If you want to be part of Melbourne’s close-knit acting community and secure work on stage and screen, then joining one of the city’s leading acting agencies should be a top priority. Melbourne’s East End theatre district is Australia’s equivalent to New York’s Broadway or London’s West End, so it’s no surprise Melbourne’s best acting agencies circle this area.
The city is home to the long-running soap Neighbours, among other TV shows, and recent feature films, including Inside, with Guy Pearce, and The Banshee, with Nathan Foley, have been shot in the Garden City. It’s a good base for stage actors, too. Here’s a look inside some of Melbourne’s top acting agencies, from one specialising in musical theatre to one with American offices offering international opportunities to one with a dedicated voiceover arm.
JUMP TO
If you’re an aspiring musical theatre performer, then Helen Pandos Management should be high on your list: the agency has a dedicated section representing musical theatre talent. It also represents actors in film, television, theatre, and commercials, meaning it could offer you a versatile career. Set up by Helen Pandos in 2001, the agency regularly helps clients secure work at home and abroad. Her actors can be seen on screen in Baz Lurhman’s Elvis and Netflix’s Inventing Anna, and onstage in Moulin Rouge!, Mary Poppins, and with the Sydney Theatre Company.
How to apply to Helen Pandos Management
Email your CV, headshot, and showreel link to representation@helenpandos.com.
Another one for triple-threat performers, Ian White Management in Melbourne partners with Collective Agents in London, which in turn partners with Saks& in New York and Los Angeles to ensure its musical theatre performers are put up for high-profile international opportunities. Ian White himself was in the original casts of Cats and Les Misérables in Sydney before returning to Melbourne to set up a musical theatre programme and founding Ian White Management. He manages not only musical theatre performers but also actors working in film, TV, stage shows, and commercials. Sally-Anne Upton, known for her role as Vera Punt in Neighbours, and Kevin Dee, who appeared in the 2022 movie The Cost, are among the celebrated actors on White’s books.
How to apply to Ian White Management
The agency opens its books intermittently, but you can always send through a representation enquiry using the dedicated form on its website. Remember to include your CV, headshot, and showreel link.
AMM is one of the bigger Melbourne acting agencies and boasts an extensive client list. Stars on its books include Margot Robbie (Barbie, Babylon) and Brett Tucker (Neighbours, Station 19). The agency works closely with national and international casting directors and production companies to secure top roles for its artists.
How to apply to AMM
AMM only accepts applications for representation via email to admin@aranmichaelmanagement.com. Include your CV, headshot, and showreel link
One of Melbourne’s long-running talent agencies, AAM was set up by John and Wendy Powell in 2000. They’ve built a solid reputation for securing opportunities for their artists both in Australia and beyond. Among the successful actors on their books are Eliza Taylor (Neighbours, NBC’s Quantum Leap) and Christopher Pang (Crazy Rich Asians). AAM represents talent across film, television, and the stage, and with a dedicated voiceover arm, it can help actors looking for voice acting gigs, too.
How to apply to AAM
Send your CV (as a PDF), headshot (as a JPEG), and showreel link to jrp@aam.com.au.
Williams Management is a prominent name in Melbourne's acting scene, having helped Australian actors secure work in film, television, and stage productions there since 2002. With its head office in Queensland, it also has a presence in Sydney and on the Gold Coast. Its talent managers collaborate with top Australian casting directors, production companies, networks, and international agents to secure the best opportunities for the actors on its books. Among the Melbourne talent it represents are actor and comedian Firdi Billimoria as well as Rosa Ablett-Johnstone, who plays Tess in LGBTQ+ drama series Flunk.
How to apply to Williams Management
Applicants must have a high level of experience and training already behind them before applying. To be considered, email a CV, headshot (10 MB limit), details of training, and a showreel link or a recent self-tape to info@williamsmgt.com
In the 1980s, Marie Davidson and Jo Atkinson founded the children’s agency Small Fry before launching Select Actors Management for adult representation in 1994. When Jo left the agency in 2013, Marie’s daughter Laura joined and this mother-daughter partnership makes for a friendly, family-run agency. With few big-name actors on its books but a reputation for consistently placing its talent in commercials and supporting roles, the agency is a good option for early-career performers wanting to break into television and film.
How to apply to Select Actors Management
Email your CV, headshot, and showreel link to Laura and Marie at casting@selectactors.com