Giorgia dives into UK theatre scene
2016/17 BBM Youth Support Drama Awardee Giorgia Avery spent the summer travelling the UK to further her life experience and drama skills. As a recent graduate of NIDA, she was keen to put all her knowledge to the test in one of the most vibrant theatre industries in the world. Please find a few excerpts of her time abroad below, and read her full report here.
“I have always seen the UK as a vibrant and thriving hub for theatre-based practice and have dreamed of the opportunity to experience it as a young actor. For me, London offers such a clash of traditional and contemporary forms and the respect and passion for theatre-making is so tangible there, I couldn’t wait to get over there and sink my teeth in! I hoped that in applying for the Award, I be able to venture out of my comfort zone by completely immersing myself into the UK theatre scene and rediscover the autonomy and passion for my craft after my wonderful, but very intense training at NIDA.
Whilst I was in London, I spent the majority of my time attending theatre, hunting down street performance art and checking out alternative cabaret, spoken-word poetry and music gigs. Some of my absolute favourite performances included Girl from North Country at the Old Vic, the Almeida production of Hamlet on the West-End, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Angels in America both at the National Theatre. A very intimate pop-up music gig in Shoreditch was also a wonderful and surprising find. I was amazed at how much time I spent wandering around galleries, museums and researching more traditional forms of art and performance. I think the sense of history and tradition (that I believe to not be as present in Australia) motivated me to explore further, dig deeper and instilled in me a greater freedom that I could then apply when developing my own material.
I think the greatest discovery for me, and perhaps the most helpful tip I can pass on to future awardees is; Trust yourself, be brave and take chances – stay curious! By stripping away the fears and inhibition and adopting a “yes” attitude, I was far more open-minded about the kind of learning and experience I could gain. I met some amazing people that I perhaps otherwise would never have crossed paths with. I saw theatre that entertained, challenged, confused, empowered and angered me. I was inspired by a variety of different art forms and developed a much greater sense of the kind of contribution I would like to make to my chosen craft.”