Sometimes it’s a fun game to look around the Cambridge theatre scene and wonder which of your peers will go on to have stellar careers in drama, and maybe even be famous actors. After all, there is precedent for this: our alumni include the likes of Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Ian McKellen and Rachel Weisz. However, as I watch some of the famous figures in Cambridge theatre now, and imagine if they could one day be real-world famous, I’m aware that I can do this because I am in a different position to them. It is time we had a glimpse of the Cambridge theatre scene from that position.

“I mean it when I say I am happy with my lot”

I am, as I freely admit, on the periphery of this world. If you look up my name on the website Camdram, you will find a respectable handful of credits from my past two years in Cambridge. I have never, however, been involved in more than one show per term, and I have nothing to rival the giant-arm-length lists to which some people lay claim. You will also notice that I have never been involved in a show at our biggest (and to many, most prestigious) venue, the ADC Theatre. If you look more closely still, you might work out that all of my roles have been, to put it frankly, small. Of course, I know that there are no small roles, only small actors, but I am content with my status as a small actor who has, objectively speaking, only ever had to deliver a small number of lines.

I mean it when I say that I am happy with my lot. I am actually not bitter or disappointed or desperately trying to break into the big leagues. For one thing, I think it is a wonderful strength of the Cambridge theatre community that there is a place for me, for whom student theatre is an exciting hobby, alongside those for whom it might be a stepping stone to the career of their dreams. When I was at my tiny high school in the very rural middle of nowhere, I yearned to have the opportunity to do theatre for fun, and Cambridge has given me that. It is a privilege to work alongside, or even just see in action, people a lot more talented than myself. This is not just so that one day I might be able to tell people that I knew somebody before they were famous, but because it is a joy to see people who excel at doing what they love. I’m also happy to let them juggle the commitments, make the sacrifices, and fend off a theatre-unsympathetic DoS.

There is one thing that mars the happy picture I present, and my call to embrace a theatre scene that accomodates different levels of ability and commitment. In my experience, roles marked as ‘low commitment’ on audition packs do not always quite pan out that way. There is a frustration in attending rehearsals because your name was put on a schedule, only to realise that you only need to deliver one line (or better yet, you are only there for blocking). Inevitably, you are still there for the duration of the rehearsal unless you can find a polite but firm way of excusing yourself. Naturally, you will also be there for the duration of stagger throughs, full run throughs, dress/tech, and get-in/get-out. I understand that the point is to make everyone feel included, but sometimes I care less about this than about my time being respected. This is why I have decided I probably will not be in any shows in my third year. I would suggest application calls should be as realistic as possible about time commitment to help people like me understand what they would be signing up for. Also, I would not underestimate the role of welfare officers in making sure that nobody is trapped idle in a rehearsal (and convincing a stressed director that the actor with one line doesn’t need to be part of another entire run-through).

“Squeeze whatever you want out of the theatre opportunities on our doorstep while you have the chance”

This warning aside, I am here to say that it is okay to only exist at the periphery of the theatre scene. It is okay to not be relentlessly auditioning for big parts in big shows, and to accept that you are a small role sort of person. There is a place for you here. The important thing is not to worry about status or what others might think, but to squeeze whatever you want out of the theatre opportunities on our doorstep while you have the chance. For me, that has always meant giving it a go, having fun, and making memories. Sometimes the more competitive side of the theatre world can make this feel unimportant. But I say, if you desire, go forth and be a small actor. Soak in everything that’s happening around you. And also remember to bring your laptop with you to rehearsals.