"...if you can stand on a stage and perform in front of a live audience, you can conquer anything the universe throws at you."
During this period, we would
like to share with you a series of interviews from our leaders, other creative
members in our community and behind the scene glimpses of our youth theatre.
Becky is one of our Group
Leaders at Faust. Becky trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and
Drama, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Drama, Applied Theatre and Education.
Since then, Becky has worked
both as a director - creating plays for young audiences, and as a youth theatre
leader, touring across Europe, Asia and Africa. Highlights of Becky’s career so
far include directing Simon Armitage’s play for young actors, Eclipse, as part
of the Connections Festival at The National Theatre, London and touring with
her own company, LPA Theatre, with performances at The Edinburgh Fringe
Festival and The Lake of Stars.
What current creative
projects are you working on now that you would like to share?
Since I have found myself
with a lot of free time on my hands lately, I am using it to get creative and
learn some new skills! I too have gone “back to school” and am engaging in some
online learning! Finally, after years of talking about it, I am completing my
Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate, as well as working on a
short story to submit to some local writing competitions. I have also recently joined
a yoga class to improve my flexibility so I can use my dance skills in our
Faust touring theatre show - The Ugly Duckling!
What impact did drama have on
you growing up on your confidence?
I was 9 years old when I took
part in my first youth theatre show, James and the Giant Peach. I
remember walking into the audition where we had to share a short performance
that we had prepared at home. I remember nerves tingling down my spine and
butterflies dancing around in my tummy just before I recited my favourite poem,
The Owl and the Pussy Cat. I was certain that I wasn’t going to get a
part in the play because I simply felt too nervous.
A week later, it came to my
surprise when I found out I had been offered a part in the chorus! It was from
that moment that I realised feeling nervous about things is totally okay and
natural and we shouldn’t let it hold us back, but channeling those nerves into
excitement is a feeling that is even better!
From then on, taking part in
and studying drama has helped me to do just that. Even today I still get
nervous about some things, but I always think, if you can stand on a stage and
perform in front of a live audience, you can conquer anything the universe
throws at you.
Who are your heroes and
inspirations?
This is a tough question as
there are so many for me, ranging from famous artists, scientists and
politicians to family members, friends and colleagues. But I want to tell you
about someone I don’t think many of you will have heard of before: Rowena Cade.
Around 90 years ago, theatre
lover Rowena Cade was searching for the perfect spot to perform Shakespeare’s
magical play, The Tempest, when she came across the Minack headland: a
rugged granite clifftop overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean in Cornwall, UK.
Inspired by the beauty and
magic of the rolling waves, Cade enlisted the help of her friend and gardener,
Billy Rawlings and over the next 40 years, together they built and constructed
The Minack Theatre. To this day, there stands a beautiful outdoor Roman-style
amphitheatre carved into the cliff face. (This is where I encourage you to Google
it!)
Today, the Minack Theatre is
a charitable trust that stages productions of all kinds against the beautiful
back drop of the ocean. I was lucky enough to play the part of the zoo keeper
in a stage adaptation of The Life of Pi there in 2008 while studying
drama at university.
What’s your favourite drama
game?
My favourite drama game is
the storytelling circle game “...And then?” This is where everyone sits in a
circle and tells a totally brand new imaginary story together. Each person
takes a turn to add to the story and when they have finished their part, they
pass it to the next person by saying “And then...”, where the next person
continues to develop the same story. I like this game because it includes
everyone in the group, and offers the chance for everyone to share their
creative ideas no matter how big or small!
What’s your favourite Faust
moment?
My favourite Faust moment is
not something that happened in one single time and place, but something that
happens over and over again at the end of any term, workshop or performance;
and that is seeing the formation of lifelong friendships between group members.
Drama friends often make the best friends, and I’m still best friends with mine
from many years ago. I’m even lucky enough to get to work with some of them
every single day!
If you could perform any
character from a children’s story / play for teenagers, what would it be and
why?
I would love to play the part
of Lyra in Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials. Not only is she an
adventurous, strong and determined heroine who disrupts the course of space and
time, she also makes friends with a talking giant polar bear! Other than that I
would love to play the role of Tituba in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, but I’ll
settle on directing it for Stage Group’s production... for now!
A short personal message for
your students here:
Hey everyone! I hope you are
all okay. I’m sure you are missing your Faust friends and classes just as much
as I am. Keep going and we will be back in the studio having fun, telling
stories and making magic in no time!
For now I’ll leave you with
my favourite JK Rowling quote:
“Happiness can be found, even
in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
So keep shining bright, young ones!
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