Our Team.

Tara started her company in April, 2001 after working for 15 years as a Casting Director at Johnson-Liff Associates.  During those years she worked on productions of Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Jerry Zaks' revival of Guys and Dolls and Miss Saigon.  She also cast the daytime drama Another World and Dan Aykroyd’s series Soul Man.

At Tara Rubin Casting, she and her colleagues cast the musicals School of Rock, It Shoulda Been You, Gigi, Bullets Over Broadway, Big Fish, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Spamalot, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Promises, Promises, How To Succeed… for Broadway as well as The Country Girl, The Heiress, The Farnsworth Invention and A Time To Kill.  They recently completed their 12th season as Casting Directors for Yale Repertory Theater and have worked with many regional theaters including La Jolla Playhouse, The Williamstown Theater Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Arena Stage, and The Westport Country Playhouse.

Tara graduated with honors from Boston University and serves on the board of the Casting Society of America.

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Initially an actress ('Les Miserables', 'Aspects of Love', et al.), Merri found herself out West some years back where she quickly made a name for herself at Liberman/Hirschfeld, then Liberman/Patton Casting, working on such shows as "NewsRadio", "The Larry Sanders Show" and the Miramax feature film "Playing By Heart", starring Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie. In 2000, Merri moved to Dreamworks Studios as the Casting Executive in charge
of TV Pilots and Series- including "Spin City", and the critically acclaimed "The Job", starring Denis Leary. She was then offered a position as the Director of Casting for Dramas and Movies at ABC Television, overseeing the casting of "Alias", "NYPD Blue", "The Practice" and the 'made for television movies’ "Gilda Radner - It's Always Something" and "The Music Man", starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth, to name just a few.

Merri then returned to the East Coast to teach and coach actors – something she still does (and loves) as time permits, when Tara Rubin offered her a Casting Director position where she’s been happily ensconced ever since, working on, among many others - the Broadway, touring and international companies of SPAMALOT, JERSEY BOYS, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISERABLES, HOW TO SUCCEED…, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU, SCHOOL OF ROCK and MISS SAIGON. She also casts for many theaters regionally including the Papermill Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, The Old Globe and The LaJolla Playhouse. She is the very proud CD of the critically acclaimed web series SUBMISSIONS ONLY and also boasts many TV & film projects, workshops and readings – including the new musical TREVOR – based on the Oscar winning short film.

In other news, she has been a Big Sister to Jenny via the amazing Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for the last 18 years, is an alumni officer of the professional sorority Kappa Gamma Chi (BFA in Musical Theater - Emerson College), a member of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, has been a Tony Voter for the past three years and is a proud member of CSA (Casting Society of America).

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Claire is a Casting Director at Tara Rubin Casting where she has worked since 2013, and she is a proud member of CSA.

Some favorite credits include: Back To The Future, Bad Cinderella, KPOP, Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor (both for The Old Globe), Water For Elephants (Alliance Theatre), Ain’t Too Proud, A Sherlock Carol (off Broadway), The Gods of Comedy (McCarter/Old Globe), A Bronx Tale, and School of Rock. She regularly casts the Westport Country Playhouse season and is an Artios Award winner for Westport’s production of In The Heights.

Prior to her work in Casting, Claire was a founding member of the Mad and Merry Theatre Company and held positions at Irish Arts Center and Brooklyn Bowl.

Claire is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she trained with the Atlantic Acting School. She holds a BFA in Drama and Irish Studies.

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Peter is the recipient of four Artios Awards for excellence in casting. He joined Tara Rubin Casting in 2018 as a Casting Director, and previously was an associate at Jim Carnahan Casting / Roundabout Theatre Company.

Broadway: The Heart of Rock and Roll, Six, The Phantom of the Opera, Tootsie, Head Over Heels, Angels in America, Farinelli and the King, The Cherry Orchard. National Tours: Six, The Band’s Visit. Off-Broadway/New York: Dead Outlaw (Audible Theatre - World Premiere) Pal Joey (New York City Center), Whisper House (The Civilians), Sing Street (New York Theatre Workshop), Something Clean (Roundabout), The Beast in the Jungle (Vineyard). Regional: Summer Stock (Goodspeed – World Premiere), Sing Street, (The Huntington), 42nd Street (Goodspeed), Kismet (Granada Theatre/Santa Barbara Symphony), Chasing Rainbows (Paper Mill Playhouse), Chess (The Kennedy Center), Wonderful Town (LA Opera). Canada: Six, The Louder We Get. West End: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Nice Fish. Benefits: I’m Still Here (New York Public Library for the Performing Arts), Julie Halston’s Broadway Belts for PFF, Thoroughly Modern Millie (The Actors Fund).

For over three years he was executive assistant to the head of the talent department at Innovative Artists in New York. He assisted producer Ellen M. Krass on the film of Stephen Sondheim's Company at the New York Philharmonic, directed by Lonny Price. He also worked with Mr. Price on the documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, among other projects.

Originally from Portland, Maine, Peter studied theatre at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and holds a BFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory. He has taught classes and workshops at the New Studio on Broadway - NYU, Boston Conservatory, Ithaca College, Emerson College, CAP21, The Growing Studio, Broadway Workshop, Actors Connection, among others. He is a proud member of CSA and a Tony Awards voter.

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Xavier Rubiano (he/him/his) joined Tara Rubin Casting in August 2016. Xavier was born and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York and is a proud first generation Colombian American. Xavier attended Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, founded by Tony Bennett, in Astoria, Queens with a major in Dance and a minor in Musical Theater. He went on to get his BFA in Musical Theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC & LA.
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Xavier started his casting career in 2011 where he had his first internship at Clemmons/Dewing Casting. He continued to assist Joy Dewing when she started her new business, Joy Dewing Casting, as a monitor at her open calls and she brought him on as an apprentice in 2013. He became her Casting Assistant in 2014. Xavier has also interned at Stewart/Whitley and apprenticed at their office in May of 2016.
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For TRC, Xavier has cast the Broadway and National Tour Productions of Dear Evan Hansen and The Phantom Of The Opera, the national tour of CATS and the world premiere production of Kiss My Aztec! at Berkeley Rep and La Jolla Playhouse. His next projects are the world premiere of The Outsiders, set to premiere at The Goodman Theater and The Gardens of Anuncia, set to premiere at The Old Globe.

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Xavier is a proud member of the Casting Society. He is the recipient of the 2022 Artios Associate Spotlight Award and has been nominated for two Artios Awards for his work as a Casting Associate on the Dear Evan Hansen National Tour and the Off-Broadway production of Clueless, the Musical.

(he/him/his) As a Casting Director at Tara Rubin Casting, Kevin cast the Broadway and national tour companies of Dear Evan Hansen, SIX The Musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bad Cinderella, Disney's Aladdin, and Mamma Mia! Upcoming: Boop! The Betty Boop Musical,Death Becomes Her, and The Preacher's Wife (Alliance Theatre). Regional Theatre: RENT (Paper Mill Playhouse), 42nd Street (Goodspeed Musicals), and The Wizard of Oz (Geva Theatre).

Prior to joining Tara Rubin Casting in 2018, Kevin worked as a Casting Assistant and Associate at Wojcik|Seay Casting and Joy Dewing Casting. His film credits include casting director for the independent movie musical I'm Not Gay.

Originally from Southern California, Kevin is a graduate of the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, CA and earned his BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a member of the Casting Society of America and a two-time Artios Award winner for Excellence in Casting. Kevin has also served as a preliminary judge for The Jimmy Awards since 2021.

Louis (he/him/his) joined the Tara Rubin Casting team in April of 2018. Originally from Long Island, Louis has a BA in Communication from SUNY Geneseo.

During his time at TRC, he has been fortunate enough to work on many exciting Broadway (The Outsiders, Six, Mr. Saturday Night, Aladdin, The Band's Visit, Dear Evan Hansen, King Kong), National Tour (Six, The Band's Visit, Falsettos), Off-Broadway (Jersey Boys, Between the Lines, Gloria: A Life), Regional (ART, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Paper Mill, Geva, The Old Globe, Asolo, Westport, Yale Rep), and Developmental projects.

Prior to joining TRC, Louis was a freelance Casting Assistant to Stephen Kopel and Carrie Gardner. Louis began his casting career as a Casting Apprentice/Assistant at Jim Carnahan Casting and Roundabout Theatre Company. Before getting into casting, Louis was an Assistant/Associate at Lauren Singer Talent Management.

When Louis isn't at the theatre, he can be found gallivanting out in nature. In 2022, Louis spent five months hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

Spencer Gualdoni, CSA (he/him/his) joined Tara Rubin Casting in January 2020.

Spencer began his casting career in the summer of 2016 at The Telsey Office, where he served as an intern and had the pleasure of assisting on The Producers at Paper Mill Playhouse and numerous other theatrical productions and national commercials. Post-graduation, Spencer worked for over three years as the Executive Assistant to Broadway Director and Choreographer Jeff Calhoun. In conjunction with his work with Mr. Calhoun, Spencer also served as the Casting Assistant for the National Tour of Bandstand under Kate Lumpkin Casting.

During Spencer’s time at TRC, he has had the pleasure of working on the Broadway Productions of The Who’s Tommy, The Heart of Rock and Roll, and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. He has also worked on the National Touring Productions of Company, Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables, and Ain’t Too Proud, as well as the Off-Broadway and Regional Productions of Trevor, Jersey Boys, and Sing Street, to name a few. Spencer also serves as the children's Casting Director for The Metropolitan Opera.

Originally from Southern Illinois, Spencer received his Bachelor of Music in Musical Theater from Oklahoma City University and is currently pursuing his Masters Degree in Arts Administration at OCU. As a Guest Artist, he has taught at Carnegie Mellon University, Oklahoma City University, Penn State University, Marymount Manhattan, Auburn University, West Texas A&M University, Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Kids Auditions, The Actor's Connection, to name a few. Spencer is a proud member of the Casting Society of America and has recently been nominated for three Artios Awards. Spencer is dedicated to helping aspiring artists develop their craft, enabling them to enter the challenging and exciting performance industry.

Olivia has been with Tara Rubin Casting (TRC) since 2021. 

During her time at TRC, Olivia has had the opportunity to work on the Broadway, Tour, and Pre-Broadway productions of The Wiz, Disney’s Aladdin, Boop! The Betty Boop Musical, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, Six, Kiss My Aztec!, and Dear Evan Hansen. She has also worked on New York City Center’s Pal Joey, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Fiddler on the Roof and the Off-Broadway productions of Dead Outlaw and Between the Lines. She recently worked on Paper Mill Playhouse’s productions of the NY Times Critics’ Pick, Gun& Powder, After Midnight and Disney’s Hercules.

Olivia began her casting journey at Franck Casting and interned at Celebrity Cruises. Prior to joining TRC, Olivia was a Casting Assistant at Kate Lumpkin Casting.

Olivia is originally from New Jersey and has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts with a Concentration in Musical Theatre from Rowan University.

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Frankie joined Tara Rubin Casting in 2022. While at Tara Rubin Casting, he has had the privilege of working on the Broadway productions of Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, Water for Elephants (Artios Awards Nomination), Back to the Future, Here Lies Love, Bad Cinderella, The Phantom of the Opera, and KPOP; as well as the Off-Broadway and Regional productions of Dead Outlaw (Audible - World Premiere), The Gardens of Anuncia (Lincoln Center), The Preacher's Wife (Alliance - World Premiere), Stompin’ At The Savoy (DTC - World Premiere), South Pacific (Goodspeed), and Cabaret (The Old Globe/Asolo Rep) among others.

Prior to joining Tara Rubin Casting, Frankie spent four and a half years at NBCUniversal where he supported Emmy-winning Casting Director Jennifer McNamara on TV series and pilots across NBC, Peacock, SYFY, USA, and Peacock Kids including "American Auto", “Blindspot”, “Chucky", “Good Girls", "La Brea", "Law & Order: OC/SVU/True Crime: Menendez", “New Amsterdam”, “Reginald the Vampire”, “Saturday Night Live", “The Tonight Show/Jimmy Fallon”, “This is Us", and "Young Rock”, among others.

Frankie has also previously worked at Celebrity Cruises Entertainment, Kate Lumpkin Casting, The Telsey Office, and regionally as an accomplished Music Director and musician.

Frankie holds a BFA from Shenandoah Conservatory where he double majored in Musical Theater and Musical Theater Accompanying. He has taught classes and workshops at BYU, The Hartt School, Otterbein University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Williamstown Theater Festival, American Black Film Festival, Actor’s Connection, The Growing Studio, and with Nosotros’ Ya Tu Sabes Monologue Slam, among others. He is a proud member of CSA (Casting Society) and has a tenacious passion for discovering and championing underrepresented/historically excluded talent.