

What was your most joyous casting moment, and in contrast, who did you not cast in something that you’re kicking yourself over now?
     I love it when somebody who I’ve been tracking from a young age starts to succeed. For instance Hillary Swank is one of my biggest successes. She was in this series about the L.A. coroner’s office [Leaving L.A. 1997]. Actually several members of that cast have gone on to great success. My biggest regrets come when we work really hard on a show and it doesn’t succeed. Also, I saw Brad Pitt early on for an episode of Head of the Class and passed. I was very wrong.

What are some new trends you’ve noticed in TV drama?
     I’m glad that TV drama has made a huge comeback, and that ER has made a significant contribution to ensemble drama. I think that the traditional family-doctor-lawyer-cop subjects still have rich possibilities. But "The West Wing" has an investment in the people that show you aren’t limited to those job arenas. Maybe there’s a series in following a jazz band around. If you fall in love with the people and want them in your living room every week, it doesn’t matter what their job is.

What are the differences between auditions for theatre, film and TV?
     We do live auditions for all roles on ER and West Wing. The differences in acting for the camera and acting for the stage are the same as those for auditioning. You have to invite the audience to come and find you rather than present yourself to the audience. The camera finds and captures everything you are feeling and thinking. If you shove yourself at a camera, the audience will be repulsed. It’s like at a bar. If you come on too strong and force yourself on people, they won’t want anything to do with you. If you invite them to join you, you might get lucky.

What skills can an actor carry over from theatre to film and TV?
     What carries over most is an investment of themselves in their character. There’s a sense of immediacy and risk-taking, particularly found in Chicago actors that translates well. Chicago has a wonderful and long tradition of exciting, immediate, brave theatre actors.

You’re doing this workshop all around the U.S. What attracts you to Chicago?
     I am aware of the training programs–Steppenwolf, Piven, Victory Gardens, DePaul University and many others–that feed a large acting talent pool. Also you know I have a long association with Jane Alderman, who casts ER with me.

What do actors have to gain by attending your workshop?
     The workshop is a return to basic fundamentals that I haven’t invented, but that still need reinforcing. Technique can be like a trampoline. If you’re jumping off a trampoline you are likely to go a lot higher than if you jump off the floor. So I like to think of this as a reminder of the value of technique. Actors might also well get something out of it because of my combination of background as a theatre director, a casting director, and as a bad actor. I’ve been teaching since 1969, and I’ve been successful as an artist and as a whore. I think I can show them how to keep their integrity alive while achieving success.

How can I get a guest spot on The West Wing?
     Just be fabulously talented and be able to handle language and writing that is extraordinary. Oh, and seem like you could be someone in the U.S. government.

WHO:
John Levey, NBC, casting ER, 3rd Watch, West Wing

WHAT:
Spoke and did Q&A at BackStage West's ActorFest.

CONTACT:
Didn't say, but we know he has very little time to cast roles for ER, so make sure your "people" use a messenger service.

SEND TO:
John Levey, 300 Television Plaza, Bldg. 140, Room 138, Burbank, 91505

PEEVES:
Showcases.  "I feel disgusting," he said.  He will not even look at actors his assistants and associates find from showcases and workshops.  Believes it is his JOB as a CD to know you if you're talented, and he shouldn't take your money to discover that.

OBSERVATIONS:
A dynamic, silver-haired gentleman with tons of charm, he only does panels or Q&A sessions for ActorFest.  He brings all of himself to every experience and believes actors should too.  "TV is storytelling.  Respect that.  All you have is yourself."  Believes that, if you bring your real self to the audition, you will get the part.  He's a former actor and theatre director who has fun, loves his job, and believes actors should feel that joy or do something else.  Wants to find actors with a "powerful life-force" and who are "believable but beautiful."  When he doesn't have time to preread, he goes to his files.  Feels range is less important than a certain quality that is right for the part.  Sees plays.  Counts on the FLOW of life.  Suggests you avoid measuring your success and just enjoy the process.  This is a very, very cool guy!

ER Scouring Islands for Some Extras (June 14, 2000)
By Wayne Harada Advertiser Entertainment Editor

     ER, NBC-TV’s Emmy-winning hospital drama, will include Hawai‘i in its search for new faces and talent to appear in the show’s fall season. John Levey, casting director for the No. 1 TV drama, will be in Honolulu July 15 to check out talent in separate sessions, for children and adults, at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. The timetable:

8:30 to 11 a.m. July 15 - youths 7 through 17.

Noon to 2 p.m. July 15 - adults 18 and older.

"We’re coming to Honolulu because you have beautiful people there," said Don Gibble, one of the casting directors. "Every year, ER signs new talent." Most auditions will be for walk-on parts; at least two are hired from different markets each week to appear with Noah Wyle, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle, Alex Kingston and Laura Innes. The auditions will be limited to 40 people - 20 in each age group - who will be preselected on the basis of phone registrations. "We need a range of people - the elderly, college age students, children, teens," said Gibble. Athletic, outgoing children are preferred, particularly those who can take direction. "We don’t like shy." Those selected earn at least $150 per day; most walk-ons are required for only one day’s work. Generally, the extras play hospital patients or visitors. There is a hitch, however; anyone selected must pay his own expenses to ER filming headquarters at the Warner Bros. Studios. (This is a common industry practice.) Though set in Chicago, the show tapes in Burbank, Calif.

     Here’s what you need to do:

Register, via telephone with Gibble at (310) 827-3741, as soon as possible.

Give your age, since a range is sought.

Keep the auditions dates open until you hear from "ER." Those selected to audition will be notified.

Experience is not necessary. Honolulu’s search precedes similar auditions in Chicago, Seattle and Portland. Filming for the 2000-2001 season begins July 31. Gibble said those who are auditioned in person here will receive ample notice time for a taping date.