Harriet and Gama are the go-to casting team for Syracuse Stage. As an artistic director, and as a director, I know I can count on them to assemble interesting, diverse and smart choices for every project we bring to them.

 

More than just excellent artistic colleagues, Harriet and Gama are great people and delightful to work with. We have fun, and the supportive tone they set in the room helps actors do their best work.  I love hearing and sharing ideas with them, and I value their insight.  I see and appreciate the care they take with their clients on both sides of the audition table (or Zoom room). Rewarding artistic work at Syracuse Stage begins with Bass/Valle Casting.

 

            I'm thrilled to learn about Gama Valle's new partnership with Harriet Bass. Gama was an incredible collaborator throughout the auditioning process and in the audition room of Andrew Rincón's I Wanna Fuck Like Romeo & Juliet. The level of talent Gama gathered was excellent, his insights into the needs of the show were terrific, and he knew just how to encourage me as a director to think creatively in my casting. I'm excited to see the innovation he'll bring to Bass/Valle Casting. 

 

           Harriet has great taste, a fantastic sense of the country's talent pool, and is a complete pleasure to work with in the room. What are you waiting for?   

 

           One always knows that they are in exceptionally good hands when they have the great fortune to collaborate with Harriet Bass. She is a creative, knowledgeable, and passionate collaborator. Harriet has a keen dramaturgical eye. She not only understands the unique demands of every role based on her close readings of the texts, but she really listens to what the director is hoping to create with his/her production. Her knowledge of the best and most current talent means there is no time wasted in the casting process. She brings in the very best available talent. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Harriet on a diverse range of projects: Shakespeare, musicals and plays. In every case her taste and instincts were absolute perfection.

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Harriet is prepared, smart, classy, funny, and organized. And most importantly, she will not rest until the director is absolutely certain that he/she has assembled the best cast possible for their project. I have never once left a casting session with Harriet Bass having a second thought.

         

           Casting with Harriet Bass over the past decade has continually reminded me of why I got into theatre. She is passionate about the art form, shrewd about the business, and hard driven to get a project right. Actors have great respect for her as well, which I've learned can mean much as they chose whether to make it to the audition room.
 

         

           Gama sets the bar high for casting directors everywhere. He is always calm, professional and a champion for actors. He makes my job of a director easy because he truly knows how to match actors with the production at hand. We need more casting directors like him in the world!

 

           Harriet Bass had been our principal casting director for a number of seasons now. She is a dream to work with as an Artistic Director and director. Harriet really understands actor process and how to build ensemble. Over the years she has done stellar work casting an extraordinarily diverse array of productions. Harriet has amazing insights about actors, has a great network, and is incredibly collaborative. She has lifted the quality of our work at Syracuse Stage and profoundly helped us advance our inclusive artistic mission. I always find my casting sessions with Harriet to be joyful and exhilarating. I leave with an excitement about the cast and a fresh perspective on the project. She is the best.

 

            A year into my position as Casting Director at the Alliance Theatre, we needed a new NYC Casting Director.  My then Artistic Director, Kenny Leon, introduced me to Harriet Bass whom he had recently met on a project for another theatre.  He liked her a lot and thought I would too.  Well, some 28 years and another Artistic Director later, Harriet is still our primary NYC Casting Director.  I can't count the number of productions Harriet has worked with us on - most of them original pieces - but she has given each and every one of our playwrights, plays and characters within them, the care and attention of a Broadway or West End production.  She not only relentlessly cares about the level of talent she brings into the audition room but how her work reflects the mission and vision of the Alliance Theatre - a partner in every sense of the word.   And then came Gama whose attention to technological detail and additional knowledge of BIPOC artists has elevated an already flawless process to another level.  I am thrilled about their new partnership and only wish I had another 28 years left in me to continue their journey. 

 

            Harriet is the best Sherpa for your casting adventure.  Her instincts are fantastic. Her knowledge of the talent pool is thorough. She knows the talent and their current work. When she talks about an actor, you can see that she palpably cares about them and the work she's sending them off too.

 

           Harriet Bass understands what a play needs intuitively, instinctively, in that way that can't be taught.  Coupled with her encyclopedic knowledge of actors, she is an invaluable asset to casting any play.  And on top of all that, she's simply a joy to spend time with. I can't wait to work with her again.