That Hollyoaks TV Audition

Please see the previous post. But here, as promised, are the FULL details of the new character for Hollyoaks, as sent to the Maverick Theatre Company today. Good Luck!

The Hollyoaks casting team are looking for a really exciting 18 to 20 year old black / asian / mixed race actress to play a new regular character in the show. She must be stunning looking, a proficient street / hip hop dancer, and of course a fantastic actress. 

The character is an aspiring dance student. She's sexy, confident, intelligent, funny, open, driven and feisty but likeable.

Filming will be in Liverpool from 7 October onwards. If you know any actors who might be suitable, interested and available, then please either put them in touch with us, or be in touch yourselves. The best point of contact is me (Rick Laxton, Casting Director) at rlaxton@limepictures.com or on 0151 202 2441. Please can photos of any suggestions be emailed if possible. 

Castings will take place from 26 to 29 September in London and Liverpool, so the sooner suggestions can get to us the better please, and no later than 6pm on Tuesday 27 Sept.

Any Maverick ideas?

A mad moment in the pub?

I'm looking for hard evidence to support my assumption that Maverick's productions in pubs and community spaces will attract new audiences to theatre.

This assumption is actually borne out by our work at the Billesley Pub in Birmingham during the 1990's and at Birmingham Library Theatre during the early 2000's. We have evidence to show that Maverick attracted non-theatre goers through our programme of contemporary classics, ticket-pricing and a robust marketing strategy aimed squarely at the council estates surrounding our venue. Basic market research in the form of printed questionnaires left on seats in the pub showed our audience to be generally non-theatre goers who were younger, more female and less well-off when compared to national statistics for regular theatre attenders.

I want to return to that model and roll the concept out nationally. A touring circuit that will address my belief that there are substantial proportions of the population who do not feel theatre is for them. My experience, both personal and professional, is that if the proposition is right, a new, more inclusive audience can be developed. The benefits are huge, not just for the new attenders, but to whole communities, other theatres, professional practitioners and society in general.

Unlike the work of the legendary Joan Litttlewood with her Theatre Workshop at Stratford East, this will be a touring project. It is very ambitious.

And it is obviously going to cost money and will be an almighty struggle, so I need to build the best possible case to present to funding bodies and commercial organisations whose help will be crucial to realise the project.

So, have you any comments, ideas, references or research that might help me? Perhaps you were one of our new theatre attenders? Or are there reasons why you perhaps have a problem with going to the theatre? How important is 'the event'?

Any contributions, good, bad, long, short or indifferent will be very welcome and annonymous. Did you perhaps attend any Maverick shows in Birmingham or on tour?

I hope to make a case for the Arts Council to award a small grant to allow the research to move forward and I shall contact you for permission if I would like to  use your comments. Please email me at mavericktheatre.co.uk or comment below.

Thanks very much for your help.  Here we go again... maybe!

And if you are looking for information about the new HOLLYOAKS actress auditions, I'll put details here tomorrow. Ta.

Write On

It's been a while since I was last here, but I'm Twittering and Facebooking like a demon with a pen. Or a keyboard. I've actually recently been paid to write too, which is just heavenly! But we didn't get a grant we went for with Maverick Theatre, so funds are tight and I've gone for a more permanent position as a writer and it's sort of paralyzed me a bit.  I kind of think I've got to hold on to the writing juice in case it runs dry just when I need it.  Competition for the job is very tough and I don't want to jinx it. Not that I'm at all superstitious about things.  But fingers crossed I get it!

I'll be back...