“Peter invented, with Wendy's help, a new game that fascinated him enormously, until he suddenly had no more interest in it, which, as you have been told, was what always happened with his games. It consisted in pretending not to have adventures...”

I do a lot of acting.

It's the profession that I want to be in life.  It's what helps me get through day by day.  I'm the kind of actress that has ventured into escaping me - Helena Bonham-Carter, and Marie Kemp applies the same sentiment.  It's terrific.  You don't have to be you.  You get to be someone else.  Someone completely different.  And what's more - you get to pour your own emotional crap into them, get them to vent it and then voila it's over. Well, sort of.  For the time being anyway.

 Well, seeing as I have had quite a few unhappy blogposts, I have decided to show you stuff that I like to do.  Aka. Performing.  These are a few photos from shows I've done.  And even though there is a lot of Les Miserables stuff out there at the moment - there is also a lot on this page blog spot thingy.  Sorry about that.  But then again tough titties.  (Above - One Day More from Les Miserables).

Ahh Verruca Salt, how I remember yee well.  8 years later and I can still fit into the costume.  Whoops.  This was amazingly fun to do - just have a temper tantrum every five minutes and then pull this face.  Watching it now reduces me into fits of giggles.  I'm told that my parents sat there stunned.  Until then, I had been this quiet and shy reserved little girl who took books to parties (ala Hermione Granger), and then whoopsie doo she's throwing a temper tantrum on stage and lapping up the attention.  Gob smacked.  I guess that role was fun for me because at school I was always told that because I was an only child, then I was a spoilt brat.  The truth was that we were comfortably well off like all of my other friends.  They were far more spoiled than I was.  So this part was really fun because it actually gave me a chance to act up this perception of me that they had.  I would so do it again if I could.

And there's me being lifted up by Oompa-Loompa's ready to go down the rubbish chute.  Toodle-pip!!

That same day, I played a character that was far more akin to home.  Jane Banks, the shy polite well-spoken yet cheeky little girl of the Bank's who, along with her brother Michael, get to go on adventures with Mary Poppins.  In my head at the time, this was my first proper singing part.

 Although I'm not really sure if 'Perfect Nanny' counts as a particularly tricky song.  Meh.  I was ten.

Les Miserables production number 1 when I was eleven.  I'm the one with that silver milk thingy.  My main memories of that is literally eating stale bread on stage and having food fights.  Oh, and also being the lift dummy in rehearsals.  Basically, as the smallest - whenever they decided to test a lift, muggins here was the one that they practised on.  Ever done a death drop?  Ohmygosh.  Terrifying.

For our Year 13 Performing Arts Exam, we chose to do Chicago.  Then we find out that while we can do the Musical - we cannot have it in the same setting as the original production - a.k.a a prison.  So, little me piped up setting it in a Mental Asylum!!  Yey!!

While my classmates started looking at portrays of mad people throughout the years in film and TV as inspiration for their roles.  I acted completely like myself.  Easiest mark I ever got.

We Will Rock You.  A chance to dress up really quite peculiarly and prance around onstage?  I'm there.

Ahh I love these skirts.  They're so fun.  Us two in this picture are supposed to be related.  Can you tell?

Oh I miss this costume.  I do.  I really do.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  It was flattering on me (for once) and really made me feel in the part.  Unfortunately it was hired (Boo) and I very nearly wept buckets handing it back at the end of the show.  Oh, by the way, this is me as Fantine in case you hadn't already guessed.  This was my nice first go.  A blonde Fantine this time.

What makes your job so much easier as an actor - is having great co-stars.  This guy here is a Fab actor and like my big brother.  He managed to get a performance out of me that wasn't too bad, rather than my usual shit - so thank you.  xx

Why, hello.  It's Fantine again.  Only this time she's a brunette.  Interesting.  Well, I do like to dye my hair - mainly for different parts though.  I dyed this when I got the part of Christine and then found out we were doing Les Miserables again.  Ahh well, can't be helped.  At 18, I feel that this is one of my better performances (although every time I look through the video I spot a dozen flaws), and I really did use this one as therapy for me.  The song I dreamed a dream is great that way.  I just sing it from my heart really.  Sorry to sound cliche, but that's the truth.

Aha!!  Finally!!  We get to my most recent starring role!!  Yes, you heard rightly, eighteen year old me played eleven year old Annie this Summer gone at The Leas Cliff Hall.  I got my first review too!!  And I even signed bloody autographs and had pictures taken at the end!!  Bloody hell!!  It's great though too, because sometimes at my job people come up to me and go, 'Hey, weren't you Annie?'  'Why yes good sir, I was.'  (I don't actually talk like that.  I usually just say yes and smile at them).  Well this was so much fun, and it was great to be a kid again.  Although, when looking at fellow eleven year olds for tips - I found some acted like 21 year old strippers.  Ahh that's depressing.  But seriously, this was great fun and I loved every minute of it.  It also reminded me that The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG9I0de2jCg

Above, me playing Fantine singing I dreamed a dream and then Come to me.  Eeek!!  Don't judge me too harshly please!!  Thank you.  xx