Category: News & Advice
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A Guide to Pensions for Self-Employed Actors
How to set up a pension as an actor and how much you should aim to save for your retirement. When you’re starting your acting career, retirement is probably at the back of your mind. Finding an agent, preparing for auditions and keeping your Spotlight up-to-date seem more urgent. Typically, actors are driven by a…
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Diary of a Young Performer: Auditions and Rehearsals
Maggie Livermore takes us behind the scenes of the audition and rehearsal process for ‘Till the Stars Come Down’ at the National Theatre. Young performer Maggie Livermore was thrilled to get her first stage role in Till the Stars Come Down. She played ‘Sarah’ at the National Theatre from 24 January to 15 March 2024,…
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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…
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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…
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What Performers Should Know About Copyright
Find out how copyright applies to the television and film productions you have been a part of in the UK and how to seek permission before including excerpts in your acting showreel. Copyright is a complex legal subject that can be hard to navigate when starting out as an actor. It’s not always clear when…
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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…
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Emma Stafford’s 11 Essential Tips for Young Performers
Emma Stafford, the casting director of ‘4 O’Clock Club’, ‘Biff and Chip’ and ‘Pip and Posy’, shares her self-taping tips and what parents and young performers should know about the industry. As a parent, I get that it may seem frustrating when you’re trying to understand the industry. You may sometimes wonder why you’re paying…
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An Intimacy Coordinator’s Insight with Joshua Okpala
‘Supacell’ intimacy coordinator Joshua Okpala discusses his training, working on popular shows like ‘Topboy’, ‘Spent’ and ‘EastEnders’, and his unique insight for performers working on intimate scenes. Joshua Okpala is a certified intimacy coordinator and a trained actor. There’s a very good chance that you’ve seen some of the popular television shows and films he…
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What’s Filming in the UK and Ireland – Autumn 2024
Join us as we look at 11 exciting productions taking place around the UK and Ireland this coming season. As we say goodbye to a glorious summer season of sassy superheroes in Deadpool and Wolverine, Riley’s emotions in Inside Out 2 and feuding queens in House of the Dragon, we eagerly wonder what’s up next. …
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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…