“I’m from a small seaside town in the West Country called Weston-super-Mare. I trained for two years at the Bristol School of Acting before moving up north to train at Manchester School of Theatre. I work in a coffee shop in the city centre which is renowned for its American-style pancakes and French toast. If I’m not at work, I’ll be sinking my teeth into something creative.
I’m currently assistant directing Enough with Moonstone Theatre Company, which will make its debut at the Manchester Fringe this year. I’m also in rehearsals for a play called End of the World with Pinchy Theatre, which we are taking to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and I’m so excited! Now that I’m a graduate, once I work out how to be an adult and pay council tax, I’d love to look into volunteering at a cat shelter or helping out the fluffy population in any way I can.”
What did you choose to perform for the Spotlight Prize and why did you pick it?
For my screen, I’m performing a monologue from the play E15 by LUNG Theatre, and for my stage I’ll be performing a monologue from Pests by Vivienne Franzmann. When deciding what pieces to do, I knew that as a young woman I wanted to take the opportunity of performing on a London Stage to draw attention to the ongoing mistreatment towards women. Particularly young mothers and women who have been involved in the criminal justice system. I wanted to honour my West Country roots and (of course) have some comedy in there. Both E15 and Pests are brilliant plays with truthful and relevant stories – I can’t wait to bring them to life and give my spin on them.
What’s your dream role?
I would love to work with Anna Jordan and play ‘Georgie’ in Freak. The play truthfully portrays the female sexual experience from two very different perspectives, and also explores the blurred lines of empowerment vs degradation that we experience. I stumbled across Freak when I was looking for audition material for drama school, and the opening monologue is what I used when auditioning for the Manchester School of Theatre, so I also have Anna Jordan to thank for getting me to where I am today! For my dissertation, I directed a 20 minute version of the play, and loved every moment. It felt very full circle ending my drama school experience with the same play that got me there in the first place. Anna Jordan is a phenomenal writer and her work has quite literally changed my life, so it’s safe to say I would jump at the chance to work with her!
What kind of performer do you aspire to be?
I aspire to be involved in work that invokes change in the people watching it. I want to assist in the telling of robust, imaginative and provocative stories through a contemporary lens. I enjoy work that is raw and relevant to the world it’s being watched in, leaving the audience with no choice but to respond to what they’ve seen. I aspire to be in a position where I do what I love everyday: joyfully creating work that is passionate and rooted in truth. I want to surround myself and work with creative, talented and like-minded artists to create work that encourages change.
What have you recently watched, read or listened to that inspired you?
I watched Take Back Theatre Company’s performance of Maryland by Lucy Kirkwood in November 2021, and it left me speechless. Lucy Kirkwood wrote the play in response to the Sarah Everard case and released the rights all over the UK for one weekend. The version I watched in Manchester was directed by Kate Colgrave Pope and had a company of around 50 women of all different shapes, sizes and backgrounds. When the show was over, it felt like I’d been punched in the stomach (but in a good way)! I was so taken aback at what I’d just seen. It was a truly breathtaking piece of work, and something I aspire to create. I’m a massive fan of Take Back’s work – I’ve been lucky enough to work with them since and I hope to again in the future!