ABSTRACT
In these high-tech days of TV and movie stardom the medium of radio drama is often overlooked by actors as a means of employment, and while there are no multi-million-pound fees on offer, radio can provide a steady stream of work. If this medium interests you, the first step is to tune in and listen to as many plays and serials as you can so that you can judge the types of actor and voices they need and use, which can vary from play to play. Details of these can be found in the Radio Times and other listings magazines and websites. If you have little or no microphone experience you will need to work on this before auditioning for the more established companies, and there are several options open to you. The Actors Centre in London (https://www.actorscentre.co.uk" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.actorscentre.co.uk), the City Lit (https://www.citylit.ac.uk" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.citylit.ac.uk) and some drama schools offer workshops and short courses led by experienced practitioners and often held in actual studios. You can also enquire if your local hospital radio does any drama (and if not, you could always suggest it and get together a group of like-minded actors volunteering to record some programmes, which would be an excellent way to learn on the job while entertaining the patients). When you have some technique and experience behind you, make contact with your local radio stations to see if they ever make dramatic productions and ask about their casting policy. You will stand a better chance with the smaller stations where there will doubtless be fewer actors for them to choose from. When you feel confident enough, it is then time to contact the big boys in search of an audition.
