Follow The Dream
Michelle Nightingale gives Coral Drouyn a lesson in not giving up.
Sometimes Life imitates Art in ways that seem like cliches. We have all seen and heard the story of the understudy or amateur plucked from obscurity to become the leading lady. It’s always an inspirational story. We might go along with it for the sake of the show or the film, but we know that things like that don’t happen in real life, right? Wrong! Life is imitating art right now as Brief Encounter reaches the Melbourne Festival as part of its National Tour.
Cornwall’s acclaimed Kneehigh Theatre has a commitment to originality and excellence. Those two things have taken them from playing in village halls and quarries some thirty years ago to London’s West End stages and even an American tour. In Brief Encounter they marry the famous Noël Coward story (of strangers meeting and falling in love on a train station, based on his play Still Life) with Coward’s best known songs and even original music; and then combine live performance with film for a totally integrated experience. It’s one of the most talked about and highly anticipated offerings at this year’s Festival, innovative and striking in its stagecraft. So when it was announced early in the year that there would be auditions for non specific roles, and that there may be roles available but possibly not, depending on how many of the original cast were available, the prospect was enough to entice Adelaide mother of two, Michelle Nightingale, to bite the bullet and ask to audition.
“That’s all I thought it would be. Just an audition,” Michelle explains. “I thought it would be great to say in years to come that I had auditioned for a world famous company. I mean, years of community theatre meant I knew that audition process, and I was used to seeing so many familiar faces there. It was my comfort zone. But this was different.”
Michelle is refreshingly open about her lack of “professional” experience, though we agreed that the standard of Community Theatre is often so high that it’s hard to see the line between amateur and professional.
“When I was younger I hoped, for a little while, for a career in professional theatre. I knew I would have to know what I was doing, and I knew my voice alone wouldn’t be enough.” Michelle has a music degree from Adelaide University, where she specialised in Voice (perf). She added acting and dance training to the mix, determined to be a real triple threat.
“Somehow it was my singing that was always what was wanted. I sang the National Anthem so many times at sporting events and international conferences; it was second nature.” Michelle also got the chance to sing with the James Morrison Quartet and as part of the Jazz a capella group “Just Us”. There were trips to America, a few ‘extra’ roles in films, the odd small part on TV and television commercials. “Then Life sort of crept up on me and before I knew it I was married and had two children and wondering where ten years had gone. It’s all been wonderful, and I have no regrets. Community Theatre was a fantastic outlet and brilliant experience, and I teach singing, so I knew I was putting the training to good use. Last year I created my own Cabaret show for the Adelaide Festival and it went really well. I thought, ‘Well, that’s it, that’s my little slice of glory.”
In February Michelle turned forty, a milestone for any woman, though she looks much younger. “It didn’t depress me, but I was conscious of moving to another stage of my life. So when I heard about the Kneehigh audition I thought well, if not now, when? At least I will know what it feels like.” She had never seen the film, didn’t know the play, but took the chance anyway.
When Michelle’s agent called and said, “You’re in.” Michelle was disbelieving and simply said “Sorry?” Her agent continued, “They’re offering you Laura.” Michelle thought it was a joke. “Pardon? Isn’t Laura the……” “The lead…that’s right, they want you for the lead.” Michelle said thanks and put the phone down. “The whole thing was surreal, I didn’t know how to react. I thought for all of five seconds about saying no. I wasn’t supposed to get the part…I was just supposed to experience auditioning. Could I do it? What about my husband and kids? How would I handle touring? I imagine most people would have those doubts, but I knew that something had made me go to that audition, and that I couldn’t chicken out now.”
Michelle and Kate Cheel, another local actress, had to learn the script by themselves in Australia, and have all the lines down before being flown to London to work with the rest of the cast. It was two weeks of intense work, with everyone except the two newcomers being used to working with director Emma Rice. “I wanted to see the film – and there was also a DVD of the New York productions, but Emma said not until after the rehearsal period; she wanted me to find the character for myself.”
When Michelle took her first curtain call with the company before an enraptured audience in Adelaide, she still had the sense that this was unreal, albeit thrilling.
“I don’t know if it will lead to anything more. Right now I’m just living in the moment. I’ll still audition for community theatre roles; I haven’t forgotten where I came from.”
And what advice would Michelle give to others who put their dreams aside to pursue life instead?
“I never expected this to happen. I truly was happy with life just as it was. But it has taught me one thing. Dreams don’t die, and they’re always waiting to be woken again. Whether or not you’re happy with where you are in life, you can be any age and still change things. It’s never too late.”
That may be a cliché…but it’s still inspirational.
Images feature Michelle Nightingale and Jim Sturgeon.
WIN TICKETS
Stage Whispers has five pairs of tickets to give away to the performance of Brief Encounter on Thursday October 10 at The Athenaeum.
Go to the contact form http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/contact.
Type Brief Encounters Tix in the subject field, then answer the following question in the message field.
What was Michelle’s first word when her agent called?
Entries close at 6pm on Friday October 4, when we'll draw five winners.
Congratulations to our five winners.
Brief Encounter plays at The Athenaeum, Melbourne, from October 9 to 27, 2013, followed by seasons at The Concourse, Chatswood (Sydney), October 31 to November 10, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, November 20 to 23 and The Regal, Perth, November 28 to December 1
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