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| Career Profiles > Richard Austin |
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Favourite film: It's A Wonderful Life
Favourite play: Anthony and Cleopatra
Favourite book: Robertson Davies - What's Bred in the Bone
Favourite CD: Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Current work: Public Arena Theatre Company, Cambridge
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When did you first become involved in theatre?
Up to the age of thirteen I knew nothing of theatre, then I was invited to join the after-school drama group and fell totally in love with everything about the process. From that moment on I was involved in every school production in as many ways as I could find - acting, prompting, stage-managing, designing and printing the tickets and programmes and cajoling people into buying tickets.
Which drama school did you train at?
I chose East 15 because I felt that what my acting needed was some gritty reality. I had a fairly good voice already and reasonable technique (or so I thought) and I believed that where I was lacking was mostly in my ability to lose myself in a character and find the real heart of the work. I was wrong, of course! Mostly I found that I started to learn once I was out in the business and most of what I have gleaned has come from contact with other actors and some very fine directors I have been fortunate enough to work with.
What were you first steps in to the world of work after your course?
An agent had seen me in a show at the end of my second year at college and offered me representation. I left E15 early having been offered a contract with a children's theatre company which would give me the all-important Equity card and entry into the profession. I then found my way into a period of regular work in theatre and TV.
What is the working life like for an actor?
There are many different experiences and no two are alike. Being in work can involve a half-day shoot on a commercial or training film. It might be a lengthy run of a theatre play, tour or a fringe production. Television jobs vary depending on whether it is a one-off play, a series or a long-running soap opera. That particular work schedule is a lot like office hours with rehearsals and recording sessions happening mostly in the day-time. In theatre, once the play has opened the work is mostly evenings, with one or two matinees a week. Some actors are able to do voice-overs or other short filming pieces during the run of a play, especially if they manage to remain based in London.
How has your career changed to the point you are at now?
I had a complete change of direction in the mid-eighties and became very interested in the healing arts. I trained in massage, aromatherapy and healing and more recently in Cranio-Sacral Therapy. This has led me into an immensely rewarding (though still not especially lucrative!) field where I have been able to help a great many people deal better with the stresses and pains of their lives. I then started teaching massage and aromatherapy. I found that I enjoyed teaching and I was asked to teach children's drama classes at the Cambridge Drama Centre with a company called Public Arena.
Does this mean you gave up performing?
I never intended to stop acting and performing, however, for about fifteen years I was out of touch with that part of my life almost completely. My only through-line during that time was my work on a long-standing and deeply cherished project to record and perform the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. I have now brought this work forward to a point where I have made a CD recording of the poems, I travel internationally to perform at different Hopkins conferences and I am generally regarded as the leading exponent of the spoken performance of this wonderful poetry in the world.
Do you think you will return to acting?
Last September I took part in a production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' with professionals and found that I could still hold my own in that company. I do not know what the future will hold but I hope that once my children are fully launched I may be able to re-activate my acting career. At present, I have my growing healing practice, seven drama classes a week for children aged three to eleven and my work on Hopkins as well as all that is involved in being a 'hands-on Dad'. That is plenty to keep me occupied for the time being!
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