2024 & 2025 Adjudicator

James is Senior Acting Tutor at Mountview Academy. He has also taught at Rose Bruford, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Rada, ICT, and The National Youth Theatre. He spent 30 years working as an actor, director and theatre maker; directing projects for the RSC, Punchdrunk, National Theatre Studio, Secret Cinema, and NYT.

As an actor he spent many years with The RSC, as well as working nationally and internationally with Punchdrunk, Kneehigh, The National, The Young Vic, Bristol Old Vic and many more.

TV and Films include Casualty, The Bill, Supergrass, The invisible Woman, Dream Team, Clone, Go now, Jenner, Is Harry on the Boat, Overexposed & The Sobering.

He is also a composer and musician, and his band The Greeners are regularly played on radio stations around the world but also in the UK on BBC Radio 2 and 6.

James Traherne

2023 Adjudicators

Emma Taylor

Emma has been Artistic Director of the Canal Cafe Theatre, the UK’s leading launch pad theatre for the comedy industry and Producer of NewsRevue since 2001. Some directing highlights include; Lucky Stiff, (Whatonstage Best Musical Revival Nomination), Mamet's The Shawl with Scarlett Strallen, world premieres Stage Fright by Lynn Howes with Abi Titmuss and Shamlet by Andrew Doyle. Emma is the recipient of an IARA Special Recognition Award, Fringe Report's Theatre Person of the Year Award, a Guinness World Record on behalf of NewsRevue and most recently a joint outstanding achievement award from London Pub Theatre Awards with the late founder of NewsRevue, Professor Michael Hodd. She is author of The Pocket Producer (available on Amazon). She is also a performer and a multi-lingual private consultant for Screen Presence.

Sue Needleman

Sue has been casting for over 30 years during which time she has been fortunate to cast several BAFTA & Emmy award winning shows such as "An Ungentlemanly Act", "Tracy Beaker Returns", "The Dumping Ground", "Joe All Alone" & 'Katy" & 'Nova Jones".   Sue works over many genres particularly in Family / Childrens TV Drama & more recently Animation such as 'Hilda' for Netflix  'Love Monster" & 'Jojo & Gran Gran' for BBC. She has worked as a mentor for the National Youth Theatre and is a member of the CDG (Casting Directors Guild) & BAFTA.

Awards

  • All applicants will receive a certificate and feedback sheet with a mark from the adjudicator.

  • Those who place first in their category will receive a medal

  • Junior Award (£75)

    • Awarded to the most outstanding all-round performer under the age of 12

    Senior Award (£100)

    • Awarded to the most outstanding all-round performer age 12 and above