​​​​​​​Casting Society Of America Presents Town Hall Conversation With & For Senior Actors In LA

Casting Society of America, as part of its ongoing "Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion in Casting Initiative," is sponsoring a Town Hall conversation for senior actors on Friday August 23 in Los Angeles. Following the success of a similar event in NYC, the Initiative is a series of conversations designed to effect concrete change in how actors in historically underrepresented communities are afforded access to job opportunities. A panel of Senior Actors and prominent Casting Directors and Talent Representatives will lead the event: Russell Boast (Casting Director, President of CSA), Julia Kim and Tracy Lilienfield (Casting Directors), Candace Stewart (Commercial and Print Agent, DDO Talent Artists Agency), Tim Angle (Talent Manager, Shelter Entertainment Group), CJ Jones, Danielle Kennedy, Alma Martinez and Keone Young (Actors).

"Ageism is a real concern in the entertainment industry and CSA strives to give our members the tools to both cast inclusively and be at the forefront of current diversity conversations. It would have been remiss of us to neglect this group of actors who make up a large percentage of all diverse groups across the board," CSA president Russell Boast said. "Events like this continue to provide an opportunity to address current issues and are a crucial step towards accurate and authentic portrayals in the media."

The Town Hall will take place at the SAG-AFTRA Headquarter, 5757 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, in the James Cagney Boardroom. Doors will open at 4:45pm. Capacity is limited; to RSVP, CSA members, and actors should RSVP via the below SignUpGenius Link: https://bit.ly/2MDMMsI

Those who cannot, or prefer not to, attend in person can access the event through our Facebook page. Video will be posted by August 30th at https://www.facebook.com/CSAInclusionAndDiversity

The session is for union and non-union artists who are professional and professionally trained actors and those actively pursuing professional careers as performers. Actors who consider themselves senior performers, as well as Casting Professionals (Casting Directors, Associates, and Assistants), Talent Agents, and Talent Managers, are encouraged to attend.

The goals of the event are:

1. for both constituencies to better understand the practical issues they encounter in their respective professions, and to share goals and aspirations;
2. to discuss how CSA might better and more consistently work to increase audition opportunities and advocate for senior actors.

For any questions, please email Inclusionanddiversity@castingsociety.com

Casting Society of America is committed to increasing access to casting opportunities for actors who have been historically overlooked in the entertainment industry. In working with our creative and producing teams we will champion our core values of diversity and inclusion, by engaging in thoughtful and informed discussions and by introducing and advocating for qualified actors. CSA and its individual members are committed to doing our part to expand perceptions and to creating a rich fabric of representation in storytelling across all media that reflects our society.

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