Celeste began her professional casting journey in 2016 with Eclipse Theatre Company, discovering how much she loved shaping stories by bringing together talent that works in harmony. Years later, in 2022, she received a completely unexpected—and genuinely delightful—email from casting director Becca McCracken. Up until then, she had only known Becca from auditioning for her, so her invitation to collaborate came as a wonderful shock. That message opened the door to working with her on an exciting range of projects across film, commercial work, and theatre, including productions for the Lyric Opera, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Court Theatre. It marked a turning point in her career and deepened her connection to the casting community in ways she couldn’t have anticipated.

Her first job as a casting associate was on The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis production of Confederates. During a production meeting, she was invited to join the cast, thanks to her connection with former director Nataki Garrett, who had previously directed her in Steppenwolf Theatre’s world premiere of BLKS.

While at DePaul, Celeste dreamed of working at Steppenwolf and Court Theatre. By 2017, that dream became reality, and she couldn’t be more grateful! She acted in two Court Theatre productions, later became the associate casting director, debuted at Steppenwolf, and invited to join the ensemble. Photo credit: Joe Mazza

Together Becca & Celeste cast Court Theatre’s…

2023/2024 Season: The Lion in Winter, Antigone, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

2024/2025 Season: East Texas Hot Links, A Raisin in the Sun, and Berlin

2025/2026 Season: Big White Fog, The Taming of the Shrew, Miss Julie, and Out Here

Court Theatre’s 2017 production of The Hard Problem, directed by Charles Newell Photo credit: Michael Brosilow