National Theatre Wales Casting Policy
Philosophy
NTW has an integrated casting policy and is committed to racial, cultural and artistic diversity. NTW is committed to openness in the way productions are cast and the way actors and their agents are dealt with throughout the casting process.
NTW will work with a wide variety of directors, companies, venues, places, and theatre-making practices across the programme. While each production may have very different casting requirements, NTW seeks to create an integrated, fair, transparent and professional process which prioritises engagement with a wide community of actors.
Process
Most casting will be determined by auditions. Notices detailing the time, place, and specific requirements of each individual audition shall be posted, as far in advance as possible, via Spotlight Link to agents and actors, as well as on the NTW online community. Under certain circumstances directors may pre-cast a role or roles in consultation with the Artistic Director of NTW. If any roles have been pre-cast that information shall be included in all audition announcements.
Each production will be cast by its director, assisted by the National Theatre Wales Casting Director Sam Jones C.D.G. The Artistic Director and Producer will play a role in the casting process and, where applicable, living writers or the estate of dead writers will have been granted casting consultation.
First round auditions will always be held in Wales. These will primarily take place in the National Theatre Wales office in Cardiff, but auditions across Wales will be appropriate at key times and National Theatre Wales will be responsive to actors’ geographic factors. Additional auditions may also be held in other parts of the UK if required, but we will never ask a Wales-based actor to meet outside of Wales. Unfortunately, National Theatre Wales is unable to pay audition fees including travel expenses for first round auditions, but will pay travel expenses for those asked to attend recall auditions where these are more than 45 miles away from their home base.
Information regarding the role / production / dates / scripts will be provided in advance of the audition, where available and appropriate. Scripts will be sent electronically unless requested in hard copy. Where new commissions are still in draft stages, National Theatre Wales may be working with a script-in-progress or earlier version/adaptation or might sometimes not have a script at all. We reserve the right to continue to develop the script with the writer.
After auditions we will always let artists know if they have or have not been successful as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer feedback to everyone who has attended an audition, but will endeavour to do so for everyone called for recall auditions (if held).
Once a role has been offered we would hope to receive a response as soon as reasonably possible, in order that we can make other offers, if necessary, and not delay or impair the casting process.
National Theatre Wales is committed to enriching English language theatre-making in Wales and enhancing the opportunities for Welsh and Wales-based artists to be part of world class theatre making in their home nation. Priority will always be given to casting Welsh and Wales-based artists.
National Theatre Wales believes that specific project-focused casting sessions are more valuable to artists and directors than open general sessions. National Theatre Wales will aim to meet the widest possible range of actors during production casting, rather than non-specific general meets. However, at times we will hold acting workshops (as we do for writers and directors) led by key guest practitioners as part of our programme of training and developing the creative sector in Wales.
As well as specific suggestions for parts, National Theatre Wales welcomes general submissions at all times to the following email: casting@nationaltheatrewales.org and will keep CVs on file. In the interests of sustainability and our digital operating model we favour electronic CVs and will aim to keep this database of CVs as an electronic filing system. We encourage actors and agents to sign up to the ‘Actors’ group on our community site: http://community.nationaltheatrewales.org where we can stay closely in touch and post notices and news. This is also where actors can tell National Theatre Wales about work to come and see; National Theatre Wales is committed to seeing work across Wales and the UK and will endeavour to cover all of the work alerted to us.
We will include cast lists on the production pages of the website, and aim to include photographs and biographies of the cast.
Contacts
Casting Director: Sam Jones C.D.G 020 7378 0222 casting@nationaltheatrewales.org community.nationaltheatrewales.org/group/actors National Theatre Wales 30 Castle Arcade Cardiff/CF10 1BW Phone: 029 2035 3070
Contracts / Terms & Conditions
NTW aims to rehearse and build productions where they are taking place. Where possible we will rehearse on site or at a nearby location. NTW will seek to provide accommodation or thorough accommodations lists. Appropriate other relocation allowances will be covered at or above industry rates as appropriate.
As a national company NTW will pay actors at a rate above the standard TMA levels. Holiday pay and pension contributions are additional. As NTW produces work in a wide variety of circumstances, we may sometimes need to negotiate special arrangements with actors and agents. We will always give details of these arrangements at the earliest possible point.
During rehearsals NTW will have first call on all actors time. Where an actor is called to other auditions whilst rehearsing NTW will seek to be enabling subject to maximum notice and minimum disruption.
NTW will always work within the TMA / Equity agreements and encourages Equity participation. Every actor will receive a pair of complementary seats to opening night (or equivalent performance for unconventional runs), and every agent will be able to purchase a pair of tickets to this performance.
NTW has an active social network / community site where creative teams are profiled and audiences can engage with “behind-the-scenes” insights to productions. Actors will be expected and encouraged to participate in and contribute to the digital and online activity of the company (within confidentiality and company protocols).
Contracted actors may be invited to participate in daytime workshops / readings / R&D during the run of a show as part of their engagement. For the avoidance of doubt, NTW may sometimes use non-professional performing “experts” or real people as part of reality projects, and may sometimes incorporate amateur / community performers as part of a wider professional company. There will be separate agreements for these participants, modeled on the same protections as an Equity agreement and always operating best practice.
NTW has an integrated casting policy and is committed to racial, cultural and artistic diversity. NTW is committed to openness in the way productions are cast and the way actors and their agents are dealt with throughout the casting process.
NTW will work with a wide variety of directors, companies, venues, places, and theatre-making practices across the programme. While each production may have very different casting requirements, NTW seeks to create an integrated, fair, transparent and professional process which prioritises engagement with a wide community of actors.
Process
Most casting will be determined by auditions. Notices detailing the time, place, and specific requirements of each individual audition shall be posted, as far in advance as possible, via Spotlight Link to agents and actors, as well as on the NTW online community. Under certain circumstances directors may pre-cast a role or roles in consultation with the Artistic Director of NTW. If any roles have been pre-cast that information shall be included in all audition announcements.
Each production will be cast by its director, assisted by the National Theatre Wales Casting Director Sam Jones C.D.G. The Artistic Director and Producer will play a role in the casting process and, where applicable, living writers or the estate of dead writers will have been granted casting consultation.
First round auditions will always be held in Wales. These will primarily take place in the National Theatre Wales office in Cardiff, but auditions across Wales will be appropriate at key times and National Theatre Wales will be responsive to actors’ geographic factors. Additional auditions may also be held in other parts of the UK if required, but we will never ask a Wales-based actor to meet outside of Wales. Unfortunately, National Theatre Wales is unable to pay audition fees including travel expenses for first round auditions, but will pay travel expenses for those asked to attend recall auditions where these are more than 45 miles away from their home base.
Information regarding the role / production / dates / scripts will be provided in advance of the audition, where available and appropriate. Scripts will be sent electronically unless requested in hard copy. Where new commissions are still in draft stages, National Theatre Wales may be working with a script-in-progress or earlier version/adaptation or might sometimes not have a script at all. We reserve the right to continue to develop the script with the writer.
After auditions we will always let artists know if they have or have not been successful as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer feedback to everyone who has attended an audition, but will endeavour to do so for everyone called for recall auditions (if held).
Once a role has been offered we would hope to receive a response as soon as reasonably possible, in order that we can make other offers, if necessary, and not delay or impair the casting process.
National Theatre Wales is committed to enriching English language theatre-making in Wales and enhancing the opportunities for Welsh and Wales-based artists to be part of world class theatre making in their home nation. Priority will always be given to casting Welsh and Wales-based artists.
National Theatre Wales believes that specific project-focused casting sessions are more valuable to artists and directors than open general sessions. National Theatre Wales will aim to meet the widest possible range of actors during production casting, rather than non-specific general meets. However, at times we will hold acting workshops (as we do for writers and directors) led by key guest practitioners as part of our programme of training and developing the creative sector in Wales.
As well as specific suggestions for parts, National Theatre Wales welcomes general submissions at all times to the following email: casting@nationaltheatrewales.org and will keep CVs on file. In the interests of sustainability and our digital operating model we favour electronic CVs and will aim to keep this database of CVs as an electronic filing system. We encourage actors and agents to sign up to the ‘Actors’ group on our community site: http://community.nationaltheatrewales.org where we can stay closely in touch and post notices and news. This is also where actors can tell National Theatre Wales about work to come and see; National Theatre Wales is committed to seeing work across Wales and the UK and will endeavour to cover all of the work alerted to us.
We will include cast lists on the production pages of the website, and aim to include photographs and biographies of the cast.
Contacts
Casting Director: Sam Jones C.D.G 020 7378 0222 casting@nationaltheatrewales.org community.nationaltheatrewales.org/group/actors National Theatre Wales 30 Castle Arcade Cardiff/CF10 1BW Phone: 029 2035 3070
Contracts / Terms & Conditions
NTW aims to rehearse and build productions where they are taking place. Where possible we will rehearse on site or at a nearby location. NTW will seek to provide accommodation or thorough accommodations lists. Appropriate other relocation allowances will be covered at or above industry rates as appropriate.
As a national company NTW will pay actors at a rate above the standard TMA levels. Holiday pay and pension contributions are additional. As NTW produces work in a wide variety of circumstances, we may sometimes need to negotiate special arrangements with actors and agents. We will always give details of these arrangements at the earliest possible point.
During rehearsals NTW will have first call on all actors time. Where an actor is called to other auditions whilst rehearsing NTW will seek to be enabling subject to maximum notice and minimum disruption.
NTW will always work within the TMA / Equity agreements and encourages Equity participation. Every actor will receive a pair of complementary seats to opening night (or equivalent performance for unconventional runs), and every agent will be able to purchase a pair of tickets to this performance.
NTW has an active social network / community site where creative teams are profiled and audiences can engage with “behind-the-scenes” insights to productions. Actors will be expected and encouraged to participate in and contribute to the digital and online activity of the company (within confidentiality and company protocols).
Contracted actors may be invited to participate in daytime workshops / readings / R&D during the run of a show as part of their engagement. For the avoidance of doubt, NTW may sometimes use non-professional performing “experts” or real people as part of reality projects, and may sometimes incorporate amateur / community performers as part of a wider professional company. There will be separate agreements for these participants, modeled on the same protections as an Equity agreement and always operating best practice.
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