FEATURE: ASPIRATIONS OF AN ACTRESS – PART 4
Melissa Rynn, 21, is a student from Southend, who is desperate to become an actress. She’s updating us every month with her progress in her bid to tread the boards professionally. Here’s Part 4 of her continuing diaries for longpier.com
It’s always said that if you want to get into theatre, you’re going to be poor. However, I didn’t quite expect to be feeling this poor, this quickly. While friends are enjoying the arts feast that is the Edinburgh Festival, I’m stuck at home unable to afford the bus fare to Hadleigh castle, let alone the masterpiece on top of the rock in Scotland’s bonny capital.
A slow paced penniless life back in Southend while others party hard in the ‘burgh has meant I’ve been spurred to start planning next year. Sulking and browsing the reviews from shows has resulted in me making what will be an ego-damaging decision of taking something to the festival next year. I’ve started developing ideas and routing through existing work to see if there’s anything worthwhile and I’m trying to get a troop of talented folk together to make magic. In my passion for the job on hand, I’ve scared off countless train passengers reciting various works (none more so than when I adopted a French accent for a monologue from McAvera’s ‘Picasso’s Women’). The past few weeks have been a mix of highs and lows so I’m more determined than ever to stop being the archetypical lazy student and get some real work done.
Firstly, my writing group – ‘The Palace Writers Group’ had an unexpected success with our first show ‘Rings’. Weeks of meetings finally came together in a stressful Sunday. Our performance, tech rehearsal and indeed first rehearsal for most of the pieces were on the same day (somewhat different from the usual procedure of these things). This of course led to stress, unexpected performances from members of the group and a huge sigh of relief (not to mention a huge glass of wine) once it was all over. Lighting that had never been rehearsed with ran smoothly (somehow) and while small compromises were made due to lack of proper rehearsal (namely I had to skip sound clips from my piece), the group were definitely on a buzz once we’d finished.
After the curtain had closed on our show, we agreed to present some of our work the following weekend in the ‘Summer Days’ festival in Priory Park. True to the nature of the initial show, this was completely disorganised and a lovely audience at the Bandstand of the park were subjected to the brunt of our incompetence. I was there to simply ad lib an introduction to our performance and group and offer moral support but, one minute before our slot was about to begin, I was kindly informed I’d be performing main characters in two duologues I’d never even read before. It was surprisingly fun sight reading and they went smoothly (all things considering). Having said that, lack of rehearsal (and reading) was definitely shown when members of the group had to whisper me (in true school play style) to collapse, as I hadn’t read the stage directions. Something tells me we’re not quite ready for London critics yet.
We’re now working on our next show; a Halloween spectacular. Everyone’s still in excited child mode and there’s ideas being thrown everywhere. The small performances and restricted pieces are really useful to help me find ways of channelling my thoughts in to bigger projects I’ve got in my head. While it’s currently quick pieces on topics that wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice, it should help a lot towards the dream of an Edinburgh show next year!
Away from writing, I was due to film an advert for a radio station earlier this week (I’m going to be an adult and avoid mentioning the irony of videoing an advert for radio). Having travelled across London to North Acton (very different from the West End I’m used to), I ended up getting completely lost in an industrial estate, had an awful time and in the end never made the shoot. The only positive use I can make from the waste of a day and money is some sort of anecdotal recital of it when I’m older and laughing at the youthful naivety I once bore.
This age-reflective wisdom however will have to be delayed for another year as I am now starting to consider postgraduate degrees rather than step into the real world of work. Not content with having spent the entirety of my life so far in education, I’ve decided to extend my knowledge and take the plunge with a theatre degree. I feel like I’m back in the last year of sixth form as prospectuses turn up through the letterbox and emails from institutions clog up my inbox. I’m still torn between studying the academic side of theatre and keeping acting on the side or biting my lip and putting all my cards into performing. Performing is my ultimate dream but with such fierce competition, I’m half tempted to continue the (ironically easier) method of academic books and analysis. Unfortunately the long-awaited summer of 2010 hasn’t provided me with the sticky excuse of hot weather to avoid making these decisions so I’m having to spend my August thinking very hard (something I fear I don’t do quite enough of when I’m actually at university).
Follow Melissa every day via Twitter – @secretcelebrity
