Research findings: Class and the working actor

The working class is under-represented in the creative industries, a gap that is researched through authentic voices of working-class actors on screen. Learn more about the outcomes of the research led by Professor Michael Wayne (Brunel University London).

Key findings are:

• The actors interviewed struggled to raise the funds to enter acting school.

• Those sustaining an early career face further challenges:

  • Non-acting jobs pay poorly but are needed ‘between roles’
  • There is competition between day jobs and acting roles to attend auditions
  • On-going training and registration for Spotlight (essential for job-seeking) is expensive.
  • The acting profession is London-centric, disadvantaging those on low-incomes outside London and the South-East

Read more here