THEATRE FOR ALL
CARRIE LYELL LOOKS BEYOND THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF BROADWAY TO FIND EXCITING, INNOVATIVE AND INCLUSIVE THEATRE
THEATRE FOR ALL
PHOTOS ROXANNE ANDERSON, LINDA NYLIND
My first real experience of the theatre was when I was 12 years old, during the school holidays, when my parents signed me up for a summer camp at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow, staging a production of Grease. Over the course of several weeks, we auditioned for parts, rehearsed, and finally put on a show for all of our family and friends. I was too shy to audition for any of the main parts, despite secretly fancying myself as Kenickie, and while I had fun overall, I felt like a working class fish out of water surrounded by all these uber confident rich kids. I exited stage left and decided theatre wasn’t for me.
It’s a feeling that’s stayed with me. I’m lucky enough to review shows and interview actors for DIVA, and I’ve had many life changing moments in the stalls, but that 12-year-old kid is still with me, whispering in my ear that I don’t belong, that I don’t really get it, and that theatre is for people with buckets of cash and an Oxbridge education.