Acting for stage and screen students, Charlie and Noah, have gained agency representation, after landing their first professional acting gigs.
The pair have already had their fair share of success following their first year at the college. They both played the title role of Peter Pan in last year’s Christmas production at ARC in Stockton, as well as being a part of the cohort to gain a spot at the National Theatre’s Connections Festival, which saw them perform on stage at the Dorfman Theatre in London.
Now, they have entered their second year on the course with agency representation and their first professional contracts under their belts.
It was during a workshop held at the college with the artistic director of Theatre Space NE, that Noah and Charlie successfully auditioned for their first professional acting roles.
Having secured parts in separate productions, Charlie in ‘As You Like It’ and Noah in ‘Julius Caeser,’ the students immersed themselves in the opportunity to learn as much as possible. With as little as two weeks of rehearsal time and a week-long run of shows, their first foray into the acting industry proved to be a valuable one.
Speaking of their experience, Charlie said: “I really liked working in a professional environment, we were treated like professionals and had to uphold that standard. The experience has made me a lot more focused and I’m prioritising my training as an actor now more than ever. I've learned so much from it and feel more committed because I know how hard it is, and I also know the kind of talent I'm up against in the industry.”
Noah added: “It’s very different from walking into class, when you’re being paid to do a job, you’re expected to already be on that level with everyone else. There was so much exposure to the industry in such a short space of time, you got to see the way that other professionals work. I'd say coming back into college my mindset has shifted, and I hold myself to a higher standard now.”
But it wasn’t all work and no play as Noah adds: “Everyone was just so lovely, the highlight of my time there was just getting to work with them all.”
And their run of success didn’t end there. It was Noah who first secured representation from an agency after a trip to an open audition at Northern Stage in Newcastle. He said: “I sort of applied for it on a whim and I didn’t realise how important it would be at the time.”
After applying alongside 1000 others, he was one of the 90 people who were invited in for an audition slot. Noah continued: “When I walked into the audition there were around 15 people sitting on the panel, including Janet Plater, of Janet Plater Management, and just a few days later she was asking for my CV and self-tape.
“She has already given me lots of opportunities, including a table read for a comedy show, which is something I had never done before, the whole experience has been great so far and I feel like my hard work has really paid off.”
For Charlie, the opportunity for agency representation came up closer to home. Over the summer, Stagebox, a performing arts training and management company, used the facilities at the college to hold auditions in their search for young actors and performers from the North.
Charlie said: “I wasn’t looking for an agent or anything, as I'm still in college and training, but the opportunity came up and my tutor, Kelly, encouraged me to go for it. Originally, they were looking for singers and dancers, and I don’t really dance, but I do sing, so I was really pleased when I got a callback for the song. A few days later they called me offering me a place with their management as well as a place to train with them.
“Part of the training means I get to go to London to attend training workshops four times a year, and I also do online session for dialect and acting. I’ve already been exposed to some great opportunities including an audition for a casting director at the BBC.”
Whilst Charlie has always been a performer and has aspired to become an actor, for Noah the journey to the spotlight wasn’t always so clear cut. Having initially chosen to study catering at another college closer to home, Noah made a last-minute change just before enrolling. He said: “I thought to myself, I don’t care what anybody else thinks, if I'm not happy in what I'm doing, I'm not doing it.”
Hailing from Blackhall Colliery in County Durham, Noah is the only person from his school to attend Stockton Riverside College, but he quickly settled in and has gone on to make plenty of friends. Although for him the journey to college is longer than most, Noah says: “The train is my quiet time, so especially during show runs and rehearsals, it gives me time to unwind. It is a bit of a long journey, but it’s worth it.”
Now, as they finish their training at Stockton Riverside College and look towards the future, drama school is on the horizon for both, but who knows what opportunities may come up.
