Our Team
Benton Whitley, CSA
Founder/Creative Producer/Head of Casting
Benton Whitley is the founder, creative producer, and head of casting at Whitley Theatrical. He is currently responsible for the casting of the Broadway and North American tour of the 2019 Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown (dir. by Rachel Chavkin, writer Anaïs Mitchell), for which Whitley won the 2020 Artios Award for Excellence in Casting, as well as this season’s Broadway production of How To Dance In Ohio (dir. Sammi Cannold, writers Rebekah Greer Melocik & Jacob Yandura) and the Off-Broadway production of Three Houses (dir. Annie Tippe, writer Dave Malloy).
He is also responsible for the casting of the upcoming revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita (dir. Sammi Cannold), as well as numerous other projects in development for the stage including: Farewell my Concubine (dir Moises Kaufman, writers Jason Robert Brown, Kenneth Lin), Goddess (dir. Saheem Ali, writers Jocelyn Bioh & Michael Thurber), Wild (dir. Diane Paulus, writers V & Justin Tranter), Pump Up the Volume (dir Dave Solomon, writers Jeremy Desmon, Jeff Thomson), Cowboy Bob (dir. Annie Tippe, writers Molly Beach Murphy & Jeanna Phillips), The Life of Death (dir. Sammi Cannold, writers Joey Orton, Brad Silnutzer, Petro AP, Scott Hoying of Pentatonix) and reimagined revivals of Inherit The Wind (dir. Neil Pepe) and Same Time Next Year (dir. Rachel Chavkin).
In addition he collaborates with regional theaters across the country, casting productions at the American Repertory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Shakespeare Theater, LaJolla Playhouse, Bay Street Theater, Syracuse Stage, and the Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA).
Before Whitley Theatrical, Whitley co-founded and helmed the Gotham-based casting office Stewart/Whitley for over 12 years, where they were responsible for casting the main stem productions of Chicago The Musical; La Cage Aux Folles; Pippin; On The Town; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812; The Lightning Thief; Paradise Square; and this past season’s Life of Pi.
In addition to the work Whitley Theatrical does in creative and inclusive casting, the office also is producing and developing new works for the stage. Projects will be announced in the seasons ahead.
Benton is often a guest lecturer and teacher at schools and universities around the country, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department. He is a two time Artios Award winner and a proud member of The Casting Society of America (CSA) and Black Theatre United’s Broadway 7G committee. In addition to his life in the theatre, Benton resides in Brooklyn and is the co-host and co-producer of the queer mental health podcast Why Here, now streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Micah Johnson-Levy, CSA
Casting Director
Micah is a Casting Director at Whitley Theatrical where she is currently responsible for helping cast the Broadway and North American tour of the 2019 Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown, as well as this season’s Broadway production of How To Dance In Ohio and the upcoming Off-Broadway production of Three Houses.
She is also responsible for the casting of new developmental works including Farewell my Concubine, Goddess, Wild, Pump Up the Volume, Cowboy Bob, and The Life of Death, as well as new revivals of Evita, Same Time Next Year, and Inherit the Wind.
In addition, Whitley Theatrical collaborates with regional theaters across the country, casting productions at the American Repertory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Shakespeare Theater, LaJolla Playhouse, Bay Street Theater, Syracuse Stage, and the Signature Theatre (Arlington, VA).
Born and raised in Michigan, the only thing Micah enjoys more than telling people she is from the Midwest is working in the entertainment industry. An avid lover of storytelling in all of its forms and mediums, Micah holds a B.A. in Folklore & Mythology and the Classics from Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude with highest honors.
As an undergraduate, Micah was a Board Member of the Student Advisory Council for the Dean of Arts and Humanities at Harvard, where she worked with her peers to increase visibility and student participation in the Arts.
Micah’s journey in casting began in 2019 when she completed the Casting Internship Program at Stewart/Whitley. Following her time at Stewart/Whitley, Micah served as an intern in the Access and Equity Department at the American Repertory Theater, where she assisted on projects aimed at increasing accessibility and inclusion in the theater.
After graduating, Micah rejoined the team at Stewart/Whitley as a Casting Assistant and subsequently as an Associate Casting Director. There, Micah cast the touring productions of Waitress, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Elf the Musical, Hairspray (National Tour), Hairspray (Australian Tour), Hadestown, and 1776.
As a proudly queer, Black, and Autistic woman in the industry, Micah has always had a passion for projects that amplify the voices of underrepresented communities and individuals both on stage and behind the scenes.
Jordan Manekin
Acquisitions/Legal Counsel
Jordan Manekin is a seasoned entertainment and media lawyer. Formerly a partner at the boutique entertainment law firm, Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, in New York, Jordan was listed in Up Next in Variety’s Legal Impact Report and served as a secondee at Meta, working exclusively on its Facebook Watch platform, and at iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc. His practice spans film, television, fashion, new technologies and theatre.
Karen Morales/Armanino LLP
Business Management
Armanino is an independent accounting and business consulting firm serving privately-held companies, as well as non-profit organizations and public entities with assurance/audit, tax, consulting and business management services. As a top 25 accounting and consulting firm in the nation, Armanino delivers a depth of knowledge, a range of services, and a consistent and responsive team. We also help support global operations with sophisticated financial capabilities and solutions wherever you’re located.