Brooke Thomas, a former theatre major with a concentration in acting, graduated in 1987 with a BFA. I was fortunate enough to interview her about her experiences at URI with the Theatre Department and how those experiences have benefited her so far in her career.

After graduating from URI, Thomas was able to move forward in this industry but not in the way she expected. She’s now a Casting Director with her own casting business, www.BrookeThomasCasting.com.

When asked about how URI Theatre prepared her for the outside world, Thomas believed that she owed her thanks to the diverse activities that she was involved in. Not only was she performing regularly, but she worked front of the house, ran the box office, stage managed both studio and main stage productions, and assisted in choreography.

“I left knowing I could work as an actor as well as in many other areas,” Thomas explained.

Looking back at her time at URI, Thomas was able to reflect on her experiences and how they prepared her for her current career. She believed that her acting career at URI has helped her the most. Having a background in acting gave Thomas the ability to put her actors at ease when auditioning giving them the opportunity to do their very best, as well as providing action oriented direction.“As a casting director your success depends on the success of the talent,” Thomas states. In addition she also believed that the skills she learned from stage management and front house experiences have provided her with the organization and responsibility required to take charge in the business world.

When asked about what advice she would provide for current URI Theatre students, her answer was short, sweet, clear, and straight to the point: “Explore it all. It takes many ingredients to make a perfect pie.” She also strongly believes that everyone should take a stage management class, which would provide the students with leadership, organization, and responsibility skills that are required in order to succeed at anything.

by Brianna Penta