The Spotlight Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Tips and advice for making the most of your time at drama school, including common mistakes students make and how to avoid them, and how to keep improving your acting skills after you graduate.

In the finals instalment of this two-part special about all things drama school, we talk to Charleen Qwaye (Fourth Monkey), Stewart Nicholls (Guildford School of Acting), Geoff Brumlik (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School), Helen Mackay (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and Christabel Clark (MetFilm School) about:

• Top tips for how you can thrive and make the most of your time at drama school.
• Common mistakes they see actors making at drama school, and how you can avoid them.
• Recommendations on how to maintain your skills and education once you leave drama school.
• How to ease yourself into the acting industry after graduating from drama school.
• Resources to keep yourself active and engaged with the drama school community after graduating.

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This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, the home of casting, which has been helping professional performers find roles in TV, film and theatre since 1927.

Over 90% of UK television work is cast on Spotlight and now joining us is easier than ever! If you have professional training or professional performance credits or a recommendation from an agent or casting director, you can sign up to become a Spotlight member. As a member, you’ll get access to our jobs board, and exclusive members-only benefits like workshops, events, discounts and more! 

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Join us today.

Why diversity is important in the entertainment industry, and more information about M·A·C Cosmetics’ exciting collaboration with Spotlight and the Diverse Squad.

In this episode, we speak to agents Mildred Yuan and Sara Sehdev (Core MGMT), who are also members of the PMA Diverse Squad, about:

• What the Diverse Squad is, and how they were formed.
• The difference between authentic casting and ‘tokenism’.
• What changes we need to see in the industry.
• The barriers faced by diverse performers.
• The work the Diverse Squad does to address these issues.
• Details about the 'Inclusive Complexion Edit' (in collaboration with Spotlight, M·A·C and the Diverse Squad) to incentivise the industry to provide the right colours for all actors in the make-up chair, regardless of skin tone.
• The benefits of Spotlight's 'Ethnicity or Heritage' tool.

Never miss an episode - subscribe to The Spotlight Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This podcast is brought to you by Spotlight, the home of casting, which has been helping professional performers find roles in TV, film and theatre since 1927.

Over 90% of UK television work is cast on Spotlight and now joining us is easier than ever! If you have professional training or professional performance credits or a recommendation from an agent or casting director, you can sign up to become a Spotlight member. As a member, you’ll get access to our jobs board, and exclusive members-only benefits like workshops, events, discounts and more! 

Ready to take the next step in your performing career? Join us today.

This 30 minute meditation is inspired by the idea of togetherness and what gets created when we come together. It’s designed to calm and soothe the nervous system and can be helpful to listen to when things in our lives (and the world) are feeling out of control.

In this meditation, we gently invite you to celebrate all parts of you. Because all parts of you are worthy of celebration. There may have been times when things didn’t go to plan. Maybe there were some days when you felt like giving up. But you didn’t. You’re here.

This meditation is designed to support young performers to feel more confident in themselves and their abilities. It’s designed to help them to reconnect to the part of them that knows that anything is possible and to keep trying - even when things don’t go to plan. This meditation is suitable for ages 8+ and parents and guardians are encouraged to listen to this meditation along with their child. 

This meditation is designed to help you to unwind and let go of the day, helping to aid in a restful night’s sleep. We use progressive muscle relaxation, a deep relaxation technique to help release stress and tension from the body. We recommend finding a cosy and comfortable place to lie down for this meditation. You may also like to have a blanket or a cover over you. 

This meditation is designed to support young performers who might be feeling a bit nervous or worried - particularly if they have an audition, self-tape or performance coming up. We spend some time relaxing the body and then we go on a short journey where we discover some very special magic clouds. This meditation is suitable for ages 8+ and parents and guardians are encouraged to listen to this meditation along with their child. 

This meditation is themed around the idea of new beginnings and is designed to calm a busy mind by gently guiding you back to yourself. We get curious about how each new breath creates space for new awareness by bringing us back to the present moment.

This meditation is recommended for those aged 8+ and is designed to help calm and centre young performers before an audition or self-tape. Parents and Guardians are encouraged to listen to this meditation along with their child. 

This meditation is designed to help with feelings of envy or jealousy. These feelings can come up often when you’re an actor or performer but it’s usually just a sign that you care deeply about something. In small doses, envy can motivate us to move towards what we want. With conscious awareness, we can use this energy of envy to help us to move forward.