Casting for touring pantomimes

West End in Schools requires musical theatre actors with West End experience (or equivalent) to join its well paid touring pantomime casts visiting primary schools.

This is the only panto where you can be home for Christmas and New Year - and get time off for auditions!

“Having spent 6 years in a row unable to get home for Christmas because of performance schedules, I decided last year to do the West End In Schools pantomime, Aladdin. It meant I could still earn money but make it home for both Christmas and New Year.
I highly recommend this to anyone who, like me, wants the joy of not having to do a matinee on Boxing Day!”
— Gary Wood
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The shows

The shows are 1 hour, are given by one boy and one girl, and are performed in primary school halls on a traverse stage with simple but elegant set, props and costumes. We try really hard to make these shows a brilliant introduction to musical theatre for the children!

The creative team is:

Director: Ryan McBryde
Writers: Alex Silverman and Andrew Emerson
Designer: Mia Flodquist
Choreographer: Abi Rosser
Associate Director: Abi Finley

Abi will be directing rehearsals as Ryan is currently directing Saturday Night Fever for Theatre Royal, Bath.

You can read what we tell schools about the shows here - and do listen to the track on that page (sung by Simon Lipkin and Sarah Galbraith) which gives you an idea of the music. It's fab!

A day on the road

Each cast gives up to three performances per day, typically visiting one school in the morning for one or two performances and another in the afternoon.

At our busiest we have nine casts on the road at once, but because we allow our cast members time off for auditions or other professional work (ie work through your agent) we rehearse lots of extra people and share the work around.

We expect you to be flexible and helpful with covering last minute work when we are covering late notice auditions - which of course means extra paid days of work for you.

You will learn either Aladdin or Cinderella and will perform opposite a range of other actors - we don't have fixed pairings. This makes performing fun and keeps things fresh.

Time commitment and pay

  • a 90 minute music call, usually the week before rehearsals
  • three days of rehearsal (Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) in November.
  • a learning fee of £250 for the above providing that you are off book for their run, and have prepped for your music call, or £200 if we have to bring you back to either of the above
  • around seven to ten performance days at £100/day - perhaps more - mainly in December. Some shows are in November and January.
  • more work in the spring on other shows if it goes well for you and us. 

The scheduling doesn't tend to work well for people who have a lot of fixed engagements in their weeks.

The roles

ALADDIN BOY
Playing Aladdin, Widow Twankey

ALADDIN GIRL
Playing Princess Jasmine, Abanazer, Genie of the Lamp

CINDERELLA BOY
Playing Prince, Furry Dogfather, Ugly Sister

CINDERELLA GIRL
Playing Cinderella, Ugly Sister

Who else does this?

The West End in Schools office team is Nigel Godfrey and Roxane Kamberos. Before working in schools the company (as Blue Box Entertainment Ltd) previously general managed Jerry Springer - The Opera (in Edinburgh, at the National and in the West End), Bat Boy the Musical (at West Yorkshire Playhouse, and in the West End), Eurobeat (in Edinburgh, on tour and West End), Round the Horne, the National Theatre production of Noises Off, and a touring production of Return to the Forbidden Planet.

We're still casting this year, but last year's cast was: Abi Finley, Gary Wood, Simon Lipkin, Lisa Mathieson, Arvid Larsen, Scott Garnham, Belinda Wollaston, Rachel Duddle, Peter Manchester, Dylan Turner, Sarah Galbraith, Joseph Claus and Kevin Brewis.

How to apply

  • You must be able to drive - we use hire cars!
  • You must either have a CRB/DBS check or have a clear criminal record (including no cautions for violent behaviour) and be happy to be CRB checked at our expense.
  • You must be available from Monday 1 to Friday 19 December and on the rehearsal dates in November. Different teams rehearse in different weeks so there is flexibility in November.

To apply fill out our quick application form on this link. You can do this from a computer or a phone.