Olivia (Liv) Barr is a freelance Casting Director based in the North West, with a sharp eye for talent, a big love of brilliant storytelling, and a firm belief that casting should be inclusive, welcoming, and accessible to all. Working primarily in theatre, she is Casting Director (Consultant) at the Royal Exchange Theatre and regularly works with producing theatres across the regions.

Liv cut her casting teeth at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton, where—while working as Assistant Producer—she coordinated casting across 30 productions and realised she’d very much found her thing. A recipient of a DYCP grant to develop her casting practice, she later took the leap into the freelance casting world and hasn’t looked back.

She’s also worked in the BBC’s casting department and assisted some of the industry’s leading Casting Directors, including Stuart Burt CDG, Lotte Hines CDG, Sarah Hughes CDG, and Polly Jerrold. In 2023, she won the CDG Award for Best Casting in Regional Theatre as Casting Associate to Stuart Burt CDG on East is East (Birmingham Rep, The National Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre).

Before going all-in on casting, Liv worked across producing and production roles in theatre and live events—experience that means she understands the theatre-making process, thrives on collaboration, and still secretly enjoys a good spreadsheet.