ITV casting director pushes for drama school diversity

Published Tuesday 22 April 2008 at 17:00 by Lalayn Baluch

Television companies are struggling to find highly trained young black and Asian performers because not enough are attending the UK’s drama and stage schools, says a leading TV casting director.

Speaking at a discussion on ‘colourblind’ casting organised by the National Council for Drama Training, Janie Frazer, a casting director for ITV Productions, also claimed that youngsters from certain backgrounds are deterred from joining a performing arts school for financial reasons or because they think it is ‘uncool’.

Frazer commented: “I was recently actively looking for young Asian actors who could not only act, but who could sing and dance as well. We did a search nationwide, and targeted particular areas in the Midlands and the North, to find actors of the right calibre and skill, but we just weren’t finding them at all.

“I am concerned that despite the progress that has been made on screen, I don’t think enough people are coming forward through training with the right level of quality and skill for us to consider. We need to encourage people from those communities to come and train.”

Meanwhile, NCDT director Hilary Strong echoed the concerns, and promised that “widening participation” was one of the organisation’s priorities. She added that it was also important that drama schools trained disabled people and white working-class children, so that their output was suitably diverse.

Strong added: “We must make an impact with much younger children, rather than 18-year-olds who come and audition for drama school. For many it is too late if we simply address the problem then. I feel that a lot of young people, for example from the black communities, just don’t feel that drama school is for them, they think it is an alien nation. We have to encourage them to feel that it is possible that they will get in. The big thing if you are socially disadvantaged is that you don’t want to fail, so you won’t put yourself up for the chance of failure. The best way of supporting them is to encourage them to get involved in drama and activity at an early age.”

Jessica Ronane, casting director for the West End production of Billy Elliot, said that children had to be made aware of opportunities available to them, and believes that since taking on young black actor Layton Williams and Chinese performer Matthew Koon in the title role, she has seen a much greater variety of children auditioning for the musical.