Introduction

The portfolio will demonstrate how I intend to transition from a Drama School student into an artist in the professional industry. It will show how I want to promote myself as if I am in a shop window that is selling talent. It will include my research into agents, casting directors as well as specific headshot artists to get the look I’m after. All in all, it will hopefully give off the impression of me as an artist, showing my style, personality and what sort of person I am in a rehearsal room.

Over this last year in particular, I have felt that our practice room has increasingly become a rehearsal room, not just for whatever project we were working on at the time but also creating a professional environment and how I work in and around that. I have begun to treat every session less like a Drama School session and more as if I were in a workshop being run by professionals already working in the industry. This is something I will continue to do heading into our final project of second year as well as the rehearsals for third year shows.

CV

I spent a lot of time working on my CV and researching those of actors in the industry that I felt have a similar casting type to me to make sure it looked as neat and professional as possible. I also made sure to put on the most important and useful credits in terms of highlighting the sort of work I would be interested in creating and being a part of. After trying out a couple of websites, I decided to make my CV on Adobe as they had a number of templates for CV’s. I made sure to select one that, again, I feel reflects myself as a person and an actor so that even the format will give those viewing it a sense of both.

As well as the performances I have been in, I decided to add a special skills section to my CV to keep everything in one place. Although this is a section on Spotlight, I felt it best to put this on my CV in case an agent or casting director was to only see one or the other. I also believe that these special skills highlight more of my personality through a number of my other interests, giving whoever is viewing my CV a better feel for me as a person as well. I also added in my playing age range as a number of CV examples I looked at did this and I think it is another way of highlighting that I know as an artist what sort of roles I would like to and can play. (See Appendix 1)

Appendix 1:

Headshots

For me headshots are arguably the most important part of my CV, hence why I have spent a lot of time not only looking into artists but also the style of headshots I am after. I found it tricky to find a balance between headshots that would show off my casting type and the sort of roles I would like to audition for, whilst also giving some sense of my personality within those photos. When I got my original headshots, this was something in particular I felt was missing and therefore want to make sure comes across when I get them taken for my professional CV.

One thing that I felt would aid this was headshots that feel realistic and almost vulnerable. I believe this will show off the fact that I am seeking truthful and grounded roles in modern plays that explore the truths of life, as well as the deep and gritty Shakespeare plays I hope to do in terms of more classical work. Although I am still yet to find the exact artist I wish to get mine taken with, I have found a couple of photographers who style I aim to go for a similar look to. Tom Trevatt (Appendix 2) and Ben Wulf (Appendix 3) are the two best examples as I feel their headshots don’t hide anything and show off the actor in an accurate way without trying to make them “look nice”.

Bio for Spotlight

I went through various different versions of my bio to make sure I got one I was fully satisfied with. For my final product, I chose to go for one that highlighted my most important previous work, similar to the credits section on my CV, so that a casting director is able to get a gauge on my casting type as well as the sort of work I enjoyed being involved in the most. I feel it is more important to show myself as an actor over my personality as I believe my bio in particular should highlight my work with a little bit of personality sprinkled on top. I have included an initial version of my bio (Appendix 4) alongside my final product for now (Appendix 5) to show how it has evolved over the time of writing it.

One thing that I had some difficulty with however was trying to create a bio that made me stand out from the rest. I wanted a bio that a casting director would read and instantly get a feel for my personality as well as my previous work. I believe this is the more important element as if they get a grasp on my personality, then they can view my other work on my Spotlight profile or my CV. However, I am aware that my bio, similar to my CV, is something that I am able to constantly update and refresh in order to make sure it fits the style of work I want as well as making sure it has a modern feel to it.

Agents and Connections

Networking is something I have always felt a bit uncomfortable in doing, despite being an extroverted actor and person. I decided to start this process by creating a list of names and contacts, calling it my “solar system” (see Appendix 6) , that I had already work with in order to make things seem less daunting for me. That was I had a starting point before going on to expand it with certain names that I had researched and felt would suit me well in terms of the style of work I am looking to go into in the industry.

As someone who is originally from Bristol, I chose to begin by researching agents and companies from both Bristol and Leeds as I have connections from both areas. I went through a number of websites, including those recommended by Mandy, and added all those I believed were useful onto my “solar system”, making sure to note down where they were based. I also looked into casting directors from both areas and added those who had done work on projects I was interested in and reflected the work I wish to do in the industry.

The two main agencies that have caught my interest are BAM Associates (Bristol) and Imperial Personal Management (Leeds). The research I have done into these agencies has shown me what sort of work their current artists have been part of as well as how renowned they are in the industry. I looked into their website in terms of how to contact them when it comes to showcase season and my Spotlight profile is finalised as that I am able to send them my details and invite representatives to any relevant events. Although these are my main two, I have done the same for multiple agencies as well as casting directors from Bristol and Leeds, also noting down their contact details.

The next piece of research I intend to do is looking into companies that are based in Bristol and Leeds, seeing what kind of work they do and if it would be something I could be interested in. Alongside having an agent, I would love to be a member of a company as well in order to keep my craft constantly refined. Creating and devising work is something that I have found a love for during my training at Leeds Conservatoire and it is an ambition I would like to continue in the industry if possible. The companies I find from this research which I have an interest in, I will also add to my “solar system” with the intention to reach out to them when I feel appropriate.

Summative Statement

When working on The Rimers of Eldritch in the classical American project, I was able to implement my “acting process” into practice for the first time on an entire piece. Despite the fact that I had spent lots of time working on the detail of it, I found that I was able to mould it to what was needed specifically in the work. It was interesting to see how willing I was in areas to change what I’d worked so hard on to match what was required for a specific role or play. This was also my first professional opportunity to work with an external director, which I found to be a very alien experience as something more out of my comfort zone than I originally expected. I wanted to prove my involvement and also stay opinionated whilst not coming across as argumentative. I found it extremely exciting collaborating with someone completely new and over the process of creating the piece, developed further in terms of how to work with a director as opposed to for them. I believe this will massively benefit me in the industry as it means I know how to put forward my own offers and choices whilst also taking onboard direction and applying it to my work. I have also found ways in which my own “acting process” can be adjusted to fit a director’s certain style to match the piece and the type of rehearsal room I’m in.

This came in as a useful skill almost immediately when working on Macbeth for the Shakespeare project as I found it translated to collaborating with another artist without a director present. This was really interesting to see come to fruition as I was partnered with an actor I had never worked with closely before and found we were able to lean on each other’s process and way of working to create a 50/50 rehearsal space to share ideas and offers. Working closely with other actors is a skill I feel I may have slightly overlooked at times as when it comes to the industry, I often only cast my mind to how I would work with a director and not a fellow thespian. Working with new actors is something I am immensely excited for when entering the industry in terms of meeting new creatives, collaborating with artists from different backgrounds as well as other styles of devising and creating. I took the Shakespeare project as an opportunity to discover how I implement my process into work whilst giving space for the other actor to give suggestions I could to onboard. I found this left us with a piece we both enjoyed being a part of and felt proud of in the end result, showing that the process was useful to me when it comes to entering the industry.

Another reason why the Shakespeare project was so vital to my industry development is that Shakespeare plays are something I would love to do in the future. During my Foundation course I read Ben Crystal’s ‘Shakespeare on Toast’, a book I reread in preparation for the project. Crystal talks about the fact that all media nowadays can be linked back to any Shakespeare play and modern audiences fail to notice that. Shakespeare has always fascinated me, largely due to the idea that the majority of young audiences struggle to understand what is happening because of the language used. I spent a lot of time developing my vocal skills with the goal in mind of making the audience fully aware of the stakes, treating it as if the audience has never seen a Shakespeare piece before. Through the work in my voice classes with Jo Clarke and Chris Penney, I was able to give the words life and naturalism to help lead the audience through the story. Storytelling is such a vital part of theatre for me and most apparent when it comes to Shakespeare which is why I used this project as an opportunity to connect with an audience through the story. I feel this will massively help me in the industry  when it comes to attaching my process and bold choices onto a piece with achieving the end goal of simply telling a story.

I was recently part of an external piece of work hosted by a group of alumni from Leeds Conservatoire. I used this experience to test the waters of what it’s like to create my own work and be part of a project that was entirely created by and dedicated for people who are new to the industry. The experience was invaluable to me as supporting new work and being a part of it is something I am very interested in when I graduate. I constantly find myself coming up with concepts for pieces and getting an insight into the sort of platforms that would give me the opportunity to display this work is something I intend to continue looking into. I also think it’s extremely important that we support new work and take the time to go a see original pieces, therefore being a part of this project showed me just how useful it is when gaining industry experience.

This experience also helped me a lot with casting type, as I played the comic relief roommate which I feel suited me well. I believe my casting type is relatively “laddie” and the jokey best friend, although I believe I can play the romantic lead as well. However, I am aware of how difficult it is to place yourself in a casting type, as well as the fact that it will change a number of times throughout my career, and I am willing for agents to give me their suggestions on where they feel I fit as well.

The feedback I got from both the American and Shakespeare projects were mainly focused on the fact that I make good choices, but they could be bolder and more interesting. This was feedback I put into practice when it came to doing a number of mock auditions throughout second year. In my screen auditions I was often handed a script I had never worked on before, occasionally from pieces I’d never heard of which I used to my advantage. I focused on researching the style of the pieces as well as the writers and their previous work, for example with The Importance of Being Earnest, and made sure my choices were not only based on my findings, but equally as interesting and engaging as possible. This was useful practice for the industry as when it comes to auditions, I may not have the luxury of the work having been done before and examples I can base my choices on. When it came to doing a mock theatre audition with Suzy Catliff, a guest casting director, I focused on following the same format in terms of making the boldest choices possible. In this mock audition however, I feel I struggled with the redirection and letting go of my initial choices, something that was reflected in my feedback. Therefore, this is something I will focus on further when it comes to doing professional auditions. I aim to do this by creating mock auditions for myself and then choosing a redirect that completely contrasts my original choices so I can practice the idea of exploring something new in an audition setting.

Conclusion

Going into my final second year project, I feel like an actor with a solidified process of working as well as an attitude that fits a professional rehearsal space. I am constantly excited to put this process into work and further develop my craft whilst working on new pieces with different directors and actors. I have gained a new knowledge this year on how to market myself as an artist and someone who is willing to work to my full potential on projects. Although it is an area I still need to work on, I feel confident on how to approach both a screen and stage audition as well as what I need to do in the room focusing on the redirects the casting director may offer me. I have also come to terms more with leaving my initial choices behind and exploring characters in more depth.

From a session this year with Richard Galloway, I feel confident when it comes to meetings with potential agents and casting directors alongside how to initially approach them for work opportunities. As previous mentioned, I have gathered a “solar system” of people I have previously worked with as well as people I wish to work with in the future, and intend to invite a number of these people to the third year showcase and shows that I am involved in. Although I struggle when it comes to the industry side of things, my research has help me become more grounded in how everything works. I now feel more confident on how to market myself and what my current casting type and playing ages are with the knowledge that these will likely change during my career, something I will be able to edit on my Spotlight and CV when necessary.

Bibliography

Adobe.com. (2026). Free Acting CV Template | Editable Examples By Adobe Express. [online] Available at: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/templates/resume/cv/acting?mv=search&mv2=paidsearch&sdid=VG52K6W2&ef_id=Cj0KCQjwqPLOBhCiARIsAKRMPZoxA_-cCZv_NPcVrefWCurQJxlBNVgd6N90j5Ve0DGPvuE9IYaNNZ4aApZgEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL.

Benwulfphotography.co.uk. (2026). Actors Headshots London | Ben Wulf Photography. [online] Available at: https://benwulfphotography.co.uk/actors-headshots-london/.

Crystal, B. (2016). Shakespeare on toast : getting a taste for the bard. London: Icon Books.

‌Ebam.tv. (2026). Available at: https://www.ebam.tv/.

IMPERIAL PERSONAL MANAGEMENT. (2020). HOME. [online] Available at: https://www.ipmcasting.com/.

Tom Trevatt Portraits & Headshots London. (n.d.). London Headshot and Portrait Photography | Tom Trevatt. [online] Available at: https://www.tomtrevatt.com/.