Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do you hold general auditions?
Very rarely. Each play we produce has a different director and different requirements, so we end up meeting a lot of actors throughout the year in any case. We also cover many shows in the North West, in London and around the UK to see actors in performance.
2. Do you employ actors who don't have agents?
Yes, of course. Our contact with actors doesn't only come via agents as it is often in our interest to spread the net as wide as possible.
3. Do you employ actors who have not trained at a recognised Drama School?
Although we do support the current system of accreditation operated by the National Council For Drama Training, the answer again is of course, yes, although those who have undergone other training need to have enough relevant experience on their CVs for us to recognise their potential.
4. Do you keep CVs on file?
Not for ever; that would be impossible. Our filing system is for actors we have met or whose work we know well. All CVs and submissions are considered whilst a season is being cast (a period of between 4 and 6 months) but as they become out of date we do not keep them. If we kept every CV we'd quickly fill a room of cabinets and this is neither an affordable nor a manageable filing system.
5. Do you return CVs and photos then?
If we receive an S.A.E., that is big enough, they will be returned eventually if we cannot offer an audition.
6. When do you begin casting on a show?
Casting is an ongoing process so as soon as we know which shows we are doing we think about their casting; but auditions tend to start approximately eight weeks before rehearsals begin.

Should you need to contact us, please write to Jerry Knight-Smith.

Department Overview
We are a department of two, (Jerry Knight-Smith - Casting Director and Polly Jerrold- Casting Associate),whose role it is to liaise with our Artistic and Guest Directors on all casting requirements for individual productions throughout our season in both the Main House and The Studio. Our aim is to find the best actor available for each part regardless of where they are based; the majority, however, do tend to be based either in London or the North West of England. We do not 'through-cast' but cast 'show to show'; that is to say actors are contracted for one play at a time and not for an entire season although many actors do come back time and again.
Often a play's inclusion in a season depends upon a particular director's choice of actor being available at the required time (it took years to find the appropriate time for Pete Postlethwaite to play Prospero). The main casting begins when the season is firmly fixed and most of it starts around nine weeks before rehearsals for each show are due to begin.
We issue information on the productions to around 200 agents and we post it here too. Information is seldom sent to individuals (and then only on receipt of an SAE) as the most up-to-date information is to be found here online at this site. For some productions detailed character breakdowns will be made available, but this is up to the director concerned. It should be remembered that the casting process is a creative one, and therefore requirements can and often do change from the original ideas as the process gets underway. We usually expect to receive upwards of 2,000 CVs and photos per season of plays.
As well as specific casting suggestions, we receive numerous letters and phone calls from actors and agents. Many of these are to invite us to see shows, or watch TV and film appearances. We try to see as much of this work as possible, as this is an ideal way of discovering new talent, or monitoring the progress of actors we already know. In the summer months, we are also inundated with the hundreds of actors newly graduated from the various drama schools, many of whom we will have seen during their final productions and showcases.