2nd Annual MENASA Diversity 2022 Showcase Virtual Open Call Announced At Studio For Performing Arts LA & MAAC

Studio For Performing Arts LA recently announced the return of their MENASA Diversity Showcase Virtual Open Call to be held online this month.

Last year's MENASA event provided 80 actors an opportunity to be screened by LA and NY professionals at no cost to the performers and was the WINNER of the 2021 BroadwayWorld Regional Awards for "Best Special Event."

This year's 2nd annual diversity initiative will be held online on April 30, 2022. Actors of MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) descent are invited to submit and request an appointment. Selected actors will have the opportunity to perform a one-minute monologue online for a VIP panel.

The event is produced in collaboration with MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC) which conducted the first ever study of its kind and revealed, "Only 1 percent of TV actors are Middle Eastern, North African," and just this past year per UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report, there were zero MENA Actors as film leads.

Walid Chaya, Arab-American Actor and Director of Studio For Performing Arts LA, said "I'm grateful our MENASA diversity initiative to return with more than double the previous year's industry VIPs confirmed to participate in the 2nd annual open call, casting a wider net of opportunities for our underrepresented performers." Together we can change this narrative and create a more inclusive television and film landscape.

The following television and film VIPs are confirmed to volunteer and attend the 2022 virtual open call:

- Vicki Goggin, Casting Director
- Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, Casting Director
- Ted Maier, Talent Agent, Avalon Artists Group
- Steven Tylor O'Connor, Casting Director
- Karyn Casl, Casting Director
- Alexa Pereira, Casting Director
- Lisa Pantone, Casting Director/Producer
- Debralynn Findon, Manager/Owner, Discover Management
- Rita Powers, Casting Director
- Rachel Reiss, Casting Director
- Cindy Schoonover, Talent Agent, Eris Talent Agency
- Angela Mickey, Casting Director
- Javier Salgado, Manager, Chamber 37 Ent.
- Paul Sinacore, Casting Director
- Ani Avetyan, Casting Director & Producer
- Michelle Glisson-Pullam, Manager/Owner, Stellar Artists Management
- Robin Carus, Casting Director
- Stephanie Yankwitt, Casting Director
- Marilyn Atlas, Producer/Manager, Marilyn Atlas Mgmt. & Co-Author of "Dating Your Character"
- Michael Sanford, Casting Director
- Barrie Adleberg, Writer/Producer & Founder, Split Ends Media
- David Donihue, Director
- Kristene Davis, Talent Agent, SLA Talent Agency
- Anne Chapman, Casting Director
- Stephanie Klapper, Casting Director
- and more to be announced on the studio's website!

MENASA actors can submit for an appointment time through Studio For Performing Arts LA's website at studioforperformingarts.com and will be contacted with more information later this month. Appointments are limited and actors are encouraged to submit as soon as possible to be considered for an appointment.

Studio For Performing Arts LA (SPALA) is proud to help performers of MENASA descent raise their acting profile and visibility with this diversity initiative. Their team strives for equality and to amplify the voices of performers from underrepresented groups, especially in the film and television community. This is done with the generous support of industry volunteers and the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (menaartsadvocacy.com).

For more information about this event and similar opportunities at Studio For Performing Arts LA, please visit studioforperformingarts.com and on Instagram @studioforperformingarts.