Traverse Theatre will be holding Scottish Casting Network workshops on Monday, 23 June 2025
The workshops will be held in Traverse 1, Traverse Theatre. To apply to be part of one of the workshops please complete the Google Form application before 5pm on Sunday, 11 May 2025.
There are 48 places across three sessions on the day. All applicants will be notified if they have a space or not by Friday, 23 May 2025.
Applications are open for all actors with a base in Scotland. Attending legacy Scottish Casting Workshops prior to 2025 does not preclude you from applying to the Scottish Casting Network workshops.
For actors from the d/Deaf community: please ensure you let us know if you require a BSL interpreter and if you would prefer to perform in English or in BSL.
For actors with specific access requirements, please ensure the access requirements section is completed.
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is looking for adults who are part of the Global Majority to take part in a Creative Response Project to Marriage Material.
Over 3 weeks, led by Neetu Singh, you will creatively explore the themes of our upcoming main house show, Marriage Material, by Gupreet Kaur Bhatti. You will work as a company to create and perform a brand new show in the Lyric Hammersmith Studio on Friday 27 June 2025 for an invited audience!
This is open to all levels of abilities and no previous performance or theatre experience is required. We particularly encourage applicants from a South Asian heritage, or who are neuro divergent, d/Deaf, disabled, part of the LGBTQ+ community, those from low-income households, those in care, are care leavers, or are carers.
Applications are now open for the 2025-26 cohort of the Bridge the Gap Producer Programme!
Apply to be one of 10 emerging producers from underrepresented backgrounds to take part in this year long development programme; gaining skills in commercial producing through monthly workshops, a mentor, coaching sessions, tickets to shows, access to grants and more!
Deadline: 12 noon on Friday 9 May
Apply online via our website.
Not sure if it's for you? Find out some more info in our Should I Apply? guide.
Stage One created Bridge the Gap to diversify the current field of commercial theatre producers and therefore strongly encourages individuals from underrepresented backgrounds and outside of London to apply. We want to support people from a Global Majority background, who identify as working class or from a lower socio-economic background, are LGBTQIA+, those that have a disability and/or are neurodivergent and/or those from a culturally or religiously Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim or Sikh background.
This year's Optimist Summer 2025 course is suitable for emerging producers, artists, and creative practitioners who are hoping to develop their skills as professional producers, or as a producer of their own work, in the subsidised arts sector.
Drawing on China Plate’s extensive experience and real examples in theatre producing, The Optimists provides knowledge and insight on the practicalities of making, funding, touring, and promoting your work.
The Optimists course is led by China Plate, with the support of guest industry experts and speakers.
The course is open to participants nationwide, and those working across different art forms (e.g., dance, live art, spoken word, etc.) but has a particular focus on producing and touring live work in the theatre industry.
Sessions: 10 in-person sessions taking place over 7 weeks
Dates: Between Saturday 14 June and Saturday 2 August 2025
Location: Venues across the West Midlands
Spaces: For up to 20 participants
Costs:
Bursaries are available, covering the full cost of the course, to those who have faced prejudice, discrimination and/or cultural barriers due to factors including (but not limited to) race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, neurodiversity, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.
Deadline for applications is 12pm (midday) on Friday 23 May
Please visit our website for more information about the course, including application guidelines and details on how to apply. Accessible formats are available, including BSL & captioned and audio introductions about the course, alongside large print formats.
If you have any questions, please contact our Training & Development Producer, Kristina through the email address shared below.
Free space to share film and digital projects.
Applications for Delivision are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Theatre Deli is inviting artists to project work onto the screen in the communal area of their Leadenhall Street venue. This is an unpaid opportunity, offering artists a platform to share their work with other creatives.
Your work can be on any theme or subject.
See our Accessibility Guide for information about access in our venue.
We particularly welcome applications from marginalised and underrepresented groups. We welcome applications from artists based in the UK and abroad.
When starting my training, back in 2019, I was yet to come out as trans. I was proudly a part of the queer community but hadn’t come to terms with my gender. Growing up in Somerset, my childhood wasn’t one that was surrounded by queer people; that really changed overnight when I moved to London at 19. It felt as though there were more queer people than not. Not long into my 2nd year during theatre training, I began using they/them pronouns - this was the start of my gender journey.
Throughout my time at drama school, I believe I stood as someone who really advocated for positive change in all areas of the training, so when I started to come out, I made sure to continue to do so. Things were inclusive at the school I trained in but, like most places, they still had work to do. Dance classes, historically, have been routed in ‘boys do this’ and ‘girls do that’ - so when you’re going through the process of working out who you are, hearing phrases that instantly whack you in a box that you don’t want to be in can be really hard.
Starting conversations and asking questions is a great place to start. Gendered toilets, wording in emails, dance uniforms - small things that can make a big difference. I was lucky enough to have constant open dialogue with the head of the drama school I went to - she always listened and sometimes ran things by me. Change usually happens when a majority disagree with something. If there are things that you don’t like or don’t agree with, speak to your peers. The more voices you have, the better. When it came to the 2nd Year musical, I wrote to the head of the school and said that I’d like to be given the chance to audition for one of the male leads - I was listened to, given the opportunity, and was cast in the role. People aren’t always reluctant to change, some just aren’t aware that it needs to happen!
Breaking into the industry as a graduate is hard. By the time I had done my first professional job, I was out as gender queer, but was still on a journey of self-discovery. I carried my attitude from drama school into the professional world; I wanted to be a part of the small group of trans people who were slowly changing and challenging the industry. I was lucky enough to sign with a wonderful agent who made it clear from our first conversation that they would be 100% up for supporting my journey as a performer and as a human being. Since signing with them I have been seen for roles that I never even thought I’d get in the room for, purely down to our working relationship. I am always honest with them if I feel something isn’t right for me and I always tell them when I think I’m right for something!
One thing that I always stand by is that being your authentic self only aids your performance ability. Easier said than done. When you walk into an audition knowing exactly who you are, it reads. When you are comfortable in yourself, you are your most relaxed. In my experience, this can lead to your best work!
I often reflect on how lucky I am to be in arguably the most accepting and inclusive industry when it comes to difference. It is far from perfect, but the majority of the industry is moving in a positive direction. I think that the acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community within the performance industry has aided the speed of my coming out process. I am lucky to currently be in a job that celebrates differences. The cast of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory are incredible and I’m grateful to be spending the next year and a half with them while we tour! We are a massively diverse group of humans who all celebrate each other. I feel very safe at work. I feel allowed to be authentically myself without fear of backlash or hate. I feel comfortable to be a proud trans man. As much as this should be the norm, I recognise that I am very privileged to feel this way!
Here are some of my top tips for fellow trans people who might be worried about training:
Find more theatre careers advice here
Published: 07/12/2022
Where do you start when you are looking for a career in the theatre industry? It’s challenging getting a job in any industry and the competitive nature of the theatre industry is often seen as a barrier. If you follow our top 10 tips, you will definitely be in a better position to not only get a job in the theatre industry but also be a success in your chosen field.
Having goals is something that will help you in the long run as it will give you something to work towards. But don’t forget, the journey to any career is never a straight, easy path - especially in theatre. There will be things that take you in all different directions and this is normal. As long as you don’t lose sight of what you want to gain and what you want your end goal to be, you will find the right career in theatre for you.
Not everyone wants to study and that’s fine because that’s not the only way to begin your theatre career or be successful within the theatre industry. There are so many ways to do this so you must do your research to find out what these ways are. We’ve made it easy for you because we’ve put all this information in one place. It’s good to have a rough idea of what job role you would like to pursue within the theatre industry. If you’re not sure what job in theatre you are best suited to, don’t worry. Our handy blogs describing different jobs within theatre will help give you an insight to the many different roles available and what you need to do to get there.
Take a look at our job descriptions here.
It will benefit you so much to have as much experience within your chosen area of theatre as possible, especially if you don’t want to study. If you don’t have a formal qualification (for example, a degree), having experience is what is going to make you stand out to potential employers when applying for jobs. Experience comes in many different forms but the three main forms are work experience, apprenticeships and internships. You can find information about all three of these experience opportunities here.
This is always a good suggestion because let’s face it, who doesn’t want to go to the theatre? Not only that but seeing a variety of different theatre shows will help you if you’re interested in a particular area of theatre e.g. if you’re interested in lighting you can take notes of lighting designs which peak your interest or are particularly inventive. Some theatre tickets can be a little expensive but don’t worry we’ve got that covered too. You can find a number of different ticket schemes where you can get discounted theatre tickets right here.
This is the 21st century and almost everything is on social media. Try and be as active as you can without becoming anti-social. It’s a great tool to keep up-to-date with industry news, shows and upcoming theatremakers. It may sound obvious but never post any offensive or discriminating posts on any of your social media channels. Some employers like to view their employees social media pages and you don’t want something inappropriate to pop up that you wrote 10 years ago!
This can be daunting but once you get into the flow of it, it can be really fun and so invaluable to you in the future. You should network every chance you get and this doesn’t always have to be at a networking event; it may be a fellow Performer you met at an audition or your best friends cousin who is the Head of Lighting behind Wicked the musical. There are also loads of networking events available for young theatremakers which you can find here.
It may be difficult at times to remain positive when starting out in a new career in theatre but it is really important to approach everything with positivity, especially when you’re going for interviews/auditions. If you’re an Actor auditioning can be constant throughout your career and you must always go into your auditions thinking that anything is possible. This is the same with any interviews for offstage roles too. If you go in with a negative attitude it will only go downhill from there.
When you’re new in the industry (even when you are more established) you’re likely to make mistakes. Of course you are, you’re only human and this is totally natural. Accept you have made a mistake but always make sure you have learnt from the experience and then move on to the next thing. There is no need to lose sleep over a little mistake because this may affect your ability to complete other tasks and could lead you to make more mistakes. Accept it, learn from it and move on to the next thing.
When you’re at the very beginning of your career in theatre, it’s wise to be realistic about what you want to achieve as well as what you are able to achieve. If you begin with an unrealistic goal it is unlikely you will get there at the beginning of your career and this can knock your confidence. Remember, every little step counts and these things take time.
Fringe Theatres and Festivals are a popular way to get a new piece of theatre noticed and produced. It can also be a great way to kick start your theatre career. Fringe venues are all over the country and features every type of theatre you can imagine. Most shows are brand new that no one has ever seen before. One of the more well-known fringe festivals is Edinburgh Fringe. The TV show Fleabag started as a one woman show at the Festival. It was later adapted into an internationally famous award-winning TV show that we all know. Fringe theatre is a great opportunity to learn, get tips and ideas on theatre, performance, comedy and more, the sky's the limit. Remember to always make sure you are paid fairly when working on the fringe.
https://www.ypia.co.uk/posts/10-tips-for-getting-into-theatre
https://targetcareers.co.uk/career-sectors/arts-and-creative/1015387-careers-in-theatre
