Shush Casting Call Out 

I am making a new show with co-creator and dramaturg Lindsay Rodden. It’s called Shush.

 

It’s all about those first moments women and girls felt “shushed”, when patriarchy first made itself known in our lives, its a radical act of reclamation and resistance and it’s ultimately about smashing the patriarchy. It will blend testimonies, movement and bold design, it will also be full of fun and humour!

 

We are looking to cast three female actors/devisers through an open casting call out. We want to meet actors of all ages*, body types and backgrounds to come on board to work with us and our wonderful creative team of brilliant women for the first research and development phase of this brand new show. 

 

(*18 years plus)

 

We will be holding casting workshops on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th November in Newcastle city centre. 

 

We are looking to meet actors who are: 

 

• Experienced in devising / playing / creating together in a room

• Comfortable moving - we will be working with choreographers (you do not need to be a trained dancer - but be open and comfortable to move and experiment with movement/dance)

• Open to working alongside and supporting community cast members 

• Female (inclusive of trans) and also non binary people. 

• Willing to bring and contribute stories/ memories to the discussions (there will be absolutely no pressure to share anything personal you don’t want to). 

• Available for ALL the following dates: 

 

Casting Workshops - 4th and 5th November 

Research and Development week 1 - 17th - 22nd November 2025  (confirmed) 

Research and Development week 2 - 19th - 23rd January 2026  TBC (funding dependent) 

Research and Development week 3 - March/April 2026 - dates TBC 

 

Fee: 

 

A stipend of £30 towards your expenses to attend the casting sessions will be paid (on receipt of invoice).

 

The fee is £700 per week for the R&D weeks. Travel and living away allowance will be provided for actors we cast from outside the north east region for the R&D weeks. 

 

We are particularly interested to meet actors from the north east, actors from the Global Majority and those who are not originally from the UK and bring an international perspective.

​

To apply please send the following to Producer Steph Connell at steph@stephconnell.co.uk with the subject line ‘SHUSH CASTING’ by midnight on Sunday 26th October. You’ll be notified if you are invited to audition on Thursday 30 October.

 

1. Your acting CV and most recent headshot (if you don’t have these please send us a paragraph with information about your experience / training and a recent photo of you - no more than 200 words). 

 

   2. A short video no longer than 3 mins answering the following questions: 

 

• Your name and a little about you and your background  

• Any extra/ unusual skills you have that could be used on stage (eg: musical instruments, circus skills, singing, wiggling your ears, standing on your head etc..) 

• What attracts you to this project? 

 

We are not judging the production value so don’t spend time on making a fancy film - filming on your phone is absolutely fine.

 

   3. Completed monitoring form.

 

If we invite you to the castings we will also ask you to let us know about any access requirements you have and we will do our best to support these.