The RSC casting department is Charlotte Sutton (Head of Casting), Matthew Dewsbury (Associate Casting Director) and Charlie Metcalf (Casting Assistant). We sometimes also work with freelance casting directors.  

Once a Casting Director has been assigned to a production, this information will be on the show’s page on the RSC website. 

If you’d like to contact us, please email charlie.metcalf@rsc.org.uk.

Please note: all correspondence will be read and shared with the appropriate team member, but we will not be able to respond to all emails.

If you are interested in a specific production, please email the relevant Casting Director with a recent headshot and information on your acting credits and training. If you have a showreel, please send this too. It’s really helpful if you can invite us to see you act or share footage of your acting. Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to reply to all submissions, but they will all be read and considered for appropriate available roles.

Please send invitations via email, ideally 4-6 weeks before the production dates as our diaries get booked up in advance. We are committed to seeing work across the UK and cover a wide range of shows between us.

An audition for a play is likely to take 15-20 minutes. You will meet the Director and the Casting Director, and sometimes a larger panel including a Movement Director or Musical Director depending on the requirements of the role. You will have been sent the script in advance and asked to prepare some specific scenes.  

The audition will begin with a short chat before you and the director get to work on the material you have prepared. Generally, you are not expected to memorise the lines, unless specified.  

Following your audition, you will receive a Yes or No from the casting department in due course.  

More information on auditions can be found in the Casting Directors’ Guild Audition Guidelines, which the RSC casting department adheres to.

There is no specific route into acting but a good place to start is to get involved with your local theatre, many of which will have youth programmes, community projects or have details of classes in your area. You could also check with your local council about arts initiatives and children's activities or visit the Arts Council England website. 

Another option is to enrol your child in a performing arts school, which run weekly classes in Acting, Singing and Dance. There are a number of companies that have franchises across the UK. These schools often have an agency attached which help children to access professional auditions. Many will offer a trial class so that your child can have a go to see if it is right for them. 

Some parents may wish to explore working with a Children’s Agent. There are some excellent agents who have children's welfare at the heart of what they do. However, it is important to do your research when looking for representation. Although they do not offer advice on finding an agent, you may wish to check The Personal Managers’ Association (PMA) website to see a list of their current members as a guideline. 

It’s also worth considering that taking children to auditions and supporting them with an acting job is a huge commitment for parents and may involve the child missing some schooling. You can find more information via Spotlight. 

For older children or young adults pursuing drama, any opportunities at school are a great way to build knowledge and performance experience. This could include taking part in clubs and school productions, as well as taking drama at GCSE and A level.  

Some young performers may want to explore auditioning for national organisations like the National Youth Theatre or, for those over 18, they may wish to pursue a degree in Drama or Theatre Studies at University or at an accredited Drama School.

We only cast children in specific productions, but whenever we are holding children’s auditions they will be advertised on our news pages and social media.

Please be aware that we are often looking for children within a specific age bracket and/or with a particular skill set, so not all auditions will be suitable for every child. It is important to read the requirements for each casting opportunity carefully to avoid disappointment.  

Please note that it may not be possible to meet all children who apply but best endeavours will be made to meet as many applicants as we can.

You are welcome to send your child’s reel to us, however we are unable to store their information for future opportunities due to our child protection policy. We would instead encourage you to keep an eye on our news, features and updates pages for any suitable audition opportunities.

There are lots of ways to support your child without having to spend a lot of money. This can be as simple as encouraging them to take part in school clubs or local amateur productions. It’s all brilliant experience and can help lead to opportunities. Many theatres and performance organisations have free or accessible programmes, and some stage schools offer scholarships.  

Young performers (18+) may be eligible for accessible training programmes such as  SPRINGBOARD - Lyric Hammersmith and Acting — Open Door. 

It's also worth keeping an eye on UK theatre websites – including ours – as many will post open auditions when casting children for a production.

Our children’s auditions are normally workshop auditions, which means there will be a group of children attending together, but occasionally we will do individual auditions for very specific roles. The Children’s Casting Director will let you know at point of invite which type of audition it will be.  They will also let you know if the child should prepare anything in advance. This might be a scene from a play, a poem, or sometimes a song.  

Although we ask children to be familiar with the material that we’ve sent, we do not expect them to have learnt it. We are much more interested in how they work on the material in the room.  

We know that auditions can be daunting, so we do our best to make the process as relaxed and fun as possible. There will always be a chaperone in the room alongside the Children’s Casting Director and members of the creative team. The children will be introduced to everyone before they start.  

Although we encourage the children to get stuck in and show us what they can do, they will never be asked to continue if they feel too nervous or overwhelmed.  

We encourage parents to let us know about any access requirements beforehand so that we can ensure the children have a positive audition experience.