KIM MONTELIBANO HEIL,CSA
CASTING DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, CONSULTANT
Devereau Chumrau, Ulka Mohanty, and TaiReikca L.A. in HOUSE OF JOY
KIM MONTELIBANO HEIL
cultural expertise to help navigate the creative process
Kim Montelibano Heil, CSA has been the Casting Director at San Diego Repertory Theatre since 2017. She has cast large-scale musicals like Evita and 33 1/3: House of Dreams, both of which were collaborations with the nationally-recognized San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, as well as intimate award-winning dramas such as A Doll’s House, Part 2 and The Humans. Currently she is the Casting Consultant for the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Farewell My Concubine, music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, book by Kenneth Lin, and directed by Moises Kaufman. Recently, Kim cast the critically-acclaimed film of Aaron Posner’s JQA, which received a Critic’s Pick from the New York Times.
She was also the Casting Director for actress and producer Kathy Najimy’s short film, The Secret Club, which went on to be featured in film festivals across the country.
Kim is also currently serving as an Associate Producer at The Old Globe, where she from 2004-2013 under Craig Noel, Jack O’Brien, and Jerry Patch. She was the Associate Producer for San Diego Repertory Theatre, and as the Education Director at San Diego Junior Theatre. Currently she is acting as a Consultant to SDSU’s New Musical Initiative, where she works alongside Lynne Shankel and Crystal Skillman on their new musical, Postcard American Town. Prior to San Diego, Kim was an associate for Broadway producer Arielle Tepper, and also served as the Associate Producer/Dramaturg for Second Generation’s In The Works Reading Series, where she produced workshops of plays by emerging Asian-American playwrights. She currently serves on the Board of the National New Play Network, and has also served on the boards of Diversionary Theatre and Blindspot Collective. Kim recently completed her term as an inaugural Ambassador for the newly-formed San Diego Theatre Alliance. As a passionate advocate of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Kim founded The Nuance on Instagram (@thenuance2020), where she interviews artists about their financial experiences in order to dispel the myth of the “starving artist”. Kim holds an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University.
I BRING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE TO THE ARTISTIC TABLE.
As art and media evolve in our global economy, the demand grows for insight into an intersectional and diverse landscape.
How can content – whether in film, in television, on stage, or online – effectively and authentically represent the complexity of an artist’s vision?
Can we rely on that vision alone to avoid the traps of assumption and stereotype?
How can we ensure that the stories we tell are told from a position of agency, of respect, and of truth?
These and other similar questions have shaped my journey in the entertainment industry. I come to the proverbial table armed with my experience as an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practitioner, and with the necessary tools to help set the foundation for a successful creative and collaborative process. My artistic expertise is not limited to the casting office, but also extends into design, hiring and development, among other aspects of production.
While I cannot claim to be a cultural expert in communities beyond those where I belong, my experience as a global citizen – having been raised in an international environment in Southeast Asia – has gifted me the capacity for connection with those unlike myself.
