The committee and many members of the Casting Directors’ Guild of the UK & Ireland (CDG) read Sarah Solemani’s piece (The TV and film industries are toxic – and it starts in the audition room, 21 October) with interest. Like all of the experiences to have been bravely shared in recent weeks, it is a salutary lesson regarding the abuse of power in our industry. The CDG unequivocally condemns any and all abuse and issued a statement on behalf of our members early last week.
The guild expects its members to facilitate auditions that are responsibly and professionally executed. It also behoves us to monitor the content and creative requirements of auditions and challenge any inappropriate requests. We can’t police private arrangements made without our knowledge but would strongly advise all parties to avoid the kinds of meetings described in the article.
Recent events have galvanised the CDG’s resolve to promote and uphold best practice. Although part of our job is to facilitate a director’s vision, we see the safety and wellbeing of performers as paramount and would view the situations described as unacceptable and certainly not the norm.
As far as the CDG is concerned, turning a blind eye to the sort of behaviour that has come to light must now be a thing of the past.
Andy Pryor (Chair), Rebecca Wright (Vice-chair), Victor Jenkins, Alastair Coomer, Ginny Schiller, Kahleen Crawford
The Casting Directors’ Guild committee
• Good though it is to see Witness for the Prosecution being staged in London’s old County Hall (Review, 24 October), it was arguably even more inventive to stage Marie Lloyd and the Music Hall Murder in an original courtroom as our thriller company did with great success here in Nottingham last July.
Robert Sanderson
Managing director, Nottingham Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall
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