ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
I am sharing what happened the other day as an example of asking questions and watching out for warning signs, and keeping safe as an actor.

So on a social media acting group there was a casting for a TV station, seeking young people.  Not a lot of information but that could (at that stage) be someone not aware of group rules. Having some teens involved in my theatre company, I decided to ask for more information to pass on to our youngsters parents in case the info was legit and it would be something worthwhile to pass on.

As soon as I entered into conversation with the person, my alarm bells went off. I asked for location, pay/ expenses details, could anything done be used for portfolio/ CVs, how one would apply and what exactly they were looking for.

The person gave an address for auditions but missed out building name or number, and would not answer when asked other than to day they were hoping to move to another (undisclosed) venue . They also stated it was unpaid, but would not answer when asked if images/ video could be used for portfolio or showreels. They said a monologue was needed but then anyone accepted would need to attend a week long course "to learn to be good actors". They also didn't answer when I asked about chaperone arrangements etc.
So effectively that was a case of run a mile - anyone who is reticent about these things, or unwilling to answer (or acknowledge they have been asked even!) is definitely (IMHO) up to no good.
So with all my alarm bells going off, I ended the conversation.
About two later, the person started messaging me again, were my company youngsters coming to his audition? All quite pushy. Ultimately, I had to block him on Messenger.

As a general rule, theatre can generate a huge amount of waste - paper from printing, materials from props/ costuming and sets....
When I looked online for useful tips, I found a lot of tips for theatre venues, but not so much for production companies who are not based in any one building. I have seen brilliant things, like the Watermark theatre in Ivybridge, where the building is solar powered, but I have seen less for companies like us.

On a good note, for the simple reason of economy, we have to be eco-friendly. We wouldnt be able to afford to buy in brand new costumes, and new materials for sets and props. Not if we expected to earn any profit from the shows to use to pay our cast and crew. So, by force of circumstance, we have to use second hand items and remade items.
Despite doing high-grade historical and classical theatre; behind the scenes the vast majority of the things we use, are second-hand; we have learned over the years to remake, reuse and recycle.

Charity shops, freecycle, freegle and similar sources become our primary way of being able to create the costume and props for our shows. Very little of such items are bought new, other than consumables like paint, or glue. This is nessecary to save money, but at the same time, also means that most of our shows are created with recycled materials.

Other single use consumables have to be bought new; paper, ink being the promary ones for printing posters, scripts, marketing, letters, etc. In those cases, anything left over can be recycled.

Fundraising wise, we also recycle. We have table top sales to raise funds for rehearsal space- most of the items we sell are either unwanted items  (books/ bric-a-brac/ DVDs etc) cleared out from home, or crafts made from recycled items.

Electrical items get turned off when not in use - so we are saving  both power and money.

Because of having limited "show storage" at our rehearsal hall, consisting of a cupboard, each actor has a costume bag. We have recently made actors tote bags from spare fabric, for actors to keep thier costumes in, rather than using plastic carrier bags.

So, here is what we do with items after a show.

COSTUMES/ FABRIC
We make costumes to last. Unless it is something which has had to be dirtied or ripped apart, costumes are washed and stored away for future use, next time we do a show set in the same historical period.
If something is not worth keeping, there are other uses;  clean fabric can be torn up and saved as cleaning rags. "Dirtied" fabrics  can be washed and put in the green recycling box.

Buttons saved from old items that are being thrown away, are donated to The Naked Sheep, a family-run eco-wool clothing business in Cornwall who in turn help us with advertising.

PAPER & PRINTING
Some paper (posters/ flyers) printed on a single side can be kept as scrap paper for making notes on the blank side; the rest goes into the green bin for recycling.

Items that are useful for paper crafts are given to a local card-maker, to be used in making one-off greetings cards.

We save used ink cartridges for our fundraising and send them off to a company who give us a small donation for each cartridge they can recycle.

SET
If we have set pieces which we are not able to store, they are offered to other grassroots theatre companies, for a small donation, to be used again.

PLASTIC CONTAINERS
If plastic containers have contained food and or something else that is nothing toxic, we save them to grow plants in, to sell on our fundraising stalls for the team. Any surplus gets offered on Freecycle or again put in the green recycling box wherever possible.

BATTERIES
The vast majority are recharagable. Where they are not, one of our team takes them to a recycling point.

As a result, we are proud to say that due to a mixture of nessecity of recycling to be able to simply afford things, and through higher motivations as well, we have almost no landfill wastage from our shows.

I would be ever so interested in other companys approaches to how they recycle and reduce waste.

Laura

I am going to apologise at the start for what may seem like a rant, but this is something which seriously gets under my skin - and so I hear, under the skins of others in the area.

That is the assumption that if actors are local to an area where a production is taking place, that "local" somehow means less talented, less serious, less skilled and "just amatuer hobbyists".

Devon is a beautiful area for filming and for theatre - and not only are there many fantastic local productions, but also national, and international TV and film companies, advertising agencies, and others come down to make use of the amazing locations.

As a result very often, we are contacted by these companies looking for actors. This is, on the face of it, brilliant, and often can lead to some fantastic employment opportunities for us all.
Equally often however, and from extremely large international, and national production companies, we are contacted for castings, and told that "as we are just local" that we will not be paid (usually not even a busfare or portfolio photos/ showreel clips)  and should be doing it just for the fun and the "chance to be on TV".

Now the paid/ unpaid actors dispute is not what is at stake here. To be honest if there is a student or struggling indie project asking us to get involved, I, and most of the rest of our team, will be very happy, if available, to be involved for our fares, and portfolio material. We know first hand what it is like to be getting projects underway with zero funding (remember we started with the proceeds of a carboot sale, and still mainly rely on funds raised from tabletop sales etc, due to the difficulty of finding grant funding, even with national awards and international nominations under our belt, and a 12 year track record) and I know how heartbreaking it is to be able to offer profit share and portfolio material to our casts, when really as professionals they deserve full salaries. (I can honestly say we always end a project in the green and everyone gets paid and provided with a wealth of portfolio material, but that is not the point).

What I do object to, though, is multi-million pound companies, who CAN afford to pay actors, who want free labour and try to excuse it by the fact that "oh you're just local". That is not right. Large or small, you do what is within your means and feasable to recompense your cast and crew.

The "just local" stigma has another effect. When I am out promoting our next production (has to be done, otherwise no bums on seats and no money for our actors!) in our local towns, I instantly get met with a small but noticable percentage of people who say they would be very interested to come "if we were not local amatuers". When I (politely!) challenge this with the correction that we are local professionals, I get met with complete amazement and comments along the line of "but youre local, so I thought you must be amateur".
My standard response is that even the top Hollywood Oscar-winners, are local to somewhere, live in a town somewhere, where they are local. They live next door to someone (even if it is next mansion along!!!).

On the side of that, I have done amatuer theatre. I probably will again. I have many friends who do amatuer theatre and prefer to be hobbyists; that should no way impact on how the quality of thier shows is seen. The only difference is that professionals are paid for it, and amatuers arent. (and quite honestly if a big company wants to use actors for an amatuer organisation for thier project, then they should be recompensed the same as everyone else).  It is not an uncommon remark that some amateur shows can be amazing and some professional ones not (and vice versa).

There is an unconcious stereotyping and stigmatising that happens. Sadly it is the arts that suffer. Local actors (professional and amatuer) are usually highly skilled, and just because they may not have traveled from somewhere else for a production, does not make them less skilled! In fact they may be  greater assets to the production, with local knoweldge that can help as well (for example for an episode of a well-known daytime BBC programme, I was able to assist the producers with location scouting and arrangements in my hometown, instead of them having to travel down from London).

Instead of seeing "local" as a negative, see it as a positive: local people are creating something great, and working hard. People wouldnt say a local lawyer or doctor is anything but professional, so why assume that of actors?  Local knoweldge is available. Supporting local businesses and local people supports the local economy.

I am not sure how to break the stereotypes  - certainly one blog post won't do it, but if it reaches one person who stops to consider the points made, then it has made a difference - one drop in the ocean. And as a character says in the film Cloud Atlas; "What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?".

This is an article published on Talent Managers For Actors, by actor Christopher Nicholson, and shared here with his permission, as I feel it is something of great value to all of our members. 

I have found locally that people who come from an amateur or community background often don't understand the intricacies of NDAs in theatre and film productions - and offence can occur because people dont understand why it is important.

At a practical level, we always supply photos and videos marked for sharing and portfolios, to our cast and crew, but other things; scripts, training videos, internal discussions, are not for public sharing. The "done" thing is to always ask if something can be shared before doing so. However, supplying behind the scenes content for use, is a choice of the production company and not an industry standard.


Mr Nicholsons article:
Writer/Director here: There seems to be some confusion regarding NDAs.
An NDA is a Non Disclosure Agreement and binds the person who signs it to a contract that legally prohibits that person from discussing any details at all about the project, or even their involvement in it, with any third party, be they a spouse, an agent or anyone else. That person also cannot list that project on their resume, post about it on social media or mention it anywhere at all in any medium whatsoever UNTIL THAT NDA EXPIRES.
NDAs usually have an expiration date (traditionally, 5 years for projects and 2 years for meetings). The text in the NDA will outline the actual terms of its expiration. Only after this expiration date are you free to discuss the project, (and that includes mentioning it on your resume/CV, social media etc) even if the on-air or release date of said project is before the expiration date of the NDA.
Also, some NDAs do not have expiration dates and therefore can never be broken. A certain well-known and super-powerful Studio is tending not to have expiration dates listed on their NDAs these days.
Any exceptions to these guidelines will be written in the NDA.
The only third person who can authorise you breaking an NDA is a Judge if that NDA is proved in Court to be worthy of breaking for legal reasons...No one else can legally instruct you to break the NDA, not your agent, your manager or even your pet walker.
Break and NDA against legal advice and at best you’ll get sued and at worst you’ll never work again with a fine imposed on you likely to be so high that your grandchildren will still be paying it off long after you’re dead and gone.
Confidentiality is taken very seriously by the industry and there are very good economic reasons for this. Take any and all NDAs you have to sign VERY professionally. Read them carefully and follow them TO THE LETTER. And if you refuse to sign an NDA, then the project is highly unlikely to involve you in it at any level going forward.

We are rather off the beaten track from the main centres of performing arts. Brixham isn't, sadly, the West End or Broadway or Hollywood. We have a massive range of experience in the team, from people who have been in everything from Hollywood films, people who have been actors for decades, gained high-level training qualifications, to absolute beginners who have never performed again.

In that enviroment, and as someone who has been performing for decades, since a youngster, and with a Masters in teaching theatre, it is very easy to forget the basics that sometimes need explaining to those new to the acting world.

Recently, I had to get a bit strict in some of our rehearsals, about time-keeping,  not messing abut loudly and distracting people behind the scenes. Nonbody had done anything malicious but the relaxed atmosphere we like, had got a little *too* relaxed. Unfortunately, I upset some (not all) of our newer performers, and after a conversation where they felt I had been negative towards them, I realised that I had neglected to explain the actual reasons that I have these particular rules.

I am, sadly, very aware that due to a common cultrual devaluing of the arts as something remedial or "just a hobby", many people dont always immediatly see theatre rehearsals  as a workplace (although once you go onto bigger sets elsewhere, you wouldn't be able to function without doing so!) and I do make some allowance for that for those newer to the industry, but it also means that misunderstandings can arise when I enforce the fact that in order to become a professional team and put on professional level shows, we have to treat the production as such. To me, that is enough explanation. I started out in the very old-fashioned types of theatre and film, of directors - some who had been directing since the 1950s-  who had reputations for shouting at you and tearing you down. Actors going home in tears from those companies was not unknown. Explanations never happened. I learned in the school of hard-knocks. 
When I began directing and later started SDP, I swore I wouldn't be like that, but what did work well for me, everyone else, and the final productions, was how strict those sets were. You arrived on time, or early. You didn't play pranks or joke around behind the scenes (usually you had to sit silently waiting for your role), you learned your lines or someone else got handed the role. If you messed around, you were shouted at.

I dont often shout. When I raise my voice as a director, it is rare. It isnt that I dont care about the cast and crew: actually I really do care very deeply about everyone, as well as the company, and I dont want them to inadvertently let themselves, or each other, or the company down. When I see that danger happening, that is when I become annoyed.

What I did neglect, this time, was to remember that what seems obvious to me, the other seasoned performers, and those who are in training, sometimes isnt to others, especially some of the beginners, and I ended up, after a newer cast member raised concerns, explaining to both them in private, and then to the team in general, my reasons for being strict about basic things.
I think, and hope, it has helped.

I am therefore sharing an edited form of the post I made to the rest of the cast here too. Maybe people joining us in the future will see this and find it helpful, or people starting out with other companies will find it helpful. It could be that I will share it to future casts when we take on new people.

The post:

Timekeeping, schedules and communications

I was told that I am too strict, with requiring timely attendance at a minimum of 75% of rehearsals, role learning, and people to let us know if they cant make it or will be late.
I have to do this, because at the end of the day we are a group of people who are primarily professionals and otherwise training-as professionals, putting on work to showcase skills, make work, and build a performance company - with shows of a professional quality, and that people are paying good money to us all, to come and see. We can't skimp on this.
People also need to know if the other person is there, in order to work with them. It creates bad feeling if people travel for ages and the person they were expecting to work with isn't there and hasn't let us know, as not only just lines and blocking, but also character-interactions need practicing intensely.

Backstage
I have also huffed at "backstage" noise and pranking.
The reason for this is that people performing find it hard to concentrate - and on a personal level, I cant either-  if there is a lot of noise going on.
In addition it's practice for show days, like the rest of rehearsals - in the theatres on show days, you need to be able to listen for cues, and if you are making noise side stage, then the audience can also hear you and it detracts from the performance, and you risk distracting your fellow performers.

Getting that quality of show
You want the public to really enjoy the show. They have paid to come , and if they like it, they are more likely to tell their friends and come back in even greater numbers next time....
And remember the more people who come to the shows and enjoy them as being of high-quality, and tell their friends who then also come, the more ticket money comes in to be shared to everyone involved in making the show, and your reputation as a performer grows (and likewise for the others)...  Word spreads, you earn more, and your reputation as a good, reliable actor, grows as well - getting you more work.
To do that, the whole experience for the audience had to be good.
Your characterisation has to be excellent, your lines have to be excellent, your stage discipline has to be strict, your timekeeping excellent, and your teamwork has to be excellent, in order to achieve that experience for the audience.

Sharing Internal Communications and "on set selfies".
We have locked communications for a reason. In the locked cast and crew group, we can discuss things, plan rehearsals, ask questions, and talk about what we need (in a respectful manner), sharing practice videos, training clips, and all sorts of things that are work-in-progress or tested ideas, and not ready for the public yet.  I have also been told that it is unfair not to allow these to be shared without permission on public pages.
This has happened a couple of times, as well as "on-stage" selfies.  Pulling a silly face on stage for a selfie, in rehearsal, when you think nobody is looking, may seem like a laugh to you, but when shared publicly online, makes the you, and by extension the entire company, look extremely unprofessional - such things are not "done". 
Many big film sets, TV shows, and theatre shows, will forbid such things, and fire you on the spot for sharing such images (and there have been many cases of film extras doing this kind of thing, and getting sued for posting "spoilers" from on sets of big films and TV shows).
As an up and coming company, we have to work to those same standards as the companies to which we would like to be comparable, and for our actors to be taken seriously, we all have to adhere to those same standards. So when we say that things from the locked "cast and crew" group cannot be shared publicly, or that you cannot share "on-set-selfies" it is for a good reason.  We do get batches of rehearsal photos that are for sharing online, which are provided to the cast and crew, but which are sorted to show the best work in progress. 

In conclusion, the strictness is not against anyone or intended to make anyone feel bad. I am frankly mortified to hear that I have made people feel bad- because the intention is for rehearsals and shows  to be a hard-working but happy place where great work is created (and awesome work IS happening).

We have to have the basic ground rules that you would find in any other theatre or film team (or any other job, training, volunteering, or things in any ilk in life where people are relying on others,) in order to create a functional production. They are not intended or desired to cause distress, or to indicate disrespect.

I am aware we have everyone from complete beginners to seasoned professionals in the team, and that is why I am taking time to explain (apologies to anyone who knows all this inside out already).

If you have a question, or I have said something that accidentally upsets, please contact us about it. I do not want a theatre company where things cannot be asked. We may agree and we may disagree - no promises there- but I can guarantee that we WILL listen, and that you WILL receive a full explanation/ discussion/ action (as necessary) but what is non-negotiable is that we have a hard-working, positive, team that can go anywhere from the local church fete, to Hollywood, and maintain top levels of professionalism anywhere, while also be a safe, and fun enviroment.

This afternoon I went to speak to Visual Eyes Torbay. This is a social club for the visually impaired, in Torbay, in Southwest UK.
Having met with a representative of the organiation at a community event earlier in the year, I asked about learning more about how to make theatre accessible to those who are visually impaired, and instead of learning from articles written elsewhere, I wanted to learn directly from local people who are visually impaired. - where, after all, we most often perform.
With thier permission I am also sharing the feedback from the members of the social club with others, so that we can all look at making theatre more accessible.
Obviously, some solutions can be implemented more easily than others; some are more venue-specific than suitable for touring theatre, and vice versa. I was interested in all responses, and asked them to include what would help in an ideal world, with the proviso that not everything will probably be feasable for everyone. The points raised below are therefore directly from people who are visually impaired as to thier experiences and reccomendations.

For background, this took place in the coastal fishing town of Brixham, the respondents were largely mature; retired and elderly with an age demographic of 50s - 90s in age. The town itself has a high proportion of retirees so this demographic does reflect a high demographic of theatre-goers in our town.


The first comment when I asked what makes or breaks a theatre show for those who are visually impaired,  was one word. "Sound".
Broken down in further discussion, this covers several reccomendations.

Distance from audience:  Being able to book preferred seats (eg, seats near the stage or performance area) is crucial. For those with limited sight, and for those who may also be hearing-impaired, they find it easier to follow what is happening from sound and limited sight by being closer to the stage.  So being able to book specific seats, is an important consideration. Two people mentioned performances "in the round" tend to be easier for them to attend, and that "performed" radio plays, are a good way to focus on audio only.

Actors/ performers having clear diction and good vocal projection:  A common comment from many is that where sight is impaired, sound becomes more important, and with less ability to see facial expressions, mouths moving etc, the actors need to have clear diction (and not cut off the ends of words, like dropped Gs on ******ing) and to project their voices clearly across the theatre/ performance space. The comment was made that in many TV series etc now, actors often are deemed to be mumbling and have unclear speech.

Audio descriptors: Some theatres have audio descriptor technology via headphones, where someone usually situated in the tech box, is describing the action on stage, and a visually impaired person can listen to the description - for example "Buttons has entered stage right, wearing a blue cloak", and follow the action on stage. This can be an expensive system, and tends to be in larger theatres.

Loud music:  One respondent mentoned that loud music or sound effects can be disorientating.
_______

Of course, as we have now seen, visual impairment does not mean that people are blind, simply that there are a variety of conditions where they may find it harder to see clearly. So, for those who have partial sight, clear visuals are also important.  The following reccomendations were made to make the action on stage easier to see.

Programmes: To make printed programmes available, it would be useful to have traditional black text on yellow paper, with a larger font, 14 - 16 being the minimum,  and not to mix up colours, as some colours may not be easy to see.

Stage lighting: It was mentioned that the lighting from traditional stage lighting, eg PAR cans, can be harder to see, but the quality of light from LEDs is easier to see. Dingey/ dark lighting can make it harder to see what is happening on stage

Colours of costumes: When there are several characters on stage, it is useful where practicable,  to have the characters in differently colour costumes so that they can be followed more easily from the audience.

_________

There were other reccomendations as well, which dont really entirely fit into either of the above categories.

Matinee performances: It was agreed that some people, both due to sight and feeling comfrtable in the dark, do not like to go out in the evening, and therefore would only attend matinee performances in the afternons. I have found this before being a common comment among older audiences, and people attending shows aimed at young children, and therefore covers a number of demographics. In rural area this can also be important to link to the times of local public transport.

Backstage tours:  For those able to see less of the costumes, set and action on stage, it was agreed that it is really engaging to be able to visit the theatre and have a backstage tour before the show, where the visitors can meet some of the cast, and touch props and costumes, to see what they are like from feeling them.

Further note:
It is of course also important that the venues are physically accessible, with clear signage, trained front of house staff and ushers, and that dialogue of any specialist requirements is opened early when enquiriing about an event, to ascertain what may be available or not.

I hope this is helpful to some other theatre production teams too - I know that we will be learning from this, and looking at what can be implemented.

Thank you again to https://www.visualeyestorbay.org.uk/, for being so wonderful and welcoming today.

Laura

This is a tutorial being posted by popular request.

This is something that I have created from a little bit of information, and lots of trial and error.
I will just make one warning, if someone is diabetic, they may not want to get this in their mouth.
As you will see, I have found that this is best prepared three to four hours before it is needed. I apologize that I do not have exact ratios or amounts - I have always done it by eye, usually on set in the middle of nowhere, while also directing (the joys of multitasking on indiefilms!) and not measured it.

You will need:
- Tubes of red food colouring (I get mine from Co-Op) - this gives a strong red colour. Get more than you think you will need.
- Golden Syrup (in the USA, I believe you can substitute corn syrup) - this provides the consistency of the blood.
- A jar of ground coffee - this darkens the blood, to a realistic shade
- Water - needed to dissolve the coffee
- Two receptacles, one for mixing the blood, and one for mixing the coffee.

You will want to experiment with this, a few times. I developed this for our feature film Mordred, which with 6th Century wounds and killings, certainly was going to need blood!

1) Get your blood receptacle. Pour in your Golden Syrup, and the red food colouring, and mix thoroughly, then let stand.
2) Get your second receptacle, and pour in some instant coffee powder. add just enough water to dissolve it. This is your darkening agent. Once stirred and dissolved into sticky glop, add it cautiously to  your blood mix in the first receptacle. Do be aware a little coffee goes a long way in this so be careful how much you add. You can always add more. 
3) Lots and lots of stirring - make sure it is all completely mixed.

For the best result, leave your blood to stand for a few hours - even better if its used the next day. The longer it waits, the more it darkens and gets slightly congealed, and more blood-like. I always get a froth on top that I have to skim off, but the blood underneath is a gory joy to behold. :) Keep your melted coffee gloop in case you need to make your blood darker (remember blood can look a bit different depending where on the body it is coming from)

I am not going to guarantee that this washes out of costumes, i have had mixed results, but your best bet is to soak the costume in water and stain-remover agent, as soon as you can, within a few hours before the blood has dried.

Photos modeling lovely blood with Ryan Hannaford and David Welland, filming Mordred. This blood was freshly made and therefore lighter and more runny than it became later in the day.

If you have refinements, please comment with them - I have lots more projects coming up, needed lovely stage blood.

In light of recent issues in the news with regard to actors being taken advantage of - in a sexual manner  - by a certain famous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, it seems a good point to highlight the issues faced by actors, and how actors can keep safe, as well as on how production teams can also mimimise the risks.

Now of course, when you boil down to it, there are all sorts of dangers in a theatre or on a film set, and not just linked to people, but in this one, we will be looking simply, at the sexual safety of actors.

Now, as an actor myself, I have encountered problems. In my early twenties, I went for an audition that I found online, it all seemed OK and legitimate, the guy clearly knew all the "right" answers, at a "studio" - turned out to be someones house - and after being locked in a room, I ended up departing through the window. Luckily, that was my scariest experience, though I often get social media messages from guys thinking that messaging an actress, means they are on to some promiscuous woman who is going to do "anything". Nothing could be further from the truth (as they are emphatically informed, a few seconds before being blocked!).

When casting projects, on the other hand, I have, over the years, had applications from ladies, who, (presumably not realizing that I am female) have sent explicit photos of their nether-regions, and comments like "I love to cook for men" and "I will do anything for this role, please see my attached photos". I have also had guys send nude pictures for the same reason (not the laughable dickpics, but posed nudes).
Sorry to say, those applications end up in the proverbial bin, but it has its sad side. People should not feel that they have to prostitute themselves to get a role.

More infuriatingly, again over the years, I have had a small but upsetting number of people join productions  who have been seeking various .. shall we say.. romantic hookups, or who have been unable to respect peoples personal boundaries. They have usually been rather surprised and not a little disappointed, when asked to leave! One person actually told me they had hoped we were a front for a swingers club, and were taken aback, not to mention extremely disappointed, when we proved to be exactly what we claim to be, a team of people creating theatre and film projects.

Sometimes acting - and modeling - does ask for nudity or implied nudity for some roles. They are rare but not unknown with our team. As a director, if a role asks for something like that I am extremely careful to state that upfront, check the ages of everyone involved or present in the scene, and make sure that during filming / performance and rehearsals that we have a DBS-checked safe-guarder (I dont care that we are all adults, safeguarding is still a thing that I think is critically important) present, and that all actors are repeatedly asked to not cross any personal comfort zones, and to say immediately if unhappy or uncomfortable with anything. As an actor, leaving aside the fact I am not in any way a supermodel, I have done these kind of roles, and I consider such jobs very carefully - if I am auditioning for a role that involves these, I check out the company carefully. Do they have an established track record? Who is present at the time? Where is it being done? Only if I am completely comfortable, do I even audition.

In our auditions, I never mind if someone brings a friend the first time they come to meet us. If someone is under 16 I insist on attendance with a parent. When I am going for an audition, I always inform people (usually my mother, and my fiance) exactly where I am going and what I am doing. As a rule for auditions, do not go to a private house or hotel room. (I also know of actresses who have been invited to airports and ferry terminals for auditions - which is a big people-trafficking risk). Our auditions (and rehearsals) take place in a known community centre. Sometimes they happen in theatres, studios, anywhere, but wherever it is, make sure it is a public space. I have indeed been to an audition in a hotel, but it was in a lounge with other people, not someones room upstairs.

The most important thing is communication, and never being afraid to discuss with the production team if you have a concern, or something has happened.  Sometimes we have a new intake of people and someone comes in that intake who does not act appropriately. The admin team need to know - if we spot something we act but sometimes these things are happen away from our attention, and then we need to know , with any screenshots or anything like that if it has been online. Dependent on the situation and evidence, we may speak with the person and give a warning, or remove them from the production entirely. We would involve the Police if needed.
What is really important is keeping everyone safe and happy, and removing the culture where people feel they have to sacrifice their personal self respect in order to get ahead.
If you are in an production somewhere where the production team themselves are the ones causing the issue, and not simply one person, with a culture of disrespect, then you shouldn't feel that you cannot approach the Police with evidence. If it is something where we have taken on external work through our agency, and it is not an issue the production team are willing to tackle, then we fully support our actors walking away from the project.

Its idealistic. I know it is. Plenty of the darker side of the showbiz world happens still and probably will do so, but the more people, both individual actors, and production teams, who take a stand against it, and realise that it is perfectly okay to tell someone "no" and that the production team will support them on that, and have zero tolerance of such behaviour, the better.
The days of the casting couch, still sadly do happen in the showbiz world, and we all need to work together to make sure it gets stamped out and that nobody makes, or  feels obliged to accept, such advances.

And while I have spoken about sexual boundaries being crossed or inappropriate behaviour in that vein, and the ways in which I keep safe in that vein,  the same should go for any kind of bullying.


RESOURCES
For actors, you may find this article on Mandy.com, helpful
For models, you may find Safemodel helpful, and they are always very responsive with advice if you contact them with a question. (while mainly geared to models, actors are also able to approach Safemodel, I have done myself).

Earlier this evening, I went on a Twitter networking "twitterhour" - to be specific, #TorbayHour (check it out, if you are on Twitter on a Monday evening) , and to look into creating some content that people might find useful, I decided to ask the question, "What have you always wondered about the process of making theatre or film?"

Here are the questions - I have expanded on my answers in this article, with a higher word count than Twitter can give me.


From  @PilgrimBM45
How do you remember your lines?? I'd love to do it but there's no way I'd remember anything! And it's all live! Fair play to you guys

Answer: Rehearsals cement lines but everyone has different ways to learn, which work for them - common methods for line-learning are recording a rehearsal and playing it back later, listening to it, repeated script reading, - lots of repetition - are common methods. I learn best by combining learning my lines with the blocking (what I am doing on stage at the time), and the biggest barrier I have ever seen for people, is when they panic over lines. They end up worrying about the panic, and that reoccupies them, rather than the lines. 


From @sarahwhite381
I remember doing live theatre when I was at school. It was terrifying but magical. I still get goosebumps when I visit the theatre now

Answer: The fear goes after a few times, but the adrenaline always stays with you :)  and the pride in creating an amazing show :)


From @lennipsv
Casting. I'm always amazed seeing an actor in real life and when they are on stage/film. I think how did you know that person wld look etc

Answer:  It is hard to put into words, but it really boils down to seeing the potential. You see that special "something", an expression, mannerism, general "look", then working with them and the rest of the team draws those skills out, and shapes it into the character. .Often the actor will have some amazing extra skills or traits which develop the character beyond what you originally imagined (in a positive manner) - obviously that has to be done within the team, so that the performance stays on track to fit in with everyone else. I also often find that people put themselves down, and in reality they have incredible amounts of latent talent that just needs encouraging.

From @lennipsv
I've been to the doors of my local theatre several times but turned round and gone home. Lots of pretty girls, being very luvvie

Answer:  In some shows and some teams, yes you will see that. We contend that to depict a believable world, you need down-to-earth people of all ages/ sizes/looks - same as the real world. Whether we are showing a historical setting, or a contemporary setting, or even something which is scifi or fantasy, you have to create a believable world.
In a believable world, people of all ages, and shapes and sizes are going to exist - unless that is, you are doing something set in a cloning vat, or have some other very specific reason. 
And in that variety is the true beauty of everyone. and the beauty or fascination of that story. We are strong advocates of the fact that anyone therefore, can be an awesome actor. You are never too young or old, or thin or large (or anything else). Films and theatre shows would look very dull if everyone all looked the same.

How to apply to be cast, is one of our most commonly received inquiries, and I am sure is the most commonly asked question by most actors. Every casting director or production company will have their own preferences, but I am also sure that most actors, and most directors, will have hilarious, or horrifying, tales of where auditioning goes wrong.
Having been away for a few days on tour with our theatre show, I have come back to several inquiries, some of which prompted me to write this post.

I love to see both new and existing talent. Having "never done it before" should never be a barrier, if you wish to learn to do it now, and this is therefore a handy cut-out-and-keep guide for not only what I look for when casting one of our shows, but also summs up how I expect to behave when I audition for a casting somewhere, myself.

I do find that there are many misconceptions around what actors and independent production teams do, so hopefully, this will clear them up. Over the years people have thought we were a front for a swingers club, an ex-offenders rehabilitation team, a children's playgroup, an older-peoples drop-in club, and goodness knows what else, resulting in all sorts of strange situations. These issues may sound comedic, but when shows become disrupted, projects can be ruined, people can be distressed, and it has, in the past, had serious effects  holding back our work. 


The things I look for when I receive a casting inquiry:
- Enthusiasm and genuine interest in the production. Evidence that someone has read the casting call, and/or visited our website or social media, to read about us, is also good.
- Reasonable spelling and grammar. I dont expect it to always be perfect, but to at least show some degree of effort. I like to see this, because if you are cast, you will be working with printed scripts - and lots of reading and lines! A line of txt-spk, denotes, in my eyes, a lack of interest, or a lack of taking the casting seriously.
- Honesty. If you haven't done something before, but you are eager to try for it, and to learn the skills, then I respect that, and will do what I can to help. If you know now that you are interested, but for example, you are inquiring only because you are not sure if your work days will clash with rehearsals, and you want to find out more first, then that is also fine.

What I look for on audition day
- Good timekeeping (if you show up on time, this indicates that you are likely to be at rehearsals and performances/ filmshoots on time.)
- Good teamwork. Without teamwork, a production falls apart. Everyone relies on everyone else to get things done :) And it makes for a pleasant atmosphere.
- Pleasant behavior towards the other people at the audition. Good social skills are desperately important. Rudeness or inappropriate behavior will make other people feel unsafe or at least, uncomfortable, and again affect the production negatively.
- Your audition. I look at effort put into characterization, intonation, and body language. It does not have to be what I had in mind, or fit my preconceptions, as long as I see serious effort being made to express a character and interpretation.  I do not expect you to have memorized lines at this point.
Reading a script as if it is nothing more than a list of words spoken in a monotone, fails the audition.

At the end of the day, only one person can get each role. If you are not cast but you have achieved all of the above things, then it simply comes down to how the casting panel felt that people fit the different roles. Even if two (or more) people gave a flawless audition, we can only go with one person for the role. Please dont then feel that we undervalue your work.

The horror stories (and good examples of how to not get cast). All of these are actual situations I have encountered when sat on a casting panel.

- Bringing badly behaved children or over excited pets into the audition room, with no previous confirmation that this is acceptable, who then run around causing disruption.
- Sexually inappropriate behaviour in the audition room, or sexually inappropriate messages to the casting director. A casting director does not need to see your photos or display of intimate areas, or to have a proposal of sexual favours if you are cast. 
- Asking to be guaranteed a role before you audition. I cannot do that. The whole reason for the audition, is to see how you perform.
- Popping into auditions several hours after the announced time, "for a laugh".
- Aggressively chatting up other people waiting to audition. It is a casting, not speed dating.
- Coming in smelling of alcohol and clearly under the influence of alcohol -  or something stronger and probably illegal.
- Demanding that your child/ friend is given a role completely unsuited to them and against the information given about the specific role in the casting call.
- Wanting to be cast, but not wanting to audition, or to attend regular rehearsals, or learn scripts.
- Aggressive or abusive behavior to other auditionees, or the casting director. We like a happy supportive team. If there is a genuine thing that you are upset about, please talk to us civilly and it will be sorted out.
- Blatant lies about previous experience. I am more impressed by you saying you haven't done something before, but are willing to learn. I have had people provide falsified information about being combat-trained, claiming to be stuntpeople with no such experience, falsify previous experience in film or theatre, claim to be a famous celebrity applying under a pseudonym, etc.  If someone makes claims like these, we will often take time to check the facts. Do also be aware that claiming to have specialist skills in combat, stunting etc, when you do not, can also cause serious accidents to you or someone else, if somehow you slipped through the vetting. We love to hear from people with specialist skills, or impressive backgrounds, but we may ask for evidence, because of the high number of incorrect claims (especially surrounding action-based roles).

Keeping the role
Once you have got your role, we have decided that we seriously would like you in the production. It is very rare that we remove someone from a production once we have started, but there are a few people who have achieved this. The reasons we have removed people from productions, over the years, have included

- sexual, aggressive or abusive behaviour towards others in the team
- drunkenness or illegal drug taking in rehearsals/ shows
- external illegal or strongly antisocial behaviour resulting in concerns about team members well-being, or the offenders actions affecting the reputation of our team members.
- habitual lateness to rehearsals
- no-showing to rehearsals and not letting people know, on more than two occasions.
- habitual disruptive behavior in rehearsals or refusal to adhere to cues "I'll do my scene when I have finished my coffee and had a cigarette" for an actual example.
- lack of interest in learning role (refusing to  learn script, etc)


Problem solving
I am also aware from speaking to other casting directors, especially in fringe and independent performing arts, theatre and film alike,  that we are not alone in having these kinds of situations.
Some casting directors, as a result, only work with people they know, thus making it very hard for new talent. We remain open to new talent, and therefore have to problem solve in different ways.

- On audition days, we begin with a word from the show director about what the actors can expect and what the team expects. This is also open to questions.
- We have audition information packs with information about the show, roles, our expectations, information about our team, available to people applying to audition.
- Because most of our casting calls are "open", we are also very careful to include as much information as possible on all adverts.
- All selected actors, regular or new, are asked to sign an actors agreement, which outlines what they can expect from their involvement in our team, and what we require within the team to make the production a success.
- We have clearly available policies on behavior, safety, environment, social responsibility, etc, all available on our website, alongside a clear and simple disciplinary policy for if something goes wrong.
- Our production team are easily contacted on social media with any questions, day or night. 
- We have a qualified safeguarding officer on our team at all times.