Casting Director and Industry Masterclasses (Spring Term)

Join us for these amazing top-level industry masterclasses to help you develop your audition skills and keep you feeling fresh and on top of your game!

29th January – Paushali Banik. Paushali has been working in casting since 2013. Her first experience in casting was for an independent film company in India during her gap year. Since then, she has worked as a Casting Assistant & Associate alongside some of UK’s leading Casting Directors such as Jina Jay, Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel, Dixie Chassay, Theo Park, Andy Brierley and Victor Jenkins amongst many others. Her credits include projects for Netflix, Paramount, Apple, BBC, ITV, Amazon Prime, C4, Hulu, HBO and more. She is now also working as a Casting Director on a Freelance basis. Credits include DISCLAIMER, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE: THE AGENCY, THE LONG SHADOW, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM (2024), WORLD ON FIRE, DJANGO (TV), SILENT WITNESS, CROSSFIRE, SHERWOOD, and BULLETPROOF.

5th February – Ri McDaid-Wren. An impassioned advocate for better representation in the industry both on and off screen, Ri makes diversity and inclusion central to all their work. A founding member of the CDG’s EDI Group since 2018, Ri also created the CDG’s casting internship programme for people currently underrepresented in the profession, which launched in early 2022. Ri has most recently cast ‘Dead’ Hot’ (Amazon Prime/Tubi) and ‘Significant Other’ (ITVX) and was Co-Casting Director on the second series of ‘Traces’ alongside Andy Pryor. Credits as Associate to Andy include Doctor Who (BBC), It’s a Sin (BBC/HBO), Years and Years (BBC/HBO), Nolly (BBC), Wolf (BBC), The Devil’s Hour (Amazon), The Winter King (MGM+/ITVX) and Gentleman Jack (BBC/HBO). Solo Casting Director credits include short films ‘Pork Scratchings’, ‘The Cost of Living’, ‘I Luv Mat Johnson’, as well as various theatre productions including at the Arcola, Finborough, Charing Cross Theatre and Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

12th February – Glenn Gaunt. With over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry, Glenn began his career at the age of 15, working at a talent agency representing child actors. He cast a range of West End charity concerts, sparking a lasting passion for casting. He later joined Amanda Tabak CDG at Candid Casting, contributing to major commercial campaigns for clients including DFS, Sony, and Trebor. He assisted Amanda on THE NEXT STEP (BBC) and the short film GROUP B (NFTS). Glenn eventually moved into producing but continued to receive casting requests for independent projects, leading him to establish his own casting office with a focus on commercials and independent film. Recent work includes shorts such as You Like That, which premiered at the BFI, and Miss Temperance, broadcast on Channel 4, as well as Before I Do (2024) starring Ayesha Dharker and Shobna Gulati. His film work has enjoyed success at major festivals around the world. Glenn is also attached to an upcoming ITV drama series for Plimsoll (2026, NDA).

MORE CASTING DIRECTORS TO BE CONFIRMED!

Previous workshops hosted the likes of Paushali Banik, Dylan Stafford, Rachel Chambers, Kristian Wall, Caitlin Joseph, Natalie Gallacher, Hannah Lawton, Hannah Miller, Fran Cattaneo Andy Morgan and more.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT BOOKINGS MADE 24H BEFORE THE WORKSHOP MAY NOT ALWAYS RECEIVE SIDES ON TIME. PLEASE EMAIL reception@collectiveactingstudio.co.uk IF IN DOUBT.

Actors from Collective have worked in Hollywood films, on Broadway, for the National Theatre, in the West End and in series for Netflix, HBO, BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

We are passionate about working with actors from underrepresented groups and we will always seek to break down barriers to access in professional actor-training. Scholarships are available for those who are facing challenging circumstances.

If you want to learn more about how to apply, email reception@collectiveactingstudio.co.uk

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