"See as much theatre as possible"

Hometown
Cheshire originally, now live in London

What do you do?
Deputy head of casting, National Theatre

How long have you been at it?
One year as deputy

What was your very first role in theatre?
Assistant director (AD)

What else have you done in theatre?
Worked as an actors’ agent with Rossmore Personal Management and I was casting assistant at the National Theatre

Have you got qualifications?
An English literature degree and a post-graduate diploma in directing from LAMDA

What did you do before you worked in theatre?
I had a brief spell as a property developer!

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer

What do you do all day?
I support the head of casting for all productions in the National Theatre, head up the casting of individual productions and have responsibility for the pastoral care and management of the acting company.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The sheer variety of the plays that I cast and the opportunity to work with the very best actors, writers and directors in the business. The pace of work at the NT is often very busy and I really enjoy the environment.

And the worst?
The hours can be long. I spend two to three nights a week at the theatre seeing actors.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
I probably have it

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
If you’re serious about being a casting director make sure that you see as much theatre as possible, making notes of the actors you are seeing. Do the same when you watch films or TV.

Familiarise yourself with different directors’ work and with different writers. The first step on the ladder is to work as an assistant to an established casting director: you can get a list from Contacts (entertainment industry directory) or from the Casting Directors Guild (CDG).