Dare to Dream

Over the past year I’ve been working towards my spotlight. What is a spotlight? You may ask. It is a platform for actors to show they are serious actors, as many casting directors use it as their main search. Established in 1927.

It can be obtained from several different paths; most commonly is through been at a drama school/university equivalent to RQF Level 5. Other routes like two paid credited roles, that can be either through acting, singing, dancing or voiceover. Or recommendation from a member of a professional casting body, like CDG or CSA.

I have been in extra/supporting roles and indie unpaid projects, but they do not qualify for credit. Self-taping and auditions are key, along with getting training that is Spotlight accredited. With that knowledge under my belt, I set to work. One such body is The Actors Lounge, of which Sir Mark Rylance is patron of.

I joined my fellow students every Monday for our first term of ten weeks. Each of us from different walks of life, different ages and there for different reasons. Our brilliant, bubbly tutor Dominque, who’s enthusiasm rubbed off on our group of eight. Discovering thing we didn’t know about ourselves, with strangers that became friends. The course finishes with a showcase, in which we worked towards with a scene partner, during the course we had the choice from two scenes to perform. Or if we wished could perform both.

Our second term ‘we’ as a group returned minus two, having a new tutor, Andrew. Who operated differently to our predecessor. Chilled, yet still as enthusiastic. Opening the evening with a question. How as your week been? He would ask each of us, and for those few seconds we had the floor to talk about our week, or something that mattered. The ten weeks again pealed back our understanding of acting, what it was to be a character, what made the character tick, why did they say that in that way, and answer would be rewarded with another question to get to the grit of that character’s world. Again, as with each term a showcase was arranged, giving us range to employ what we had learned through the term.

Third term some had left for good reasons, those of us left were joined by other students from another class, bolstering our numbers to eighteen. Our tutor Andrew returned, our objectives were in spatial awareness and physical movement, give and take from a scene partner or another performer like dancers using choreography. Taking the others space or giving them the space as they take it. Those ten weeks brought us up to just before Christmas, for our showcases.

Each showcase was structured in a friendly environment, a general warm up with all students from each level. Getting to meet new and old faces. The performances went in order of level, newest first up, which was good for nerves not to build, as well as been able to relax and watch other levels after. I’ve never thought I’d be one for stage, but after the first showcase found myself at ease. So much so that by the second terms showcase I started looking for wider opportunities other that film and TV, extending to stage.

As we enter the fourth term, we look at classical theatre with our new tutor Charlie. These are from the works of Shakespeare, pushing our boundaries further still. Bringing those characters to life works on discovery what lies beneath their skin, what lies in their thoughts. What brings them to this point in their life, to feel, thing and do the things they are in that very moment.

The era that the character is from forges their understanding to world and people around them. Their role in society bares their emotional reactions to those around them, however restrained, violently or explosive they might be.

I started this quest as a vehicle to gain my spotlight, but I have gain so much more. Friendships, contacts and growing as an individual, as an actor and as a writer. In short, learning is not just a means to an end, it is a journey of discovery.