Casting Reflections

Producer Ellie, me (Steph) and Writer Lekhani.

It's been a while since I was in the casting chair but as I create space and turn my nose towards more directing I hope there'll be many more to come. I thought I'd pop some of my rambling thoughts and reflections down from Saturday's casting day in Manchester with HER Productions.

First of all in my casting reflections, the overarching feeling was respect and awe of the actors.

The way people show up so courageously.

Again and again.

With ideas.

With openness.

With vulnerability.

Putting themselves out there.

That evening, I went to see Private Lives at Hope Mill Theatre (go see it, phwa, they nailed it!!), and one of the main actors was ill. Another actor stepped in, script in hand.

He was incredible. You barely noticed the script and he was all in, no apologies.

It was such a reminder of what actors do, of their capacity.

To show up in uncertainty.

With so many moving parts.

With risk and fear.

And step forward anyway.

Being on the other side of the table is a lot of fun and also agonising.

Because you can see what people bring.

You can see their kindness and willingness. Their commitment. What matters to them. How much they care about the work.

All of that is visible.

And it’s beautiful.

But what struck me was this:

On its own, it isn’t always enough.

What really lands is when all of those qualities are connected to something deeper.

To safety in the body. To groundedness. To impulse. To intuition. To trust.

Some people felt very clear.

Secure in their footing.

Secure in their bodies.

Secure in receiving direction.

Secure in what they know they can offer.

Not rigid. Not fixed.

Just… integrated.

Their thinking, their feeling, and their instinct were working together.

Head. Heart. Gut.

And then there were others we were silently willing on.

Go on…Trust it…You’re nearly there…

They had ideas. They had intelligence. They had sensitivity. They had care.

But something wasn’t quite connecting.

Sometimes they were stuck in their heads.

Sometimes there was hesitation in the gut - a lack of full permission to act.

Sometimes they couldn’t quite land back in their bodies so the impulse never fully arrived.

Not because they weren’t talented.

But because one or two parts weren’t quite in alignment.

Behind the table, nobody is judging.

We’re rooting for everyone.

We want you to turn up and do the best you can do.

But we have to choose people who can sustain the work.

Who bring:

• stability

• clarity

• creative confidence

• responsiveness

• trust in themselves

Not because they’re “better”.

But because the work needs that integration.

That reliability.

That embodied yes.

I wanted to give everyone feedback.

If you just trusted this more…If you just dropped out of your head…If you just let your body lead…If you just stayed with the impulse…

You would shine.

You would give the room exactly what it needs.

And then of course, when it comes down to the details of casting, sometimes… It’s none of that.

Sometimes it comes down to height. Or balance. Or logistics. Or chemistry.

Nothing to do with your skills.

And that really sucks.

There are also forks in the road.

Where one casting choice takes the story this way…and another takes it that way.

That's hard, because you've brought possibility to the day and now a creative decision has to be made.

What serves the piece? What serves the story? What gives this work its strongest spine and deepest heart?

The whole process really reaffirmed the work I do with actors.

Coming back into alignment. Out of overthinking. Into embodiment. Into trust. Into responsiveness. Into ease.

Not “trying harder”.

But becoming more available.

More present.

More you.

When your thinking, feeling, and instinct are working together, you don’t have to push.

You land, you arrive.

And honestly?

I loved it.

I bloody loved it.

I loved witnessing courage. I loved seeing risk. I loved watching imagination at work. I loved seeing people offer their hearts to a room of strangers.

It reminded me why I care so deeply about what we do as makers and creatives.

Now I get to finalise the casting then step into the rehearsal room.

Carrying huge respect and love for every single actor who walks into a casting room, you're fecking amazing.

With love,

Steph x