In March 2015, ThinkForward student Tobi went to see a play at the Intermission Theatre. After the play he got talking with the director and they stayed in touch. Tobi was invited in for an interview and an audition for the theatre and was offered a place on their programme.
Our roving reporter Amirah El-Bashary interviewed Tobi to find out more and see how he was doing.
What have you done so far?
“Well there have only been two meetings as we started two weeks ago. The workshops are every other Saturday, but then they will become more frequent to everyday.
But so far we’ve all just met each other and got to know one another. We also went and watched ‘War Horse’ in the theatre, which I really enjoyed! There is another theatre show trip coming up this week, which should be good!” Last week was taster session where we did impro roles, and it was an amazing day! The improv role starter involved us having a letter (which was the prop), and the title was ‘open it’. We also have a Theatre trip tomorrow in Stratford, which I am excited about!
Is there anything about the Intermission Theatre workshops that didn’t reach your expectations? And if so, what were they and how would you improve them if you could?
“No! Everything was and is going to be amazing! Considering my expectations were low; I thought it was going to be terrible but it was above all my expectations.”
What would you like to gain from these workshops?
“I really want to hone my skills and get further knowledge on the acting industry. I also hope to get an agent out of it and gain really good links from Intermission. But most importantly I want to have as much fun as possible!”
What would your advice be to anyone who is looking to get into acting?
“NUMBER 1 – JOIN INTERMISSION THEATRE! Also if you are part of ThinkForward, take advantage of it! ThinkForward is a great opportunity and the people in general that you meet are great! (BIG shout out to Emma!). Another thing is don’t be afraid to ask! So many people can help you and just take up all opportunities that are thrown at you, even if you don’t enjoy it, at least you know you tried.
My process of my application was that I had to apply online, and then I received a text giving me a time and date to come in for an interview. I was being interviewed by a worker at Intermission when Darren the director walked in and started chatting with me. He asked me questions like “why I want to join”, “What do I want to get out of it””.
Where do you see/would like to be in 5 years’ time?
“Well acting is my biggest dream! I don’t mind whether I am famous or not but I just want to be acting somewhere, whether it be theatre of film. If I’m not acting by then, I will just enjoy life while I’m young.”
My final words are to everyone in ThinkForward, it is an amazing company, which have done a lot for me” I am very grateful! It’s cool! Also I’ve learnt the meaning of the saying “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” It has taken a while for me to grow my confidence and do anything! Also I’ve learnt to take chances in life! I’ve overcome a big barrier and I am still working on it, and Intermission is going to help even more.”
By Chloe Parker, ThinkForward Apprentice