Everything I love about performing and being an Actor:

1. Performance can be revitalised every night – Never gets boring
2. It is a subjective profession with minimal rights or wrongs
3. I feel proud when my hard work results in a successful character portrayal
4. I love being surrounded by others, working as a team to create a powerful piece of performance
5. I love inspiring others to dream
6. I love using my work to inform audiences, especially historical pieces that have parallels to modern day
7. I enjoy working on projects rather than doing the same thing day in day out

Why I want to become a professional Actor: 

1. I want to make a difference, whether that be inspiring and informing others or making a big change. As an actor I have a resources and power to make a difference no matter how big that is.
2. Prove people wrong  who didn’t believe in my capabilities
3. Feel fulfilled and successful within myself

Why I want to be an actor for a profession rather than just a Hobby: 

1. I take my work seriously and those who perform in amateur dramatics do not (I am aware that this is a sweeping assumption)
2. I want to use my work to influence a wide audience, which I don’t believe I can achieve if I don’t place my full attention on it as a career
3. Life is too short so why not make your passion your career! Enjoy life!

 

Further insight into why I am driven to becoming a Professional Actor:

Growing up in a small village I soon became bored of my surroundings and watching neighbours, friends and relatives do the same thing day in and day out. I hate routine, it’s boring. I also found that at School I would get frustrated of sitting and being told that I was either wrong or right, from a very early age I became excited at the prospect of debate, without negative conflict of course. I attended weekend drama classes and thrived in school performances, but still always feared being ‘wrong’. I was also quite academic in school and so when heading into Secondary School I focused on my ‘Academic’ subjects in the hope of become a Veterinary Surgeon, therefore leaving any interest in the arts behind me.

Secondary school changes a person greatly and being exposed to drama, music and art classes on a weekly basis (subjects that weren’t taught at Infant or Junior level) soon rekindled my passion for the arts. I was inspired by older students at the school performing in plays, showcasing talent in school Assemblies and spending their lunchtimes creating art. About a year into Secondary school I decided to dedicate my lunchtimes and time after school to Art club, keyboard club, drama performances, piano and guitar lessons and any other creative club on offer. I even participated in a set design enrichment project and Design and technology club (Admittedly my woodwork was rather uneven).

I would perform in any play or pantomime that the school was producing at the time but Musicals were not for me. I opted out of auditioning for the School’s production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ but 13 year old me couldn’t bear to not get involved and so I volunteered as a sound technician and set painter. I am glad that I had this experience as I learnt basic additional skills that can be beneficial to me within the industry, however I sat a longed to be on the stage. I witnessed GCSE and A Level students performing in the lead roles and was inspired by their abilities, but I could not sing (My parents were always honest with me and would often remind me that I couldn’t sing whenever I had been in the shower).

 

GCSEs were when I truly thrived and began to develop as an actor. I studied Music, Drama and Media Studies alongside my ‘academic’ subjects, learnt to play guitar and got forced into singing (Who’d have thought I’d be studying Musical Theatre?) In year 10, the school’s Glee Club were auditioning for a production of Grease and I agreed to audition (As they were short of boys) provided I had a role with minimal singing. They cast me as Danny Zuko, a role in which the singing is certainly not minimal. From this I learnt to sing which I believe my tuning was enhanced from having spent time learning a musical instrument, and began to appreciate Musical Theatre much more.

It was at this point in my education and life that realised I had attained all the correct qualities to succeed as a performer and make a career out of my passion. I began to devise my own theatre, write my own music, produce my own short films and animations and perform in Amateur/semi professional theatre groups/choirs . I even produced my own concert dedicated to Musicals; My friend Emma and I did everything from auditioning performers, staging, set design and performing in the concert ourselves. I am a strong believer that if you are not working then you should create your own work!

 

 

 

 

At Sixth Form I studied Media, English, Music and Drama as A Levels. My education in Media Studies exposed me to the world of Television and cinema and encouraged me to admire and analyse the most successful work within the industry, my education in English Literature stimulated my analytic abilities to explore literature in all of its forms and Music and Drama allowed me to develop as a performer as well as becoming culturally and historically involved in the field. Alongside my studies I was lucky enough to be invited to workshops with industry professionals and perform in local professional theatres, both of which encouraged me to continually strive for success.

 

 

I was inspired and continue to be inspired by teachers throughout my education, industry professionals and the ideology of working in a profession that is entirely subjective. I refuse to move back to a small village and work in a 9 to 5 job that is controlled by rights and wrongs.