When Will I Will I be Famous?
I had wanted to be a professional actress from a very young age. I had performed in many amateur productions of musicals and plays and was desperate to have a career in the industry. I had professional dance lessons every week, voice coaching and singing lessons. After completing my GCSE examinations I went to sixth form college to do an A-Level in Theatre Studies. We performed a wide variety of plays. Shakespeare, Brecht and more modern playwrights such as Alan Ayckbourn and Willy Russell. This fueled my desire to perform even more and so after leaving college I joined the local repertory company as a general helper.
The role was voluntary and long hours but I loved it. After 12 months I was signed by a Manchester based agent. There was a trial period of six months followed by the possibility of receiving acting tuition and opportunities to access professional auditions. Unfortunately I never made it to the auditions stage, as it turned out, I just did not have much talent! But I did have a wonderful experience working as a background artist on one of Britain’ favourite Soaps – Coronation Street. The task was very simple, even for me. I had to pretend to be working in a car Dealer Web dealership in the city centre.
Two of the main characters came into the garage to look at a new car and I was the receptionist. I simply had to smile as the sales assistant handed over the keys to their new set of wheels. It was a great experience and although I never made it as a professional actress, I am still very glad that I tried. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.