<p>About a month ago, I was at a party (to celebrate the graduation of the son of friends who at 21 graduated from Penn with a BS and 2 masters in biology, chemistry and math - and who has been accepted to a PhD biology research program at Harvard with a full ride - but that’s another story 
). At the party was my friends’ cousin who is a successful current Broadway producer in NYC. We ended up chatting about a variety of issues concerning the “business” of performing.</p>
<p>He shared with me that producers and casting directors don’t really pay much attention to what school an actor attended - or even if the actor attended a school, that they develop an impression about young actors by seeing them in off off Broadway and reputable regional productions, seeing them in audition after audition after audition and over time observe the growth and development of young actors and get a sense of who they are through this process. He shared that at any given time, producers and casting directors in NYC know who is out there that is “castable”, who needs some more seasoning and that rarely are there any surprises. His advice: get good training, whether at a college or acting studio, and then audition, audition audition - and then audition some more.</p>
<p>His comments were an interesting and informative contrast to the obsession with attending the “best school” that at times rears its head.</p>