Non-Traditional Casting Project: Putting Artists On-line

Non-Traditional Casting Project: Putting Artists On-line

The Non-Traditional Casting Project (NTCP) is updating its Artist Files, a national talent bank of African American, Caribbean Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Subcontinental Indian, Latino and Native American artists; and artists who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or low vision, or ambulatory disabled. NTCP was established in 1986 to address and seek solutions to the problems of racism and exclusion in theatre, film and television. The only organization of its kind in the country, NTCP believes that artists of color and artists with disabilities are denied equitable professional opportunities; and that this lack of participation is not only patently discriminatory, but a serious loss to the cultural life of the nation. It has resulted in a theatre that does not reflect the diversity of our society.

The Artist Files were established in 1987 to provide the profession increased access to actors of color and actors with disabilities. The Files have since been expanded to include all members of the production team (e.g. writers, directors, designers, stage managers, technicians, educators, administrators, etc.). Resumes are accepted year-round. There are currently 5,000 theatre professionals on file. To date, the Files have been consulted for over 1,700 projects ranging from readings to regional theatre to Broadway productions; independent films to features; daytime and prime-time television series and movies-of-the-week; as well as commercials, videos, print ads and industrials. Some of the consultations include the following: American Music Theatre Festival, Clockers, The Cosby Mysteries, The Inkwell, Law and Order, True Lies, Sesame Street, Lincoln Center Theater's Playboy of the West Indies, Portland Stage Company's From the Mississippi Delta, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production of Ntozake Shange's Nomathemba, among many others.

In 1992, NTCP began to develop Artist Fries Online (AFO), a computerized version of the Artist Files. The Online system allows users in a Windows environment to access the Files from anywhere in the country. Both resumes and high resolution photographs are transmitted over telephone lines for viewing on a computer screen. By October 1997, AFO will also be available on Internet.

There is no charge to be included in the Artist Files/Artist Files Online. Actors should send one black and white glossy photograph (offset reproductions cannot be scanned into the AFO computer system) and resume to: Angela Montague, Artist Files Online, NTCP, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10036. Other artistic professionals need only send a resume. New York area artists may bring materials in person, if desired. If you already have a picture and resume on file with NTCP, it is imperative that you update your contact phone number at least biannually. Agents are also asked to submit their clients of color as well as clients with disabilities to NTCP. In addition, please indicate your cultural identification and, for disabled artists, any accommodation you may use. Directors or casting professionals who are interested in scheduling an interview will call you or your agent directly.

Photo (Brigitte Barnett)