Playbill: Theatre News Site & Job Board

What is Playbill?

Playbill is a news site for people interested in the theater. Specializing in live shows, the site publishes stories about both professional and some student productions nationwide. The site also has a very nice job board, where actors can search for jobs and find out where to apply for them.

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How it works

There’s no need to sign up or pay a fee here. You can simply read industry news, or hit the “jobs” tab to search for available positions.

The jobs range from roles in ongoing productions to teaching positions for theater and film. It’s important to note that some of these are volunteer — not paid — positions. So be sure to check the right-hand side of the listing for the “paid” button. If it’s not there, you’re working for free.

You can search jobs by state, whether the job is union or non-union, internships, etc. There’s also a “category” sort that allows you to look simply for writing or academic positions, for instance. The categories also include musician, technical and non-theatrical positions.

Playbill review

The job listings are beautifully organized and free. You can have job listings sent to your email, as well, if you so choose.

However, the site also doesn’t provide any marketing services. This is not a place, for instance, where you can post your resume and headshots. And, while there are plenty of jobs listed here, they’re not screened for legitimacy. So, you’ll need to be smart enough to avoid scams and unpaid gigs.

Recommendations

If you’re looking for acting work, we highly recommend regularly checking the job board here. After all, it’s free.

You may want to set up a free profile at Actor’s Access, which allows you to post headshots.

Backstage also has a casting service, which allows you to subscribe, set up a profile and apply for acting positions. The site charges a fee for membership. However, at roughly $150 annually, it’s less than the cost of good headshots. (Backstage also has frequent membership deals, where you can subscribe for less than $100 annually. You can sign up with Backstage here.)

Looking for “below the line” positions, such as production or writing assistant jobs, jobs in lighting, set design, etc.? Check out ArrayCrew and StaffMeUp.

If you’re interested in VoiceOver or Animation work, you may also want to check out Fiverr.