Helen Stafford has worked as a film casting director and Associate film producer for 25 years. She also works on casting and co-producer on theatre transfers from Broadway New York to London West End Theatres. Currently film work includes Heroes and Villains, The Abomination,The Phantom Warrior,The Bezonians,Original Gangster, Righteous Villains,Red Devil and Smoking Guns. Also working as casting director and associate producer on the feature film 'Lili's Song' ,go to: http://www.lilissong.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/LilisSong.film which is still in developement. Casting and rehearsed reading produced shows in New York are 'And Vice Versa' to be directed by Wilson Milam and the casting of the reading 'Secrets' directed and presented by Lucy Bailey at The Freud Museum and Arts Theatre London. Helen has cast award winning feature films including:'Akamas' (Winner of Best Foreign Film at Los Angeles Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival), 'Red Thursday' (Winner of Best Film Award & Best Actor Award Thessalonika Film Festival), 'The Road to Ithaca' , and starring Frances Ruffelle and Kate O'Mara,and the drama documentary of 'In Search of Cyprus' starring Brian Blessed. Castings include the black comedy 'Roast Beef' at The Riverside Studios with Sarah Douglas (Superman 1 & 2) and 'The Brox'- a comedy play for BBC- Radio 4 starring and written by actor Peter Polycarpou. She has completed casting for the TV drama pilot'Bubbles' starring Marina Sirtis ('Star Trek') and Peter Polycarpou ('Evita'and 'De Lovely' with Kevin Kline). Further work as a casting director is casting the lead actress in 'Parallel Hell' a supernatural horror film for a 2015 shoot. She has an endless list of productions that she has worked on and continues to be a casting advisor to many film productions in the UK,Europe and the USA. As an actors agent for over 25 years she had clients in lead roles in Cameron Mackintosh ‘Miss Saigon’ Drury Lane and Australia, 2 leads in ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Her Majesty’s Theatre and National Tour, 'Hysteria' with Anthony Sher directed by Terry Johnson and ‘Prisoner of Second Avenue’ Vaudeville Theatre starring Jeff Goldblum for the Old Vic again directed by Terry Johnson. 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor' with Gene Wilder directed by Roger Haines in London West End production and Manchester, Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Company’ at The Donmar Warehouse directed by Sam Mendes starring Adrian Lester then transferring to The Albery Theatre, ‘Chapter Two’ at the Guilgud Theatre with Tom Conti and Sharon Gless for Bill Kenwright and National Theatre productions of ‘Not About Nightingales’ directed by Trevor Nunn both in London, Houston and On Broadway USA. ‘The Harder They Come’ at The Barbican and Playhouse Theatre ‘Five Guys Named Moe’ London West End , and ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ both again for Cameron Mackintosh, 2 lead actors over 3 years in ‘Blood Brothers’ London West End for Bill Kenwright,She had a three year contract for a lead role with The Reduced Shakespeare Company at The Criterion Theatre London, 'Singing In The Rain’ and lead role in ‘Fame’ for David Ian and Paul Nicholas West End and Tour, ' Sweet Charity’ with Bonnie Langford for Michael Rose Victoria Theatre London, 2 year lead role on ‘Soultrain’ starring Sheila Ferguson London West End and Tour, ‘Smokey Joe’s Café’ both for Turnstyle Group London West End, ‘Copacabana’ with Michael Praed and ‘The Goodbye Girl’ with Gary Wilmott both for Apollo Leisure Group London West End and Tour and the role of Riff Raff in ’ The Rocky Horror Show’ London West End & tour with Jason Donavan. Television credits for clients include:'The Kidnap Diaries' BBC TV Film, ‘My Family BBC, ‘The House of Saddam’ BBC,'Silent Witness BBC TV', ’River City’ BBC TV, ‘Coronation Street’ for Granada TV, ‘Emmerdale’ Granada TV, ‘ The Bill’ ITV, ‘Heartbeat’ Granada TV , ‘Planespotting’ Granada TV both actors and voice overs for entire TV film , ‘London’s Burning’ ITV . Endless productions for the BBC TV including 'Zig Zag -Ancient Greece' directed by Nick Whines and ‘My Family and Other Animals’ both BBC TV and for BBC Radio. Films include:'Crooked House' with Terence Stamp, 'Kill Team', ‘Sherlock Holmes 2’ directed by Guy Ritchie with Jude Law and Robert Downey Jnr, ‘Mamma Mia’ the movie with Meryl Streep,‘Captain Correlli’s Mandolin’ with Nicholas Cage, ‘ Alexander The Great’ with Colin Farrell, ‘Oscar and Lucinda’ with Ralph Fiennes, ‘Control’ with Ray Liotta, Steven Spielberg’s ’Munich’ and film voice overs for drama ‘Rome’ for HBO/BBC. Commercials: Contracts for Television include BT commercials for Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO Ltd., Vauxhall Cars for Ogilvy & Mather Ltd., TV contracts for Advertising companies include Saatchi & Saatchi, Young and Rubicam Ltd, Gorgeous for British Film Festival and main stills adverts for Vodafone and DDB London including the ‘Guardian’ Olympic Games commercial.
