CLASS SYNOPSIS

This class will include a Q&A with NY/Hawaii based casting professional Rachel Whitley, followed by a prepared work session. 

Participating actors will choose, prepare and perform sides from film or television.

Additional preparation details will be sent via email upon confirmation.

ABOUT RACHEL

Rachel Whitley grew up in New York and attended Berkshire School in Sheffield Mass. After graduation she moved to the Bay Area of California where she graduated UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Biology.

Rachel moved to Oahu in 1999 and in 2002 she began assisting Anna Fishburn in her Casting office in Honolulu. They worked together casting Principals and Extras for Numerous Projects. A TV Pilot “BEYOND THE BREAK”, a few Episodes of “ER”, and the first full Season of “LOST”. Rachel eventually went out on her own and did Extras Casting for “BOARDING SCHOOL”, “FLIGHT 29 DOWN”, “ENTOURAGE”, and the Feature Film “THE REEF”.

Then in 2008 she went back to “LOST” to do principal casting for the final 2 seasons. During this time she also worked with Alexander Payne on his film “THE DESCENDANTS”. When LOST filmed the last episode in April of 2010 she flew to Maui to oversee Extras Casting for Adam Sandler’s “JUST GO WITH IT” and in the Fall 2010 signed on as Casting Director for the revamped CBS series “HAWAII 5-0”.

For 14 years Rachel worked with CBS Television on hits like “HAWAII 5-0”, “MAGNUM PI” and “NCIS HAWAII”. In between running those shows Rachel also did principal casting for ABC on both “LAST RESORT”, and “INHUMANS”. Rachel was also fortunate enough to work with Cameron Crowe on his film “ALOHA”, numerous national commercials, and oversaw local casting on “GODZILLA vs KONG” and a small independent film “PRESSPLAY”. HAWAII has been busy these last few years and Rachel and her team were lucky to do casting for Amazon prime’s “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER” and the DISNEY +  series “DOOGIE KAMEALOHA” for which she was nominated for an ARTIOS Award. Most recently Ohana Casting cast the Live Action “LILO and STITCH” and the FOX Television series “RESCUE HI SURF”.  Rachel has been a member of the Casting Society of America since 2012 and received an ARTIOS nomination and win in 2017 for Casting Auli’i Cravalho in MOANA.