CHICAGO TALENT DIRECTORY®
Theatre Reporting/News Periodicals
Buzz Center Stage
Chicago theatre, dance, reviews, interviews, and performance coverage.
Theatre In Chicago
Chicago theatre listings, reviews, audition notices, and theatre-market activity, including Equity, Non-Equity, and film audition categories.
Film Offices & Production Support
Central Illinois Film Commission
Chicago Film Office
Official city resource for filming in Chicago, permits, and production support.
Illinois Film Office
Illinois Film Tax Credit
Northwest Illinois Film Office
CHICAGO TALENT DIRECTORY® is developing resources to help producers, casting professionals, filmmakers, and content creators discover Illinois talent, industry organizations, and production support resources.
Illinois offers more than locations and incentives. It offers a deep and diverse talent, film, theatre,
and media production community for those looking to cast, create, and produce projects.
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A starting point for producers, casting professionals, filmmakers, and content creators
exploring Illinois as a production destination.
Looking for a neighborhood, suburb, city, or studio location?
Visit the Chicago Talent Directory® Reference Maps.
Theatre & Performing Arts Resources
Lawyers for the Creative Arts
Legal resources for artists and arts organizations.
League of Chicago Theatres
Member theatres, productions, auditions, and jobs.
League Service Organization Directory
Support organizations for the Chicago performing arts community.
Illinois Performing Artist Index
Statewide resource for finding Illinois performing artists, ensembles, musicians, dance companies, cultural programs, storytellers, variety performers, and presenter-ready live entertainment. A collaboration of the Illinois Arts Council and the Illinois Presenters Network.
State agency supporting the arts across Illinois. Their Local Arts Network maintains a statewide directory of local and regional arts councils.
Future Resources
This page will continue to expand as Chicago Talent Directory® rebuilds its role as a starting point for discovering Illinois talent, casting, and production resources.
Studios & Soundstages
See where these studios are located here.
Austin
Independent Chicago soundstage facility for film, television, commercial, and media production.
CineCity Studios
Douglass Park / North Lawndale (Entrance at 2429 W. 14th Street)
Chicago production studio and event venue; host venue for FilmScape Chicago.
Cinespace Studios Chicago
North Lawndale
Major Chicago studio campus for film, television, and commercial production.
Forge Virtual Studios
Hanover Park
Virtual production studio in Hanover Park, Illinois, with LED volume stages and production support for film, commercial, agency, and branded content work.
SMASH Virtual
South Loop / Bronzeville
Dedicated LED virtual-production studio for film, television, commercials, and other screen production.
The Fields Studios
Avondale
Purpose-built Chicago production campus with soundstages and production support.
The Hangar
Mayfair / Old Irving Park
7,200-square-foot flexible production space for film, video, photography, and events, with production offices, dressing rooms, set-building space, equipment rental, power, security, kitchen, and parking.
Illinois
Actor's Unions
Actors’ Equity Association – Central Regional Office
Equity’s Central Regional Office is located in Chicago.
OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BY THE ILLINOIS FILM OFFICE -- 1991
CHICAGO TALENT DIRECTORY® is your 'FRONT DOOR' to
PRODUCING IN ILLINOIS
Be Cast! Be Seen! Be Hired!
Edgewater
Chicago media arts organization supporting independent filmmakers through screenings, classes, workshops, community programs, and filmmaker resources.
Illinois Production Alliance
Illinois Theatre Association
Independent Film Alliance Chicago
© 2026 Chicago Talent Directory®. All rights reserved.
Chicago Talent Directory® is a publication of Chicago Talent Enterprises Inc.
Chicago Talent Directory® is a federally registered trademark owned by Nanci T. Ponne'
Published by Nanci T. Ponné, Founder / Publisher.
Updated: August 2026
Film & Production News
ReelChicago
Talent • Production Resources • Industry Organizations • Official Support Services.
Production Guides & Resource Directories
Chicago Creative Directory
Chicago Film Events
Chicago film-community platform for discovering local screenings, festivals, workshops, networking opportunities, and industry activity.
Additional DCASE resource guide for Chicago film organizations, filmmaker resources, archives, festivals, and related local film activity.
Chicago Talent Directory® (this site) ⭐
Chicago Talent Directory® is an independent, location-driven, curated online platform exclusively focused on Chicago and Illinois professional talent, being built to feature free talent profiles for casting and hiring, career resources for talent, and curated industry resources supporting Chicago and Illinois film, television, theatre, and media. Established in print in 1985, Chicago Talent Directory® was “Officially Recognized by the Illinois Film Office” in 1991.
Casting Resources
Casting Directors
Extras Casting
Illinois Crew & Production Services
Search the Illinois Production Guide for Illinois-based crew, production services, equipment vendors, post-production facilities, and production support resources throughout Illinois.
IATSE Studio Mechanics Local 476 (Union)
Chicago
Union representing studio mechanics, technicians, artisans, and related film and television production crafts.
Noisefloor Sound Solutions
River North
Full-service audio post-production studio providing sound design, mixing, Foley, ADR and voice recording, original music, restoration, and theatrical audio services for film, television, commercials, and other media.
Producing
Illinois Film Production Incentives
Illinois Film Incentives — Start Here
Official Illinois Film Office overview of the current tax credit program and eligibility.
Application Requirements & Process
Official application instructions, deadlines, and required documentation.
Film Tax Credit FAQs
Answers to common questions about eligibility, timelines, documentation, CPA requirements, and claiming the credit.