INFORMATION

Ian receives the mail!It's with regret and apology that we cannot accept actors' CVs or writers' manuscripts via our web pages. Our work is very specialised and any casting calls we do make are sent to known and established agents via The Spotlight Interactive Casting Service. The nature of our casting process is such that if an actor / actress is not in ‘Spotlight’, we can’t consider them. Have a look at www.spotlightcd.com.  We don’t endorse or recommend them but we do think it’s a good idea for any serious minded professional actor to consider. Similarly it doesn’t matter if you’re a member of British Actors Equity or not … but membership does have advantages for any professional performer.

Every year we receive hundreds of letters with expensive photos (so often with no name or any means of identifying the subject!) and cv’s from aspirants who would ‘like to work with your company’ yet it’s patently clear they have no idea who we are or what we do. If there’s no sae for a reply, it’s in the bin!

As far as panto is concerned, we do not use ‘dancers’: we can only consider top-notch, all-round accomplished musical theatre performers. i.e. singers / dancers / actors. We’ve never held ‘general auditions’ in 30 years and we don’t intend to start. Please note also that our general tendency is NOT to use girls as ‘Principal Boys’.

This article - "How to audition and act in Pantomime" - from Spotlight offers much useful advice.

If, however, you do have an established and strong Music Hall / Variety act then please do write to us. We would love to hear from you because you are something of a rarity. Providing you enclose a s.a.e. we will endeavour to reply. If you’re starting to make a mark for yourself as a panto dame / villain / principal girl etc. then we would be happy to hear from you but could only consider you for future casting if we can see you work or you can send us a DVD of a panto performance – even just a few minutes “in performance” would be very helpful.

...and authors
As far as new plays are concerned we normally don't have the resources to develop new projects. We would be interested to receive a brief synopsis of comedy plays / thrillers and compilation musicals … and we will certainly pay special attention to ‘Revue’ type shows. If you feel you have a new approach to pantomime, or shows for children, then please do drop us a brief line telling us about yourself and what you have to offer.
In your own interests please ensure that your work is properly copyrighted before you send it … to anyone!

For more information contact:
Ian Liston, The Hiss & Boo Company
1 Nyes Hill, Wineham Lane, Bolney, West Sussex, RH17 5SD
Tel : +44 (0)1444 881707 / Fax : +44 (0)1444 882057
Email : ian@hissboo.co.uk