is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

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bcnups
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by bcnups »

I find this is a really interesting subject. It doesnt particularly affect dgd because the last couple of years she has been concentrating on film and tv. (She does audition in London), but not for theatre roles. I can see how frustrating it must be for all those talented children who are arbitrarily excluded becase of the 45 mile rule. We live in Hertfordshire, (over 30 plus miles away) and we can get to the centre of London easily by overland railway, tube and/or car. Travelling time is important, because it adds to the working day, for both child and parent. I don't think we'd be keen for her to do it day in/day out for a long run in the West End! (Despite the prestige.) As for schooling, being on set in term time, that's all taken care of by an appointed tutor. However, she does do long, tiring days at the studio (or on location) so maybe its swings and roundabouts.
As pointed out earlier, we are discriminated against down South too, because dgd has no hope of a role at the Dragon studio in Wales (they invariably state Swansea based) is unlikely to get anything from the BBC in Salford; or the unit in Scotland. Even a producer/director in Bournemouth wasn't keen despite the fact we have relatives there, and it would take ten minutes to get to the set. As you say there's plenty of local children with talent, so why look further afield? Is it fair? The trouble is there are too many children chasing too few roles, so there has to be limits or Casting directors would be overrun. Dgd attended the very first Matilda audition and there were something like three hundred children on that occasion. (three got a call back). You only have to look at the response to "open" castings (online or otherwise) to see how many hopefuls are out there.
Ladymuck
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by Ladymuck »

This is a very interesting topic. We don't live in the M25 but I suppose they have to draw the line somewhere. The same could be said for Billy Boys. My DS would love to audition for Billy but he is not from the North. Couldn't an Essex Boy/London Boy pull off a Northern accent? seems not they want Billys from the North so no one else ever has a chance of being one no matter who talented they are.
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CatKat_0
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by CatKat_0 »

For the role of Billy in Billy Elliott they accept children from anywhere.......even the USA!
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riverdancefan
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by riverdancefan »

Ladymuck wrote:This is a very interesting topic. We don't live in the M25 but I suppose they have to draw the line somewhere. The same could be said for Billy Boys. My DS would love to audition for Billy but he is not from the North. Couldn't an Essex Boy/London Boy pull off a Northern accent? seems not they want Billys from the North so no one else ever has a chance of being one no matter who talented they are.
Billys, Michaels and Debbies are from all over Ladymuck,

Ds knows an ex-Billy from Rochester in Kent, and we saw one peforming who was from either the West Country or Shropshire - I can't remember :D
They recruit in the South and the North..

In fact another Billy we saw about 5 years ago was Canadian and I thought his accent was pretty good, the odd slip now and then.

And I am positive there has been a Scottish lad too.

You just have to get on the mailing list for the London auditions, height is far more of a barrier...
"Tall and proud my mother taught me, this is how we dance" - RIVERDANCE
francescasmum
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by francescasmum »

They take Billys and Michaels with any accent and give them accent coaching but strangly enough the Debbie has to have a 'North East' accent to even be auditioned, by North East they mean Geordie. We live in NE but York isn't NE enough! Why can they voice train the boys and not the girls?
Yet another one dd doesn't qualify for before she's even submitted. Outside M25, Not Manchester enough for Northern, not Geordie enough for NE, Not RP enough for London, Too tall for Matilda, too blonde for S&A.
I suppose I should look at the positives that she does have! There must be a part out there that wants a soft Northern/soft RP accented, blonde 4'4", skinny, grade 5 singing, horse riding, fencing, dancing, piano playing, home schooled little girl who looks like a princess but acts like a tom boy and is great with animals who just happens to be pretty good at acting too with a wealth of experience (whose mother is a qualified teacher/chaperone to boot) in an LEA who turn licences around in a day.... anyone know someone looking for just that? :lol:
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riverdancefan
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by riverdancefan »

francescasmum wrote:They take Billys and Michaels with any accent and give them accent coaching but strangly enough the Debbie has to have a 'North East' accent to even be auditioned, by North East they mean Geordie. We live in NE but York isn't NE enough! Why can they voice train the boys and not the girls?
Yet another one dd doesn't qualify for before she's even submitted. Outside M25, Not Manchester enough for Northern, not Geordie enough for NE, Not RP enough for London, Too tall for Matilda, too blonde for S&A.
I suppose I should look at the positives that she does have! There must be a part out there that wants a soft Northern/soft RP accented, blonde 4'4", skinny, grade 5 singing, horse riding, fencing, dancing, piano playing, home schooled little girl who looks like a princess but acts like a tom boy and is great with animals who just happens to be pretty good at acting too with a wealth of experience (whose mother is a qualified teacher/chaperone to boot) in an LEA who turn licences around in a day.... anyone know someone looking for just that? :lol:
aggghhh!!
so much to offer....she's fantastic! - the right part just has to be out there somewhere, but the frustration is of being knocked out before you even start is palpable
It brings home just how many barriers there are to so many of our talented kids who are more than capable of being outstanding in many roles. Ultimately you have to look, speak, live as the CD demands, the pre-requisites we can't do anything about, or not given the chance to change those we can.

EVERYONE it seems, wants to perform these days..or wants to be "famous" , child performing market is saturated, I wish DS had been the age he is now - but 10 years ago, I think things would have been a whole lot better for him employment-wise.
"Tall and proud my mother taught me, this is how we dance" - RIVERDANCE
Ladymuck
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by Ladymuck »

I didn't realise that about Billys. We are in for a chance then! But it is frustrating that that is the rule then for Billy's but yet the main girl has to be from the North! Why!!!!! Is it not discriminating?
Tess
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by Tess »

Now we really are out in the sticks! My youngest son recently was turned down for audition for tour of Oliver as we weren't within and hour of either Southampton or bristol so fell in between the two!

Oldest Ds managed to do the SOM Tour for 8 months though, had to take him all over the place to meet chaperones, lots and lots! But we never missed one call. if you have more than on child it's a commitment of the whole family to support it. Now he's older he whizzes up and down to london on the train on his own, 2 hrs 40 each way, but there's a lot of ways of using that time! I just feel its an extra barrier and if any of our wonderful children do succeed in fulfilling their dreams its even more of an achievement because its despite the barriers that were put up for them. We do have the beach tho.....:D :D
Gatesheadangel
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by Gatesheadangel »

Newcastle Upon Tyne is 150 miles away from Salford, so almost three hours by car and nearer to four using the awkward train system. The BBC moving to Salford has in no way benefited 'the North', just a bit of the North West. I would imagine a fair few of the children will be brought up to film in Salford/Manchester, in the same way most of the kids in Wolfblood don't come from the North East, so opportunities will still be available for kids outside of the North West. :D (In fact, does this not apply to Milly Zero? =D> )

Stagewise, the role of Debbie seems to be the one and only part on offer for North East kids. Hilariously, my DDs don't have a Geordie accent, despite born and bred here and attending ordinary state schools with 20-25% free school meals kids, so that's Debbie out. Every stage opportunity presented to my DDs have been unpaid, even where contracts and licenses and months of standby/ferrying for professional performance are required. But that's just the way it is, in the same way companies will set up factories here with part-time minimum wage jobs but have the big salary professional jobs in their HQs somewhere near London. Or am I just defeatist? :-k

Perhaps more relevant to the debate, I have experience of ferrying a DD from theatre after 10.30 at night to home (about 20 minutes away) for almost 3 months. Not only was she tired because it was so late, and she'd attended school for half a day before performing in 2 shows, and was about to do it all over again, but I had to drive her past 'Gentlemen's Clubs', half dressed hen girls, drunken men stumbling into the car at the traffic lights etc. So I can understand anyone casting children to be worried about how far children have to travel to & fro. Perhaps instead of saying 'M25' there could be a stipulation of what an acceptable journey time would be?
francescasmum
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by francescasmum »

Sometimes their requirement is 'within 1 hour of theatre'
Last edited by francescasmum on Fri May 17, 2013 5:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
TalyaB
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Re: is your DC affected by M25 requirement for London roles?

Post by TalyaB »

We're just outside M25, but less than an hour from central London. I've always pointed this out and it's never been a problem.
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