Latino artists audition for casting directors in push to promote diversity on stage and screen

In a room full of representatives from local theaters and talent agencies, Jocelyn Villa sang a beautiful rendition of “Part of Your World” — the hit tune from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Villa, 27, was one of several dozen performers who showed up at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen on Monday to showcase an array of talents in front of entertainment industry casting directors who ultimately determine who is cast in theater productions, commercials and more.

Anyone could participate in the free event, which was organized by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance to bring more visibility to Latino talent and encourage casting directors to reflect the city’s true diversity.

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“It’s a reminder we’re a third of the city,” Alliance Executive Director Jorge Valdivia said of Chicago’s Latino population.

Actors performed monologues plucked from popular plays, sang songs and danced.

“I’m hoping someone will like me and offer me roles,” said Villa, who works as a nanny to support herself while she pursues her dream of singing and acting.

She posts her music on social media and performs with Musicality, an ensemble of musicians from Chicago and Los Angeles.

“I don’t have representation, so I’m excited to be seen, to be heard,” she said.

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The event was the culmination of a weeklong series hosted by the alliance that included workshops on a variety of topics, like how to prepare for an audition from a casting director’s perspective and how to understand the ins and outs of theater contracts. Free professional headshots were also offered.

JC Clementz, director of casting and artistic operations at Steppenwolf Theatre, said some actors make the mistake of thinking the people on the other side of the table might not be on their side.

“Sometimes people don’t realize that all of us on the other side of the table are rooting for them. They come in and apologize, but they have to come in and own who they are and what they do because we are cheering for them to do a good job,” he said.

“We’re looking for a truthful performance where they’re not showing us they’re acting, but instead just being the character,” he added.

Flavia Pallozzi, associate artistic director with Visión Latino Theater Company, said making a connection is key.

“We’re looking for authenticity and someone who’s making a connection with us, someone who’s willing to smile a genuine smile and someone who, through their work, allows us to see a piece of them.”

It’s common for performers to let nerves get to them, she said. “Some people don’t take that moment to breathe and center themselves. They forget we want them to succeed and we’re rooting for them.”

Mitch Dudek/Sun-Times

Jean Carlos Claudio, 35, a circus arts performer from Humboldt Park, performed a skit in which he falls asleep on a chair and snores himself awake. Each time he wakes up in a different unlikely position, until he’s standing on his hands.

“I think this is a brilliant idea because to get into theater, it seems so foreign, like just for professionals. But you have to remember that all those professionals were not professional at one point,” Claudio said.

Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, managing director of Chicago’s Teatro Vista, the only Equity Latino theater company in the Midwest, was keeping an eye out Monday for anyone who might be a good fit for the company’s Aug. 23 production of “La Havana Madrid” at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

“This is beautiful because artists are given the freedom to do whatever they want here,” she said.

Mitch Dudek/Sun-Times