Fringe beginnings
The first thing I ever did as an adult was a new play by an unknown writer on the Battersea Barge. Back then I had no training but decided I wanted to try acting having only dabbled before in school plays. I found the job on Starnow.com, applied, and got the part. It was a terrifying experience, a naive performance and included cringeworthy sex and nudity, but I loved the ride and received my first letter of praise from an unknown audience member. I was up and running.
Why the Fringe
Actors should want to act. If we sit around and wait for our agents to call with news of auditions for the West End, we won’t act. I’ve gained invaluable experience, made lasting connections, grown in confidence, and got more work as a direct result of embracing and seeking out fringe theatre. I got my agent because he came to see me in a fringe play. A TV producer got me my first TV job because he came to see me in a fringe play. Work breeds work, success breeds success. The fringe is where these things first happen.
As a consumer, the fringe is where you can see magic without breaking the bank.
The intimate venues and small audiences make for much more rewarding experiences than the West End can offer. You can take risks with what you see given you haven’t had to save a week’s wages for a ticket. If it is terrible, there’s still joy in seeing people trying their best, giving it a go, doing what they love.
Professional Work
Selected theatre: The Tragedy of Dorian Gray (Drayton Arms & Rialto Theatre, Brighton), Different From The Others (The White Bear), Billy Budd (Royal Opera House), For a Life (Theatre 54, Shetler Studios, New York – Nominated Best Actor), Little Revolution (The Almeida), Where Will We Live? (Southwark Playhouse).
Selected film: Triumph of the Heart (In Cinemas in USA and Poland from 12th September), In From The Side (Netflix), All Is Vanity (Official selection, 2021 BFI London Film Festival).
Selected short film: Read To Me (Winner Best Actor, New Renaissance Film Festival 2024), Hornbeam (BIFA Longlist – Best Short Film, Winner Best Actor, Brighton Rocks Film Festival), Mr. Alan on Saturday (Nominated Best Lead Actor in a Short, Madrid IFF), Out Damned Spot (Winner best LGBT short Brighton Rocks FF).
Selected TV: Star City (Apple TV – in Post Production), Sister Boniface (BBC Studios), Eastenders (BBC), Kamikaze (HBO).
