Brighton sisters land parts in the West End and big screen

Lauren Sayers, 12, and her sister Josie, 10, were selected to join The Young Actors Group Agency in Brighton after auditioning for Jane Murray-Watson and Louise Difford in February this year.

Within days, Lauren had her first audition for The Wind In The Willows at the London Palladium, before being cast as one of only two child roles. Julian Fellowes’ adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame childhood classic has been on the stage over the summer and Lauren even got to sing on the original cast album.

She said: "Getting a part in a West End musical was my life dream and now it has come true! I love waking up and realising it is a show day and I can't wait to get back on stage."

If her sister Josie, 10, felt any envy, it certainly wasn’t for long, as Hollywood came knocking in the form of Ridley Scott who was looking for a young Ariadne Getty for his forthcoming movie All The Money In The World, starring Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Spacey, this time flying her out to Italy to film her scenes over a couple of weeks.

Josie said: "I was so excited when I heard I got the part – I couldn't believe it. Going to Italy was amazing and meeting Michelle Williams was the best bit!"

The Young Actors Group Agency based in Brighton is a boutique agency founded in 2014 by former actress and producer Jane Murray-Watson initially to provide professional representation for members of The Young Actors Group, a professional part time acting school with branches across Brighton, founded by director Ben Murray-Watson.

In early 2017, Jane joined forces with former production coordinator Louise Difford as they looked to expand the agency beyond the school.

She said: “We keep in regular contact with both the parents and the children, only ever suggesting them for roles we strongly feel they are right for. It’s important for us to keep a personable relationship with all our artists, so are only growing to the point where we feel that this is still achievable.

"We’ve both only ever worked in the entertainment industry so have a wide and varied knowledge bank between us which extends to not only how it all works, but the emotional strain it puts on the individuals. We’re also both mothers to three children each, so all of this puts us in a great position to impart that knowledge with the love and respect that the children deserve.”

Any child aged between five and 25 can apply to join the agency by sending a taped monologue with a short note about what it is they love about performing and emailing it to Jane and Louise for consideration at: [email protected].

The Wind in the Willows runs until September 2, and All the Money in the World is due for release next year.