ASK in Collaboration
Current Partnerships & Projects
Alongside individual actor consultancy, ASK works across selected industry bodies, programmes, workshops and partnerships focused on access, development and clearer routes into the industry.
An award-winning training and development programme founded by Casting Directors Tom Payne and Lucy Allen, offering free workshops for trans and non-binary actors.
The programme supports access, confidence-building, community and industry development, creating a space where actors can strengthen their craft, build professional understanding and connect with others navigating the industry from similar lived experience.
Everyone involved in GAP gives their time voluntarily, making the programme a genuinely community-led effort to improve access and opportunity for trans and non-binary performers.
ASK is supporting this year’s cohort on a pro-bono basis, overseeing talent development across the programme and offering free ASK guidance to selected actors. This includes support around Spotlight profiles, actor positioning, self-representation, casting materials, industry confidence and practical next steps.
GAP has already supported actors who have gone on to build momentum across stage, screen and the wider industry. At the heart of the programme is a strong community ethos; creating room for trans and non-binary actors to be seen, supported and taken seriously.
ASK is also interested in connecting with other creatives, practitioners and industry professionals who would like to give their time, knowledge or skills to support the programme and help widen access for trans and non-binary actors.
Alongside 1:1 consultancy, ASK delivers tailored workshops for actors, graduates, training providers and organisations.
Sessions can focus on Spotlight profiles, self-representation, agent approaches, casting materials, industry positioning and practical career navigation.
Workshops can be shaped around the needs of specific groups, including working-class actors, BIPOC actors, LGBTQIA+ actors, disabled and neurodivergent actors, and actors facing structural barriers within the industry.
Where some of this work sits outside Shauna's own lived experience, it is approached through listening, research and collaboration, with a clear understanding that support should be informed by, not speak over, the communities it is designed to serve.
ASK is also available for casting collaborations, access-led programmes and bespoke talent development sessions.
Drama School / University Graduate Consultancy
ASK delivers graduate-facing workshops for drama schools, training providers and early-career actor programmes, focused on actor positioning, self-representation and navigating the casting industry with more clarity.
These sessions are designed to bridge the gap between training and the professional industry, helping actors understand how they are currently presenting, where they may sit in the casting landscape, and what practical steps they can take after graduation.
Workshops can include Spotlight profile guidance, headshot and showreel discussion, agent approach strategy, self-representation basics, casting awareness, email submissions, industry etiquette and building a clearer sense of personal positioning.
ASK has recently delivered this work with Bristol School of Acting and is available for collaborations with other drama schools, universities, training programmes and organisations looking to offer honest, practical and industry-informed support to their students or graduates.