Among the approximately 130,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in the UK since the start of the Russian invasion, around 30 actors took part in the auditions organized by the National Theater in London, the British equivalent of the Comédie Française, reports The Telegraph.
According Alastair Coomer, the casting director of the institution, has fallen behind in terms of representativeness. “You hear accents from all over Europe when you walk the streets of London, but not on stage. […] We need to challenge ourselves, it would be great to hear Shakespeare with a Ukrainian accent at the National Theatre.”
Since these hearings, at least three Ukrainian refugee actors in London have been represented by agents “leading”and several have been offered auditions for television or film projects.
The initiative seems to inspire some decision makers in the industry, observes the newspaper.
Rachel Seridan, casting director, says she contacted the streaming platform she collaborates with to encourage the artistic team to call on Ukrainian actors for pre-existing roles and scripts, “rather than waiting for us to write something with an Eastern European character”.
Former artistic director of the National Theater, Nicholas Hytner shares the ambition of a more inclusive theater, but measures the challenge: “If we are really representative today, that necessarily means that we won’t be tomorrow. You always have to change, always question yourself, to adapt to what is happening.”