Broadway Casting Director Benton Whitley CSA of Whitley Theatrical
Brooklyn, NY
US

CONTACT NAME

Benton Whitley

DESCRIPTION

Broadway Casting Director Benton Whitley is back in the classroom — in-person on November 20th @ 5pmEST, or virtually on November 21st at 1pmEST. Each class will be followed by personalized one-on-one virtual meetings with Benton, which will include extended classroom feedback, self-tape technique tips, personalized career advice, and general industry brain picking. Students will leave their one-on-one with the confidence that they are approaching auditions with their best foot forward in the hybrid virtual/IRL audition world we are now witnessing.

Based on his understanding of helping new and emerging stage talent navigate the industry, Benton teaches a two-part intensive (Class One: classroom setting (offered both virtually or IRL) & Class Two: one-on-one private virtual meeting). Both parts of the class will concentrate on the fundamentals of auditioning for the Musical Theatre and how it pertains specifically to you — the actor — as well as the current landscape of commercial theatre in the US.

Expect to hear practical, constructive, and candid insight on elements of career-building, including: acting a song, making self-tapes, auditioning virtually, song choice, Union/Non-Union work, finding representation, how to get seen, the antiquated word ‘type’ and how it’s evolved today, audition books, working with accompanists and readers, how to take adjustments in real time, performance reels, websites, and how an actor can and should use social networking to their professional advantage.

CLASS ONE

Each actor will sing one audition-cut song or two 16 bars of their own and receive immediate feedback from Benton in a safe and intimate classroom setting, either virtually or IRL. In this session expect to dust off your "go-to audition songs", learn from watching your peers, and rep-lace bad audition habits with skills that will actually help you book jobs.

Class One Date:

In-person in NYC on Wednesday November 20th at 5pmEST

*An accompanist will be provided.

OR

Virtually on Thursday November 21st at 1pmEST

*Students provide their own MP3 accompaniment tracks for virtual class.

CLASS TWO

Each actor will be given a 30-minute personal Zoom appointment with Benton. In this one-on-one meeting each actor will have the opportunity to discuss virtually anything as it pertains to the business, including the candid realities of their audition experiences and insight on what is really happening behind the table. Some of those "I thought my audition went well, so why didn't I get a callback?" questions will be clarified.

Class Two Dates:

Each student will schedule a personal virtual meeting with Benton within two weeks following the initial class.

Both sessions combined cost a total of $295

Class size is very limited. To apply for a spot, please email your materials to [email protected]. Include vocal/acting/dance reels if available. Please also indicate if you prefer the IRL NYC class on November 20th or the virtual session on November 21st.

*Please note this class/1on1 is for educational purposes only, and is not an audition.

ABOUT BENTON

Benton Whitley (he/him) founded the New York City based casting and producing office of Whitley Theatrical in 2023.

He is currently responsible for the casting of the Broadway 2019 Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown, for which he won the 2020 Artios Award for Excellence in Casting. Last season’s new Broadway musical How to Dance in Ohio, the Off-Broadway premiere of Dave Malloy’s Three Houses, as well as the current national tours of Hadestown and Ain’t Too Proud.

Before Whitley Theatrical, Benton co-founded and helmed the Gotham-based casting office Stewart/Whitley for over 12 years, where they were responsible for casting the main stem productions of Chicago The Musical; La Cage Aux Folles; Radio City Christmas Spectacular; Pippin; On The Town; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; The Lightning Thief; Paradise Square; and Life of Pi.

Whitley Theatrical is also responsible for the casting of numerous other projects in development for the stage including: Evita, Farewell My Concubine, Goddess, Life of Death, Pump Up the Volume, Wild, Cowboy Bob, Octet, and reimagined revivals of Inherit The Wind and Same Time Next Year.

In addition to the work Whitley Theatrical does in creative and inclusive casting, the office also is producing and developing new works for the stage including the recent world premiere of Tectonic Theater Project’s Velour at LaJolla Playhouse, starring drag superstar Sasha Velour.

Whitley is often a guest lecturer and teacher at schools and universities around the country, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department. He is a two time Artios Award winner and a proud member of the Casting Society of America (CSA).

In addition to his life in the theatre, Benton resides in Brooklyn and is the co-host and co-producer of the queer mental health podcast Why Here, now streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging are centered in what his casting & producing office does in its daily practice internally, in its engagement with the professional community at-large, and in the stories they help creative team’s tell.

Follow: @whitleytheatrical & whitleytheatrical.com

DURATION

Nov 20, 2024 - Nov 21, 2024

SALARY

$0.00 – $0.00 per hour

APPLY BY EMAIL

beyondthetablenyc…
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