Past the point of no return...

Oh gosh it's been a while...

So basically after my NYMT audition back in February I started a post about that but ended up only half finishing it because it was a sore topic at that point. Hopefully I'll fine time to go back to that and finish it off fairly soon though because I'm aware that it's their audition season again.

Since then a lot has happened: I've done a couple of shows, performed on a West End stage and applied for drama schools/unis which is what I'm back to talk about.

I decided to apply for just a couple of drama schools and then use the rest if my UCAS options for unis due to financial reasons. Basically I realised that I wouldn't be able to afford a degree unless it was fully funded by the government. This meant that the number of accredited drama schools that I could apply to was dramatically less, the only three that spring to mind are: LIPA, East 15 and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. I think there are some others too but none of them particularly tickled my fancy so I don't remember.

After attending an open day in September 2015 I decided that I didn't like the idea of LIPA due to how small it is as I've always attended a small school and would rather have a change of scene after 16 years.

So, the places that I applied and the courses are:

• The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (BA Acting(Straight, MT & CDT))
• East 15 (BA Acting)
• University of Winchester (BA Musical Theatre)
• University of Wolverhampton (BA Musical Theatre)
• University of Wales Trinity St David (BA Acting)

Already I've had an audition at Winchester and been given dates for Wolverhampton and Trinity St David. For Royal Central I still need to pick a date and for East 15 I need to fill out a separate application form.

So yeah, there's a short update of where I am at the minute and I'll be uploading a post about my audition at the University of Winchester and the outcome of that ASAP.

Keep shining!

Panto at the OK Corral!!

Hi y'all!!

Welcome to this here blog post on the subject of a pantomime that I recently performed in. It was set in the Wild West and I played a sleazy saloon gal who went by the name of Buttons.

Okay I'll stop now.

But honestly I loved doing this show and as tough as it was to get used to the accent back in October I now find myself using it far too often! In all the years I have spent with Broughton Drama Group I've never had so much fun doing a show with them. I love my little family so much and even though they can be so frustrating during rehearsals, the feeling of community backstage when there's an audience just the other side of the blue curtain (which as the director told the kids "is not a magical sound barrier") is astounding.

For me, there's something about doing a show with so little tech used - just a few lights and the occasional sound effect but no mics or spots that can follow you smoothly - that really brings a sense of achievement. Especially to the kids.

Now of course there were things that went wrong: costume malfunctions, pyrotechnics not working, cast illnesses, and many more. But each time the show was carried on as if nothing had happened. Or sometimes cast members pointing out their mistakes and making the audience laugh with them about it; one of the joys of a pantomime being that you can do this. Two moments that have really stuck out are when one of the adults completely missed her cue and was sat down in the Green Room while a different cast member was onstage first saying the likes of: "I think someone might have missed their cue... Yep we're definitely missing a cast member up here..." etc. and then feeding the audience a multitude of one-liners. And the other being when one of the cast forgot to say their line so another onstage cast member said it and the first one was like: "That was meant to be my line wasn't it? Let's try again." And so they did the few lines leading up to that point in the scene again, much to my relief since it was one of my cues and I was slightly stressing out backstage about whether to go on or not...

In my experience, the most memorable parts of any production happen backstage. This one was no different. There was quite a number of children this year who I got to spend plenty of time with in the Green Room helping the chaperones to keep them entertained but not too rowdy. A highlight of this was seeing the joy on their faces when I joined them in playing musical bumps very enthusiastically. I think that the fact that someone who was part of the "main cast" wanted to spend time with them meant a lot because a lot of the teenagers and adults don't pay much attention to them which makes them feel not so important. And even though I got a little bit into musical bumps and injured my knee (as well as having a tantrum when I got out because "I really wanted to win") it was worth it to see the happiness on their little faces. I know what it's like to grow up in this particular drama group and I remember that it seemed like I would never get more than one line so it always meant a lot when someone who had quite a few lines would pay attention to me.

I've kind of half gone off topic now but oh well. All in all this was a great show and the cast all did brilliantly. I already can't wait until September for next year's auditions, especially if the rumours are true and we're going to be doing Aladdin - yes I will be auditioning for Jasmine if this is the case.

Now that it's over I've got 11 days to concentrate on my NYMT audition in London where I'll also be seeing Matilda the Musical and In The Heights!!

Upcoming dramatic events:
-NYMT audition (14th February)
-Abbey Musical Society's Annual Show: White Christmas (14th-19th March)

Keep being a star!!

Just a little bit about myself...

Hi everyone!!

First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

So two of the many things on my list of goals for 2016 are to do even more shows and to apply to drama school. To help me keep up with these I thought I'd start a blog about my experiences!! I'll be making posts about shows I'm in, reviews of shows I see and also about audition experiences; my first of which will be in February when I audition for NYMT.

So, who am I?

Well, I'm 17 years old and I live in The Lake District in England. I am completely obsessed with musicals and love anything to do with drama. My goal in life is to be truly happy and the only way I can see myself doing that is if I am doing what I love all day everyday, so basically I'm hoping to become a professional actress. I've had singing lessons since the age of 9 and also do drama with local amateur societies and I do tap and yoga regularly. I'm currently in my second year of sixth form studying A levels in German and Physics and an As level in Music, an unusual mixture I know. I'll be taking a gap year next year to finish off my Music A level and during that time I'll be applying to drama schools as well as doing voluntary work in the care sector. I have a passion for helping people and so I do a fair bit of fundraising for charity, including partaking in the annual Keswick to Barrow walk, which is 40 miles through the heart of the hilly Lakes so quite an achievement I think!

I've done quite a bit of rambling now so I'll leave you now with a list of my upcoming dramatic events:
-Broughton Drama Group's annual pantomime: Panto at the OK Corral (29th-31st January)
-NYMT audition (14th February)
-Abbey Musical Society's annual show: White Christmas (14th-19th March, yes March xD)

Ciao!!