Category: The Industry
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What Taking Up A Hobby Taught Me About Mental Health In The Industry
Actor and Writer, Charles White explains why having a hobby is so important for your mental health when undergoing a career as an actor. “Everybody needs a hobby” Those four words have been repeated so many times by so many different people that they’ve become like old furniture, a barely noticed feature of our collective…
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The Actors Alternative Bookshelf
Seven books and audiobooks about more than just acting to provide inspiration and a different perspective. We can bury ourselves in copies of Respect for Acting and The Actors Thesaurus but sometimes taking a step back and reading other genres can help broaden your outlook, spark creativity or offer an escape. With that in mind, here is a selection…
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Keeping Your Identity as an Out-of-Work Performer
It can be frustrating talking to people about what you do when you’re between performing jobs. Dancer Lizzie Perman explains why self-worth does not directly correlate with professional success. Not being professionally successful all the time doesn’t make you any less of an artist or indeed a person. This realisation freed me and actually allowed…
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Shaun Parkes on ‘Mangrove’ and Career Longevity
By Samantha Rea “I’ve been doing this since I was four years old. I was the type of child who had a lot of energy and my mum started sending me to classes – I think she just wanted to get me out of the house!” says Shaun Parkes. Over four decades on, his love…
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Videogame Casting with Martin Vaughan
We chat to Casting Director Martin Vaughan CDG about opportunities for performers in the games industry. I think people might have a set idea about what video games are without realising what an expansive medium for storytelling they can be. Martin Vaughan works as the in-house Casting Director at SIDE, a global studio specialising in…
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Working with British Sign Language Consultants
Demystifying the role of a British Sign Language Consultant and how they support the creative process of performances that involve deaf characters or sign language. Having a BSL consultant on your production will truly make a positive change to the attitudes towards deaf people by including BSL and deaf characters authentically Since the launch of…
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Casting Directors on Diversity, Self-Taping and Auditions
Read what Aisha Bywaters, Lauren Evans and Kelly Valentine Hendry had to say about diversity in casting, what to do (and not do) in self-tapes and how they prefer to be contacted. We hosted a Zoom event for Spotlight members to hear from casting directors Aisha Bywaters, Lauren Evans and Kelly Valentine Hendry. Here’s a…
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Rachel Shenton on Short Films, Academy Award Wins and Audition Nerves
By Samantha Rea “I get so nervous. I’m still just as nervous now as I was years ago.” With an Academy Award under her belt and a back-catalogue of ultra-confident characters on her acting CV, it’s surprising to hear that Rachel Shenton still suffers from the same audition anxiety as everyone else. “I do yoga…
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Casting Around the World
International casting directors share their processes and tips for getting cast in different countries around the world. We hosted a webinar which gave attendees the chance to understand how the casting process varies in the UK, US and Europe. Whether you’re a British actor with your sights set overseas or an international actor looking to…
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Q&A with the Casting Director and Director of Normal People
We talk to Casting Director Louise Kiely and Director Lenny Abrahamson about the phenomenon that is Normal People. We hosted a webinar (with Spotlight’s Clare McGinley chairing) where we explored the process of casting from beginning to end and the relationship between the director and the casting director. So, who better to speak on the subject than Casting…