Page 16 - Southwell School_The Chronicle July 2021

RUBY LYON (2008 - 2009)
BLIVING HER DREAM
efore delving into life after Southwell I feel it imperative to mention the impact my two years there really had on the trajectory of my life. At
Southwell I had my first experience of musical theatre (Pirates of Penzance) and had my first real crack at acting (as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls). The respect the school gives to its arts and, as a result, arty students provides a warm, supportive environment to flourish as a budding creative — that includes the orchestra, the choir and visual arts.
After leaving Southwell for high school, I wriggled my way into all the local productions I possibly could — Hamilton Operatic Society was like pre-drama school for me, beginning with The Secret Garden at age thirteen. I was determined to be the most professional one in the room, stemmed from the terror of possibly being considered ‘the annoying kid’. My time with HOS, coupled with dance lessons, was a long term bootcamp in theatre etiquette and instilled in me the work ethic I have today.
After graduating high school, I made the move up to Auckland to attend The Actors’ Program — an industry focused one-year intensive drama school. Drama schools as institutions are well known for the demanding toll they take on their students physically, emotionally and mentally, and because TAP was a three-year degree crammed into one, it was three times that. It was a joy and one of the best things I’ve ever done.
After TAP I have been lucky enough to be involved in all sorts of projects: short films, web series, devised theatre, straight theatre, musical theatre and television. My highlights were co-writing, co-producing and co-starring in an original musical And So It Goes with a close friend, directed by kiwi icon Jennifer Ward-Leland; returning to
Photo Credit, by Samuel Black
Shortland Street 2017 Royal Academy of Music graduation 2018