From day one, Indiegogo has been a destination for the arts. Filmmakers and theater directors alike have flocked to our platform to raise funds for their next films and plays — building their audiences all along the way.

These same artists can also attest that one resource can sometimes be scarcer than capital: Actors! No one knows this better than Backstage, an industry leader in casting and performing arts news that has been connecting producers and directors with talent since 1960. Their bicoastal work for the stage and screen in the US made them a clear partner for Indiegogo — as a sponsor, mentor, and amplifier to some of the inspiring creative work developing on our platform.

Along those lines, we are excited to announce the recent launch of their Indiegogo partner page! Since launching, Backstage partner campaigns have already raised more than half a million dollars, running the gamut from small stage productions to star-studded independent films. We’d like to welcome them into our community, and we’re excited to see what they’ll crowdfund next!

To find out more about Backstage and the future of our partnership, we spoke with Luke Crowe — Backstage’s Vice President and National Casting Director:

What excited Backstage about a partnership with Indiegogo?

We’re very excited to partner with Indiegogo. Founded in 1960, Backstage has spent over 50 years helping to advise, assist, and empower content producers and performers. One question we get asked a lot is, “How can I organize funding for my project?” And Indiegogo answers that question with its first-class fundraising platform. We love that Indiegogo’s founding was inspired by the need for a better way for theater and film projects to raise funds, intersecting perfectly with Backstage’s audience of theater-makers, filmmakers, and performing-arts professionals. We look forward to working with Indiegogo to help bring projects more exposure for their campaigns.

What impact can crowdfunding make on casting?

Successful crowdfunding can have a major impact on the casting process. A well-funded project can afford to hire a professional casting director, or at least be able to rent a professional space for auditions and callbacks. They’ll be able to take their time with casting and rehearsals, and offer a better on-set experience. Hopefully, they’ll even be able to pay the actors. The result will be a better cast, delivering great performances, which in turn will elevate the entire production. And to help make the casting process even more affordable, Backstage will be donating it’s online casting services to select Indiegogo projects for free or at highly discounted rates. In fact, for the next 30 days, anyone reading this Indiegogo blog post can post a casting call on Backstage.com for free by visiting www.backstage.com/indiegogo-info and entering IndiegogoBlogCast3 in the promotion-code box when checking out.

Can you tell us about a few of the active campaigns on your partner page that you’re excited about?

We’ve got a lot of cool projects on our Indiegogo Partner Page right now. The Actor’s Project NYC, The Kitchen Riots Festival (New York), The Miserable Brilliance Ensemble (Los Angeles), and Studio4Seattle (Washington) are all seeking funding for new plays. And there are films that are international in scope, like the German-produce “Emra & Dabo” that’s shooting in Ethiopia; and “The Mary Project,” which spans New York and Australia. “The Crystal Crypt” is an exciting sci-fi film based on a Philip K. Dick (“Bladerunner”) story and being produced out of Las Vegas. The Montreal-based Space Opera Society is producing multiple sci-fi projects. Theatre Roscius is seeking funding to bring the award-winning dance-theater piece “HerSheMe” to the New Orleans Fringe Festival. And new productions are being added every day. We just launched our Indiegogo Partner page a few weeks ago, but the projects showcased on our page have already raised a combined total of over $530,000. It’s a testament to the power of crowdfunding.

What’s next for Backstage?

Backstage offers an advanced suite of online casting tools that have helped thousands of theater-makers and filmmakers find actors, dancers, singers, models, comedians, and crew members for their productions. We’ve been innovating in this space for decades, and we’ve got no plans of slowing down. Over the next year, we expect to roll out a lot of additional enhancements to our website based on the needs of professional and aspiring casting directors, producers, actors, and performers. We encourage anyone that’s looking for talent to check out www.Backstage.com/FindTalent to get started.

Follow all things Backstage — check out their partner page and follow them on Twitter!