Casting calls in Louisiana: Louisiana has three active casting markets: New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport. New Orleans carries most of the work. Union scale from 1 July 2026 is $231 per 8 hours for background and $1,283 a day for a speaking role.
Louisiana has been a working production state for two decades, and New Orleans is one of only four cities in the country where Central Casting — the largest background casting company in the United States — keeps an office. The others are Burbank, New York and Atlanta. That tells you most of what you need to know about where Louisiana sits in the industry.
What makes the state distinctive is that productions come here for things they cannot get elsewhere: French Quarter and Garden District architecture, bayou and plantation country, humid-South atmosphere and a genuine period look that does not need building. That shapes the casting toward period, atmospheric and genre work more than generic urban background.
This guide covers the three Louisiana markets, what casting calls in Louisiana pay in 2026, the trust-account rules for young performers, and how to spot a fake casting call.
Where the casting work is in Louisiana
New Orleans
The centre of the state's industry and the reason productions come to Louisiana at all. Central Casting's New Orleans office books background here, and productions shoot across the French Quarter, the Garden District, the Marigny and out into the surrounding parishes.
Start with casting calls in New Orleans, or go to New Orleans extras casting, acting roles or commercial work there.
Baton Rouge
The state capital, with its own production facilities and a steady stream of film, television and corporate work. Smaller pool, better odds per role than New Orleans. See casting calls in Baton Rouge and Baton Rouge extras work.
Shreveport
North Louisiana's production market, with a long history of hosting features and series that want a different look from New Orleans. One of the least crowded markets in the South. See casting calls in Shreveport.
What do casting calls in Louisiana pay?
Union scale, effective 1 July 2026
- Background actor — $231 per 8 hours. Special ability $241; stand-ins and photo doubles $270.
- Day performer — $1,283 per day.
- Three-day performer (television) — $3,252.
- Weekly performer — $4,456 per week.
Union days also carry time-and-a-half for hours nine and ten, double time beyond, meal penalties, and adjustments for wardrobe, period costume, extensive hair and makeup and working in wet or humid conditions. On Louisiana productions those last two come up constantly. Our guide to extras pay lists every adjustment.
Non-union work
A large share of Louisiana background is posted non-union because the state is right-to-work. Rates vary by production and market, and payment typically arrives by check two to four weeks after the shoot day, from a payroll company rather than the production.
Louisiana is a right-to-work state. You can work on a union production here without being required to join SAG-AFTRA, which is why so much background is posted non-union and why non-union performers routinely end up on union sets once the covered background slots are filled. The flip side: three days of background work under a SAG-AFTRA agreement makes you union-eligible, evidenced by pay stubs rather than vouchers. Track which of your days are covered, because nobody else will.
What kinds of roles get cast in Louisiana?
Background and extras
The largest category. Period and atmospheric productions need background in volume, often in costume and often outdoors. No agent, no audition, no experience. See open extras casting calls.
Period and specialty performers
Louisiana's genuine advantage. Productions shooting here regularly need people who look right in period wardrobe, who can handle horses or boats, who play traditional instruments, or who have verifiable regional skills. Specialty background pays above the general rate and competes against a much smaller field.
Co-stars and small speaking roles
Productions shooting outside Los Angeles cast locally for small speaking roles more often than people expect, because the local professional pool is smaller. Genuinely reachable with modest credits. See acting casting calls.
Commercials, music video and content
New Orleans in particular runs a steady stream of music video, tourism, brand and creator work. See commercials, music videos and content creator casting calls.
Popular casting categories in Louisiana
Louisiana rules that affect whether you can work
Child performers need a blocked trust account
Louisiana is one of only five states — with California, New York, Illinois and New Mexico — that require a minor's earnings to be protected in a blocked trust account. The employer deposits a portion of gross earnings into it, and Louisiana permits the account to be held at a bank in any state.
- Open the account before your child books, not after. Paperwork takes time and families lose confirmed jobs waiting on it.
- Submissions for anyone under 18 are made by a parent or legal guardian, never by the child.
- Expect a legitimate production to have a process for working with minors and to explain it without you having to push.
For how a major studio handles young performers, see our guide to Disney casting calls for teens.
How to spot a fake Louisiana casting call
Registering with a legitimate background casting company is always free, and you never pay to audition. Central Casting and the regional companies are paid by productions, not by performers.
The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert on virtual casting call scams in December 2025, describing unexpected texts from supposed talent scouts offering fast-turnaround auditions for real, recognisable titles that become sales pitches for photo shoots or classes.
- Any fee — registration, "processing", mandatory headshot packages, or a specific photographer you must use.
- Unexpected texts or DMs naming a real production. Legitimate casting does not cold-text strangers.
- Relisted old notices. Aggregator sites republish Louisiana casting calls from previous years with no date attached. Check the shoot dates written inside the notice.
- Requests for bank details or a Social Security number before a signed booking with a named production and payroll company.
- Guaranteed bookings. Nobody can promise one.
Report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, forward scam texts to 7726, and contact SAG-AFTRA if the union's name is invoked.
10/15/20269/20/20269/16/20269/14/20269/4/2026Casting calls in nearby states: Georgia · Texas · Tennessee · New Mexico · Florida · South Carolina · Oklahoma · Alabama
Find casting calls in Louisiana on allcasting
allcasting is a casting marketplace: verified casting professionals post roles and talent applies directly. Applying is free, and nobody on the platform can promise you a part.
- Browse live New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport casting calls
- Start with New Orleans extras casting — no experience, no agent, no audition
- Move into speaking roles and commercials as you build credits
- List every verifiable period or regional skill — Louisiana productions need them and few applicants have them
For the broader career picture, see how to become a background actor.
How To
Register With Central Casting and the Local Companies
Louisiana background work runs through casting companies rather than through the productions themselves, and registering with the right ones is the whole job. Central Casting operates a New Orleans office alongside its Burbank, New York and Atlanta locations, which makes it the obvious first stop — but local and regional companies book a meaningful share of the work too, particularly in Baton Rouge and Shreveport where productions hire from a smaller pool. Registration with any legitimate background casting company is free, always, because they are paid by productions and never by performers. Register with several rather than one.
- 1Build a Profile Period Productions Can Actually UseLouisiana casts a lot of period and atmospheric work, and those productions filter on details most profiles leave blank: full and accurate measurements for costume fitting, real hair length and colour, facial hair, visible tattoos, and whether you are willing to change your hair for a role. Fill all of it in honestly. A period show cannot use someone whose measurements are wrong when the costume arrives from the shop.Pro Tip: List verifiable period and regional skills — riding, boat handling, traditional instruments, dance. Specialty background pays $241 instead of $231 and competes against a far smaller field.
- 2Register in All Three Markets You Can ReachNew Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport are separate casting markets. Central Casting keeps a New Orleans office and is the obvious first registration, but regional companies book a real share of the work, particularly in Baton Rouge and Shreveport where the local pool is smaller. Registration is always free — casting companies are paid by productions, never by performers — so there is no reason to be in only one database.Pro Tip: Be realistic about travel before you accept. Call times are frequently before dawn and cancelling late is the fastest way to come off a casting company’s list.
- 3Track Which Days Are Union-CoveredLouisiana is right-to-work, so you can work union productions without joining SAG-AFTRA — which is exactly why so much background here is posted non-union, below the $231 union rate. The route out of that gap is eligibility: three days of background work under a SAG-AFTRA agreement qualifies you, evidenced by pay stubs rather than by the vouchers themselves.Pro Tip: Ask the casting company whether a production is a signatory before you work it, and keep every pay stub. Nobody tracks this on your behalf.
Q&A
Are there casting calls in Louisiana?
How much do casting calls in Louisiana pay?
Is Louisiana a right-to-work state?
Does Louisiana require a trust account for child actors?
Which Louisiana city has the most casting work?
What kind of work gets cast in Louisiana?
Do I need an agent to get cast in Louisiana?
How do I avoid casting scams in Louisiana?
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