Like many people, as soon as someone asks me to describe myself, I PANIC. I suddenly don’t know who I am, where I’m from or how many languages I speak (none, but the fear is real). It’s bad enough when it’s just a mutual friend, but when it’s an employer or – even more terrifying – an agent, suddenly you find yourself grabbing a thesaurus to look up the fanciest way of saying “average but with good intentions”. Given that every school report I’ve ever received tends to have “quiet”, “seemingly shy”, and “not very forthcoming” splashed across them, I know I have to start putting some colour on the situation that is “describe yourself in 200 words in biography form for an agent”.

YEP.

My inner school-age self is screaming and rocking in the corner trying to think of clever phrases to say back to the popular kids who would ask why on Earth I’d want to do musical theatre. My older, wiser, more experienced self has to take a deep breath and consider all the amazing opportunities I’ve had, all the conversations with industry professionals and all the training I’ve been given. In order for me to not be seen as “not very forthcoming”, I have to be forthcoming. So, here it is, my first ‘professional’ biography as it would appear in the Rags programme (if we had one), with no apologies and a few fancy words just for fun:

“Hannah is a Southampton-born actress who is as eager as ever to take her career to the next level. From a young age, Hannah often entertained her peers with her singing, but her appetite for theatre began aged 12 after partaking in a youth production of The Wizard of Oz and visiting London’s West End for the first time. Her training began at Richard Taunton Sixth Form college, where she achieved a D*D*D* grade in Musical Theatre, before progressing to Performance Preparation Academy to refine her skills in all three main disciplines, and finally London College of Music. Over the last decade, Hannah has experienced all areas of the theatre within her career, from stage crew to ensemble to leading roles in semi-professional work, most recently playing Joanne in RENT (Belvoir Players Studio, Belfast). Her list of stage credits includes: ensemble in Godspell (Actors Church, Covent Garden), featured singer in Bugsy Malone and An Evening with Earl Carpenter (Mayflower Theatre), Catherine in Pippin (The Berry Theatre) and Spring Awakening. She is delighted to be part of the Klezmer Band in Rags, and cannot wait to see the culmination of three years’ work performed alongside a fantastically talented group of peers.“