Date: October 31st
Location: Actors' Guild Hub at Spotlight, 7 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7RJ
Time: 14.00 - 17.00

Gemma Sykes is a freelance Casting Director who worked with Dan Hubbard for nine years before recently setting up Gemma Sykes Casting.

This informal workshop will start with an initial chat about the process of casting from Gemma's point of view, with tips on how best to prepare and how to make the best of the audition process.

This practical workshop includes a mock audition 'read', working from scenes Gemma will select and send out beforehand. Participants will be asked to choose the scene they feel most suits their casting or that they most identify with will be asked to learn their lines. Actors will receive honest feedback in a supportive environment. 

There will also be an opportunity to discuss any questions raised from the workshop as well as the casting process in general.

Gemma has 14 years experience of working in casting, in her early years working under many high profile UK casting directors, including Sarah Crowe, before joining Dan Hubbard Casting in 2009-2017. Gemma is currently casting projects under the newly formed Gemma Sykes Casting.

Gemma’s Casting Director credits whilst at Dan Hubbard Casting include: American Odyssey (Anna Friel, Adewale, Peter Facinelli), Fanny Lye Deliver’d (Maxine Peake, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox, Peter McDonald), The Stoner Express (Billy Boyd, Alice Lowe, the late great Howard Marks), The Rezort (Dougray Scott, Martin McCann, Jessica deGouw) and The Hippopotamus - based on the best selling novel by Stephen Fry (Matthew Modine, Fiona Shaw, Roger Allam, Russell Tovey, Emily Berrington).

She has also worked as Dan's Associate on many of his most exciting projects to date including Captain Phillips, One Chance, Suite Francaise, Chalet Girl, Jimi All is by My Side (written and directed by John Ridley, Academy Award winning writer of 12 Years a Slave), The Phone Call (2015 Academy Award winner for best Short film), Downton Abbey and most recently the hotly anticipated Jason Bourne. 

View Gemma's IMDb page.