Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Hoffman
A closer look at the life of one of U-M School of Music, Theatre, & Dance’s most successful graduates
—By Sam Schoenfeld
The University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, & Dance is known for its impressive alumni roster. One of those notable alumni is Rachel Hoffman. Rachel is a Casting Director at Telsey + Co, one of the major casting agencies with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Telsey + Co casts Broadway shows, commercials, movies, and TV shows.
Rachel’s Story
Rachel graduated in 1999 with a BFA in Musical Theatre from U-M. As her degree was performance based, Rachel did not think that she would end up with a career in casting. After graduating, she moved to New York, performed in her senior showcase, and began the process of working as a freelance theater artist. A casting director, Dave Clemmons, saw Rachel in her showcase and began calling her in for auditions. She went to several auditions for Dave Clemmons’ company, but she did not have the opportunity to meet Dave in person until much later. She was always seen by one of his associates.
One weekend when Rachel’s mom was in town, they decided to see a Broadway show that Clemmons had cast. As Rachel looked through the playbill, she noticed that Clemmons was billed three separate times, as the casting director, the vocal director, and a performer. This was when the lightbulb went off for Rachel. “So 22 year old me, right out of school, was like well that’s what I’ll do. I’ll cast the show, I’ll be in the Broadway show, and I’ll vocal direct the Broadway show.”
Following the performance, Rachel hung out at the Stage Door to meet Clemmons in person. She asked to sit down with him sometime to talk because she was interested in other sides of the business. It just so happened that Clemmons had a meeting scheduled with Brent Wager, the previous Chair of the Musical Theatre Department at U-M, later that week. He asked Professor Wagner if Rachel would be a good fit for an internship, and Brent sang Rachel’s praises.
Following that meeting, Clemmons offered Rachel an unpaid internship. As time went on, his business grew, and Rachel grew with it. Eventually, she moved up in his company to a paid position. She found that she enjoyed matching actors with material and creative teams. Rachel explained that she was feeling more artistic in that process than she was auditioning as an actor. Rachel describes her pivot to casting as “a right place, right time thing.”
The Life of a Casting Director
Casting directors are an integral part of the entertainment industry. They are in charge of matching talent (actors) to artistic projects. Agents and managers submit hundreds of self-tapes/resumes to these casting directors, and the casting director is responsible for holding auditions and eventually casting the project alongside the director and producers. Casting directors work on TV shows, movies, live performances, commercials, and more.
I asked Rachel about the qualities or skills needed to do what she does. Rachel stressed the importance of liking people, being able to talk to people, and enjoying actors/creative types. Rachel expressed that casting directors need to make everyone in an audition room feel like they are the number one priority. She also explained how casting directors “need to have some taste and opinion about art, the art of acting, and storytelling.” She works in an office with several other casting directors, and she explained how they all have different tastes, and they all respect each other’s opinions.
Casting directors need to be able to learn quickly, absorb, and think ahead. Organization is another important skill because there is a large scheduling component to the job. “There is a lot of administrative stuff that goes on. There is a lot of intuitive stuff that goes on.” Rachel has observed that different casting directors have varying levels of comfort with critiquing performances and working with actors, which she attributes to the difference in their backgrounds and training.
Giving Back to the U-M Community
Rachel has never forgotten about her Michigan roots. Before the pandemic, she returned to Ann Arbor frequently to work with current students. She worked primarily with the senior Musical Theatre majors because she also produces their Senior Showcase. Rachel is there to ease the seniors’ nerves about transitioning from school into the professional world. She makes herself an accessible resource to these students to answer questions and facilitate connections.
In the past, Rachel has even hosted “mock auditions” for students. For these workshops, the students will come in with a piece prepared, and Rachel will give the students notes and feedback on their work. Rachel also teaches for a week at MPulse, which is a summer program hosted by the University for high school students who are considering pursuing a major in the various areas of study that SMTD has to offer.
Rachel’s priority when working with students is to demystify working in the real world in this industry. Rachel understands that transitioning from school to work can be “inaccessible and scary”, so she wants to help students understand how things work in the industry after graduation. Rachel really cares about giving back to the University of Michigan. She describes a degree from U-M as a “badge of honor” and herself as “so loyal to Michigan and the students”.
Casting in a Pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entertainment industry has taken a serious hit, with the world of casting as no exception. Rachel explained that her office is now about half the size that it was prior to the pandemic because a lot of their work is in musical theater. Rachel is primarily working on commercials right now, which is a different (and fun!) experience for her.
Everything is via Zoom right now for Telsey + Co. Self-tapes were a very common practice prior to the pandemic, but now self-tapes are where every casting process needs to start. Rachel believes that will continue after the pandemic ends. She expects the casting process will become more of a hybrid experience rather than solely in-person, giving access to more people who want to audition but don’t necessarily have the resources to get to an in-person audition. “With communities that haven’t had some of the opportunity that others have had, I think hopefully this creates more access there too.”
Rachel Hoffman is one of the most successful alumni from the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department. She is deeply loyal to this University and its students. It is an incredibly difficult time for people working in the entertainment industry right now. Rachel is a wonderful example of how U-M teaches their students to work through a problem and make the best out of a tough situation. Rachel and her colleagues are doing the best they can to adapt their practices to the state of the world right now.
Feature photo by Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash