In Person: FILM, TV and STREAMING Casting Directors Showcase

Thursday, May 1, 2025, 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm PT

In NYC!

Don't miss this in person showcase with THREE top Casting Directors who cast for Feature Film, Indies, TV and/or the Streaming Networks.

This event will start with a informative group Q&A, then scenes with a reader ON CAMERA for feedback.

Scheduled guests are:

- Judy Henderson, Judy Henderson Casting

- Liz Ortiz, Casting Solutions / I Ain't Play'in Films

- Ross Shenker, Kate Geller Casting

***Please note that Guests are subject to change!

You have the option to bring in your own 2-3 page Film/TV scene, or select one from our General Sides database (link located in your Actors Connection account upon registration).

This showcase is for adults and teens (13+).

Please note that this in person showcase will be at:

Pearl Studios NYC

You will be emailed your assigned studio the morning of your event.

Pearl Studios has two addresses:

500 8th Avenue, 3rd and 4th floors
and across the street
519 8th Avenue, 12th floor
(between 35th and 36th)

All studios labeled with numbers are at 500 8th Avenue, 3rd and 4th floors.
All studios labeled with letters are at 519 8th Avenue, 12th floor.

What to Prepare:

For this showcase, please bring in your own scene of choice (no more than 2 minutes in length) that you feel best showcases your strengths as an actor. If you do not have your own scene, you can select a scene from the General Sides database (link located in your Actors Connection account upon registration). IN ADDITION: Please bring TWO HARD COPIES of your scene - one highlighted FOR THE READER

Please email jess@actorsconnection.com your scene choice AS AN ATTACHMENT (file should be labeled YourName_CHARACTER) by 5pm (EST) the DAY BEFORE the event.

Please follow the procedures listed below:

• Please update your headshot and fill out the MY INFO section of your AC account upon registration.

• Arrive at least 10 MINUTES before your event is slated to start. Your host will give important information about the event at this time.

**Actors Connection classes and programming are for ADULTS (18+). With permission, some teens (14+) are allowed to take adult programming. To inquire about getting permission, please send an email to: info@actorsconnection.com**

**No recording of any kind is permitted by participants during class.**

**Please keep in mind that all programs at Actors Connection are for educational and professional development purposes. Participating in any class or event is not a promise of employment.**

Judy Henderson

Not only is Judy one of NYC's foremost casting directors, she is a legend in the industry and a truly gifted teacher! With numerous years of casting film, Judy brings a detailed and creative approach to the actor's process and invaluable insight about the industry. She was voted as one of the top 20 CD's in the U.S., is an Emmy- and five-time Artios Award-winner and has called in, auditioned, and booked many actors met at Actors Connection!

Current projects include casting the feature film titled A BLAZE IN THE BROOKLYN SKY starring Sarah Jones and the play CAN'T RUN, CAN'T DANCE for NJ Rep directed by Lisa James and written by Gregg Henry.

Recent and past credits include: 

Film: Entangled, MAD?, Mapplethorpe, Untitled film for Paramount Pictures, GWB, Coming Up Roses, Roadie, Unicorns, Perestroika, Lifelines, Day Zero, The Trouble With Cali, 12 and Holding, L.I.E.(6 Independent Spirit Award Nominations, Winner of Best Debut Performance Award), Blue Moon, Friends And Family, I'll Take You There, subUrbia, The Deli, The Size of Watermelons, Pompatus of Love, Before Sunrise, Naked In New York.

TV credits include: Homeland, Babylon Fields Pilot (CBS), Sins of the City (USA), Fox TV's Love And Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story, PBS: American Playhouse's "Land of Little Rain".

Broadway: Barefoot In The Park, Getting Married, On Borrowed Time, Search and Destroy, Salome, Anna Karenina (4 Tony Nominations).

Off-Broadway: The Starry Messenger, Lie of The Mind, The Kid, Mouth To Mouth, Groundswell, Things We Want, Two Thousand Years, Rafta Rafta, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Abigail's Party, Hurlyburly, Sin, Aunt Dan & Lemon, Roar, Trust, Smelling A Rat, What The Butler Saw, East is East, Guantanamo, Gross Indecency, This Is Our Youth, My Night With Reg, Curtains, Ecstasy, First Night, Amphigorey (Drama Desk Nomination), Ruthless, Raft of the Medusa, Other People's Money, Forever Plaid (Outer Critics Circle Nomination, Drama Desk Nomination).

New York Theatres: The New Group, The Play Company

Awards for productions worked: Obie for Ecstasy and Curtains, The Lucille Lortel Best Off-Broadway Play for Gross Indecency, Three Outer Critics Circle Awards for Other People's Money, The Outer Critics Circle Award for Ruthless, The Drama Desk Award for Ruthless, a MAC Award for Best Cast Album for Forever Plaid, The Drama Desk Award to The York Theatre Company for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre. Ms. Henderson has been honored by The Ross Reports as one of the top 20 US Film Casting Directors and has received five Artios Awards from a total of twelve nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Off-Broadway Theater Casting, Independent Film Feature Casting, and Television Series Drama Casting. She has cast innumerable national on-camera and voice-over television commercials. She is a member of the Casting Society of America. 

Follow this link to view Judy's credits on IMDb

Liz Ortiz

Liz is a NYC based casting director and award winning indie film producer/director credited on projects which have screened at hundreds of film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, BAM Cinemafest, Toronto, IRIS Prize, GAZE, Brooklyn, Palm Springs, Austin, American Black, HBO Latino, NY Latino, Queen’s World, Reel Sisters, Harlem and Urban World among others.

Projects have aired on CBS, HBO, Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon, Showtime, Netflix, and Lifetime Movies. Casting and producing highlights include: Advantageous (Sundance award winner, Independent Spirit nominee), Barrio Boy (Peacock,Amazon,AppleTV, streaming in France and the UK);  And... Seen (writer/producer/director) a feature documentary commenting on misperceptions of disability in the entertainment industry.

Current indie film projects include The Black Dog is Nipping at Your Heels, in production written, directed by Sundance Alumn Moon Molson, and The Last Days of Byron Bray, by Michael Borrelli of West 52nd Street Films and produced by Sundance Alumn Harris Doran, in pre-production. She also casts special projects for various university film departments and festivals. 

Liz is an in house casting director and on the faculty of Stonestreet Studios/NYU, casts for the Department of Cinematography at New York Film Academy and enjoys giving live and virtual workshops for Princeton University, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Actors Connection other professional actor training programs. 

www.IAintPlayinFilms.com

Ross Shenker

Ross Shenker is currently an Associate Casting Director at Kate Geller Casting (Shiva Baby, Nine Days, Don't Think Twice), where his primary focus is on independent film and narrative podcasts. He has also worked with Taylor Williams and Billy Hopkins on theater and television series. On his own, he has cast short films and an independent pilot.

Selected feature film credits include: Molli & Max In The Future, Cora Bora, The Good Half, Drugstore June, Cold Wallet, Omni Loop (2025 Artios Award Nominee), The Front Room, and Bob Trevino Likes It. 

Upcoming film releases include: The Wild, Canvas, Barron's Cove, Oh Hi!, and Idiotka. 

Television credits include the upcoming limited series The Artist. He also served as Casting Consultant on Prince F*****(Playwrights Horizons/SoHo Rep) and has cast numerous workshops and 29-hour readings of new plays and musicals. Narrative podcast credits include: Good Morning Monster and Pe$os.

He holds a BA in Theater & Jewish Studies from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Performance Studies from the University of Louisville. He worked at IAG (fka APA) for 3 years in their Comedy & Talent Departments. He has previously taught and/or directed at the University of Louisville, UW-Madison, Actors Connection, The Brooklyn Center for Theater Research, and Adult Film. He is also a Certified Teacher Candidate with the National Michael Chekhov Association.