Even though I was quite a shy and quiet child, I always enjoyed taking part in sports, doing music and acting in stage performances. I was born and raised in Perth, Australia, and very academic, so I ummed and ahhed for ages about going to performing arts school but my overly practical brain kicked in and I chose to study physiotherapy at university instead.
After graduating and working for a few years, I desperately sought something more so I booked an around-the-world ticket and ended up in London. It is now been my home for 12 years! It's such an addictive city, with so much opportunity to explore so many different creative avenues.
I took up guitar, I did a live sound engineering course, I had singing lessons, I did open mic nights, and then came City Academy - location and timing wise, it was perfect for me, and they seemed very welcoming in regards to age and ability.
I did an Introduction to Acting course, and it was great in helping me up my confidence and let go of my life stressors. In the beginning, I felt a bit out of my depth, but as I came back week to week, I learned that it was okay to make mistakes and try new things. I work full time as a physio and acting helped me to switch my brain to a completely different mindset - it was very good for my introverted self to just let go of my inhibitions.
Then I let it go for a long time until last year, where I felt like I was in a bit of a rut with my job and needed a creative outlet again. I looked at City Academy once more and was impressed by how many different courses they now offered - in particular, Screen Acting.
I love TV and film. I'd watch Game of Thrones and my boyfriend and flatmate would joke around that I would make a good wildling! I laughed it off but I did start paying more attention to how the actors might do things differently than if they were on stage. I ended up doing the Introduction course and I loved it from the first session! I became engrossed with discovering the techniques that actors use on screen, and went on to do Level 1 and 2.
Remembering things has always been an area with room for improvement for me, but that is another reason why these courses have been so good. They have forced me to train my memory and as a result, create better outcomes in front of the camera. Even if you don't intend to make a career out of acting, there are many things you can learn about yourself and others. And importantly, it allows you have fun, which we don't allow ourselves enough of as adults.
Emma has taken Screen Acting - Introduction, Level 1 and Level 2 in the past. She is currently doing 5 Day Acting Foundation Course as part of City Academy's Drama School. For all our other Acting courses, see here >>>
