The Extreme Staycation

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown And, improvise!  Words that many actors dread to hear. A couple of years ago I decided to do some training in improvisation.  We studied it at drama school, but that was quite a while ago and I decided I needed and wanted to hone my craft. I had done a couple of sessions at  The Actors Centre  with Paul Foxcroft, so I sought him out and ended up studying three levels of improvisation with him, Ben Fogg and Richard Soames at Monkey Toast Improvisation.  And I loved it! My initial reason for signing up was to get more confident in this discipline and because it frequently arose during castings, commercials in particular, but I'd had to improvise in auditions for all kinds of things including film and theatre.  I was slightly surprised at how much I enjoyed it - the scope for creativity and the infinite possibilities the empty stage, a small suggestion and the collective brain...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Other jobs As an actor, I have had many other jobs which are not performing for money. I've... made cocktails (bar work) stacked shelves and beeped produce (supermarket) been very enthusiastic, very early in the morning about lunch while dressed as some kind of food (handed out flyers) welcomed people into places (fundraiser) controlled crowds of people into coaches (really patient) And higher education administration. Bit random that last one.  I fell into it many years ago, it kept me fed and in dance shoes and it is what is saving me at the moment!  I am hugely grateful for the work as it is something I can do from home and I realise it puts me in a more privileged position than many of my fellow performers as I am still able to earn. Finding a job that is both flexible and fulfilling is very hard and I’ve been lucky to find a couple over the years.   As a performer, yo...