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ABOUT US

FINDING a better way:

After being involved in countless productions and casting hundreds of productions on Broadway, National Tours, Regional Productions, Theme Parks, and Cruise Lines around the world, I was determined to find a better way to hire teams and cast productions.

I always felt that the system was backwards. Charging the applicants a fee to apply for a job they might not even get, while the productions, who benefit from the platform, pay nothing seems backwards.

At Stage Door Network we set out to turn the system around - creating a platform which does not charge a fee to the applicant, nor to the agents and casting directors. Our hope is to create a usable system that can provide the tools we need and make sure there is no gatekeeping involved.

Jeff Whiting
Director/Choreographer
Founder, Stage Door Network

This all started while I had been invited to re-imagine the production of America’s longest-running symphonic drama, The Lost Colony. The show tells the story of the first English who came to North American shores and their interactions with the Indigenous folks.

Wanting to ensure that I was telling the story accurately, I was hoping to surround myself with Indigenous artists so I could make sure to tell the story accurately and respectfully. I didn’t know many Indigenous artists and the only thing I could do was post on social media and ask friends to help identify themselves to me.

In the process I was thrilled to see that these artists were all around me, but I just didn’t know where to look - or more accurately - there was no place to look.

I thought, what if there was a place where all artists could be listed, self-identified with their skills and their background so we can all find one another?

Thus came THE STAGE DOOR NETWORK.

  • Mike Wheeler/ceo

    Mike is a dynamic leader with a deep-rooted passion for theatre, harmonizing his creative pursuits with a solid foundation in business and holds an MBA from Weber State University. He boasts 19 years of experience working for a notable International Organization and as the Chief Operations Officer for AssetLyst software platform. He excels in guiding teams to operational efficiency through process improvement.

  • JEFF WHITING/President

    Jeff is the creator and founder of Stage Write Software, trusted by over 100,000 theatre makers worldwide, Founding Artistic Director of The Open Jar Institute, a premiere music theatre training program, and President of Broadway’s Artistic Home, Open Jar Studios.

    BROADWAY (Resident Director): Bullets Over Broadway, The Scottsboro Boys, Hair, Young Frankenstein, Big Fish. TED Talk sharing his philosophy of “Open Jar Thinking.”

  • Nicole Johnson/Accessibility Director

    Founder of The Harriet Tubman Effect: Human resource center and participatory action research institute for strategy and justice advocacy. Dismantling systemic oppression through resisting white supremacy culture, storytelling, organizational theory consultation and third party HR support.

    Learn more at: www.harriettubmaneffect.com

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