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Hamlet World Tour

13 May 2014

Filed Under:

Acting

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set to travel the world – along with Royal Welsh College graduate Amanda Wilkin.

This unique tour from The Globe Theatre, plans to visit every country in the world over the next two years.

“This job is so different to anything I’ve done before, and we’re pretty sure it’s the biggest tour of a play ever attempted!” said Amanda. “Every character has at least two actors playing it, so we swap parts every time we do a show and allow for time off on the road. So at the moment I’m playing Ophelia, Gertrude and Horatio. Rehearsing such different parts has been a challenge and has really stretched me. It felt pretty terrifying at first, but I kept telling myself that if you allow yourself to be pushed out of your comfort zone, then you can go on to do anything.”

Amanda was asked to join this ground-breaking production after performing at last year’s Globe season in The Tempest and Gabriel. Since leaving Royal Welsh College Amanda has focussed her career on theatre, her favourite genre. She explains how her time at Royal Welsh College formed this passion: “In our second year we took part in the RSC’s complete works season and took The Comedy of Errors to The Swan theatre in Stratford. That was an invaluable experience and I’ve gone on to perform in a lot of classical theatre since then including at the RSC and the Globe.”

“One of the main things I learned from my training at Royal Welsh College was the ethos of making your own work. I sing and play instruments, and am in the process of collaborating on a show. The people in and around my year are really inspiring with their work as well, and we all try to support each other in our different projects.”

Amanda still works with friends and colleagues from the College in all aspects of the industry, including Royal Welsh College Stage Combat tutor Kevin McCurdy on the fights for Hamlet. She’s also worked with directors she met at College since moving back to London.

So what advice does Amanda have for third year actors about to leave Royal Welsh College and head out into such a challenging industry: “I would say – be brave in all your decisions, whether it’s making character choices for an audition or actually in the rehearsal room with the director. Turn up on time with something to offer. Find someone in the industry to mentor you. And lastly, keep practicing any weird and wonderful skills you may have – believe me, they always come in useful!”

The Hamlet tour started on 23 April at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. Follow Amanda’s journey on her blog.