Actor Resources

Casting sites

  • Backstage.com: This is the industry standard. Yes, you need to pay for a subscription. The most expensive option for online-only is $19.95/month. With your monthly subscription fee, you get access to full audition information from their database. There are countless other resources available here, too, like “Actor 101” articles, resources, news and reviews. It is well worth your time and investment.
  • ActorsAccess.com: You can register for free and view all the auditions you want. However, you must pay a fee when you want to submit yourself for a role. The site also includes sides, and lists of casting directors and talent reps.
  • NowCasting.com: You can register here for a free membership or choose one of their premium membership packages. The premium packages include discounts, more photos and videos on your profile, access to databases and other special services. They have an actors magazine, a photographer gallery, sides, guides, and other great resources as well.
  • LACasting.com (or NYCasting.com, its sister site): You must sign up to view casting information. The smallest package you can get involves a $14.95/month fee (a month-to-month deal) with a $20 set up fee. They also have contract packages for 6-months or a year that don’t include a set up fee. They have a great list of resources and helpful tools as well.
  • NYCastings.com: You can view basic casting information but must sign up to view contact details and full descriptions. The smallest package you can purchase is $9.95/month. You can get a quarterly or yearly subscription as well. They have a blog and many resources as well: lists of acting coaches, video reel services, acting classes, acting schools, printing services, performance space and more.

Free Auditions and Casting Calls

  • Actors Equity Casting Call (make sure you search “non-required” if you’re not an equity member.) You can search by region, call and/or contract. They provide call types and basic information about the audition and the production, character breakdowns, pay rate, and one of the most overlooked but important elements—the personnel titles and names. They also give mapquest directions if you’re so inclined. Note that this is for theatre actors.
  • Playbill: The information provided isn’t always consistent because they come from many different sources, regions and types of productions. Most of the time they will include a location, a timeframe, a description of what they’re seeking and contact information. Some will be as complete as the Actors Equity casting call pages. Others won’t include nearly as much detail. That being said, there are some great gems and opportunities here. This is primarily aimed at theatre actors.
  • Mandy: You can search by location, gender, ethnicity, age range, production type, pay type and contract. You can submit yourself for roles directly. Most of the time they will include the names of the production company, the director and any other important people involved in the production. Note that this site is primarily for film/TV actors.
  • Facebook: Facebook groups are a goldmine of opportunities if you know where to look. Many companies and crews use facebook pages as a way of spreading the word about their auditions. Search for “auditions” in groups and you’re bound to find some. These groups can be huge national pages or small and catered to your area. For example, in central Florida, we have the Central Florida Auditions page. Here are a few more examples of great pages for auditions on Facebook: Carnival Cruise Lines Auditions, Disney Auditions, New York City Auditions and Casting Calls, Casting Notices, Auditions & Casting Calls – Free Database. Search for yourself on your next Facebook visit and you may find your next gig.
  • Craigslist: There are plenty of auditions and casting calls in the “talent” gigs and “tv/film/video” jobs sections. Just be wary. I’ve written about a few red flags to look for when browsing craigslist auditions.

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