Focus: Joseph Casling

Who are you and where are you from?
My Names Joseph Casling and I’m an actor and theatre-maker, but most Importantly a Clown from County Durham!

What is it you do?
I like to act in and create work that is accessible and helps get new faces in our theatres. Recently, alongside fellow graduates from the Northern School of Art I formed a theatre company called Trip Up North which focuses on creating innovative and unique work that represents and places the spotlight on the talent we have here in the North-East of England.

How long have you been doing it?
I’ve been performing since around the age of four. I filled in for roles in local theatre groups, I was even a theatre technician for a bit. It wasn’t until I fell quite ill at around fourteen that I began to really think about what I wanted to do with my life and ever since then I’ve never looked back. 

What inspires you?
I’ve always been inspired by the local theatre in the North-East, it’s a gold mine for the arts. There’s so much good stuff coming out of here and it makes me want to work harder – and that’s not even talking about the wonderful and kind artists we have. They’re an example to us all and they make me want to better myself. Other than that, I’ve always been heavily inspired by comedians and actors like Robin Williams, Bo Burnham & Buster Keaton. 

Tell us about your work
Within ‘Trip Up North’ we’ve started out with Two Farcical Plays, Stole The Show – Connor Dorrian & Double 0 No. – Dom Martin, which is focused on getting new faces into theatres and showcasing art wherein might not normally be seen. We’ve also applied this ideology to our two newly produced radio productions Escape – By Rhiannon McMahon and Super Happy Amazing Burger Time by Myself which are about creating innovative and exciting new radio pieces to introduce people to the medium.  

As a free-lance actor, I often lean towards comedies while on stage, but flip the narrative completely when it comes to my screen performances – I love playing roles on screen that really need me to embody someone – which I really think I achieved in Love Bethany – RnQ Films, a new psychological horror film which has already been previewed at The Northern Film Festival. I’m excited to see what the film goes on to do!

Recently, however, I’ve been working on applying for funding for my solo show Conked Out which is a clowning piece with a sci-fi twist that focuses on the themes of Burn-Out, Self-Worth, Mental Health and Ambition. It became the recipient of the ARC Award in November which was a huge honour. I’ve loved working with ARC throughout my three years of training as they’re a fabulous and massively supportive venue. 

What have you got coming up in the future?
Currently, I am preparing for Durham Fringe with Trip Up North’s Stole The Show but I am also in the midst of applying for funding for ‘Conked Out’ and assembling my creative team for another set of R&D. My long-term ambition for the project is to tour it and every day I get a little bit closer to that!

Where can people find out more about you?
I can be found on Social Media & Spotlight

Insta: josephcasling
Twitter: JoeQef
Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/8616-5615-3875

Trip Up North Can be found at:
Insta: @tripupnorth
Twitter: @tripupnorth