I believe that there really is few occupations and hobbys that can leave you aboslutely void of time. That really are a lifestyle reather than a job or a thing you like to do. Theatre is one of these things.
My addiction to theatre began when i was fifteen. That is to say I loved it before but when i performed in my first amatuer show, i was hooked. And thrown into the world of ’seasoned performers’. I soon became what i like to call a show jumper. That is we jumped from show to show, working on one show and then auditioning for the next one when it was released sometimes meaning a cross over in performances for one show and rehearsals for another. There was always another show to go onto and nearly always another party to attend. I found that in the sometimes three month breaks that fell upon us now and then that my grades at school dropped even more than when i was near production week (or hell week) for a show. I had two differnt worlds. Me as the school girl, 8am till 4pm. And me in theatre 4pm till 12am. (I slept in between). Two completly differnt groups of friends. My girlfriends at school and then an array of theatre people of all ages, gender and sexuality who were mostly all older than me. I still performed in amateur theatre right up till my V.C.E although compared to some of my other theatre friends who did their year 12 that year too i didnt perform in that many shows. I did however attend most of the parties.
I was lucky, a week before my written V.C.E exams i found out that i had been accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts Foundation Music Theatre Course. And with that foot in the door to Melbourne theatre I didnt worry to much about my exams. I think when you decide to take that step and study something that was the thing that got you through every thing else, the thing that you believed you loved is when you really are tested with how serious you actually are about making it your career. Because it is then that your hobby and your love becomes your work. And it is work. If you want to be an actor or a performer it becomes your career and to make it in show buisness no matter how talented you are is bloody hard work. For me it was a bizarre tranisition to not perform anymore but to work on technique but all of a sudden the spark ignited again ( how corny that sounds ) and all i wanted to do was perform in a show.
Here i am nearly at the conclusion of the course. Im surrounded by people in the industry every day as i am lucky enough to work at one of the best performing arts venues in australia as an usher. And i have around me these great people in the course some who have become my very close friends.
V.C.A 2008 Foundation Music Theatre Class
And right now all i can think of is a quote from Curtains…
“There really is no other people like show people.”
