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 Tia Chipperfield, a third-year Acting for the 21st Century pathway student from our Brighton campus.
What inspired you to train in acting?
I come from a background where I worked on the funfair from a very young age with my family. Even then, I loved entertaining and working with the public, I was good at it and I wanted to make it into a career. I had never heard of a Showman going to university, let alone drama school but my family were so supportive of me and were there every step of the way, watching every show and taking me to auditions.
I first got into drama and performing in primary school and carried it on in secondary school through to my A-Levels. I also had an agent for around a year and went to a few auditions in London, where I thought ‘I can really do this!’. So, I decided the next step had to be Drama School!
Why did you choose ICTheatre Brighton?
I chose to train at ICTheatre Brighton because I liked how the course wasn’t just acting, there were classes on singing and dance as well, which I was initially drawn to because I just wanted to be trained in everything to do with performing. The course has so much to offer with classes in motion capture and physical theatre, which without ICTheatre I would never have realised is something that interests me and could be a career option for me. ICTheatre has opened so many doors for me, it felt like a place where you were free to play and be creative, which is exactly what I wanted and is exactly how it is.
What’s your personal highlight of your time at ICTheatre so far?
I have so many highlights from ICTheatre! My favourite ones so far are getting to perform at Brighton Fringe as Antigone and in A Man Called Acceptance, a dissertation piece written and directed by Daisy Feeney, my close friend and another graduate of ICTheatre. There have been so many amazing opportunities and roles that I have experienced during my time here, such as being selected for the first rehearsed reading of ICED by Ray Shell in my first year, and getting to play Elizabeth Luke in The Welkin, directed by Amie Burns Walker at the start of my third.
Where do you hope your career takes you in the future?
I cannot wait to be performing on stage or behind the camera, wherever my career takes me. I have grown so much more confident in being able to create theatre that I know that as well as auditioning for jobs, I have all the tools in me from my training to create my own opportunities at the same time. I’m not sure what my future holds yet, but I’m a positive person and I’m so excited for the potential experiences ahead!
What advice would you give to someone applying to ICTheatre?
My advice to someone applying to ICTheatre is to be confident that just being yourself is enough for any creative environment. Not two people are the same at ICTheatre and that variety means everyone brings something different to the table. You are also going to make some of your best friends here, I know that for a fact because I definitely have!
What are you working on next?
Currently I am in rehearsals for our next third year play, Growth by Luke Norris, directed by Robin Belfield. After that I will be working on my one woman show for my dissertation project and another Brighton Fringe show may be in works very soon!
To discover more about joining Institute for Contemporary Theatre, including auditions and how to apply, contact us at [email protected] or book an Open Day on our Events page.
