We’ve all heard the stories; the hapless actor walks into the studio and submits himself (or herself) to the mercy of a casting director, trying to perform the best they can under their potential employer’s judging eyes for the remote chance of getting a role in an upcoming movie, play, or TV series. Auditions seems like it should be one of the most stressful things imaginable, but is that really the case?

“I learned from really good casting directors that casting should be like a party,” said part-time acting teacher and career casting director, Eileen Kennedy. “You warm up the actors in the lobby so they feel ready and comfortable; so they can do their best.”

Kennedy was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She received her undergraduate degree in english literature from the University of Scranton, and earned an MFA in directing from the Catholic University in Washington D.C. From there, she proceeded to work on several sitcoms, prime time programs, and one-hour dramas.

As an assistant casting director in New York City, she met soap opera actor, and future Moorpark College theater department chair, John Loprieno on the set of “One Life to Live”. The two of them realized that they had a similar background as lone wolves who had earned master’s degrees and were employed in the television industry, and formed a relationship as best friends and professional associates that has remained strong for 35 years.

“She’s come to our house on holidays and weekends. She’s a good family friend, I’ve known her for years. I think very highly of her,” said Loprieno.

Today, both Loprieno and Kennedy teach at Moorpark College. Kennedy taught at Adelphi University in Long Island City, until she vacated her position to Loprieno. Loprieno, in turn, recommended Kennedy when the school required a teacher with audition techniques. She was hired in large part due to her experience in the entertainment industry.

Since then, Kennedy has also directed numerous theatrical productions, such as “Skin of Our Teeth,” in 2009, and “Prelude to a Kiss,” in 2013. PAC Technical Director Brian Koehler worked alongside her to produce the latter, and shares Loprieno’s favorable opinion of her.

“She was excited about it and she seemed like a good team player. She seemed very interested in collaboration,” said Koehler.

During the play‘s production, Koehler and Kennedy had a dispute over the use of a sound effect that was meant to represent wind, but the two of them resolved the dispute with no incident.

“If you’re working in theater, you have to understand that ideas will clash occasionally and not to take anything personally.” says Koehler.

These days, Kennedy only casts plays that she directs. But she’s brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table in terms of casting. Much of this wealth contradicts the commonly held stereotypes about casting and auditions. At it’s core, she defines the most important qualities an actor can possess as, “essence and training, not necessarily in that order.”

“Training would include preparation, because you don’t want to hire someone who’s in over their head,” says Kennedy.

Her definition of essence requires a longer explanation.

“When someone walks into the room, and you’re hiring a serial killer, and the words on the page say that the serial killer is a certain type of person; because you could imagine a serial killer could have a lot of different qualities, from sweet, young and nice to old horrific and craggy, “ Kennedy explains. “What the actor walks in feeling has to match what the writer has written. You have to bring in the room with you the type of character that it is.”

According to Kennedy, for some actors, being good at playing one kind of character can be just as valuable as extensive range.

“Some people do one thing, and they do it well. That’s not a bad thing, to be typecast, you might work often. If you have great range, you can expand from being an innocent or a nightmare,” says Kennedy.