Broadway Casting Director Benton Whitley to Open Whitley Theatrical

Award winning Broadway Casting Director Benton Whitley has announced the creation of Whitley Theatrical, a New York City-based casting and producing office for theater, film, and television.

Joining Whitley in the endeavor is Associate Casting Director Micah Johnson-Levy, with acquisitions and legal counsel from Jordan Manekin, and business management by Karen Morales at Armanino LLP.

Whitley said, "Over the last few years, as much disruption and needed change has happened both in the world at large, and specifically, the theater industry, it became apparent that the critical conversations around casting happen at the very first stage of a show's development, making it the ideal time for us to transition from strictly casting, to both casting and producing. The stories we tell and the storytellers who tell them, both on and off the stage, matter more than ever. We look forward to continuing to cultivate the stories, talent, and artists needed to make this happen."

Whitley currently is represented by the Broadway and North American tour of the 2019 Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown (dir. by Rachel Chavkin, writer Anaïs Mitchell) for which Whitley won the 2020 Artios Award for Excellence in Casting.

Projects Whitley Theatrical is casting for the stage that are currently in development include: Goddess (dir. by Saheem Ali, writers Jocelyn Bioh & Michael Thurber), How To Dance In Ohio (dir. Sammi Cannold, writers Rebekah Greer Melocik & Jacob Yandura), Wild (dir. Diane Paulus, writers V & Justin Tranter), Cowboy Bob (dir. Annie Tippe, writers Molly Beach Murphy & Jeanna Phillips), and reimagined revivals of Inherit The Wind (dir. Neil Pepe) and Same Time Next Year (dir. Rachel Chavkin).

Additionally, Whitley Theatrical has completed principal casting for the new revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita (dir. Sammi Cannold) playing this summer at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge and the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC with cast news to be announced shortly.

Before Whitley Theatrical, Whitley and business partner Duncan Stewart 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; Pippin; On The Town; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; The Lightning Thief; Paradise Square; and this season's Life of Pi.

Just this past month the casting of drag superstar Jinkx Monsoon in the Tony Award-winning production of Chicago The Musical made history and broke box office records with its highest grossing non-holiday week to date in its 27-year run. Queer representation on stage is something that Whitley and his colleagues have been passionate about and will cultivate further in the years ahead.

In addition to the work Whitley Theatrical will be doing in creative and inclusive casting, the office will also take on the role of producing and developing new works for the stage. Producing projects and collaborations will be developed and announced in the seasons ahead.

More info can be found at www.whitleytheatrical.com.

Photo credit: Evan Zimmerman