Whether you are a professional actor with years of experience or a hobbyist who’s just getting started, figuring out where to find auditions can be a big stumbling block. Consider this article your ultimate guide: we’ll examine a number of painless ways to find theatre and film audition opportunities quickly and successfully.

How to Find Local Auditions for Theatre and Film

Here’s an easy way to get started: take stock of the companies who are putting on local and regional productions you’re already seeing. They must be having auditions for those productions– visit their websites to find how you can audition for them.

Your friends are also an invaluable resource here. Ask around: Where are you auditioning this week? Where did you hear about that audition? What’s the next opportunity you’re auditioning for? You can hear about a ton of opportunities just by keeping your ear to the ground.

How to Find Auditions on Social Media

Since you’re likely already on it, why not try using it to get some parts? One of the more useful applications of social media for actors is to use it to search for opportunities. Maybe think twice before ditching your Meta accounts just yet…

A simple start is to follow as many local companies and artists as you can. Audition notices are often posted on social media pages, and following ensures they’re likely to cross your feed. Actors you befriend on Facebook or Instagram are also likely to put other audition opportunities on your radar– on Facebook, for instance, a friend marking themselves “interested” or “going” to an audition event will often show up on your feed, showing an opportunity you may not have realized you had. Local casting agents, if you know any, are great to follow as well.

Another helpful option is to look for a local or regional audition group or page where many companies share notices. This way, even companies that you or your friends don’t follow– maybe even brand-new companies!– can make their way to your feed. For me, locally, this is the Pittsburgh-area Auditions An’at group on Facebook. A cursory search on that site also brought up groups for many major metropolitan areas, so check to see what’s available in your region. There are also groups that share casting calls or open audition notices for national tours, or big film opportunities. Join whatever is useful for you, and if you find the group unhelpful, you can always remove yourself from it later.

Note that groups and pages of this sort will often be unique to a particular medium. If you’re looking for theatre auditions, join groups that cater to that. If you’re looking for film auditions, join those groups. You may also find groups for companies hiring dancers, musicians, or party actors (think Princess Parties, etc), and groups specifically for extras for film. Be sure you’re exploring all your options!

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to periodically search for keywords like auditions or casting call in the search bar on Facebook or Instagram, and use search tools to tailor the query to your local area. You may find some surprises!

How to Find Auditions on the Web

For professional theatre and film auditions especially, you’ll want to check out casting sites like Backstage, Playbill, and more. Not all of these sites are created equal, so make sure you’re using the ones that are most relevant and effective for you.

Playbill‘s job search is completely free, which makes it a valuable starter option. Their search is also robust, allowing you to filter through lots of options easily.

Backstage is a paid option, but it’s a gold standard for a reason. If you can swing the funds, it’s a great resource– it may just not be the most beginner-friendly. The yearly subscription is about $120.

Actor’s Access is free to join, but you have to pay for a subscription in order to submit to any listings. This can still be a useful tool to see what’s out there, even if you’re not willing to pay yet. The yearly free is about $68.

Casting Networks is another free-to-join, pay-to-use option that offers a 14-day-free trial. There are a lot of opportunities on this site, but it is one of the more expensive ones at $30/month.

Members of the actor’s union can also use the search via Actor’s Equity member portal. It’s free for union members.

Non-union members may find the Non-Equity Theatre List useful: it’s a free resource that catalogues 300+ non-equity theaters you can search for opportunities. Purchase with a one-time $25 payment, and pay $5 to access future upgrades to the list as desired.

This video is a good resource that compares some of the above options and also explores some new ones. If you’re interested in more info about each, give it a watch:

As I said above, too, you may find good results just by looking at the websites of theatre companies who are producing shows you’re already going to see. Keep an eye out, too, for companies doing local improv-heavy pop-ups (think themed bar events) or Princess Parties and jot down their names so you can look for their Hiring or Audition pages later. Search around, pay attention, and see what you can find!

An Agent will help you Look, too

If you are at the appropriate stage in your career, consider searching for an agent. One of the benefits of an agent is that they are searching for you— so you don’t have to waste your own time combing through pages and pages of options, and they’ll send you opportunities you’re a good fit for. A good agent can save you a lot of time and help you get booked faster, but of course, not everyone is ready to make this move. This article can help you examine if it’s the right move for you.

Closing Thoughts

How do I find auditions? is one of the first questions every actor must ask. Finding audition opportunities for theatre and film is half the battle of landing roles and jobs.

Attending more auditions, broadly speaking, tends to boost your chances of being cast, so having as many opportunities as possible on your radar is beneficial. It’s also important to do your best work in the audition, though. If this article helped you find some auditions, consider checking out my Ultimate Audition Guide next, to help you nail it and get booked!

If you have any tried-and-true methods for finding auditions to share, please drop them in the comments below.