Considering this whole blog doodad is first and foremost about my acting "career" (Geddit) I figured my past roles and experiences deserved a mention, if only to talk about how they've helped me learn and evolve as an "actor".
The thing is, I've done this and that but I've never had any professional experience, which isn't a travesty for somebody who's only 19 but it is a bit disheartening. As such, anything I talk about here will be unprofessional work. Obviously. Idiot.
I attended Top Hat Stage school for a few years when I was younger, but dropped it when I got tired of doing more dancing and singing than actual acting. I don't think there's any point talking about the performance of "Singing in the Rain" I did with my class at Top Hat when I was about 5 but I feel it's worth a little mention because it's the first performance I can remember doing. So, yeah. Little mention. I never really got to do much in my primary school plays until my year became top of the school, and we were going to perform Oliver. I was a tad upset I didn't get the Artful Dodger but then the school realised they forgot to ask permission to even perform the damn thing anyway and we had to do a new play about music through the ages or something. I wasn't the Artful Dodger in that play either, I was Elvis Presley, which is admittedly pretty awesome, but it's not "consider yourself, at home" awesome now is it?
Fast forward to secondary school and the next role of note that I had. Our school entered the Shakespeare School's Festival, and was thus tasked with producing a performance of one of Shakespeare's plays to be performed at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage. Our director, the head of drama at my school, decided on the scottish play, "Macbeth", and I was given the lead. This was huge, my first lead role in a real production, being performed at a national theatre no less, a packed national theatre. Being on stage in front of all those people was a rush, I'd compare it to how adrenaline junkies must feel when they go skydiving or something but I don't know what that feels like, so I'll just say it was cool. Supposedly our production was deemed the best but we could have been told that to spare our feelings or something. Either way, it was an experience I will never forget, I still have the shirt.
I performed in a few more productions at secondary school, mostly for my drama A-levels as school took up a lot of my time, including "Teechers", in which I played Saxon, and Noel Coward's "Private Lives", in which I played Victor. The latter proved far more entertaining for me than the former, but I thoroughly enjoyed both.
I also performed in two short films that were produced for my film studies class, one of which was my own group's film, and the other was one I was asked to work on. My film was entitled "Blackout" and was a handheld horror film about a group of teenagers who discover and old WWII bunker and decide to go in, you know, because teenagers. We actually did go to an old bunker in the country at around 10pm. We half expected to be stabbed rather than haunted. The other was a film by a friend about a killer who targeted women (My character, naturally. I look the psycho type.) I think it was called "Red" but I have no idea if I just made that name up or not...
I also agreed to take the role of Orsino in a production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" to be performed at the Ware Priory in order to celebrate the great bed of Ware's return to the aforementioned town. The production went ahead as planned, until the venue was rained out (It was an outside stage.) but we did still perform the play indoors at my school, for the younger children and some staff from the Ware Priory.
Since then, I kinda finished my A-levels and have been trying to keep doing stuff. I managed to land an agent shortly after finishing school last year, and ended up attending classes he ran in London. However, I never received any communication whatsoever from him, apart from a phone call from his secretary telling me he couldn't represent me anymore. That was fun. I'm currently attendeing a course with the London Actor's Workshop or LAW, which I feel deserves its own post, but I will say here that I thoroughly recommend it.
I've also applied to to acting schools, LAMDA and RADA, despite not thinking even for a second I'd get in that is. Again, I feel this deserves its own post so expect that some time.
As for the future? I have no idea. A co-worker of my mum's is producing a short film to be sent to film festivals and he wants me to be in it, which is great! (The guy's done special effects work for Sony dude!) I've been talking to some friends about maybe producing a web series, short film or play to keep ourselves busy, but whether that will come about remains to be seen. Aside from that? It's kinda scary to be so sure about your future aspirations and yet so unsure about your future. But this is the kind of life I've chosen, I'm expecting to be asking myself what I'll be doing next for the rest of my life, and despite the fact it terrifies me, it's also pretty wonderful.
Tuesday 29 April 2014
Monday 28 April 2014
"We're all stories in the end" - Why I want to play The Doctor
I'd always wanted to be an actor (Since I was aged 4 I think, but I could be wrong. Eh.) but nothing has made that dream clearer than the Doctor.
I should explain, The Doctor, as in the main role of Doctor Who. I should probably just write the character as "Doctor Who" to make it clearer for people but he's called The Doctor, not "Doctor Who" so there. I distinctly remember being 10 (coming up 11) back in 2005 and having my parents tell me that a television show that they watched as kids was being relaunched and they asked me if I wanted to watch with them. A show that my parents watched? "It must be awful" I thought, but relented anyway and sat down to watch this "Doctor Who".
Best decision of my life. (Sorry past girlfriends/friends/other meaningful people)
I was instantly blown away when Chris Eccleston muttered that, now famous, first word: "Run." This is how I was introduced to The Doctor:
I was instantly hooked. I could understand why this old tv show was a part of British culture (God save the Queen, crumpets etc.) and why so many adults adore it. This impossible man saunters into people's lives and makes them more exciting, more action packed, better.I was introduced to it all. I was introduced to the Daleks, creatures born on an alien world and infused with nothing but hate for other forms of life, the ultimate enemy of the Doctor. I was introduced to the T.A.R.D.I.S (That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space in case you were wondering kids!) the Doctor's time machine that looks like an old police box and is bigger on the inside. But most importantly I was introduced to the Doctor, the last of the time lords, a race of aliens with the ability to travel through all of time and space.
The Doctor became my hero.
But then, tragedy. The Doctor was dying.
Time lords have this little trick, sort of a way of cheating death. But it meant he was going to change. Chris Eccleston was the Doctor! I vividly remember exclaiming to my parents how I would never watch Doctor Who again, and this new bloke was going to ruin everything.
"Never judge a book by its cover" was the first of many lessons that the new Doctor would teach me.Want to know why? Because he was my Doctor.
I remember watching the first episode of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who and falling in love with the character all over again. This new Doctor was everything the previous one was and more. It's very difficult for me to articulate everything about the tenth Doctor that makes him my Doctor but I'll get to it, right after I discuss the journey.
David Tennant was the Doctor during a very important period of my life, puberty. When I left primary school and went to secondary school, one of the few remaining constants was the Doctor. As I grew up and I drifted from certain friends and made new ones, the Doctor was still the Doctor. From being aged 10 to being aged 15, David Tennant was the Doctor.
I went on a very important journey during those years, as all people do, but the Doctor went on that journey with me, he was there throughout. As I lost people, so did he, as I experienced times when I felt down, so did he, as I grew up and changed as a person, so did he. When you get right down to it, Doctor Who is a sci-fi show for sure, but it's more than that. It's about life and death and love and loss and everything in between. It takes the kind of man who can never have the lives we do to show us how special we really are.
So, when David Tennant's time as the Doctor came to an end, so did a very important period of my life.
I remember thinking what an incredible journey I'd been taken on when I first saw the above scene and said goodbye to the tenth Doctor. I remember thinking how the Doctor and myself had grown . I remember thinking: "That's what I want to do with the rest of my life."
I want to give somebody what David Tennant gave me, that same journey of excitement and self discovery, a constant in a sea of fleeting aspects of life. I want to act in all sorts of roles and pieces but above all else, I want to be the Doctor.
But it wasn't just timing that made the tenth Doctor my Doctor, he was everything I've always thought he should be. Charismatic, fun-loving, caring, witty, strong-willed, but impossibly lonely. Everybody he ever meets will end up dead before him and he always knew that.
I understand that writers and directors are just as responsible for the telling of a tale like this, but if anybody else had played the Doctor, it wouldn't have been the same. I'm very much of the opinion that the actor is the one who dictates whether a character stays with you, and this is nowhere more prevalent than here.
None of this means that Matt Smith (Who followed David Tennant and played the eleventh Doctor) was bad, far from it, he was phenomenal, but he wasn't my Doctor. That didn't mean I didn't learn anything from his era, I did. In fact, one of my favourite quotes from the series came from Matt Smith:
Advice like that is why I love Doctor Who.
I've been struggling with how to end a piece as personal as this, but I suppose this is as good a way as any. I know that I many never be the Doctor, the odds are stacked against me, but if nothing else, Doctor Who has given me an unforgettable journey, advice on living life and above all, something to strive for. Could I really ask for anything more? I'll leave you with the first time I saw David Tennant as the Doctor, and what is hopefully a similar scene to the one I'll get to do one day. After all, we're all stories in the end, better make it a good one, eh?
I should explain, The Doctor, as in the main role of Doctor Who. I should probably just write the character as "Doctor Who" to make it clearer for people but he's called The Doctor, not "Doctor Who" so there. I distinctly remember being 10 (coming up 11) back in 2005 and having my parents tell me that a television show that they watched as kids was being relaunched and they asked me if I wanted to watch with them. A show that my parents watched? "It must be awful" I thought, but relented anyway and sat down to watch this "Doctor Who".
Best decision of my life. (Sorry past girlfriends/friends/other meaningful people)
I was instantly blown away when Chris Eccleston muttered that, now famous, first word: "Run." This is how I was introduced to The Doctor:
I was instantly hooked. I could understand why this old tv show was a part of British culture (God save the Queen, crumpets etc.) and why so many adults adore it. This impossible man saunters into people's lives and makes them more exciting, more action packed, better.I was introduced to it all. I was introduced to the Daleks, creatures born on an alien world and infused with nothing but hate for other forms of life, the ultimate enemy of the Doctor. I was introduced to the T.A.R.D.I.S (That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space in case you were wondering kids!) the Doctor's time machine that looks like an old police box and is bigger on the inside. But most importantly I was introduced to the Doctor, the last of the time lords, a race of aliens with the ability to travel through all of time and space.
The Doctor became my hero.
But then, tragedy. The Doctor was dying.
Time lords have this little trick, sort of a way of cheating death. But it meant he was going to change. Chris Eccleston was the Doctor! I vividly remember exclaiming to my parents how I would never watch Doctor Who again, and this new bloke was going to ruin everything.
"Never judge a book by its cover" was the first of many lessons that the new Doctor would teach me.Want to know why? Because he was my Doctor.
I remember watching the first episode of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who and falling in love with the character all over again. This new Doctor was everything the previous one was and more. It's very difficult for me to articulate everything about the tenth Doctor that makes him my Doctor but I'll get to it, right after I discuss the journey.
David Tennant was the Doctor during a very important period of my life, puberty. When I left primary school and went to secondary school, one of the few remaining constants was the Doctor. As I grew up and I drifted from certain friends and made new ones, the Doctor was still the Doctor. From being aged 10 to being aged 15, David Tennant was the Doctor.
I went on a very important journey during those years, as all people do, but the Doctor went on that journey with me, he was there throughout. As I lost people, so did he, as I experienced times when I felt down, so did he, as I grew up and changed as a person, so did he. When you get right down to it, Doctor Who is a sci-fi show for sure, but it's more than that. It's about life and death and love and loss and everything in between. It takes the kind of man who can never have the lives we do to show us how special we really are.
So, when David Tennant's time as the Doctor came to an end, so did a very important period of my life.
"I don't want to go."
I remember thinking what an incredible journey I'd been taken on when I first saw the above scene and said goodbye to the tenth Doctor. I remember thinking how the Doctor and myself had grown . I remember thinking: "That's what I want to do with the rest of my life."
I want to give somebody what David Tennant gave me, that same journey of excitement and self discovery, a constant in a sea of fleeting aspects of life. I want to act in all sorts of roles and pieces but above all else, I want to be the Doctor.
But it wasn't just timing that made the tenth Doctor my Doctor, he was everything I've always thought he should be. Charismatic, fun-loving, caring, witty, strong-willed, but impossibly lonely. Everybody he ever meets will end up dead before him and he always knew that.
I understand that writers and directors are just as responsible for the telling of a tale like this, but if anybody else had played the Doctor, it wouldn't have been the same. I'm very much of the opinion that the actor is the one who dictates whether a character stays with you, and this is nowhere more prevalent than here.
None of this means that Matt Smith (Who followed David Tennant and played the eleventh Doctor) was bad, far from it, he was phenomenal, but he wasn't my Doctor. That didn't mean I didn't learn anything from his era, I did. In fact, one of my favourite quotes from the series came from Matt Smith:
"The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things… The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things, and make them unimportant."
Advice like that is why I love Doctor Who.
I've been struggling with how to end a piece as personal as this, but I suppose this is as good a way as any. I know that I many never be the Doctor, the odds are stacked against me, but if nothing else, Doctor Who has given me an unforgettable journey, advice on living life and above all, something to strive for. Could I really ask for anything more? I'll leave you with the first time I saw David Tennant as the Doctor, and what is hopefully a similar scene to the one I'll get to do one day. After all, we're all stories in the end, better make it a good one, eh?
An introduction!
Okay, introductions first, I guess? Yeah.
I'm Liam Evans, I'm 19 and I'm an actor, fresh from finishing my A levels just last year.
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be an actor (You know, after the whole paleontology thing but I was a 3 year old boy obsessed with dinosaurs so sue me) and there's nothing else I'd rather do. I've always been enamored with the concept of being able to take people on emotional journeys with a character, and to create something that really sticks in people's minds. I've started this blog to share my journey as an actor (hopefully there'll be a journey) as I try to get myself work, and hopefully the one role that it'd be my dream the play: The Doctor (Doctor Who's lead role)
This blog won't solely be me discussing my acting however, I'll be talking about actors I admire, television shows, films and plays I adore (Perhaps even a few reviews) as well as what my life is like on my gap year, which is quickly looking to become gap years...
I want to share what it's like being an actor, especially an actor of my age with no prior professional experience, which makes it very difficult to picked to audition for professional experience due to a lack of professional experience. (Catch 22's, gotta love 'em.) (You don't) I'll be talking about my auditions, classes I take, roles I'd want and other acting experiences I have.
Hopefully this blog will be entertaining as well, I don't want this to be a set of essays that you read and feel like you have to mark or something, I want you to enjoy reading them!
So, uh, I guess sit back, follow/subscribe or whatever the hell you do to keep track of a blog, and enjoy my ramblings! Thanks a lot dudes/dudettes!
-Liam
I'm Liam Evans, I'm 19 and I'm an actor, fresh from finishing my A levels just last year.
For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be an actor (You know, after the whole paleontology thing but I was a 3 year old boy obsessed with dinosaurs so sue me) and there's nothing else I'd rather do. I've always been enamored with the concept of being able to take people on emotional journeys with a character, and to create something that really sticks in people's minds. I've started this blog to share my journey as an actor (hopefully there'll be a journey) as I try to get myself work, and hopefully the one role that it'd be my dream the play: The Doctor (Doctor Who's lead role)
This blog won't solely be me discussing my acting however, I'll be talking about actors I admire, television shows, films and plays I adore (Perhaps even a few reviews) as well as what my life is like on my gap year, which is quickly looking to become gap years...
I want to share what it's like being an actor, especially an actor of my age with no prior professional experience, which makes it very difficult to picked to audition for professional experience due to a lack of professional experience. (Catch 22's, gotta love 'em.) (You don't) I'll be talking about my auditions, classes I take, roles I'd want and other acting experiences I have.
Hopefully this blog will be entertaining as well, I don't want this to be a set of essays that you read and feel like you have to mark or something, I want you to enjoy reading them!
So, uh, I guess sit back, follow/subscribe or whatever the hell you do to keep track of a blog, and enjoy my ramblings! Thanks a lot dudes/dudettes!
-Liam
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