{"id":1434,"date":"2020-09-23T09:02:31","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T09:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=1434"},"modified":"2023-12-13T17:25:14","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T17:25:14","slug":"casting-directors-on-diversity-self-tapes-and-auditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-industry\/casting-directors-on-diversity-self-tapes-and-auditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Casting Directors on Diversity, Self-Taping and Auditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>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.<\/h3>\n<p>We hosted a Zoom event for Spotlight members to hear from casting directors Aisha Bywaters, Lauren Evans and Kelly Valentine Hendry. Here&#8217;s a taste of all the great advice they shared&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"quoteMacro style1 noAuthorImage\">\n<div class=\"quoteText\">\n<div class=\"quoteTextInner\">If ethnicity doesn\u2019t feed into the narrative, we can ask why it has to be this character, can we keep it open and find the best person for the job to make sure everyone is having an opportunity? Because I think that&#8217;s what is lacking, the opportunity.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorInformation\">\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorName\">Lauren Evans<\/div>\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorDescription\">Casting Director<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4>What do you do to encourage diversity?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0Briefs go out to all agents and personal managers. We make sure that agencies of all sizes are getting the briefs, so we\u2019re not limiting it to, as some people think, the top agencies. It goes out to everyone. I don\u2019t know who&#8217;s out there and it\u2019s my job to find out. I\u2019d do myself a disservice by doing a tailored list of agencies, even though it\u2019s a longer process to sieve through &#8211; it\u2019s part of the job.<\/p>\n<p>I keep all the [appearances] open so you don\u2019t limit anything. I think challenge characters or writing where possible. If ethnicity doesn\u2019t feed into the narrative, we can ask why it has to be this character, can we keep it open and find the best person for the job to make sure everyone is having an opportunity? Because I think that&#8217;s what is lacking, the opportunity. Ensuring we look at different groups of underrepresented people &#8211; whether it\u2019s disabled actors or trans, non-binary &#8211; and making sure we go to them rather than waiting for them to come to us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0A lot of what Lauren says rings true, some of this is definitely for us to question and push but it&#8217;s also much bigger than us. It&#8217;s on a level of what&#8217;s commissioned. There comes a point where if you\u2019re speaking to a team who have lived a certain life, it\u2019s asking them to open it up and sometimes they might be willing to but they are also like &#8216;this is based on my point of view&#8217;. In that regard, it\u2019s also what is filtering down to us.<\/p>\n<p>From moment one when you get that script and those roles, you\u2019re asking the questions of can we open this up? Can we play with this? If you are writing a role about someone who came from the Windrush are you going to cast an actor of Black African descent? How far are we taking this? We\u2019ve got to work out those fine things. If it\u2019s someone who has a disability are we going to look for someone who has that disability to honour exactly what&#8217;s there or are we going to make it broader and if so, how do we justify it because it might be a question we are asked?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kelly:<\/strong>\u00a0We used to pussyfoot around these conversations, so a script would land and you would read it and think, some things need to be changed here. You would think about how you\u2019d politely go about explaining to your bosses effectively that this is not okay. Now we have the confidence to speak out.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s face it, all the stories that we\u2019re getting told are being told through the lens of white men and there\u2019s no getting around that. It\u2019s definitely changing but it&#8217;s still the predominant story that\u2019s being told.\u00a0Many of us casting directors are women so I think we\u2019ve started to be able to push back on that.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t think the writers were doing it on purpose, it was just their lens so actually it took a bit of help and surrounding themselves with people who could filter into that. It\u2019s not there yet. It&#8217;s actually quite shocking when you sit in a read-through and, let\u2019s face it, it\u2019s a room full of white people and you might have a story that is written by a Black artist for example. Pretty much everyone around the back of the room is white and it\u2019s changing but not quickly enough. I think we are going in the right direction and people are definitely more willing to listen.<\/p>\n<h4>Do you actively seek actors from diverse backgrounds for roles that don\u2019t necessarily mention specific characteristics e.g. trans? If so how do the actors raise their visibility so you know how to find them?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0I find that Twitter is a good place. I get a lot of emails but I&#8217;m always happy to be informed more directly or by agents. Any medium really, it&#8217;s always good to be educated on more actors.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s always about challenging, I think that\u2019s definitely what\u2019s been happening in the past few years anyway, challenging the perception of roles and how they are played.<\/p>\n<p>In terms of people being visible, I\u2019m probably not being contacted that much by disabled actors but I\u2019m being spoken to a lot by disabled agencies about working more with their actors.<\/p>\n<p>Like Lauren said social media is definitely a way forward. Sometimes, by things you\u2019ve looked for, you have these contacts and you keep in contact with them but there\u2019s so much more I could be doing, so much more I could be learning. I\u2019m not going to sit here and say I\u2019ve got it all together at all, it\u2019s a process, but I am completely open to it. Sometimes you\u2019re just doing your work and sometimes you get blinded by that. We have all [recently] had a moment to stop and it&#8217;s quite important actually because it does allow you time and that\u2019s been great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0I think it\u2019s about trying to make sure you keep trying to get them in because what I\u2019ve seen so much recently is trans actors writing in saying &#8216;I would love you to keep me in my mind for trans roles&#8217; and of course that&#8217;s a given but that&#8217;s not all that you&#8217;re right for. We should be seeing them for all types of cisgender roles. It\u2019s definitely a work in progress.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kelly<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0Casting directors were thought upon in the past as these people you just can\u2019t approach. If we can make the casting room a safe space so if you want to tell us you&#8217;re a trans actor in confidence because it makes you feel better and more secure and safe in the room just in case, further down the line&#8230; Say an actor is trans and they\u2019ve got the role and then further down in the script there\u2019s something that may become problematic, where they may have to tell someone certain things and whether or not that is something that should be brought up at the point of the audition. There are lots of areas like that. There are lots of tiny things that we would never think about so it\u2019s working out if you can trust us with information. It\u2019s unbelievable what people tell us in casting rooms and it is completely confidential, we should be a safe space, I think if you feel safe then you do your best work.<\/p>\n<h4>How do you like to be contacted &#8211; has it changed during lockdown?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0I like to be emailed. I always say an email can\u2019t harm me, so feel free, I can open them in my own time. I do respond if there\u2019s a reason to, which I think sometimes slightly freaks people out because [they aren\u2019t always expecting it]. If I don\u2019t respond don\u2019t take offence, there\u2019s a lot of emails, but if there is a reason to, I do, and that hasn\u2019t changed the way I\u2019ve been in contact with people over lockdown.<\/p>\n<p>The only thing over lockdown which I can say has been slightly troublesome, not for me, is that I am pregnant and having a lovely time &#8211; mainly lying down! Sometimes [people have said] &#8216;some casting directors are doing one to ones or taking generals, what are you doing?&#8217; I know that people are free and they want to utilise their time but I just think they need to remember that we are just people in many different situations.<\/p>\n<p>We run small businesses and it\u2019s been a difficult time for some of us so you just have to go into that respectfully. If you want to ask, ask but just remember that. I love actors and I want to support your journey and be part of that but you don\u2019t know who&#8217;s got kids or how people&#8217;s lives are in this situation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lauren<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m very happy to be sent an email. Nice and clear, concise with links, Spotlight link or CV and headshot.\u00a0What I&#8217;ve had loads of recently is a really lovely email, with their background, who they are, but no headshot or snapshot or anything and it\u2019s very hard to even consider them or keep it on file without that.<\/p>\n<p>As Aisha said, you never know what other people are up to. They might have elderly relatives or they just need the break. As Kelly said earlier this is a very all-consuming job and we tend to work intensely on projects with a view to having some time off at some point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kelly<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0If I&#8217;m being honest I haven\u2019t been paid since February. Not a penny. I have staff who are furloughed because they\u2019re on PAYE, so at least the system works.\u00a0I\u2019ve got loads of development, there are tonnes of low budget films now popping up because they are the ones that might actually go ahead with a very small cast but they\u2019ve got no funding so I feel like how I was 10 years ago in my career.<\/p>\n<p>I go through phases where I wake up and I feel quite down about everything, actually, if I&#8217;m being honest I&#8217;m scared of going back to work now because of what it&#8217;s going to look like. Are we going to get jobs based on whether we are going to take castings? Are there going to be some casting directors that are going to do sessions?<\/p>\n<p>Answering the actual question, an email is fine. When my mind is on a project I am much more likely to do something with that email.<\/p>\n<h4>Is work picking up?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Kelly<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0It&#8217;s starting to pick up, all the shows are starting to be talked about, budgets are starting to come through, we are starting to see the greenlights happening, it&#8217;s all going to happen at once.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lauren<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0Conversations are happening, but of course with\u00a0<em>Sex Education<\/em>\u00a0we have the additional problem of shooting in Wales where the laws are different. There\u2019s an added complexity but there are conversations happening which are all very positive. I just can\u2019t wait for it all to get back up and running.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aisha<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0I did my second Zoom casting today, which actually works so much better than I ever thought it would, I\u2019ve really enjoyed them, so that&#8217;s great. I like to use the pin video [feature on Zoom] with the actor, so they can pin me and I can pin them so it&#8217;s just the two of us speaking. They seem to enjoy that\u00a0but I really do miss being in the room and just meeting someone and getting a sense of them, so I&#8217;m sort of wondering what happens there. Is it just you get used to video and a video sense of someone? I don\u2019t think you can ever replace being in the room with someone but it has worked and the channel is happy with it.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"quoteMacro style1 noAuthorImage\">\n<div class=\"quoteText\">\n<div class=\"quoteTextInner\">For me, the only way to stand out [in self-tapes] is to just do the scene. There\u2019s a reason why that scene was picked. Look at the scene, find out what your character is trying to say and be authentic with it. That&#8217;s it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorInformation\">\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorName\">Aisha Bywaters<\/div>\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorDescription\">Casting Director<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4>How can actors stand out when sending in self-tapes?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0What I would say, for me, is the only way to stand out is to just do the scene. There\u2019s a reason why that scene was picked. Look at the scene, find out what your character is trying to say and be authentic with it. That&#8217;s it.<\/p>\n<p>I understand this sort of ambition to do something bold, but the problem is, sometimes I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing so it&#8217;s confusing because it&#8217;s not the scene, you\u2019ve developed a situation. So I think the boldest thing to do is just stick to it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kelly:<\/strong>\u00a0When you\u2019re getting through hundreds of self-tapes and sometimes the quality is just so bad you don\u2019t bother. When you have to present only three or five people to a director you want them to be as good as possible because it&#8217;s a reflection on you. You can\u2019t put up five, six, seven poor tapes.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure you can do the best you can, sound-wise, background-wise. It doesn&#8217;t mean spending a lot of money just look back on it and use your own common sense and ask yourself does this look good enough.\u00a0I need to be able to hear you. I can\u2019t believe the state of some of the self-tapes I get in. Take a second to look back at it properly, not just at what you\u2019re doing. Just don\u2019t overdo it, do what&#8217;s asked of you.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the casting office, we send a sheet that goes with our self-tapes that even has a photograph of how the self-tapes in landscape should look, how you label it, the format&#8230; It makes it easier for us and if you&#8217;re in the camp that\u2019s done that correctly, you&#8217;re already putting yourself ahead of those that haven\u2019t and that&#8217;s before I&#8217;ve even seen the tape.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m not as thorough as Kelly. What I\u2019ve found during lockdown is lots and lots of tapes come in one day and you start to download them and no one\u2019s named their file. Suddenly, [a file] has stopped downloading and you can\u2019t remember whose file that is, so even just the simplest of technical aspects is to name your file.<\/p>\n<h4>Do you like to see multiple takes or just a single take in self-tapes?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0For me, I like to see no more than two if you really think there are two distinctively different ways to play something. If there aren\u2019t then there&#8217;s no need to. Be selective. I think you\u2019ve just got to trust yourself and your craft.<\/p>\n<h4>If you don\u2019t have any material for your showreel, do you think it\u2019s beneficial to use some self-recorded material?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0This is so subjective. I would rather not have anything there if they feel like what they have is either low quality or not suitable. You have to get material that feels right for them rather than them attempting to do either a monologue to camera or something that doesn\u2019t feel like its good quality.<\/p>\n<p>I know a lot of people would rather see something but sometimes I think it&#8217;s more of a hindrance than a help, especially for the actor, where you almost dismiss them from what they\u2019ve created themselves out of some sort of desperation to be seen. So I would rather they not do it, wait until they\u2019ve accumulated some work and I&#8217;ll just take a chance on getting them in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0Yeah, I completely agree. If you don\u2019t have the credits, you don\u2019t have the credits. We\u2019ve all had to start somewhere and I think it\u2019s better to be a bit elusive then do yourself a disservice and for, want of a better word, sometimes with some of the lower quality showreels it\u2019s a bit uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kelly:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019ve got to get into the head of the individual casting director, I completely agree with both of them. If we find someone new, we look good, It&#8217;s just the way it works so we are looking for a reason not to bring you in, that&#8217;s what I always think. Because you go &#8216;oooh they look good, I don\u2019t know them\u2026&#8217; and then you go looking for the reasons for your interest not to be valid and you\u2019d go straight to showreel. If it\u2019s there and not good enough you go &#8216;oh no, I don\u2019t think it&#8217;s good&#8217; or, as Lauren said, you go &#8216;oh they&#8217;ve got nothing, they\u2019re elusive&#8217;. I&#8217;m going to bring them in and give them a chance.<\/p>\n<p>Now, having said that, I think in this period of time, I\u2019m very aware that a lot of the drama schools have had no other option than to do some monologues as part of their course and as a way to be seen, so I think at this time I wouldn\u2019t be so quick to dismiss that even though I don\u2019t like that. Right now we will be a little more open to it although it\u2019s not industry standard.<\/p>\n<h4>What is a quality an actor has offered in the audition room that has helped them land the role?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0I find it very endearing when someone is just completely themselves and there&#8217;s no form of acting, It&#8217;s just an extension of who they are.\u00a0Amy Lou Wood who came in for\u00a0<em>Sex Education<\/em>\u00a0was just her and brought in these fantastic ad-libs and bought her personality. It shone through and I think it\u2019s incredible when someone can do that rather than feel like \u2018right, the camera\u2019s rolling, I\u2019m someone else\u2019. You can sort of see through that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0The thing is, the probability of you getting that role in that audition may be quite slim sometimes if we&#8217;ve seen a lot of people, but you leaving that audition with me understanding who you are, who you are as an actor and how to cast you is massively helpful to me. So moving forward I&#8217;ve got a real sense [of you], so if this script comes in and I think we&#8217;ve got to get that person in, that quality that they have works perfectly for this. So if you come in and be yourself, I can get that sense and really know how to utilise you and what you have. It&#8217;s really hard when people are just trying to second guess the whole experience like it&#8217;s a trick. We should be people that are approachable, I just wanna get to know you.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"quoteMacro style1 noAuthorImage\">\n<div class=\"quoteText\">\n<div class=\"quoteTextInner\">If you are given a note it&#8217;s your chance to show the director they can work with you. I can&#8217;t tell you how many people mess that up and it&#8217;s definitely a pressure thing<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer>\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorInformation\">\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorName\">Kelly Valentine Hendry<\/div>\n<div class=\"quoteAuthorDescription\">Casting Director<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4>Do you bring back people who you\u2019ve seen for other castings that you think would be suitable for another role?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0Yeah definitely,\u00a0I don\u2019t think you are auditioning for that role you are auditioning for me, for the producer, the director and everything we are going to do. There have\u00a0been so many times where a director has said to me \u2018can we get this person? They were amazing. They didn\u2019t get a role last time but I just really like them\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kelly:<\/strong>\u00a0People who\u2019ve been neck-and-neck, the person\u2019s lost the job because even though they did the read the first time and it&#8217;s actually 90% there and the director loves it. But then the director gives a bit of direction, even a tiny change, and that person doesn\u2019t do it. The amount of times a director has gone, \u2018I really loved their first take but I\u2019m worried that after we talked for two minutes and did it again, they did it exactly the same way\u2019. Now we are all sitting there as casting directors going, we\u00a0<em>know<\/em>\u00a0they can change. It&#8217;s just the director or producer can sometimes forget the horrible pressure that is a casting.<\/p>\n<p>Be careful about that second read and what you do with it. If you are given a note it&#8217;s your chance to show the director they can work with you. I can&#8217;t tell you how many people mess that up and it&#8217;s definitely a pressure thing. Auditions are a skill, hats off to commercial actors, there&#8217;s a technique to it, they leave everything at the door, come in, do what&#8217;s asked and leave within 30 seconds, it\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n<h4>What would you recommend to actors as a good way of spending their time to develop as professionals at the moment?<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Kelly:<\/strong>\u00a0If you&#8217;re healthy and your family are healthy and you financially don\u2019t have worries I would just take this time to just be yourself, be healthy and be ready.\u00a0There&#8217;s all the obvious things you can do, you can practise doing self-tapes etc but at the end of the day I think the best acting is always done when you\u2019re at your healthiest and most happy with yourself.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re battling with any mental struggles, use the time to put yourself at the very best place for you to go forward and know that there are a lot of people doing the same thing. You\u2019re not not getting a job right now, you are fine. Be happy, Zoom your friends, make those connections to give yourself that baseline for you to jump off next time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aisha:<\/strong>\u00a0I love that advice, I want to do that too. The only practical thing that I can probably say is if you do struggle with taping than this is the time to look into that because it does feel like that is going to be the first thing that comes back. Get your set up correct. In the Zoom meetings, I\u2019m recording from the screen and some people\u2019s quality isn&#8217;t that great. Is it their internet? Is it their computer or phone? Is that going to hinder what the channel and the execs think of them and how that decision is made?<\/p>\n<p>Kelly is completely right, if you\u2019re cool with yourself, that is going to come across when we come back. I love nothing more than meeting an actor who is just, you can feel it when an actor is in a good place.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lauren:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s exactly that, just remember we are all in the same boat, it\u2019s not like the world is going on and only a handful of actors aren\u2019t getting an opportunity. Catch up on TV, film, the personal admin you\u2019ve always wanted to do but always put off, read that book, enjoy the weather, because once it all gets back to normal it&#8217;s all going to go pretty insane. I just think enjoy it as much as you possibly can.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks so much to Aisha, Lauren and Kelly for their time and insight.<\/p>\n<p>We have lots more advice about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tags=casting%20directors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">casting<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tags=diversity%2Finclusivity\">diversity in the industry<\/a>\u00a0and tips for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/?tags=self-taping\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">setting up your self-tape<\/a>. You can also find out how we&#8217;re busy working behind-the-scenes to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/help-and-faqs\/updating-your-spotlight-profile\/\">help improve the chances of you being found on Spotlight<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/aishabywaters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aisha Bywaters<\/a>\u00a0is a casting director working across film, TV, music videos and commercials. Her credits as a casting director include \u2018Cyberbully\u2019, \u2018The Watchman\u2019 and \u2018Enterprice\u2019 for TV. Her film credits include \u2018Dirty God\u2019 and \u2018The Last Tree\u2019. For her work on the \u2018Last Tree\u2019, she was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for best casting alongside Shaheen Baig.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecdg.co.uk\/members\/laurenevans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lauren Evans\u00a0<\/a>began her casting career working for Kate Dowd from there she spent six years working with Nina Gold on various feature films and TV series, notable projects include Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, King Lear, Mr Turner and The Danish Girl. Most recently Lauren independently cast Sex Education for Netflix and the \u2018Gavin &amp; Stacey: A Christmas Special\u2019 for the BBC.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/kvhcasting.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kelly Valentine Hendry<\/a>\u00a0is the lead casting director and owner of KVH casting alongside Alex Irwin, Lily Hanbury and Cole Edwards. They have worked together on many films and TV projects including the recent \u2018Gangs of London\u2019, \u2018The Last Kingdom\u2019, \u2018Broadchurch\u2019, \u2018Fleabag\u2019 and \u2018The Spy\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8217;s a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[72,64,96,157,71,74],"class_list":["post-1434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-industry","tag-auditions","tag-casting-directors","tag-diversity-inclusivity","tag-long-read","tag-self-taping","tag-showreels"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Casting Directors on Diversity, Self-Taping and Auditions | Spotlight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-industry\/casting-directors-on-diversity-self-tapes-and-auditions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Casting Directors on Diversity, Self-Taping and Auditions | Spotlight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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. 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