For our e-News article we interviewed Benjamin Morgan (S2) about his acting career. Benjamin has been in many productions before, and was most recognisably he was in the children’s TV series, Katie Morag. Here is what he said…
Q: When did you begin your acting career?
A: I did my first audition at the age of nine, but only got my first role when I was ten.
Q: Why did acting appeal to you?
A: I felt it would be a good experience and an incredible opportunity to work with experienced actors and learn from them.
Q: What productions have you been involved in and what parts did you play?
A: My first role was in the children’s television series ‘Katie Morag’ where I played John Mackie. I then went on to do musical theatre and I played Rooster in Annie and had a small part in the production ‘Oliver Twist’.
Q: Where do you rehearse for productions?
Most of our rehearsals take place at Eden Court but when we were filming for ‘Katie Morag’ we were on location in Lewis.
Q: Who inspires you and why?
A: There isn’t really any one person who inspires me but I respect Annie Louise Ross and Barbara Rafferty who played Granny Island and Granny Mainland in ‘Katie Morag’ as they were always so kind to me during production.
Q: Are you currently working on a production and if so what one?
A: At the moment I am working on a production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and also working towards my Grade 4 LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art).
Q: How often do you act and how does it fit in around your school week?
A: I act almost every day and on a Wednesday I miss the last period of school to go into Inverness for rehearsals. The rehearsing is quite intense and I often have to miss entire days of school before performing a production.
Q: What was it like filming on location for Katie Morag?
A: It was a very long drive to the middle of nowhere and we had few breaks during filming, but it was a great experience.
Q: How long were you away when filming for Katie Morag and how did you find it?
A: I was away for the whole summer holidays and I missed a few weeks off school as well. I didn’t see my family for a while but I made lots of friends in the process.
Q: Do you think that acting will be a part of your future and if so why?
A: I really couldn’t say at this stage but I hope acting will feature in my future!
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start acting?
A: Don’t put yourself down if you don’t get a part; you will hardly ever get the first role you apply for. Go in with an open mind and don’t devote yourself completely to acting; if you are a child make sure you enjoy your childhood and have fun whatever age you are.
Benjamin’s career has been very successful so far and we look forward to hearing about his future productions.
By Hannah Anderson & Iona Henderson
A: I did my first audition at the age of nine, but only got my first role when I was ten.
Q: Why did acting appeal to you?
A: I felt it would be a good experience and an incredible opportunity to work with experienced actors and learn from them.
Q: What productions have you been involved in and what parts did you play?
A: My first role was in the children’s television series ‘Katie Morag’ where I played John Mackie. I then went on to do musical theatre and I played Rooster in Annie and had a small part in the production ‘Oliver Twist’.
Q: Where do you rehearse for productions?
Most of our rehearsals take place at Eden Court but when we were filming for ‘Katie Morag’ we were on location in Lewis.
Q: Who inspires you and why?
A: There isn’t really any one person who inspires me but I respect Annie Louise Ross and Barbara Rafferty who played Granny Island and Granny Mainland in ‘Katie Morag’ as they were always so kind to me during production.
Q: Are you currently working on a production and if so what one?
A: At the moment I am working on a production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and also working towards my Grade 4 LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art).
Q: How often do you act and how does it fit in around your school week?
A: I act almost every day and on a Wednesday I miss the last period of school to go into Inverness for rehearsals. The rehearsing is quite intense and I often have to miss entire days of school before performing a production.
Q: What was it like filming on location for Katie Morag?
A: It was a very long drive to the middle of nowhere and we had few breaks during filming, but it was a great experience.
Q: How long were you away when filming for Katie Morag and how did you find it?
A: I was away for the whole summer holidays and I missed a few weeks off school as well. I didn’t see my family for a while but I made lots of friends in the process.
Q: Do you think that acting will be a part of your future and if so why?
A: I really couldn’t say at this stage but I hope acting will feature in my future!
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start acting?
A: Don’t put yourself down if you don’t get a part; you will hardly ever get the first role you apply for. Go in with an open mind and don’t devote yourself completely to acting; if you are a child make sure you enjoy your childhood and have fun whatever age you are.
Benjamin’s career has been very successful so far and we look forward to hearing about his future productions.
By Hannah Anderson & Iona Henderson