![\"\"](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/spotlightuk\/image\/fetch\/w_{width},c_limit\/https:\/\/spotlight-cmsmedia.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/media\/1448\/06.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\nShow us your enthusiasm \u2013 we want to work with positive people<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cWe do it for the adoration of theatre, so if I can tell from a casting (which might be 20 minutes) that you adore acting, or adore the process from the first reading to the first preview show, then that\u2019s attractive. You want to work with people who are just as keen as you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Share your ideas about the specific role \u2013 don\u2019t just cut and paste applications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cThe castings do have lots of applicants, so the first thing I look at is whether it\u2019s a sort of cut and pasted application \u2013 when people leave the name in caps ready to be changed, and it doesn\u2019t say anything about us or the show. That for me is a no. I want them to address something about the play \u2013 all the shows we do are well known, you should have seen the script somewhere before, or at least read a breakdown online. So that is the first thing: I need to know why you want it, what attracts you to the role.\u201d<\/p>\n
It won\u2019t necessarily be about your experience to date \u2013 we are open minded about the right performers for the part<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt\u2019s a great deal to do with what [the actor or actress] brings on the day \u2013 we don\u2019t look for particular experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people wouldn\u2019t cast from actors who haven\u2019t done Shakespeare before – I don\u2019t hold that view. How can you get Shakespeare experience if you don\u2019t have Shakespeare experience?\u201d<\/p>\n
Show team spirit \u2013 be ready to get stuck in<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cYou need to be keen and energised \u2013 you need to be willing to help out and be involved. We don\u2019t have a huge crew, so it is a team effort. Everyone rolls up sleeves and gets on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/spotlightuk\/image\/fetch\/w_1536,c_limit\/https:\/\/spotlight-cmsmedia.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/media\/1449\/04.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\nBe patient \u2013 there\u2019s always room for new faces to join a core group of actors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cOnce you\u2019re in Arrows & Traps, if the role is right for you, we would have a chat. If it\u2019s something big \u2013 so Iago, for instance, you may have to read, but I offer to both the Arrows and new people, to keep things fresh. We have had a few where I thought certain roles would be great for certain members of our core, but I would never just keep all our cast identical. We always thread through new faces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Try to keep calm \u2013 you\u2019re allowed to make mistakes!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cI try to make the audition as non-stressful as possible but I can completely understand it is a stressful process. The biggest thing you see is when people do go wrong and have to start again \u2013 their confidence levels are thrown. The truth is that I don\u2019t care. You can have three or four goes, the important thing is to stay calm! If you get too in your head and you start to overthink things you lose the energy and flow of it. And it then becomes stressful for both of us \u2013 it becomes awkward for all of us in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Show up in person \u2013 show that you are interested in what we do<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cWe really like it when young actors have seen that we are casting, worked out when the shows are, come along, seen it, found me or one of the other actors and introduced themselves \u2013 that just works better. Then they\u2019re more than just an email address and a headshot \u2013 they\u2019ve expressed interest as well. In fact, everyone in Crime and Punishment did that; they all came and approached us. We get a lot of emails in a week and we run workshops and things, which are good ways to get introduced. They aren\u2019t too expensive \u2013 usually \u00a310 or so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe castings do have lots of applicants, so the first thing I look at is whether it\u2019s a sort of cut and pasted application \u2013 when people leave the name in caps ready to be changed, and it doesn\u2019t say anything about us or the show. That for me is a no. I want them to address something about the play \u2013 all the shows we do are well known, you should have seen the script somewhere before, or at least read a breakdown online. So that is the first thing: I need to know why you want it, what attracts you to the role.\u201d<\/p>\n
It won\u2019t necessarily be about your experience to date \u2013 we are open minded about the right performers for the part<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cIt\u2019s a great deal to do with what [the actor or actress] brings on the day \u2013 we don\u2019t look for particular experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people wouldn\u2019t cast from actors who haven\u2019t done Shakespeare before – I don\u2019t hold that view. How can you get Shakespeare experience if you don\u2019t have Shakespeare experience?\u201d<\/p>\n
Show team spirit \u2013 be ready to get stuck in<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cYou need to be keen and energised \u2013 you need to be willing to help out and be involved. We don\u2019t have a huge crew, so it is a team effort. Everyone rolls up sleeves and gets on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\nBe patient \u2013 there\u2019s always room for new faces to join a core group of actors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cOnce you\u2019re in Arrows & Traps, if the role is right for you, we would have a chat. If it\u2019s something big \u2013 so Iago, for instance, you may have to read, but I offer to both the Arrows and new people, to keep things fresh. We have had a few where I thought certain roles would be great for certain members of our core, but I would never just keep all our cast identical. We always thread through new faces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Try to keep calm \u2013 you\u2019re allowed to make mistakes!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cI try to make the audition as non-stressful as possible but I can completely understand it is a stressful process. The biggest thing you see is when people do go wrong and have to start again \u2013 their confidence levels are thrown. The truth is that I don\u2019t care. You can have three or four goes, the important thing is to stay calm! If you get too in your head and you start to overthink things you lose the energy and flow of it. And it then becomes stressful for both of us \u2013 it becomes awkward for all of us in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Show up in person \u2013 show that you are interested in what we do<\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cWe really like it when young actors have seen that we are casting, worked out when the shows are, come along, seen it, found me or one of the other actors and introduced themselves \u2013 that just works better. Then they\u2019re more than just an email address and a headshot \u2013 they\u2019ve expressed interest as well. In fact, everyone in Crime and Punishment did that; they all came and approached us. We get a lot of emails in a week and we run workshops and things, which are good ways to get introduced. They aren\u2019t too expensive \u2013 usually \u00a310 or so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to be keen and energised \u2013 you need to be willing to help out and be involved. We don\u2019t have a huge crew, so it is a team effort. Everyone rolls up sleeves and gets on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you\u2019re in Arrows & Traps, if the role is right for you, we would have a chat. If it\u2019s something big \u2013 so Iago, for instance, you may have to read, but I offer to both the Arrows and new people, to keep things fresh. We have had a few where I thought certain roles would be great for certain members of our core, but I would never just keep all our cast identical. We always thread through new faces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI try to make the audition as non-stressful as possible but I can completely understand it is a stressful process. The biggest thing you see is when people do go wrong and have to start again \u2013 their confidence levels are thrown. The truth is that I don\u2019t care. You can have three or four goes, the important thing is to stay calm! If you get too in your head and you start to overthink things you lose the energy and flow of it. And it then becomes stressful for both of us \u2013 it becomes awkward for all of us in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe really like it when young actors have seen that we are casting, worked out when the shows are, come along, seen it, found me or one of the other actors and introduced themselves \u2013 that just works better. Then they\u2019re more than just an email address and a headshot \u2013 they\u2019ve expressed interest as well. In fact, everyone in Crime and Punishment did that; they all came and approached us. We get a lot of emails in a week and we run workshops and things, which are good ways to get introduced. They aren\u2019t too expensive \u2013 usually \u00a310 or so.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/spotlightuk\/image\/fetch\/w_{width},c_limit\/https:\/\/spotlight-cmsmedia.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/media\/1449\/04.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\nBe patient \u2013 there\u2019s always room for new faces to join a core group of actors<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Try to keep calm \u2013 you\u2019re allowed to make mistakes!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Show up in person \u2013 show that you are interested in what we do<\/strong><\/h3>\n