"It’s very demanding but you get back everything you put into it"

Hometown
Winchester. Now in London

What do you do?
Freelance casting assistant

What was your very first role in theatre?
I taught at Stagecoach and ran freelance workshops in schools. I still do this as well as my casting work as I feel it’s very important to educate, and hopefully inspire, children in the same way I was inspired.

What else have you done in theatre?
Casting assistant on They Have Oak Trees (Paul Robinson/Amy Ball) and The Final Shot (Tim Roseman) at Theatre 503, casting for three shows at Lichfield Garrick and ongoing work in casting for the tv show The Bill

What qualifications do you have?
A drama and technical theatre degree from Middlesex University and a postgraduate course in acting from The Oxford School of Drama

How did you start working in casting?
I fell into casting through becoming a casting assistant on Mojo and Mickybo and then applied for various casting jobs and worked for free

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Anything I saw on tv! It took me a while to realise that actually I wanted to be an actress!

What do you do all day?
Currently my day involves getting up at about 8am, checking my emails to see if there is anything that my director has sent me which needs an urgent response. My work can vary from checking availabilities of actors, booking auditions and actually holding castings.

In castings I’ll read with the actor, and the director and I will chat after about the suitability of the actor for the part. Some days can be incredibly stressful. There is a certain amount of responsibility on your shoulders to get the right people in for the part. I absolutely love my job and value the organisational and creative side equally.

I don’t miss acting as I don’t feel like I’ve given something up, but just delved into an equally interesting side of the industry.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The sense of satisfaction you get when you know you’ve cast the right actors for the part

And the worst?
When parts are offered, but the actors turn them down. It means going back to square one a lot of the time.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
Casting director at the Soho Theatre

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Be prepared to work hard and for free for a while. Get as much experience as you can working for really experienced casting directors, something which I’m continually trying to do now. Make sure it’s really the career for you. It’s very demanding but you get back everything you put into it.