Category: News & Advice
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How to Help Casting Directors Find You on Spotlight
Practical tips to improve your chances of being found by casting directors via Spotlight search. As well as using the Spotlight Link to send breakdowns to performers and agents, casting professionals also use Spotlight to search for performers. There are 5,000-10,000 searches carried out every day, and with specific attributes, accents, skills or credits all…
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An Actors’ Survival Guide to Side Jobs
Potential side jobs for actors that can help you make a living while acting. When you choose to pursue acting as a career, there are many uncertainties in your path ahead. Financial instability is perhaps the biggest concern for many aspiring actors and it’s common for creatives to have a hand in many different fields…
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Top 7 Easter Eggs to Look Out for in Films
From Pixar and Marvel to ‘Barbie’ and ‘Star Trek’, here are our favourite hidden references to find in films. As April nears, a lot of people will hear the phrase ‘Easter egg’ and think of an oval chocolate shell wrapped in colourful foil. However, in the context of the entertainment industry, an Easter egg means…
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Your Memorable Theatre Audition Stories
Our favourite audition stories submitted by Spotlight members for World Theatre Day Every 27 March, the performing arts community celebrates World Theatre Day, a time to commemorate the art of theatre. Initiated by the International Theatre Institute back in 1961, World Theatre Day commemorates its importance to the arts, not just to performers, but people…
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Tax Tips for the Self-Employed Actor
How performers can register as self-employed and what is tax deductible as an actor. Being a performer requires a lot of work – you have to learn lines, film self-tapes and go to auditions – all while juggling the rest of your life. Self-employed actors in the UK also manage their financial aspects and are…
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Finding Acting Work Overseas
Tips on finding an agent and acting work abroad from ‘Happy Valley’ star Amit Shah. We know the nature of being an actor requires you to be ambitious. The industry insists on your pursuit and perseverance in finding and attending auditions; you have to carry that energy into acting jobs once you get them. As…
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BAFTA TV Awards 2024 – Nominations Revealed
‘The Crown’ and ‘Black Mirror: Demon 79’ lead nominees for the BAFTA TV Awards 2024. The nominations for the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises and the BAFTA Television Craft Awards have now been announced. The awards, which celebrate the best in the TV of 2023, see Netflix’s series The Crown and Black Mirror episode…
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Book Recommendations for Actors in Training
14 books for actors to read during drama school training to help inspire and improve their acting skills. The most imperative time in a working actor’s career is arguably the years spent at drama school. Within the safe perimeters of training and studying the craft of acting, drama students will learn to use tools and…
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5 Tips to Bring Comedy to Your Improv
Five practical tips for being funny and improvising well. As recently shared while teaching ‘Comedy for Actors’ for Spotlight, improv is a really useful tool – whether trying to be funny or get booked. Oddly, to be funny, you don’t actually have to try. Don’t try to be funny, sexy, or clever – because you…
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Spotlight Launches Extra Cover Pack
Safeguard your performance business with our new add-on bundle. As a dedicated performer navigating the undulating landscape of the performing arts, you know that talent alone isn’t always enough to ensure success. Your career is more than your art – it’s your business. That’s why we’ve crafted the Extra Cover Pack: an exclusive bundle designed…