Tag: diversity/inclusivity
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Spotlight Teams Up with WeAudition at Sundance to Discuss the Future of Casting
Spotlight joins WeAudition and CSA Casting Directors at the Sundance Film Festival to discuss the future of casting The Sundance Film Festival is a mainstay of the festival circuit, bringing artists and audiences together to showcase independent filmmakers from across the globe. In addition to sparking bidding wars amongst the studios for films destined to…
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Casting ‘Heartstopper’, Netflix’s LGBTQ+ Teen Drama
We speak to Patrick Walters, executive producer of Heartstopper, and casting director Daniel Edwards CDG about the show and finding fresh talent. If you’re not already familiar with it, Heartstopper is a beautiful new show on Netflix that shows the blossoming relationship between the main characters Nick and Charlie. The series deals with teen topics like love, relationships, friendship…
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Breaking Down Barriers: Tommy Jessop Talks about his Journey
Tommy Jessop is the first actor with Down Syndrome to play the lead in a primetime TV drama, he’s also been in Line of Duty and is the first actor with Down Syndrome to be professionally cast as Hamlet, and become a full voting member of BAFTA. 16 minute listen or a full transcript of the…
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“Blame It On My Juice, Blame It, Blame It On My Juice….”
Jatinder Chera, National Film and Television School Graduate and now National Theatre Casting Assistant, shares his experiences of getting started in his career, typecasting and diversity. By Jatinder Chera Deciding to become an actor is like choosing orange juice with juicy bits. Most people will push you toward smooth. Smooth is easier. Smooth is more stable. Smooth…
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Are Sci-fi and Fantasy Helping to Level the Acting Playing Field?
Actor Sam Otto explores how fantasy and science fiction could be leading the way in creating space for racially diverse performers. There’s been something of a paradigm shift over the past few years in our media in terms of racial inclusivity. Battered into the cultural consciousness by political movements such as #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite and BLM,…
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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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Both Not Half: We Need to Change How We Think about Mixed Heritage Casting
In early 2019 I improvised a comedy video in Punjabi. I shot a few angles and cut it together on my phone. I had zero expectations but, inspired by the likes of JusReign and Guz Khan, I was aware that under the right circumstances it might create opportunity. I tapped ‘post’. It went viral. While the…
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Acting With Dyslexia
Tips for navigating the stage as a dyslexic performer and advice for industry professionals when working with neurodiverse actors. It’s estimated that around 10% of the British population are dyslexic. But that figure leaps dramatically to around a third within the performing arts! Acting, dancing and singing often appeal to those who struggle to express themselves or…
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BFI Flare: The Complexities of LGBTQ+ Casting
Spotlight recently partnered on Casting Case Studies, an event in BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival’s Industry Programme that explored individual experiences of LGBTQ+ casting, the challenges faced by transgender performers, and the ethics of street casting to reflect real life experiences. The panel on 29th March, hosted by Spotlight’s Emma Dyson, was formed by…