CASTING CALL – ‘X MARKS THE SPOT’ THEATRE PRODUCTION

Description

ABOUT
Presented as part of Theatre Peckham's Young, Gifted & Black season at Canada Water Theatre.

LOGLINE:
X Marks the Spot follows X, a teenage graffiti artist who suffers a head injury while fleeing from the police and is left with memory loss. Over the course of one night, he embarks on an odyssey through Elephant and Castle, searching for fragments of his identity in a neighbourhood he no longer recognises.

Along the way, he forms an unlikely friendship with Oscar, a local shopkeeper who shares his sense of loss as the area changes around them. X is ultimately forced to confront what remains of a place being erased – and whether home is a building, a community or something we carry within us.

SEEKING:
Role: X
Male, playing age 16–19
Black
London
X is a teenage graffiti artist born and raised in Elephant and Castle. Quick-witted and restless, but he wears confidence like armour. Underneath the bravado is a young man struggling with grief, guilt and the fear of losing the people and places that have shaped him.

Looking for an actor with strong emotional range, natural comic timing and the ability to move between swagger and vulnerability. The role is physically active and requires an actor comfortable carrying a large amount of dialogue.

ESSENTIAL:
Strong London accent and ability to authentically portray a young South Londoner.

DESIRABLE:
Movement experience and/or familiarity with graffiti, grime, jungle or London youth culture.

Role: OSCAR
Male, playing age 35–45
Latin American
London

Oscar is a long-time Elephant and Castle resident and café owner, originally from Bolivia. Warm, stubborn and dryly funny. Beneath his gruff exterior is a deeply caring man dealing with loneliness and his own complicated attachment to the place he calls home.

Looking for an actor with strong dramatic instincts, capable of balancing warmth, frustration and vulnerability. Oscar shares much of the play with the protagonist, so an ability to handle fast, conversational dialogue is essential.

ESSENTIAL:
Ability to authentically portray a Latin American character and confident spoken English.

DESIRABLE:
Spanish speaker and/or familiarity with Latin American immigrant communities in London.

Role: OFFICER FOX
Any gender, playing age 30–45
Any ethnicity
London

Officer Fox is a local police officer. Cynical, confrontational and uncompromising. Though often insensitive, their concern about where X is heading is more genuine than X would like to believe.

Looking for an actor with a commanding presence, sharp comic timing and the ability to play authority.

ESSENTIAL:
Strong commanding presence and experience with emotionally charged, fast-paced dialogue.

RUN TIME:
60 minutes

VENUE:
Canada Water Theatre

PERFORMANCE DATES:
10–11 October 2026

REHEARSAL DATES:
4 dates between 26 September and 9 October, with a tech rehearsal on 10 October

COMPENSATION:
Profit share, dependent on box office, up to £450 per actor