The initiative was created in response to a question the organization has received repeatedly from casting directors over the years:
“Do you have a list of Caribbean heritage actors?”
The Caribbean Actor Database provides a centralized platform where actors can share professional information—including headshots, resumes, and heritage background—making it easier for producers, casting directors, and theatre companies to identify talent with Caribbean cultural knowledge and dialect expertise.
While Conch Shell Productions is not a casting agency, the database serves as a visibility and access tool that helps industry professionals locate actors of Caribbean heritage when culturally specific roles arise.
Inclusion in the database does not guarantee auditions, representation, or employment, but it allows industry professionals seeking Caribbean actors to access performers’ professional information and cultural background.
“Over the years, casting directors have frequently asked if we could recommend actors from specific Caribbean communities,” said Magaly Colimon-Christopher, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Conch Shell Productions. “The Caribbean Actor Database is our response to that need.”
While Conch Shell Productions is not the first organization in New York City to provide a directory of Caribbean actors, the initiative is part of a small group of heritage-focused resources that highlight Caribbean identity and talent rather than function as a general casting directory.
Actors of Caribbean heritage from all cultural backgrounds across the Caribbean and its diaspora are encouraged to join the database.
The database also reflects Conch Shell Productions’ broader mission of expanding Caribbean representation in American storytelling. Through programs including the CSP Artist Collective, new works development initiatives, and the Conch Shell International Film Festival (CSIFF), the organization continues to build platforms for Caribbean heritage artists across theatre and film.
Actors interested in joining the database and industry professionals seeking Caribbean talent can learn more at:
www.conchshellproductions.com
About Conch Shell Productions
Conch Shell Productions is a Queens-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to developing, presenting and producing new works by Caribbean heritage playwrights, filmmakers, and performing artists. Through theatre productions, artist development programs, public conversations, and the Conch Shell International Film Festival, the organization works to amplify Caribbean voices in American storytelling.
