Becca McCracken On the Nuances of Regional Theater Casting

With so many casting directors in New York and Los Angeles, we sometimes overlook the importance of regional casting directors. Not just working with other professionals on larger projects, but also in theater and local productions happening at home.

People like Becca McCracken help keep the entertainment industry’s wheels turning. Aiding larger productions coming through Chicago is one part of her work, but there’s also all the theatrical work she does as the casting director for the Windy City’s Court Theatre.

McCracken is well-respected by her peers and has won three Artios awards for her theatrical casting work. She’s also just been reelected to her second two-year term on the CSA (Casting Society) board. The casting director spoke to us from her home office in the Chicago suburbs.

Insights From Becca McCracken

• Focus on building strong relationships within your regional theater community because local casting directors deeply value and advocate for actors they know well.
• Prioritize attending live theater frequently to understand your local market and showcase your versatility, as regional casting directors often see multiple plays weekly and rely on that knowledge.
• Be authentic and confident in auditions, remembering that casting directors want to create a supportive environment where you can perform your best.

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How did you get into casting?

I have been a fan of theater my entire life, so I think I was participating in the lifestyle of a casting director before I understood what it was. I learned about actors, I learned about the markets and I was everybody’s superfan.

I got introduced to the industry through the show Movin’ Out, the Billy Joel musical. I was in college when it was doing a pre-Broadway run in Chicago, and through a series of fortunate events, I got to meet Michael Cavanaugh, who played the lead role. I was so enamored that I emailed him on his website and said, “If you could use any help with your career, reach out to me. I’m in college, and I’d love a job.”

I got a call from his manager, and they brought me out, essentially as an intern. I ran his fan club throughout my whole college experience. That was my introduction to this business.

That must’ve been quite the experience.

They flew me to New York to help sell merch. I started getting exposure to what it meant to be on Broadway and in theater, and really started questioning, “How did this group of artists get ***embled in the first place?” [The internship] was unpaid, but I had the most incredible experiences through that journey. Then, I moved to London and worked in the front of the house at a theater. 

You can’t just drop that in. Why did you move to London?

I had very optimistic thoughts that my work for Michael and his management team would lead to a career after graduation. I believed something would materialize, but nothing did.

I graduated and then participated in a program that offered a six-month visa to work in the UK. I applied, I got it and I moved there without a job or a place to live.

That’s optimistic.

I hustled. As someone who had always felt at home in the theater and the theater scene, even though I don’t identify as an actor, I went straight to the theater scene. I interviewed at the Drury Lane [Theatre], and I got hired front of house, and also did many other jobs to afford to pay for my flat.

I worked on The Producers with Nathan Lane and Lee Evans the entire time I was there, and it was a blast. I loved every second of it and got more entrenched in what it means to be part of a production. All of these experiences fueled my love of it all.

How then did you get into casting instead of production?

I became laser-focused on understanding how ensembles and casts were put together. I researched and figured out that Bender Casting had done the casting for Movin’ Out, and since I was very connected to that, I reached out to them.

When my visa expired, I flew to New York and interviewed there for an internship, and I had a great meeting. I had no idea how competitive it was to even get that interview, and I was excited. It was an unpaid internship, though. I was broke and couldn’t afford to move to New York, so I had to decline the offer and I moved back home to Chicago. 

Then what happened?

I got lucky.

Jay Bender [of Bender Casting] was a member of CSA, and casting director Claire Simon in Chicago posted that she was looking for an ***istant for a TV series she was starting on. Jay recommended me, and I got a call to interview for Simon Casting. I got that job, and that’s where I lived for 10 years.

I know you work on a lot of productions that come through Chicago, but most of your work is still in the theater, right?

I was promoted to ***ociate pretty quickly, I think, within a few months. I had an incredible opportunity to take the lead on various projects, and the aspect I liked the most was theater.

I realized very quickly that the directors coming to cast from Chicago for their TV shows, films or commercials were drawn here because our actors possessed serious theater chops. To excel in my job, I needed to see all of the theater. I was seeing five plays a week minimum, and I just made it my job to know this market better than anybody else, so that when people came here, I could speak to the theater industry.

After I left Simon Casting, I got an opportunity. Now I’m a full-time casting director at Court Theatre in Chicago. That’s my full-time job.

That’s clearly not all you do. 

Even though I’m full-time at Court, my team recognizes that it adds value to them and our process when I work on additional projects. I still get to work on my side projects as often as I can. 

What is it about theater that so entranced you, to make it the primary driver of your career?

I might have a different answer if I were a producer or even an actor, but as a casting director, it’s a very human job. I intentionally stayed in the Chicago market because I love this community, and I love the people who make the Chicago acting community the scene that it is.

It’s more than a job. They’re family. I feel very connected to the people, and I love the opportunity to share the city and this community’s culture with them.

Chicago is a theater city. The people here are theater actors who transition into TV, film, commercials — but even if all production went away, the theater community is never going to.

What are some challenges of a regional casting director that we might not know about?

Regional casting offices, depending on their location, all have different challenges.

One of the biggest challenges came out of COVID, because all auditions turned virtual. It’s allowed the LA and New York casting offices to put a [casting notice] out in a regional market from LA or New York, and then request a bunch of videos and sift through hundreds, thousands, depending upon the size of the role or the size of the office. They can move the process forward that way, rather than hiring someone in a regional market to be the local expert.

Even for offices that still recognize the value, there’s often no budget for it. It all comes down to whether there is money to spend to hire the regional casting offices, and who can survive in the meantime? 

That’s interesting, because part of the advantage of working with local casting is that you get the inside scoop on the local talent, right?

There are actors I know who can show up to the set and give you anything you want. You say, “This is what I’m looking for,” and I can confidently advocate. “ These three actors will be able to pivot on a dime, deliver everything you need in one take and are awesome humans. You’ll love having them on set, you’ll probably fall in love with them and want to write more for their character.”

When you pull that human aspect out of it, you’re rolling the dice. There are also actors who are blossoming and whom you can get behind and cheerlead for; not having that opportunity is heartbreaking. It’s why we do it, and it’s why we live in these regional markets. To be able to celebrate, advocate for and champion the actors whom we know.

I’m working on a film right now with an LA casting director who advocates for local casting. He split his casting fee 50/50, gave me equal billing and it’s going to take more casting professionals who recognize the importance of adding value when shooting a different market to have boots on the ground who know that market to do that work.

Is there a way to advocate for this within the framework of the CSA to increase awareness of its importance among more people? 

Yes, there is. I sit on the board of CSA, and I do that intentionally to achieve just that. I ran as someone representing the regional market, and it’s been a very eye-opening experience.

I’m learning a lot about how things work in New York and LA, and what it means from their perspective. Navigating these same conversations has been illuminating. There’s a lot of work ahead to make sure that we understand what each market’s needs are.  

As someone who sees so many actors for theater, what piece of advice or wisdom would you give to somebody coming in to audition for you? 

Just be yourself, and remember that we’re on your side. We can only be good at our job if we provide an environment that allows you to excel at yours.

I still conduct many in-person auditions. Being in the theater and mainly working with only local contracts, most of what I do is in person. I’ve been working with a collaborator named Celeste M. Cooper, who has been just a dream to work with. She and I work hard to make sure the actors feel seen, loved, valued and celebrated. The more casting directors can work to make the process as safe and positive as possible for the actors, the better it will be.

Final Takeaways

Becca McCracken shines a light on the vital role regional casting directors play in the entertainment world, especially in theater-rich cities like Chicago. Her journey from theater fan to award-winning casting director shows how p***ion and persistence can open unexpected doors. She also highlights the unique challenges and opportunities regional casting faces today.

• Regional casting directors are crucial for nurturing local talent and supporting both theater and larger productions p***ing through their cities.
• McCracken’s path included internships, front-of-house work, and a deep dive into the Chicago theater scene, showing the value of varied experiences.
• The shift to virtual auditions during COVID has made it harder for regional casting offices to stay involved, but their local expertise remains invaluable.
• Building genuine relationships with casting directors can help actors stand out, as they advocate for those they know and trust.
• Creating a safe, supportive audition environment is key to helping actors perform their best and fostering a thriving local acting community.

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