In the Spotlight is our regular feature where we meet current students from our Performing Arts faculty, made up of Institute for Contemporary Theatre, Northern Ballet School, and Performers College. This week we meet Kiera French, BA Musical Theatre and Dance student from our Essex campus.
What inspired you to train in musical theatre and dance?
I decided to train because as I got older, dance turn from being a hobby into an necessity – an area where I could let go and be free. No matter what was going on in my life, I could head to my dance school, go to a practice room at secondary school and just be me without the fear of judgement surrounding me. It was the one thing that could truly make me happy. It sounds like something out of a book, but it is true. I never got to see musicals when I was little, but I remember going and seeing Matilda at the Bristol Hippodrome back in 2019 and that experience solidified that I wanted to do this as a career. I want to entertain people and provide them with an exciting escape from real life.
Why did you choose Performers College?
I chose performers college because of the feel I got from both my audition day and taster day. Yes, whilst there are other amazing drama schools out there, when I visited performers something inside felt right – it was a feeling rather than a thought. It felt welcoming of anyone who wanted to train there and showed to bring a supportive environment into the studios.
What’s your personal highlight of your time at Performers College so far?
My personal highlight of my time here so far would have to be my latest experience of show term. I was so lucky to be a part of amazing pieces with amazing creatives but also be featured as a lead vocalist in some of those pieces. I appreciated that the hard work we’ve been putting in for the past two years was paying off and I was being noticed by the creatives I have had the pleasure of working with. Younger me would scream if she knew what was going to happen to her.
Where do you hope your career takes you in the future?
I hope my career takes me around different parts of the country and possibly even around the world. A dream would be getting the chance to become a vocalist on a cruise ship so I can see new parts of the world whilst doing what I love to do. I would also love to work with a plethora of directors and creatives in new or current musicals on the West End or UK tours. I feel that these are very achievable dreams if I put in the work – and I’ll be happy as long as I’m performing.
What else are you working on?
I’ve had it on my mind for a while now that I’d love to try to write a musical. Small or big cast. Learning about the writing aspect might open a whole new area within the performing industry that I haven’t worked on much in the past. This idea came around after I was given the opportunity to write and perform a song for my second-year devised project.
What advice would you give to someone applying to Performers College?
The biggest piece of advice I could give to someone applying to performers is to be yourself and not to let anyone change who you are. By us all being individual we bounce off each other which helps us learn and improve at a faster rate. It is also what will eventually help you get jobs – being individual.
To discover more about Performers College, including auditions and how to apply, contact us at [email protected] or book an Open Day on our Events page.
