Members of the Playbox Agency are put forward for professional performance opportunities. Our agency members need to show a professional work ethic at all regular Playbox sessions and rehearsals, in order to demonstrate they are suited to being on the agency. Agency auditions are not connected to Playbox Theatre in any way, unlike the regular ‘Playbox auditions’, that all members of our acting workshops are invited to attend.

No responsible agent can ever guarantee an audition. This is a highly competitive industry and the competition to even get seen for a role is tough. Some actors may get one audition a year, others may get 20. Your agent will put you forward for any casting that fits your profile (often a great many), and it will then be down to the casting department on the project as to whether or not you are called to an audition.

We try and encourage our members to take ever opportunity offered, if, however, you can’t make it work we will either request an alternative meeting, or we will ask if you can submit a self-tape. If neither of these are an option, we will cancel the meeting. It reflects badly on our agency if actors turn auditions down, so if someone repeatedly fails to accept a casting, they will need to leave our books.

When you are contracted to a job this usually means missing a bit of school, sometimes it may just be odd days, others it might be a few months. Production are legally required to educate young performers on set and will work with your school to make sure you continue with your curriculum. As this involves having a personal tutor, young actors are usually able to cover more than they achieve in their regular classroom setting. If an audition is scheduled doing the school day (which frequently happens), you will need to ask for time off school. Before committing to the Playbox Agency, it is important to know that the school will be supportive of this membership.

All our agency members are registered with Spotlight, which is one of the world’s largest casting platforms. Through Spotlight, casting directors can search for talent, and we put our actors forward for all suitable roles that come to us via casting breakdowns. We also have close relationships with many of the industry’s top casting directors, who talk directly to us about projects, and we recommend clients to be seen for suitable roles.

The most important skill is to be a confident individual who is able to take direction well. The more skills you have on your CV the more auditions you will be eligible for, including singing, dance, screen acting, martial arts, languages, accents, horse riding etc. Playbox offers training across a range of useful skills, which many agency members choose to attend. We also programme special masterclasses throughout the year, specifically targeting our agency actors.

Most auditions will take place either in London or Manchester. Increasingly actors are being asked to submit self-tape for first round auditions, which works great for our clients, as most of them live beyond M25.

This is where you will be sent through the audition ‘sides’ to tape at home. We will then submit this to the casting team to see if you are suitable for the role. Members of the agency and their parents are offered training sessions on how to make an effective self-tape, with everything from lighting and sound, to conversion and transfer.

Throughout the year agency members are invited to attend specialist masterclasses with top industry practitioners. Some recent examples of masterclasses we’ve offered are US dialect, auditioning for screen, auditioning for musicals and radio techniques.

You do not pay to be a member of the Playbox Agency. We take commission from any money earned through contracts you book. Commission on stage work is 10% and commission for screen and recording contracts is 15%. You will need to register with Spotlight and the fee for Young Performers is £103.00 per year. You will also need to have professional head shots taken, which Playbox organises for you.

Yes, only current, fully paid, Playbox members are eligible to be represented by the Playbox Agency.

No, we only represent current Playbox members.

Juliet Vankay is the director of the agency who is supported by a team of assistants, as well as the wider directorship of Playbox Theatre. This is to ensure that we have full knowledge of every actor on the agency, via regular feedback and contact with the Playbox directors of all departments.

Should you choose to have your photos taken through the Playbox Agency, our photographer is Claire Roberson who is highly experienced in taking actors’ head shots for Spotlight.

Yes, it is a requirement that you register for Spotlight as soon as you are accepted onto the Playbox Agency. It will be your responsibility to make sure that your Spotlight profile is continuously updated.

Most recent auditions include the new Marvel Film, the new George Clooney film, numerous Netflix and Amazon Prime series, numerous CBBC series, The Crown, Killing Eve, stage productions including RSC and West End along with many commercials and radio plays.

Recent agency successes include leading roles in RSC productions of’ ‘The Boy in the Dress’, ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Duchess of Malfi’, ‘King John’ and ‘Matilda’. Recent screen successes include ‘Letters for the King’ for Netflix, ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Disney , ‘Game of Thrones’ HBO, “Days of Bagnold Summer’, ‘The Snatcher’ and many commercials. Several members of the Playbox Agency play regular roles in BBC radio drama ‘The Archers’.

For screen work, parents usually chaperone. This would be a paid role. If you are unable to do this it is possible to register a relative as a chaperone or production will employ a chaperone. Theatre’s usually provide chaperones and ‘house mothers’, if the actor is required to live away from home.

We hold auditions annually. These take place in the summer when all Playbox members are sent details of how to apply. If you have any enquires before then, please don’t hesitate to contact agency@playboxtheatre.com