Online showcasing platform Showcase 2020 has relaunched with a new name and new expanded platform, marking the one-year anniversary of their launch. Now called Showcase Base, the platform connects drama school graduates and the people who want to sign them, cast them, and work with them.
With a new name to reflect inclusion of 2021 graduates and beyond, Showcase Base expands the scope of online showcasing and the features it offers. Graduates are in control of what and how they showcase, plus new features mean they can flag their available regions and receive messages from Industry Professionals. For the first time Industry members can also join, allowing them to search graduates by available regions, create lists for projects and castings and contact graduates directly on the platform.
Co-founded by actors Olivia Beardsley and Isaac Stanmore initially as a response to the pandemic, it quickly became apparent to the pair the huge appetite for online showcasing and the benefits it provides. ‘Everyone kept saying “I can’t believe this doesn’t already exist”, said Beardsley. “So while we continued to run Showcase 2020 we began work behind the scenes to build a brand new, updated platform to incorporate all of our new ideas and to be able to introduce more features for everyone. That is Showcase Base – the online showcase.”
While traditional showcases are on a specific day, at a specific time, in a specific place, by going online graduates can showcase 24/7. “And the brilliant thing”, added Stanmore, “is everyone benefits. Graduates are more available and easier to find, and the Industry have greater access with expanded tools. By making everyone’s job easier, we can get more graduates seen and signed and save people time and money in the process.”
Beardsley went further. “Online showcasing is a chance to completely re-imagine how we find, cast and sign new talent in this industry.”
Not just pandemic proof, online showcasing provides solutions to issues that have been around for a long time. Problems like availability, noted Stanmore. “If a casting director is in castings, or a director rehearsing, they simply can’t make an in person showcase. Plus with literally dozens of Showcases up and down the UK, the reality of an agent or casting director being able to see them all is simply unrealistic. By centralising all drama school showcases into one place, we make it easier than ever to see more graduates and discover talent you might have missed. It’s a constantly updating rolling database of new talent.”
Industry have also been consulted on how best the site could serve them. “We spoke to Industry Professionals from every corner and country of the UK to help us get the right regions that they would use” said Beardsley. “Our Smart Regions allow the industry to find their local graduates regardless of where they are training in the UK, helping to de—centralise and aid regional casting in the industry.”
The pair are also conscious of the landscape in which they launch. “It has been an enormous, challenging year for the arts, and we have always strived to help and do our bit. It’s the whole reason we set up Showcase 2020 originally. Reflecting the current world situation our monthly plans are just £2.99 for Graduates and £4.99 for Industry, with a 14-day free trial.”
Graduates and Industry professionals should visit www.showcasebase.com to get started with applications now open for 2021 graduates. Stanmore concluded “We are incredibly excited to get showcasing even more talent and helping connect the industry. The future of graduates deserves to be bright and we look forward to Showcase Base playing a part in that.”
