Author: Natasha Raymond

  • My Casting Story: Marta Svetek in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach’

    My Casting Story: Marta Svetek in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach’

    Voice and motion capture artist Marta Svetek tells us what to expect during voiceover and mocap auditions for video games and how she landed her role in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach’. Video games have come a long way since Pong and Tetris. They’re now so creative, so technologically advanced and so full of…

  • Meet the Casting Director: Susan Shopmaker

    Meet the Casting Director: Susan Shopmaker

    US casting director Susan Shopmaker talks casting ‘The Holdovers’ and ‘The Iron Claw’, how commercial casting differs from film and how to get cast in US-based productions. Susan Shopmaker’s casting career spans decades. With over 30 years’ experience casting for feature films, as well as plenty of credits in commercials, she is one of the…

  • The Spotlight Prize Finalists’ Best Acting Advice

    The Spotlight Prize Finalists’ Best Acting Advice

    The winners and finalists from the Spotlight Prize 2024 each share the best piece of acting advice they were ever given. While we progress as actors, we’re surrounded by those who offer us advice. Whether it comes from actors with more experience, actors with different experience, famous actors we admire, or those who come from…

  • Emmy Award Winners 2024

    Emmy Award Winners 2024

    ‘Shōgun’ and ‘The Bear’ break records with their Emmy wins, while ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘Hacks’ also win big. The 76th Emmy Awards was a night of record-breaking wins, celebrating the talent in front of and behind the camera, and recognising the excellent television series that have kept us entertained this year. The ceremony took place…

  • Tips for a Successful Drama School Audition

    Tips for a Successful Drama School Audition

    The Spotlight Prize 2024 winners and finalists share their top tips to help you prepare for your drama school auditions. Many acting careers start with a pivotal choice: should you go to drama school or not? While training at drama school is not essential for a successful career, your time there will definitely help you…

  • Meet the Casting Director: Sophie Holland on ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

    Meet the Casting Director: Sophie Holland on ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

    Casting director Sophie Holland shares how she finds new talent and her experience casting ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, ‘The Witcher’ and ‘Wednesday’. It’s always difficult to capture the magic of an original cult-classic film, but 36 years later, the cast of Beetlejuice eagerly returned to give it a try – and it was casting director Sophie Holland’s…

  • The Role That Changed My Career

    The Role That Changed My Career

    Five performers tell us about the roles and people who made their careers.  Every role an actor plays gives them the opportunity to showcase their skills and make their mark on the industry, but some roles are so well-received, so pivotal, that they can catapult your career to new heights and audiences. At the CDG…

  • Is Drama School the Right Path for You?

    Is Drama School the Right Path for You?

    The Spotlight Prize 2024 winners and finalists share why they went to drama school and how you can tell whether this is the right path for you. It’s no longer the case that you need to have gone to drama school to have a successful acting career. Drama school can equip you with useful and…

  • Erin Doherty’s Royal Role in ‘The Crown’

    Erin Doherty’s Royal Role in ‘The Crown’

    ‘The Crown’ actress Erin Doherty relives her audition for ‘Princess Anne’ and how she prepared for the callback. From stage to screen, Erin Doherty has been a part of some truly exciting productions: The Crucible at the National Theatre, Les Miserables and Call the Midwife for the BBC, A Thousand Blows for Disney Plus, and…

  • 5 Top Tips From 5 Top Actors

    5 Top Tips From 5 Top Actors

    The stars of ‘Bad Education’, ‘A Discovery of Witches’, ‘Dreaming Whilst Black’ and more share their top acting tips that performers of every level should know. If you could only give only one piece of advice to your fellow actors, what would it be? Would you caution them about being prepared for auditions, or share…