Telsey + Company

Telsey + Company are a prominent theatrical casting agency. In 2016, they asked us to test fit a space on the 5th floor of the Paramount Building in Times Square. The space was a combination of a balcony of the original Paramount Theater, and an infill of the original theater hall. Built in 1926, the creation of an uninterrupted auditorium at the base of this 33-story tower resulted in the use of enormous trusses and girders. These structures still remain.

Telsey + Company work together in an open office environment - a trading floor, where actors under consideration are hotly debated. The directors and staff spend large parts of each day in auditions with actors in the studios. But they relish their privacy from the public side of the space.

We sought to make a facility that best addressed the needs and nature of these two sides of the casting experience.  Interior reflective glass walls separate the two realms. The actors can faintly discern the buzz of activity beyond, while the casting office still remains private. The casters see out, aware of the talent pool assembled. Most importantly, the actors can see themselves. A surreal and suggestive overlay results.