https://karenforte.com/ Stage, screen and everything in between en Sun, 08 Nov 2026 14:49:46 GMT https://karenforte.com/short-form-long-game-uk-commercial-casting/ https://karenforte.com/short-form-long-game-uk-commercial-casting/ UK commercial casting moves fast, but the performance still has to be precise, truthful and repeatable. This is why thirty-second spots deserve the same rigour as stage or screen roles, and how actors can approach them without treating them as a compromise. Karen Forte Industry Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:18:14 GMT https://karenforte.com/other-person-in-the-frame-uk-audition-readers/ https://karenforte.com/other-person-in-the-frame-uk-audition-readers/ The audition reader is the invisible co-star of UK casting: the person sitting just outside the frame who sets the temperature of the room. This is what makes a great reader, why they matter more than actors sometimes admit, and how to collaborate with them properly. Karen Forte Theatre Sun, 08 Nov 2026 13:18:14 GMT https://karenforte.com/velcro-vaseline-fourteen-seconds-west-end-quick-change/ https://karenforte.com/velcro-vaseline-fourteen-seconds-west-end-quick-change/ Behind every onstage transformation is a plot, a rehearsal, and at least two wardrobe staff with their hands in places you would not expect. An insider guide to the most high-wire craft in British theatre. Karen Forte Industry Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:18:01 GMT https://karenforte.com/two-lines-from-centre-stage-british-understudy/ https://karenforte.com/two-lines-from-centre-stage-british-understudy/ Every night, hundreds of UK performers put on a costume, learn every line and hope the phone never rings. Three covers talk about the strange discipline of being permanently ready — and the guilt of quietly wanting a chance. Karen Forte Theatre Sun, 08 Nov 2026 09:18:01 GMT https://karenforte.com/boo-is-a-skill-uk-panto-villains/ https://karenforte.com/boo-is-a-skill-uk-panto-villains/ Panto season opens across the UK this month, and the villain is the engine of the room. Regional panto veterans talk voice care, audience control and the off-season jobs that keep the boos coming. Karen Forte Theatre Sun, 08 Nov 2026 05:21:59 GMT https://karenforte.com/stop-performing-at-the-lens-self-tape-fixes/ https://karenforte.com/stop-performing-at-the-lens-self-tape-fixes/ Self-tapes are still treated like paperwork with a face. They are not. Here is how to turn yours into a scene, and why the format is changing who gets seen in the UK. Karen Forte Industry Sun, 08 Nov 2026 05:21:59 GMT https://karenforte.com/tinsel-trains-take-three-uk-touring-calendar/ https://karenforte.com/tinsel-trains-take-three-uk-touring-calendar/ Panto isn’t a detour from serious acting — it’s a bootcamp. As the 2026 festive season approaches, a practical, slightly chaotic guide to touring, vocal care and jumping between crowd-pleasing stage work and intimate screen roles. Karen Forte Theatre Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:20:54 GMT https://karenforte.com/small-parts-big-signal-uk-day-player/ https://karenforte.com/small-parts-big-signal-uk-day-player/ Day players don’t get the poster, but they often carry the scene. A look at the preparation, set etiquette and quiet stamina behind Britain’s small supporting roles — and what emerging actors can learn from them. Karen Forte Industry Sun, 08 Nov 2026 01:20:54 GMT https://karenforte.com/greasepaint-reflexes-britain-panto-performance-bootcamp/ https://karenforte.com/greasepaint-reflexes-britain-panto-performance-bootcamp/ Panto gets dismissed as tinsel and tumbleweed, but the people inside it know better. As the 2026 season cranks up, here’s what Britain’s loudest, silliest, most exposing stage tradition teaches actors about timing, stamina and the art of the save. Karen Forte Theatre Sat, 07 Nov 2026 21:25:01 GMT https://karenforte.com/no-single-lane-uk-performers-versatility-career-plan/ https://karenforte.com/no-single-lane-uk-performers-versatility-career-plan/ The old advice was simple: pick a lane. In 2026, a growing number of UK creatives are ignoring it, moving between theatre, TV, voiceover and live events with intent rather than desperation. Here’s how multi-hyphenate careers actually work — and why casting is starting to catch up. Karen Forte Industry Sat, 07 Nov 2026 21:25:01 GMT