Our site serves as a support system for professional UK & RoI casting directors. Members can search for and contact other casting professionals, and access exclusive resources, including the latest rates, regulations, and useful casting information.
The CDA’s aim is to uphold professionalism in the casting field, promote the role of the casting director whilst supporting its members and protecting their common interests.
The CDA promotes equal opportunity employment, irrespective of race, age, socio-economic or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Our members advocate for casting that accurately reflects our global society.
The CDA will give a collective identity and sense of community among casting directors working independently across the country. It is a means of providing communication and support for everyone.
If you have a question not addressed here or elsewhere on the site, please get in touch.
The Casting Directors Association is an alliance of UK and RoI based professional Casting Directors formed in 2014.
The Casting Directors Association exists as a organisation to foster best practice in its membership; to discuss and to encourage the development of improvements in the activity of casting in the UK and RoI; to share and communicate professional knowledge between members; to act as a resource of up to date information and practical support for Casting Directors; and to work for the highest standards in our industry by seeking cordial agreement with other relevant bodies representing the interests of actors, of agents, and of producers.
All casting directors or casting professionals recognised as such by their peers, colleagues and current membership. Members agree to adhere to a written code of conduct.
The main function of the Casting Director is to be a talent filter, providing the production process with the best possible choices for any acting or performing parts. This may involve script analysis and character breakdown, composition and circulation of casting briefs to agents or other sources, selection of talent to bring to audition, and directing casting sessions and recalls. In a commercial context the Casting Director is often asked by a producer to suggest talent budget information during the pre-production phase. This is an area to which the CDA hopes to bring greater clarity through the sharing of financial information and structured consultations with actor, agent and producer bodies.
No. This often causes confusion and is not helped by the common misuse of the term ʻcasting agentʼ. At its simplest agents derive their income from representing actors and creative artists, while casting directors derive their income from working for production companies or advertising agencies. There are a few Casting Directors who have a parallel business interest in a performers agency but the CDA maintains that where this applies to any members these activities are kept entirely separate.
Please see our Join page for all the information you need.
A good place to start is with our searchable database of Casting Directors. See our Directory page.
There are several ways to gain representation. Inviting agents to productions you are featuring in or a showcase you may be performing in. Sending your photograph, showreel and CV to agents is also very important. It is useful also to check an agency’s website to see if they are taking submissions, agencies from time to time will open their books looking for new talent.
Parents need to research this very carefully. There are many fine child agencies but in the last number of years many agencies have set up without much knowledge of the industry and are charging parents a lot of money to join. Parents should not be paying for representation. Having to pay a website subscription, photo-shoot or small admin charge is understandable but these charges should be made clear from the outset. It should also be made clear from the outset that no child is guaranteed an audition. Parents should check the agency’s website for admission process. If an agency has a weekly drama group then perhaps the child should take part in that before joining the agency full time. Parents should remember that it’s all well and good thinking your child is a ‘performer’ but it is very different and nerve racking to put the same child in a room to be auditioned by strangers. If you require further information or advice about agents for young performers, the AYPA is a great resource to go to.
The most common path into casting usually begins with a job as a Casting Assistant. We suggest that you research Casting Directors’ work and contact them directly to find out if they are offering any work opportunities, placements or shadowing. Our members’ contact details can be found in our Directory page.