How to help a young performer progress?

[CandlesInTeacups]

Young Actor Agent Advice UK

Hello 👋🏻

I have a son who is a very enthusiastic performer and would like to progress further in theatre. He is 9 years old, attends graded dancing classes and singing classes and an additional 3 hours a week at a theatre academy. Many of his academy alumni have gone on to full time stage schools and/or West End contracts so he is keen to push himself further.

He has taken part in many small scale theatre shows and recently has attended larger scale auditions, as such with this world so far has one current recall. Rather than me trying to catch opportunities for him by myself, I wanted to start reaching out to some agencies who might be willing to audition new talent and if successful take him on. There are so many out there and my priority is his wellbeing but also to nurture his love of performance and his wish to progress. My questions are:

• what am I looking for when looking at casting/talent agencies?

• does anyone recommend anywhere in particular?

• is there anything I should be aware of as a red flag when speaking with agencies?

All advice appreciated, many thanks for your time 💜🩵🩷

Lots of good advice here re agents. I would also add that if there are any youth theatre opportunities / classes etc attached to professional theatres then these are worth exploring. The Lyric Hammersmith and The Rose in Kingston, for example, both have youth theatre programmes and these kids all then audition for their professional Christmas productions (as well as being on the theatre's radar generally if they are good). Regional producing houses often hold open auditions for panto ensemble (although he may still be a little young at 9) and as well as being a great experience, it's more exposure to directors, casting etc if he gets in (and, as a boy, he'd have a strong advantage).

The absolute best advice I can give to you to pass on to him is that he ensures that he is a pleasure to work with. I work in the industry and it is very small, but the pool for actors is pretty big (especially those not yet known). It's a misconception that only casting directors and agents make recommendations for auditions - we all talk and we all put forth ideas for someone who we think will be great. And we absolutely don't recommend people who are disrespectful or difficult to work with! It's a real shame when you see that someone has talent but they are getting in their own way by making things difficult for the rest of the team - only the kind of actors who will increase ticket sales get away with this. I love recommending people who are talented, act professionally and are a pure joy to work with.

Have you also explored NYMT (National Youth Music Theatre) as an option for when he turns 10? NYT is 14 up but NYMT will offer a mixture of workshops, courses, productions etc.

Just seen Les Mis are open auditioning if your ds is the right profile.

I realise this is an old thread.

@CandlesInTeacups Did you find an agent in the end?

My Dd has had an offer of representation from Seaside Kids. Was wondering if you had any experience with them?

Hi! Yes we did and we have done all the west end auditions, some to finals… now DS is too tall! So now we are only able to focus on training and tape for screen.

We started with seaside but left pretty quickly. I resent paying an agency fee when other agencies don’t charge - also their books are huge now and they seem to be accepting everyone. I’d suggest a smaller boutique agency with less internal competition and no annual fees.