MEET THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE STEP UP SUMMER SCHOOL 2009
Laura Free
Laura has just graduated in English Studies at the University of Nottingham. During her time at university Laura has been very involved in the student-run New Theatre, a small theatre based on campus. She has been a part of many productions at the theatre, in a variety of capacities including directing and costume managing and she has been a committee member through 2008-09. However her real passion lies in performing, her most recent role at the theatre being Margot Mason, a character inspired by Germaine Greer, in Joanna Murray Smith’s ‘The Female of the Species’.
Before university Laura was involved in theatre, both in and out of school. Between the ages of seven to fourteen she was a member of Jill Wood’s Theatre Company, near Stroud, taking roles in shows such as Fame, Bugsy Malone and Godspell. After leaving the company Laura performed in productions at school, ranging from Macbeth to Complicite’s The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol and Oklahoma!
Nic Harvey
Nic trained at The Television Workshop in Nottingham from the age of seven, appearing in a number of stage productions across the city including Loot, Alice in Wonderland, Talk of the City, Love and Understanding and 1984. After some success as a young actor taking roles in Peak Practice, Bernard's Watch, Welcome to Orty-Fou, Paradise Heights (with Neil Morrissey and Pam Ferris) and two feature films with local director Shane Meadows, Nic wrote and directed his first play at the Workshop. With Joe Dempsie (Skins' Chris) in the leading role, The Last of Joseph Moon was taken to the NAYT Festival in Epping Forest in 2006. His second play The Curse of the Devil's Verse transferred to Leeds' Carriageworks Theatre before returning for a sell-out performance at Nottingham University.
In 2007 Nic helped establish drama workshop Inspire Academy with Luke Gell (from BBC's Two Pints of Lager...), a group which now trains over 130 young people in and around Nottingham. With Inspire, Nic has directed The Chrysalids at Nottingham Arts Theatre and a self-penned play Born Yesterday at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold. In 2008 he directed Twelfth Night for the Shakespeare Youth Festival at Nottingham Playhouse, and this year directed The Heights, The Television Workshop's entry into the National Theatre Connections project. This production was subsequently performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Nic continues to work as a teacher and director at Inspire, primary and secondary schools in the region and Stagecoach West Bridgford.
Monika Johnson
Monika studied English and Drama at university and is hoping to go onto further study in the near future. She spent her 'year out' working with a touring TIE company in Croydon and now teaches Drama in Nottingham
Monika has been involved with various theatre productions at the Nottingham Playhouse, Theatre Royal and Lace Market Theatre. Previous roles include: Miss Julie, (Lace Market Theatre), 101 Dalmatians (Nottingham Theatre Royal), Cold Comfort Farm (Nottingham Playhouse), 4.48 Psychosis (Derby Festival 2007), Saved (Royal company reading, Theatre Royal), Bedroom Farce (Nottingham Arts Theatre). She has also taken part in recent new musicals at the Nottingham Theatre Royal, including Make Do and Mend and Modcrop-the Musical.
She also enjoys writing for theatre and has had several readings at the Lakeside Arts Centre, including the Momentum Festival. She won part of the 2007 DAW playwriting competition with a play for a youth cast, was shortlisted for the Pomegranate Playwriting Festival 2008, and was a runner up in New Perspectives' Dream Up competition.
Laura Macrae
Laura lives in Nottingham. She has just completed A’levels in Geography, Chemistry and Biology at Trent College. Whilst at Trent, Laura was very much committed to extracurricular drama and performed in many plays. Her most recent performance was in Handbag, a National Theatre Project which toured to Scarborough. She has also performed in Two by Jim Cartwright, a demanding piece that involved two performers playing many different characters. Other performances have included Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!, The Grand High Witch in Roald Dahl’s The Witches, Paperweight in Papertown Paperchase and a number of sketch revue shows.
Laura has also recently been the costume mistress for the musical Honk and has helped backstage with an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, both performed by Trent College pupils.
Leoni Osborn
Originally from the South-East of England, Leoni moved to Nottingham in 2007 to study Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University. She has had the opportunity to work with the production team at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon on The Monster under the Bed, as well as working closely with designer Eleanor Margolies at Lewisham Youth Theatre on their Stories of the Amazon. In April 2009, Leoni took a key role as part of a small team designing and constructing the set and costumes for a production of Rapunzel by the youth theatre group YARD at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham.
Leoni is particularly interested in creating performance in non-theatre spaces and finding ways to challenge an audience’s expectations of live performance.
Beth Shouler
Beth is from Nottingham and was a member of Nottingham Youth Theatre. She studied English Literature and Theatre Studies at Leeds University and went on to complete a Masters Degree in Theatre Studies. There she got to experiment in creating theatre and workshops with Told By An Idiot, Unlimited and Forced Entertainment. Since graduating Beth has worked as a professional artist, performer, storyteller and youth theatre director.
Beth has directed and created bespoke drama projects for Gifted and Talented, Arts Extend, Creative Partnerships, the NHS, local faith organisations, various primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms. She currently runs the Lakeside Youth Theatre and has just set up her own Youth Theatre, Junk Shop Theatre Company.
Beth has performed in several devised performances and has also performed in The Crucible; Roberto Zucco; Tis Pity She's a Whore; The Vagina Monologues; Tissue; 42nd Streetand Albert Herring.
Beth has written and devised several pieces including site specific performances The Day We Caught The Train, Jabberwocky Soup and SpoonFed. She has directed at university and for several youth theatres: One Day More, Macbeth, Our Day Out, The Scatterbrained Wizard of Oz, Romeo and Juliet and Animal Farm.
Chloe Ward
Chloe is currently studying a degree in Drama at Loughborough University and graduates in June 2010. There she is embarking on Television presenting with LSUTV and co-hosting a weekly radio show on Loughborough Campus Radio. Chloe hopes to gain a place on a post-graduate course in Acting and ultimately aims to become a professional actor.
Chloe has always been interested in performing: from a young age she played musical instruments and attended Stagecoach Theatre Arts school where she began acting, singing and dancing. Chloe pursued her passion for drama throughout her education by studying GCSE Expressive Arts and
A Level Drama and Theatre Studies. She was presented with the Anthony Williams award for contribution and ability in Expressive Arts (2004) and the A-Level Drama Prize from Barrow Sixth Form College (2006).
Before starting her degree, Chloe undertook a lead role in ASBOy, an original piece of theatre produced
by The Ashton Group. This pilot project, known as The Apprenticed Actors Company, gives professional experience to young people. The play was then toured in the North West of England.
In her gap year Chloe aimed to gain as much experience of professional acting; she completed a two month residency with The Chance Factory in Blackpool, taking classes in acting and movement for stage. Chloe gained further acting experience in student films and also rehearsed for LAMDA acting exams, achieving a Distinction at Grade 6 (Bronze Award).