Please join us this Friday, January 21st, 2022 from 2:00-4:00PM CST for our NYC GUEST ARTISTS MASTERCLASS w/Q&A. They will workshop material with selected students and discuss the business of living and working in NYC. All are invited to attend. For the Zoom link and more information please contact Susanna Brieschke at [email protected].

MERRI SUGARMAN, CSA (she/her) – Merri Sugarman is a casting director at Tara Rubin Casting. Merri has worked on the Broadway, Touring and International companies of Spamalot, Jersey Boys, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, It Shoulda Been You, School of Rock, Miss Saigon and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations to name a few. She also casts for many theaters regionally including Paper Mill Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, The Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse. She is the very proud casting director of the critically acclaimed web series, Submissions Only. She also boasts many TV and Film projects, workshops and readings – including the new musical, TREVOR, based on the Oscar Winning Short-Film. Merri has been a Tony Voter for the past four years and is a proud member of the Casting Society of America, CSA.

MICHAEL KIRSTEN (he/him/his) – Michael Kirsten is a partner at Harden Curtis Kirsten Riley Agency. He joined the company in 1997. HCKR represents actors for film, television, and theatre. Clients can be seen as series regulars on such shows as Ozark, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, For Life, The Chi, Black Lightning, and Godfather of Harlem. In addition, clients have recurred or appeared as guest stars on every NY-based show and many that shoot in LA, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, and elsewhere. On stage, clients can be seen in such shows as SIX, Girl From the North Country, MJ, Mean Girls and most every other show on Broadway, along with countless off-Broadway and regional stages. Michael received his bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University and, prior to his time as an agent, worked around the country as an actor in musical theatre.