Almu Martinez
So you’re training to be an actor and it’s all going smoothly. Taking classes, discovering your technique, and honing your craft are undoubtably important steps on your career journey. However, there comes a time when all aspiring actors must dive into the professional world, gaining experience and building a resume. When you feel prepared to showcase your talents to a larger audience and start thinking about auditioning, you’ll have to know where to look. Here are five places to search for acting auditions when you’re ready to make your next move!
1. Backstage
Perhaps the most well-known casting service, Backstage offers its subscribers access to thousands of auditions across every medium. Whether you’re looking for work in theatre, film, television, modeling, or voiceover – even content creation or reality TV – Backstage has it all. For actors just starting out, Backstage is also a great place to find unpaid indie projects and student films to help develop your resume, reel, and experience.
The platform is primarily tailored to the United States, with some worldwide projects listed from Canada, Australia, and the UK. A year-long Backstage membership will cost you $199, with new members receiving $100 off their first year.
2. Actors Access
Like Backstage, Actors Access is a well-known and widely-used casting site. Actors can search for auditions by region, project type, union (AEA for theatre and SAG-AFTRA for film and tv) vs. non-union projects – even filtering for “breakdowns fit for me”.
A flexible and accessible option, Actors Access has a number of payment plans, allowing subscribers to join for $68 per year or $9.99 per month to submit to for unlimited breakdowns. Users may also opt for a free profile and submit to breakdowns a la carte, paying $2 per submission.
3. Casting Networks
While you can find auditions for film, television, and other mediums, Casting Networks is primarily used for commercial and background work. This platform is a steeper investment, with a full year membership costing $259.90 USD, but can serve as vital resource for actors working in commercials.
4. Playbill & BroadwayWorld
Unlike the other choices on this list, Playbill and BroadwayWorld are free websites that anyone can use. They both have many opportunities to offer, from auditions for national tours and regional performances to listings for internships and administrative or technical work in the theatre. Both sites are used for plays and musicals so, if you’re looking for film and television auditions, these might not be your best option. But, for any aspiring theatre actor, these sites are a great place to grow both artistically and professionally.
5. The LSTFI Community & Audition Boards
LSTFI stages multiple full-scale productions each year for both current NYU and Institute students, in addition to scene nights, readings, and spotlight performances. With programs like the annual StrasbergWORKS production and Lee Strasberg Film Festival, there are also a multitude of opportunities to produce your own work at LSTFI. And, for students looking for productions outside of school, you can always keep an eye on the Community Bulletin Board where students and alumni often share notices looking for actors, extras, or crew members for independent projects!