黑料吃瓜网

Is there anything you know now that you wish you'd known three years ago?

Well, this is a difficult question. If I鈥檓 being honest not really. Drama school training is incredibly intense, and all you can really do to prepare is make sure you can handle it. They, and by 鈥榯hey鈥� I mean the staff, have an infallible way of detecting whether you ready for the intense emotional and physical rigour of the course. So I personally waited 3 years before even auditioning. I attended a kind of intense foundation course called 鈥榊ear Out Drama鈥� in Stratford-upon-Avon, which allowed me to grow my repertoire听and understanding of myself as an instrument, and I also learnt how to cook. What drama school did teach me was a new perspective, an ability to look at what I already know, and it have a different meaning. Some things that I thought I knew where falsehoods, and likewise in reverse.听Perhaps the one thing I wish I'd known is that after drama school听I would not working towards a job, a role, a character, or even a film, when I graduate or even just before; I鈥檓 working towards a career.

Do you feel like you鈥檝e changed much during your time at drama school? How are you different?

I remember finding out I鈥檇 got in whilst celebrating the opening night of 'Merchant of Venice' at the RSC with the cast. We were all doing shots and I shouted 鈥業'm going to be an actor! They're going to fix me鈥�. Patsy Ferran who was playing Portia suddenly grabbed me and said 鈥榙rama school doesn't change you, it distills you鈥�, I thought 鈥榥ope, she clearly doesn鈥檛 know me very well鈥�. I鈥檓 not going to go into why I thought that, as I鈥檓 sure a list of self-analysis is indulgent, but I can tell you 100% that she was right. There was a definite cloud of ignorance in my mind to how drama school could turn me into an actor, and how it could fulfil the image of myself that was 鈥榯he actor鈥�. The thing is, we are all actors. As Mark Rylance said in his BAFTA Fellowship acceptance speech, 鈥榳e are a nation of story tellers鈥�. The scariest thing that drama school taught me is that I already had all the skills, I just need to relax and let them out. So no, it hasn't changed me at all, I am however, more experienced, much more relaxed, and feel more 鈥榤e鈥�.

Has it been what you expected, or quite different?

Being the imaginative sort, I thought about the training quite a bit before I started. Picturing everything going perfectly, suddenly feeling capable of anything, and that I鈥檇 be the sort to only find it fun. I ignored the stories of it being stressful and 鈥榝avouritism鈥�, and predicted them to give me all the answers. After completing it, and bear in mind this is just my personal experience at RBC, it was incredible, but absolutely nothing how I鈥檇 imagined.

I often liken it to 鈥楯edi training鈥�, or Hogwarts. It provides a plethora of skills in first year and raised self-awareness -听the Jedi rhetoric had manifested itself in my mind already by the end of the year; 鈥榢eep open, awareness of oneself, and keep on the path鈥�. The second goes onto the application of those skills as I became a Padawan, and in some places the hardest year overall. I experienced a lot of failure, and trying things out, which would often result in an unsatisfied mindset. Finally, in third year, I became a Jedi, and I suppose though 鈥榤issions鈥� or full scale theatre productions, I developed my own sense of acting and the way I performed with an audience.

I expected to be given all the answers to my life, my direction, and how to be an actor. This is not what I got, but instead, gained much more. Yes it did provide some answers, but moreover asked new questions; and the comfort of understanding that I didn鈥檛 need to know everything yet. It鈥檚 a practical course of course and actually failure is a huge part of one's journey through art. It鈥檚 given me the skills to achieve a career in Acting. A teacher here once told me, 鈥渄rama school doesn't make actors, it teaches you how to act. You have to become the actor鈥�.

What have been the most valuable skills you鈥檝e learnt and you鈥檒l take into your career?

That not everything is my fault, I can鈥檛 fix everything, and don鈥檛 allow other's insecurities to听affect my success. I think many skills within acting are just physical abilities, or tricks that many of us have already, or may learn through hard work. The skills that I appreciate most through my training is the insight from my lecturers/tutors on how to be a person. So many things held me back and it was actually this mindset that I had to deal with. I have transferred them into my professional work (including non-acting work) and felt more confident and happy with myself immediately. My relationships with other people have improved, and I feel more in control of myself whilst releasing the 鈥榗ontrolling nature鈥� I used to have. I am of course, still working on the latter point.

Do you think you鈥檒l keep in touch with your year group?

So you鈥檙e in a race right? To get into drama school you feel like you鈥檝e got to be the fastest, or most attractive, or best actor ever. You think you鈥檙e alone, against the world. You get in, or pass the finishing line, look around and realise everyone鈥檚 just finished with you鈥�and it isn鈥檛 the finish. You鈥檙e all bundled into a room and told 鈥榃elcome to the drama school, you are one company for 3 years鈥�. And you are; you live, breathe, sweat, and laugh together, maybe cry now and then, but it becomes your family.

I remember thinking I鈥檒l never get to spend this much time surrounded by incredibly talented and like-minded people. But Actors generally operate within companies or independently, and it鈥檚 a constant flow of joining and leaving; taking on and releasing. I always had this in the back of my mind, and I loved committing my time to fellow class mates, knowing that sadly one day I鈥檇 leave and move on, carrying their stories with me. I might be lucky enough to work with people from my year in the future, and I will keep links with as many as possible. Thanks to social media today it is so easy to keep in touch, and it's beautiful to see how we鈥檙e all getting on already.

What have been your highlight(s)?

I have so many memories and experiences from it鈥檚 really hard to pick one. I听have听honestly loved it all. But if I had to narrow it down, I鈥檇 have to say there is one I adored for different reasons. It was the first production of 3rd year, when I played Henry Clay/Black Fox in 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'. I enjoyed it not least because it was a musical, but I was able to work with Stephen Simms as my Director, and he was breathtaking. Every day I wanted to get in early, he would support my decisions or challenge听me to be more. I am indebted to him and Daniele (the course director) for so much. The material was my sense of humour and the characters seemed written for me. I felt truly professional throughout. Also the lead was a close friend of mine and he smashed it, I remember feeling so safe with every member of the cast, it was a very special experience.

What have you found particularly challenging?

Ha. Well apart from the above? 鈥楻hinoceros鈥� was the biggest challenge I鈥檝e had in my life. But I think something I鈥檝e found also challenging is the constancy of working on everything. Nothing is a one-tick box, and I have ADD, which means I love control and organising things into boxes, ticking them off like a big to-do list. Training is more like an introduction to a school of thought and it鈥檚 a constant work load that turns into a freedom of self-expression.

So, actually, I think what I found challenging is learning that not everything is as it seems, some things don鈥檛 need over complicating, and never give up. That last one was probably the biggest. In the听latest play I鈥檓 doing (with the MFA course)听a beautiful quote. 鈥淎 man may achieve anything he wants in life, and often does, as long as he doesn鈥檛 give up wanting it鈥�.

What would you say to someone starting drama school?

Good luck! Remember it鈥檚 a school of thought as much as a school or art. If you don鈥檛 know the answer, it鈥檚 okay, you don't need to, and you might not know the question, so just wait until it clicks. The penny will always drop, especially when it feels like it never will. It鈥檚 an uphill climb for most of it; something that my course director said that always stayed with me: 鈥榊ou wouldn't need to go to school if you already knew it, it鈥檚 going to be doing what you don't like, for three years.鈥�

What are you doing next?

Well, the Head of the MFA course has asked me be in one of their plays, so straight away I鈥檓 in 'Waste' by Harley Granville Barker. This summer, a friend of mine from California has written and produced a show and we鈥檝e wanted to work together for so long now, so that鈥檚 refreshing 鈥� the project is called 'A Night of Glass' at Edinburgh Fringe. After that, I鈥檒l be working my day job to pay rent, but I鈥檝e got a friend who owns and runs his own Pantomime company, I鈥檇 love to be involved in that next. I don鈥檛 feel rushed or the desire to push for anything, it鈥檚 a slow build, and I want to make sure it鈥檚 solid.

What are your lasting memories of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire?

I鈥檝e been so lucky. I've met some incredibly generous people along the way, who have gifted me their time and skills. The people are what makes life interesting for me, and it鈥檚 what makes RBC simply divine. Their patience and will for you to succeed means you feel very safe, understood, and supported;听especially when the training might make you feel a bit lost. Also, because we鈥檙e not in London everybody has the time to afford to give you that little bit extra. I was able to learn at my own pace. So I guess my lasting memory is the staff...now I want to get into a play for them to be proud of.