Broadway Auditions Class w/ Merri Sugarman (Broadway Casting Director)

The Wright Way introduces workshops and seminars as a valuable tool to enhance your learning experience. The Wright Way believes that pedagogical workshops assist in elevating one’s performance, auditions, and technique.

At times like this, we must turn to each other to find ways to keep sharp on our auditions technique. So The Wright Way has created this Online and In Person programming to help you stay connected and informed of what is current and needed in the entertainment industry. Merri Sugarman (Broadway Casting Director, The Who’s Tommy, Water For Elephants, The Wiz, The Outsiders, The Heart Of Rock and Roll, Company, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, Dear Evan Hanse, Aladdin, Phantom Of The Opera, Trevor etc.) will be teaching for this particular one day program.

Individuals interested in this program will be required to prepare multiple 1 – one minute to minute and a half Songs and/or Monologue, fully memorized to work on. In other words bring something new or bring your up to date repertoire book. Each student will be given the chance to perform in a safe space and will be given notes and then able to present material again in a class setting. You will only be asked do one piece, but have a second or third one prepared just in case.

Please let The Wright Way know if you have any questions about this class by emailing us at [email protected]

***Merri Sugarman cannot coach any projects she is currently casting*** (so do not bring material or ask about material from shows that are currently being cast by her)

Check out Merri Sugarman’s Bio here:

Initially an actress (‘Les Miserables’, ‘Aspects of Love’, et al.), Merri found herself out West some years back where she quickly made a name for herself at Liberman/Hirschfeld Casting, then Liberman/Patton Casting, working on such shows as Seinfeld, Party of Five, HBO’s Band of Brothers, the feature film My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the Miramax feature film “Playing By Heart”, starring Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie.

In 2000, Merri moved to Dreamworks Studios as the Casting Executive in charge of TV Pilots and Series- including “Spin City”, Freaks and Geeks and the critically acclaimed “The Job”, starring Denis Leary. She was then offered a position as the Director of Casting for Dramas and Movies at ABC Television, overseeing the casting of “Alias”, “NYPD Blue”, “The Practice” and the ‘made for television’ movies “Gilda Radner – It’s Always Something” and “The Music Man”, starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth, to name just a few.

Merri then returned to the East Coast to teach and coach actors – something she still does (and loves) as time permits, when Tara Rubin offered her a Senior Casting Director position where she’s been happily ensconced ever since, working on, among many others – the Broadway, touring and international companies of THE WHO’S TOMMY, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, THE OUTSIDERS, THE WIZ, THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL, COMPANY, SIX, AIN’T TOO PROUD, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, ALADDIN, JERSEY BOYS, HERE LIES LOVE, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISERABLES, SCHOOL OF ROCK, MISS SAIGON and A BRONX TALE. CLUELESS the Musical, TREVOR the Musical (2023 Artios Award) and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (2024 Artios Award) are just a couple of examples of her Off Broadway work.

The TRC office is also responsible for the casting of Billy Crystal’s series “Before” for Apple TV

She also casts for many theaters regionally – including The Papermill Playhouse, Lyric Opera of Chicago,

The Old Globe, Seattle Rep, The Goodman and The La Jolla Playhouse.

Merri is also the very proud Casting Director of the critically acclaimed web series SUBMISSIONS ONLY and also boasts having cast many other independent TV & film projects, workshops and readings.

In 2024, Merri’s taken on some passion projects on the side, as well. These include the highly anticipated and starry concert production of “FOLLIES” at Carnegie Hall for Transport Group’s annual benefit gala, and a reading of a new play at The Actors Studio written by Lyle Kessler (“Orphans”) and directed by Academy Award winner Bobby Moresco – with Chazz Palminteri, Tim Blake Nelson and Gina Gershon. In addition, Merri is now also the Casting Director at The South Carolina New Play Festival.

On a more personal note, Merri has been a Big Sister to Jenny via the amazing Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for the last 25 years, is an alumni officer of the professional sorority Kappa Gamma Chi (BFA in Musical Theater – Emerson College), a member of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and was recently recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Emerson College in 2021. She has been a Tony Voter for the past eleven years and is a proud member of CSA (Casting Society of America).

*** This Class Will Need At Least 6 Students To Convene. Share This Information With Your Friends. No More Than 15 Students Will Be Allowed To Participate. ***