Student Blog
My Time at All In Actors
“My name is Sarah Rutendo I am a 25 year old Zimbabwean-British female identifying being. My family and I migrated to this country when I was a mere 5 year old in hopes of a brighter future for us all and we have been here ever since. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to creativity and all the different aspects of it; especially in the form of different types of art. As a young-er girl I would find myself drawn to characters and embodying them, through imitating their mannerisms, phrases and so on. Of course at this stage of life I didn’t know what this meant, I just knew I enjoyed it and wanted to fully immerse myself into that world. I later realised I can do this through acting *hoorah* I channelled my interests further by doing ‘the standard kickstarter into performing arts’ and by that I mean GCSE Drama and attending Stagecoach. This taster into my dream career was all good and well until the pressures of life and choosing something ‘realistic’ kicked in. I then went on to study a ‘regular’ *ish* degree and (of course) somehow found my way back to acting whilst studying something completely irrelevant at University. This then revived within me the love and passion I have for the arts. I then started to actively apply myself by doing weekend acting classes and looking out for ways I can challenge and improve myself as a being and an actress. Whilst on this journey I came across All In Actors and like many situations where you ‘just know’ I knew straight away it was exactly what I needed for various reasons and I can confidently say I was absolutely right!”
When I came across All In Actors I knew as soon as I looked into the course that it was for me, as cringey as that sounds everything including the classes (I’m not a ‘regular’ academic so this is a big deal) really stood out to me as something I knew I needed to move forward not just as an actor but as a human being.
I’m sure most of us can relate that the pandemic has had us in a state of reflection and ‘now what?’ when it comes to many things including just life in general, one of my reflections was that I’ve never fully allowed myself to truly follow my acting dreams or really just be myself - not wholeheartedly anyways. I’ve pretty much somewhat been involved in acting throughout my life whether I realised it or not, from the classic Drama GCSE and Stagecoach to weekend Acting courses alongside general life, after deep reflection I concluded that this must mean something right? With this reflection I decided to take the next step towards following my purpose with conviction. This was of course a terrifying big risk to take (like many big but necessary changes) for various reasons but I’m glad I took it as I know it’s where I need to be right now.
Having the initial audition with Steve and Ami really confirmed this for me as I felt comfortable with them, myself and my work (even though I wasn’t feeling too confident in myself at the time) from the get go – which as I’m sure fellow actors can agree can sometimes be quite a rarity in itself when it comes to auditions.
All of the classes have helped me to let go and listen to my natural impulses instead of overthinking which I’m prone to. It has also been enjoyable to actually learn the core and fundamental acting principles and how one can apply themselves through the work instead of performing and becoming someone else. The teachings at All In Actors focus on celebrating yourself, your individuality, your uniqueness, basically and everything that makes you,you so that you can apply it to the work.
I personally enjoy every single class as they all push me out of my comfort zone which I NEED. They all tie into each other to not just healthily make you a holistic actor but also to encourage you to be comfortable with just being and knowing that sometimes that in itself is enough – you’re enough! I think this is an important notion to highlight not just as an actor but as a human being, if not one of the biggest reminders one may need to go through all the ups and downs of life.
Within the group we are all very unique, the dynamic is clear (in a positive way of course) and every individual is celebrated within the safe space. Through this I can already see improvements within myself and my confidence it’s almost as if something has been unleashed something within me slowly bringing me back to my ‘real’ self.
To sum it up I would describe my experience with All In Actors as a ‘full circle moment’ because I feel that everything I’ve been working towards within life is starting to slowly come together and All In Actors is definitely aiding that. For years I’ve struggled to find where and what I actually belong to, but with the help of All In Actors I’ve finally discovered that everything I’ve been ‘looking’ for is within me.
I would highly recommend this to literally anyone not just actors, but anyone that is looking for a safe space to help aid other areas of life and towards becoming your authentic self, which we all deserve.
Thank you for reading
Yours Truly,
Sarah Rutendo x
Emilia Peacock - “Thank You”
Our very talented student Emilia Peacock has written a song depiction her time studying at All In Actors and it’s absolutely beautiful.
Student Blog
My Journey so far
By Zoe Sines
“When I started my first term at All in Actors, I was really excited to kick start my journey into actor training. I wanted to be open and ready to develop my skills in my artistry, as well as start to make new friends, learn new things about myself, and boost my confidence. I can safely say that in my first term with the company, my goals for myself have been set in motion. My progress in the last four months has made me feel so proud of myself. However, I didn’t accomplish all of this on my first day. At the start of the term, despite my eagerness to throw myself in the deep end and strike up friendships, my shy and sensitive nature got the best of me.”
Student Article
Acting student D’Chanel Richards writes an honest and inspiring opinion piece for A Younger Theatre.
“As a black female artist born and bred in North London, I consider myself a confident actor and singer heavily influenced by my Jamaican heritage, carrying this proudly throughout all I do, and inspired heavily by the likes of Michaela Coel, Cynthia Erivo and Letitia Wright“
“I am so grateful to just be a part of the space trusting my impulses and embracing new emotions.”
Student Blog
Where I’ve Arrived From
By Abbie Atkinson
I'm Abbie, and I'm a current student at All In Actors. I wanted to write this blog piece to tell everyone a bit about where I've arrived from. If anyone reading this is considering whether to apply to this school or not, I hope my story can encourage you to.