Casting Situation in the UK

Skills and talents of Equity members are respected and recognised worldwide
Talented performers are available throughout the UK, not only in London and the South East but also within the nations and English regions
There is a range of representation from corporate agencies to boutique to co-operative and some performers represent themselves
All partners in the casting process face pressure to deliver professional casting standards, often within a short timescale and tight budget in an environment where script preparation is time consuming and the cost of travel is high
Self-taping is becoming more widespread and is an opportunity to widen access to the casting process
Women, black, South Asian, East Asian and minority ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT ), Deaf and Disabled and older artists continue to experience discrimination across the industry
Social class remains a barrier to accessing and sustaining a career
An increasingly diverse audience both wants and expects to see and hear itself reflected authentically and its expectations are even higher of publicly funded theatres and broadcasters
Productions that embrace diversity have demonstrated a wide appeal to all audiences and deliver real commercial success
It is unlawful to discriminate in the engagement of performers on the grounds of their Protected Characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010