WEBSITES FOR ACTING

Years ago, before the internet and websites for acting were invented, it was almost impossible to find auditions – especially for smaller productions. You had to:

Take out a subscription to Backstage Magazine and look through it every day...
Constantly ask friends if they heard of any audition opportunities...
Bang on casting room doors hoping to be invited to audition...
And lots of other crazy, time-consuming things!

These days, it's totally different! All you need to do is log onto the top websites for acting and start submitting yourself right away. In this article I'll outline the top casting sites I recommend, PLUS popular websites I do NOT recommend.

A QUICK NOTE BEFORE WE START:
PAID VS. FREE CASTING SITES

In general, you NEVER want to pay to attend an audition. If someone tells you to pay them a few hundred dollars to audition for a particular project (or be represented by an agency), run the other way because it's a SCAM!

However, paying to join a casting call website is an entirely different story. Sites like Actor's Access and Backstage charge a monthly or yearly subscription fee to access their auditions and allow you to submit yourself for consideration.

The fees these sites charge are almost always worth it – for less than the cost of dinner and drinks for two at a restaurant, you could potentially get access to a year's worth of audition opportunities!

THE TOP 7 WEBSITES FOR ACTING

#1: BACKSTAGE

Backstage is one of the most well-known websites for acting. It's been around for years and started as a hard-copy magazine back in 1960. It's now one of the most popular websites/online magazines read by actors, directors, producers, and other industry professionals. Here are some of the perks Backstage offers it's subscribers:

Specialization in independent film, commercial, AND theater breakdowns
A digital presence for every actor to upload his or her headshot, resume, and reel. You can also include information about representation you have, special skills, size sheets, and more
An online community and forum for actors, directors, writers, producers, and other crew members to connect
Total cost: $19.95/month or $120/year

My take: I highly recommend joining and paying for Backstage on an annual basis – just booking ONE acting job (even if it's just for background acting) will pay for the entire year's subscription!

#2: ACTOR'S ACCESS

Actor's Access is owned by Breakdown Services, Ltd. which is the industry-standard website for professional network film & TV breakdowns – major projects you see on television and in movie theaters around the country. Because of that, it's much more likely that you'll find high-level projects on Actor's Access than on other casting sites.

The downside is that the professional roles available are typically very niche – it's only when casting directors need an actor with a very particular look or skillset that they will post their project to Actor's Access.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you cannot have the same name as any other actor with an Actor's Access profile, (meaning you might need to think up a stage name). This is because Actor's Access and Breakdown Services work under SAG-AFTRA rules. Fun fact: Michael Keaton was forced to create his stage name under this rule because he was born as Michael Douglas, a name that was already taken!

Here how to find auditions on Actor's Access and some of its perks:

Specialization in film, television, commercials, web series, and student films. Some theater breakdowns are also included, but not as many as you'll find on Backstage
A digital presence for every actor to upload his or her headshot, resume, and reel. You can also include information about representation you have, special skills, size sheets, and more
Direct connection to Breakdown Services, meaning all overflow professional productions come through this website
Eco-Cast services, or the ability to submit your self-tapes to casting directors directly through their online portal (instead of needing to communicate via email, etc.)
CMail, a special email account you can use to communicate directly with casting directors and talent agents & managers
Total cost: $2.00/submission or $68/year for Actor's Access PLUS (no per-submission cost and the ability to include a reel or footage with your submission)

My take: I highly recommend joining Actor's Access PLUS – $68 is a no-brainer for a year's worth of audition opportunities

#3: CASTING NETWORKS

Casting Networks is similar to Backstage, though slightly less well-known. It offers auditions in most major markets, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Talent agents and managers often use this service to manage their actor's profiles, but you can also create a profile for yourself using their platform for a nominal fee.

Some services Casting Networks provides include:

Specialization in film, television, commercials, web series, and student films. Some theater breakdowns are also included, but not as many as on Backstage
A digital presence for every actor to upload his or her headshot, resume, and reel. You can also include information about representation you have, special skills, size sheets, and more
Total cost: $25/year + $1 per submission (some additional costs may be incurred for uploading additional headshots and footage)

My take: I highly recommend joining Casting Networks if you can't find enough auditions to submit to using both Actor's Access and Backstage (note: you should aim to submit yourself at least 30-40 times per month for a steady flow of audition opportunities).

#4: PROJECT CASTING

Project Casting is similar to both Backstage and Casting Networks in that you won't find major productions on it but you will be able to find paid and unpaid indie audition opportunities. It's primarily focused on commercial and modeling gigs. Features include:

Specialization in commercial and modeling auditions, but you can occasionally find other production types as well
A digital presence for every actor to upload his or her headshot, resume, and reel. You can also include information about representation you have, special skills, size sheets, and more
Audition notices and direct contact information/instructions to submit your materials for consideration
Total cost: $25/month or $108/year for unlimited submissions

My take: I only recommend Project Casting if you're primarily interested in commercial acting.

#5: THEATRE IN...

Theatre In [Chicago / LA / New York / DC] is a great site for unrepresented actors to find theatrical auditions. You can also use the site to find shows to go see in your area.

Unlike the other sites outlined, Theatre In does not offer the ability to create an online profile. Instead, audition notices are simply posted on the site and you need to reach out directly to the casting directors involved. Features include:

Specialization theater, both Equity (union) and Non-Equity (non-union) auditions
Audition notices and direct contact information/instructions to submit your materials for consideration
Total cost: Free

My take: I highly recommend Theater In if you're looking for theatrical auditions. You can't beat free!

#6: PERFORMINK

PerformInk is another free resources in which actors can find primarily stage auditions (and occasional film opportunities). You can use the online search feature to find auditions that fit your look and Type. Features include:

Specialization in theater, both Equity (union) and Non-Equity (non-union) auditions
Audition notices and direct contact information/instructions to submit your materials for consideration
Search feature that allows you to quickly find auditions you're right for
Crew position opportunities are available as well
Total cost: Free

My take: I highly recommend PerformInk if you're looking for theatrical auditions. Like Theater In, free is always good!

#7: IMDB CASTING CALLS

Most actors don't know it, but IMDbPro runs an active casting board, where actors can respond to casting notices by submitting their IMDb pages. Your IMDb page is a "verified" resume of sorts (which casting directors find easier to trust than a standard PDF acting resume), which makes it easier to stand out if you have lots of roles on your IMDb page. Features include:

Specialization in film and television for both small and large projects alike.
Audition notices and direct instructions to submit your IMDb page for consideration.
Total cost: $19.99/month or $149.99 per year for IMDbPro.

My take: Although you won't find nearly as many audition opportunities here as you will on major sites like Backstage and Actor's Access, I still recommend signing up for IMDbPro so you can maintain your IMDb profile (which casting directors almost always look up), so you might as well use their casting board since it's included in your membership!

MORE CASTING WEBSITES FOR ACTORS

Depending on your region and the kind of acting work you're looking to do, you should also consider checking out the following casting sites:

Casting Frontier (primarily focused on LA and NY)
Spotlight (for actors primarily based in Europe)
StarNow (for actors all over the world)
LA Casting (based in LA)
NY Castings (no longer just based in LA – they offer castings all actors the US at this point)
Playbill (specializes in theatre)
Mandy (offers casting calls for actors in addition to job postings for crew positions)
iActor (owned by SAG-AFTRA, but you need to be a member of the union to join)
Central Casting (perfect for actors looking to primarily get background roles)
Craigslist (scams abound here so be careful – but you can absolutely find real acting opportunities on Craigslist – in fact I know an actor who landed a $120,000 national commercial through Craigslist)

WEBSITES I DO NOT RECOMMEND:

In general, the following casting sites are either priced too high, offer low-quality auditions, or are full of scams, so I would recommend staying away from them:

Casting Talent
Auditions Free
Explore Talent
Casting Call Hub
Project Casting
Casting Elite
Cast Caller
Casting Calls America
Now Casting
AllCasting

FINAL TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND:

Although casting websites can provide what seems like easy access to auditions, just keep in mind that they are not a magical ticket to acting work. There are a number of steps you'll need to take beyond just submitting yourself:

Submit yourself – this is where you use the sites outlined in this article to send in your headshot, resume, and clips showing your acting abilities.
If they like you, they'll invite you to submit a self-tape – this is where you'll record yourself performing a script they send you.
If they like your self-tape, they'll invite you to an audition – this is where you'll either meet the casting director in person or virtually, and you'll do a live audition for them.
If they like your audition, you'll be invited to a call back – this is where they'll audition you a second time so the director and producer can watch.
If they like your call back, you'll get pinned – this is where they'll say you're pretty much confirmed, and they'll ask you to hold the date(s). You could still lose out on the role, but it's unlikely! Hopefully they'll confirm you and give you a contract to sign.

Now that you understand the way the submissions process works, here are a few final tips to keep in mind:

You get what you pay for. Some of these sites will allow you to create a profile and submit yourself for free, but I don't recommend that. Plan to pay at least $150-200/year for best results. That's less than $17 a month, which is TOTALLY worth it in my opinion to build your career. The fact is, because so many other actors are unwilling to pay, you'll instantly put yourself WAY ahead of everyone else because your submission will show up towards the top of the pile. Look at your acting career as a business – you MUST be willing to spend some money on marketing if you want to find gigs.
Be sure to keep your profiles up to date. Including your most recent headshots, updated resume, footage, and special skills (yes – these are very important) is critical to getting auditions. In many cases, casting directors search for actors specifically by the special skills they list, and not having them will make you harder to find. Additionally, not having footage of yourself automatically pushes you towards the bottom of the list of actors who submit. You MUST have footage to have a chance!
Turn on email notifications. Most casting sites allow you to get an automatic daily roundup email informing you of all the casting calls for your age, gender, and ethnicity that came in that day. This can save tons of time from having to comb through hundreds of audition opportunities each day to find ones you're right for.
Respond FAST. Did you know that most actors who take more than 16 hours to respond to a casting call are never even considered? Casting directors work fast and actors who respond within just a few hours have the highest shot of being called in.
Beware of scams. Beware of any auditions that require you to pay money to apply to perform. You should be the one being paid – not them. Also, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Anything that promises huge pay, lots of fame, etc., is almost never real because those auditions are usually reserved for Breakdown Services, LTD., the casting call service that only talent agents have access to.
Pay attention to instructions when submitting yourself. Some casting directors add very specific notes into the casting call to see how closely actors read. As a way to narrow submissions down, they might note something very specific like "please submit at least one photo of yourself playing piano." If you miss that instruction, you're automatically cut.
Do not lie in your profile. If you write made-up credits or list special skills you don't actually have, you'll almost always be found out. It's so easy to google things these days and for speaking roles in legit productions, casting directors will almost always look you up on IMDB or IBDB. If you're caught lying, your name will spread like wildfire because casting directors talk. You don't want to end up on their Wall of Shame (yes, it's a real thing)!

I hope this article has been helpful!!

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Monday, 27 March 2023