Establishing a career in the West End..how does it work?

[Glinda172xxx]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 2:35am

Hi everyone,

I am from the UK currently having the time of my life whilst studying for my BFA in Musical Theatre in NYC. I also went to a performing arts school in London.

Obviously my knowledge of the business has grown greatly with my training and I feel very connected to how the business generally works over here in the USA. I know that at some point I may have to return to London to establish a career due to Equity issues over here etc. I feel completely disconnected from how the theatre scene works in the UK and especially in the West End.

Can someone kindly fill me in? I understand that there are no large 'cattle calls' that there are over here in the US. Also I would say there is a smaller regional/touring scene, and from what I can gather there is no way the huge Equity/Non-Equity divide that is over here! I get the feeling that pretty much everything is arranged by agent is this true?

I guess if i came back without establishing some kind of relationship with an international agent then I would just be one of the many of people seeking representation!

Any replies would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance:)

[Reviewer]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 4:29am

www.performingarts-auditionguide.com - will answer all your questions. Also check out www.thestage.co.uk/events

[Spotlight61]

Posted: 5/17/12 at 5:19am

Most but not all auditions are arranged through agents.

Some casting is 'open' in the sense that casting director's will advertise the roles via a subscription casting service, 'Castweb' comes to mind.

I haven't seen an open call for sometime.

As for the regional scene this too is predominantly cast via professional agents.

However, don't lose heart. There is much to be gained from writing directly to casting director's especially those more associated with musical theate casting like Pippa Ailion, Debbie O'Brien and Anne Vosser. Writing directly to Cameron Mackintosh, can also result in being called in for a generic audition.

I would always say it is essential that all performers are totally and personally pro-active in chasing their hopes and dreams and promoting their talent. An over reliance on agents can become a negative, as not all agents are used when casting and relying too heavily upon an agent can create untold frustration.

Producers want their shows to be cast with talent and not all talent is represented.