Being Influenced
Dave is in the yellow shirt. This was during one of our Bradwell Am Dram Shows.
Throughout our lives people come and go, some hang around for longer and others are single chapters in a very long book. As I’ve increased with age I’ve become more introspective, often trying to pinpoint why I have certain characteristics and traits and linking them to family behaviour, looks etc. For as long as I can remember I was told I was “just like your Doris nanny” - she was my Dads mum and died when I was 14 so actually understanding the similarities now is hard for me but I am assured she and I are very alike. She was my hero when I was a kid so this makes me happy; although in retrospect I believe she might have been quite bonkers as couldn’t walk down a street without stopping to coo over all the babies and animals, and used a blanket as a table cloth!
If you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll know what a big influence my grandparents were, and still are, on my life. Of course, like all children, my parents have impacted my life decisions as well as biologically making me who I am! My husband and I have been partners for 22 years so he’s another guide in my life and then there are my besties who I couldn’t be without; who stand by me with pudding and allow me to vent and help me navigate my insecurities and frustrations.
But this blog isn’t about the usual suspects, this is about those fleeting and seemingly inconsequential moments that significantly alter your life.
This week one of those influences died. We’d lost touch many years ago and it wasn’t until I heard the news that I started thinking about the impact he had on my life.
I was an incredibly shy child with a massive imagination, often being told off in school for daydreaming. I loved to sing in the car or my bedroom, I’d take myself off with my Walkman to the beach and listen to ballads and try and learn the lines to the songs. I love musicals and my parents would take me to the West End for my birthday where I would fall in love with the magic of the theatre. Combine living in a tiny village with a shy demeanour and you don’t automatically get a performer. I was one of the urchins in a community version of Oliver which was fun but I didn’t have a desire for performing in front of people and I don’t remember ever thinking that I could be a performer of any kind- I just enjoyed singing to myself, in the church choir (ok sometimes I mimed so people wouldn’t hear me!!) and making up stories.
Roll forward to a 19 year old, just back from a year in the USA as a nanny, still shy and introverted, still a dreamer but now a little lost as planning hadn’t gone beyond that year. I moved back in with my Dad and Brother and tried to work out what to do with myself. The local amateur dramatic society (BADS) were auditioning for Little Shop of Horrors and so to pass the time I decided to give it a go. After the audition I was given the role of one of the Ronnettes and even offered a solo. It was this production that introduced me to Dave who had recently moved to the village with his family. Dave played Seymour and was incredible - exactly as Seymour should be and for years later continued to be Seymour in my mind. He was great fun and hugely talented. I can’t remember the specifics now as it was over 20 years ago but there is one brief memory of walking through the village hall and him suggesting I go to professional drama school.
Well that opened a can of worms!
Long story shorter, I applied for a summer school placement at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in South Kensington, I attended and loved it. Two of my classmates from that summer school are now big news - Eva Green and Kayvan Novak. Kayvan and I went on to join the full time course the following Spring with even more talented performers.
Professional acting didn’t work out for me for reasons I won’t go into now but the experiences impacted my life and the person I have become. This week I’ve been thinking about Dave and whether he realised what a difference he made to my life. He didn’t just suggest I go to drama school but he helped me with my audition - choosing a song by Ella Fitzgerald which would suit my voice; coaching and encouraging me to reach for the stars. He later encouraged me to join the big drama group in the city; Chelmsford Theatre Workshop (CTW) of which he was a member and there I made many friends and had many great laughs.
The training I received at drama school has been used throughout my career and will be used later today when I talk to a group about my business and the bees! My experiences because of Dave have enabled me to work on projects with film crews and celebrities and to understand how to creatively portray moments and emotions, which allowed me to have a successful career in marketing.
Many people walk through our lives, some alongside us and some briefly crossing our path. From reading the notes other friends have written about Dave I think he might have actually been a super influencer, I wonder where I would be today if I hadn’t met him?
Keep well and safe lovely readers.
xx
This was also in the play!
