Over the past year, Spotlight has launched a new criteria to ensure that the performing arts industry continues to evolve. We’ve broadened our criteria to help more emerging performers join Spotlight, so that screens and stages across the world can continue to showcase exciting new talent.
We hope this decision improves the industry’s ongoing issues relating to diversity, equality and inclusion and to ensure that Spotlight remains the true home of casting, in an ever-growing market, whilst maintaining the professional standards expected of us after almost 100 years! We also want to broaden the talent pool that casting directors and project creators have to choose from across all aspects of the industry from acting, to motion-capture and voiceover to puppetry. Our new criteria should serve the ever-growing needs of the industry whilst opening up membership for applicants who’ve previously struggled to breakthrough.
We know that a key issue for emerging members may be the financial barriers of the industry. Performers with UK bank accounts are now able to join Spotlight on a monthly Direct Debit basis and we’ll be rolling this out to all member types and to our non-UK members in the very near future! Our other exciting launch in the last year includes the Spotlight Bursary scheme. Each year, we’ll be offering up to 400 Spotlight membership bursaries. You can find out more about it here.
So what is the new criteria? You’ll need to have one of the following:
- At least one featured role with an Equity or equivalent union contract or two contracted professional performance credits
- Or have completed at least a year of full-time professional performance training equivalent to a RQF level 5 or two years of part-time training
- Or have a professional recommendation from an industry professional meeting our criteria. Please note – recommendations are at the discretion of the professional with whom you have an existing professional relationship. For example, they may have auditioned you, or watched you perform in a show. Applicants should not contact professionals via unsolicited calls or emails asking for a recommendation.
You can find out more and apply for your Spotlight membership here.
