Category: The Essentials
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Audition Dos and Don’ts
When an audition comes in at the last minute, you might feel unprepared – but actually, the short notice can be a blessing. Instead of your nerves keeping you awake all night, you can be at your rested best when you step inside the audition room. Just remember these simple Dos and Don’ts… DO Breathe:…
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How Open-Air Theatre Differs from Conventional Theatre
New to performing open-air theatre? Here are some things you should know There are few theatrical experiences more atmospheric than open-air theatre. The feeling you get standing centre stage in the balmy evening sun, speaking lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, surrounded by real trees and birdsong is nigh-on impossible to recreate in a conventional theatre.…
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How to Read A Call Sheet
The essentials you need to know about reading the call sheet for set! Call sheets contain all the vital information you need for a smooth day of production on set. But if this is your first TV or film job, deciphering the call sheet can be a fine art in itself. Here are some basic…
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How to Pick a Photo for Your Spotlight Profile
Tips to help you pick the right photos for your acting profile. You might be swimming in headshots, production stills, and Instagram selfies, but what photos should you include in your acting CV? In this video, we’ll cover: How to choose a good headshot Production stills What we definitely can’t let you upload Some very…
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How to Embrace the Self-Tape
A performer-perspective on embracing the self-tape… For those who don’t know: a ‘self-tape’ is a way of an actor being seen for a role. Despite being a fairly recent introduction, it has, in many cases, overtaken the conventional meet and greet. For casting directors, it saves money, time and space. It allows them to see a…
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A Director’s Advice for Actors with Bruce Goodison
Essential tips for actors, from director Bruce Goodison Director Bruce Goodison (director of Born to Kill, Murdered By My Father, Leave to Remain, and many others), talks to Spotlight about: The stories that interest and inspire him; What he expects and looks for in the audition room; His expectations of actors on set; Advice for having…
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Maintaining a Good Relationship with Your Agent
Tips to establish a healthy working relationship with your agent. There’s nothing worse than an apathetic actor sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring and subsequently blaming the world for their shortcomings. If you are constantly out at classes or on set, you’ll be proving that you’re employable and hardworking. Matthew Jacobs Morgan…
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Graduates Advice from a Performer, Agent and Casting Director
Performer Mimi Ndiweni, Agent Gavin Mills and Casting Director Sam Jones talk to Spotlight about how they work together, and their best advice for graduates… At Spotlight’s recent Open House evening for Graduate members, we discussed the ins and outs of agent, casting director and performer relationships. Casting director Sam Jones, performer and Spotlight Prize…
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How to Start Directing
Interested in directing? Here are some of the best on how you should get started… How to Start Directing with Hugo Blick (Black Earth Rising), Bruce Goodison (Murdered By My Father), Josie Rourke (Mary, Queen of Scots), Emma Rice of Wise Children, and many others… Take a look for all the insider knowledge you need…
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Simon Longman on Writing for Theatre
Want to write your own play? Here’s some advice from Simon Longman Simon Longman, winner of the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme in 2014 and this year’s George Devine playwriting award, talks to us at Spotlight on why theatre is still a great medium to tell stories, how he writes, collaborating and where to get started…