[Rehab] Casting a blind teenage role | johnaugust.com

[Dick Davis]

Dear Members of the Jobs and Rehab Listservs and President McGinnity:

My son, Adam Davis, is a filmmaker.  His long time mentor is John August,
who wrote the script for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", along with
lots of other things.  John is looking for a blind teenager around 15
years old to star in a movie, "The Shadows", that he is making.  Below is
the casting notice:

https://johnaugust.com/casting/

Some points that should interest everyone: John August is a big name in
the film industry.  He will get the financial support he needs to make
this film. He is also a person of high integrity.  He is looking for a
blind person, is willing to work with someone who is not a professional
actor, and he wants a real blind person who thinks and acts like a blind
person.  He will not accept a sighted actor, and if he cannot find a good
blind one, he won't make the film.  When you read his casting notice, you
will see how hard he is willing to work to accommodate an inexperienced
person.

Auditioning is simple; you use the scripts he supplies and make a video of
yourself auditioning for the part.  They will examine the videos and
decide who they want to talk to.  The notice reads fine on JAWS.  The PDF
script, according to a friend of mine, has some run-together words, but
John offers Word and other script options too, plus the script is in the
notice. Pretty accessible, it seems to me.

I cannot offer any more information on this, so please direct your
questions to Mr. August.  Please pass this on to any other blind people
who want a start in acting.

Best wishes,
Dick Davis, Chair
NFB Employment Committee