Back Stage 411 - Casting FAQ

Visit our all-new FAQ

Visit Backstage.com/Help to view the new FAQ for the all-new Backstage.com.

The following posts are from our old FAQ and may not always apply to the new Backstage.com/Casting site's tools and current functionality.

One-Click Searches - Quickly Browse Through Casting Notices

In the entertainment industry, actors rely on Back Stage for real-time casting and audition information, acting advice, job listings, and entertainment-industry news. From production listings of Hollywood films to auditions for Broadway theatre productions, BackStage.com is an invaluable actors' resource.

The following single-click quick searches will help you find all of the latest casting opportunities available in your area.

Browse Casting Notices: Use the Browse Casting page on Casting.BackStage.com to quickly see how many projects are currently seeking talent. The Browse Casting page is organized into sub-sections listing casting and job notices by categories, states, companies, and more, providing a convenient overview of who's hiring and what gigs are currently available. 

Saved Casting Searches: Visit your Saved Searches page to create, update, and run your own customized searches using personalized search criteria.

Additional one-click quick-searches can be found below:

Search Tips: Find, Sort, and Attend Auditions

Every year Back Stage publishes over 10,000 casting and job notices, with new notices being published on BackStage.com (and old notices being removed from BackStage.com) seven days a week — making Back Stage an always up-to-date resource.

In addition to searching through Back Stage's online casting & jobs database for notices that fit your interests, another great way to find out about new opportunities is to read Back Stage's Auditions Highlights, Casting News, and Seeking Submissions posts on Blog Stage, as well as Back Stage's weekly Production Listings and Bulletins.

The "Audition Highlights" posts on Blog Stage include the popular weekly "Auditions at a Glance" calendars from the New York, California, and National/Regional sections of the national Back Stage newspaper and digital magazine. The casting notices highlighted in these weekly calendars are conveniently organized by the date and day-of-the-week the auditions are taking place, to help you schedule your audition plans.

When looking for new notices, try some of the following Audition Search Tips:

Finding Open-Mike Nights -- Calls for Comedians, Singers, Musicians, Dancers, and Variety Performers

Back Stage lists a variety of Open Mike (aka, Open Mic) opportunities every week in the casting/jobs section of BackStage.com and the Back Stage print editions.

These opportunities are listed in various categories, depending on the type of talent being called for. And the opportunities being listed may vary from day to day and week to week, depending on what information Back Stage has available.

However, the two Back Stage categories where Open Mike Night and Club Talent opportunities are most commonly found are:

• Comedy & Improv -- this category includes calls for stand-up comedians, improv comics, and comedy duos, groups, and acts.

• Cabaret & Variety -- this category includes calls for singers, dancers, some comics, new cabaret acts, club talent, and variety performers

The following Back Stage categories are also  worth checking out for Open Mike, Club Talent, Variety Show, Burlesque, Cabaret, and Talent Showcase  opportunities, competitions, gigs, and jobs: