London and Bollywood are beckoning for Loughborough College performing arts student Roby Singh – just one of a talented ‘drama dozen’ set for success
As his performing arts classmates head for some of the country’s leading drama schools, Roby – who arrived in the UK unable to speak any English only five years ago - has been offered a place to study for a BA (Hons) in Acting at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama, which counts Judi Dench, Laurence Olivier, Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher, The Hobbit’s Martin Freeman, Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville and Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington and Jerome Flynn amongst its alumni.
“I was told I will be their first ever student with a Punjabi background,” said Roby, 19, who underwent a highly competitive audition process before learning of his success.
“I have gone from not being able to speak a word of English five years ago to loving Shakespeare and performing it for my auditions. I have received so much help and support from Loughborough College, the teachers have been behind me every step of the way.
“There are so many great performances I have been involved with at the College but playing Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing has to be my highlight – I really enjoyed the comedy of the role.
“It will be weird not to be able to turn to the teachers for advice now. They have really motivated me and I feel quite emotional about leaving. I aim to return to speak to the new students and that would be an honour – but for now I am really looking forward to this new opportunity with the Central School of Speech and Drama.
“I took all the help and guidance I had been given by Loughborough College to help me be the best I could be at my auditions. It had already been nerve-wracking knowing I was amongst thousands applying for just a handful of places so I was thrilled to hear I had been offered an audition – but it was daunting to arrive in London with hopefuls from all over the country, so the tips I’d received from my teachers on how to focus and keep calm came in very handy.
“It didn’t help that right at the beginning they didn’t have my name on their audition list. I was saying, ‘I swear I am meant to be here guys!’
“I had to perform a classical and a contemporary monologue and then take part in a workshop. Then they announced who they would be taking forward to the next stage and it was amazing that my name was on that list.
“I did a second monologue and in my head was desperately hoping there would be something in me that they noticed. But I wouldn’t know because no one was told anything that day. I saw on You Tube that it could be months before you heard but a week later I received an email to say I had been called back.
“I realised how much more tough it was going to get when I noticed no one from my audition day was there. There were only 40 people out of those thousands at this third stage so I knew I really was competing against the best of the best.
“It was another whole day of monologues and workshops and this time we also had to take on board the direction they gave us to improve our performances. Then towards the end of the day they came out to announce who they were taking forward and I was amongst the six names. This was followed by another directed monologue to whittle it down further for interviews. I couldn’t believe it when I reached the final three.
“The interview was, thankfully, very relaxed and at the end they said, We’ll be in touch. I heard a week later that I was being offered a place but after all that I couldn’t quite believe it.
“When they told me they had never heard of another actor with a Punjabi background attending Central it felt like even more of a crazy achievement.
“Now there is another exciting prospect on the horizon with the opportunity for me to appear in a Bollywood movie. Five years ago I never dreamed all this would be possible. I wanted to work hard and make my parents and my teachers proud. It is hard to leave Loughborough College behind and I am a real family boy so it will be difficult to move to London without them - but I am so excited to step up to this next challenge.”
The Loughborough College Performing Arts class of 2019 will see Roby Singh take up his place to study for a degree in Acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama; Iman Mohammadi will be studying for a degree in Acting at ALRA North; Josiah Oladoyin takes up his place at ALRA South for a foundation degree in Acting; Christie King will be going to Sunderland to study for a degree in Screen Performance; Effie Langley-Evans is set to study for a degree in Scenography and Theatre Design and Drama and Theatre Studies at Aberystwyth; Emilia Hargraves heads to Plymouth University to study for a degree in Drama and Theatre Practice; Iona Wilkins will be studying for her degree in Acting at UCLAN; Katelyn Murphy will study for a degree in Film and Theatre at Reading; Katie Johnson takes up her place at Chicester to study for a degree in Musical Theatre and Arts Development; Malakye Galloway-Baxter heads to Lincoln for his degree in Drama and Theatre; Megan Smith will be going to Sunderland for her degree in Screen Performance and Rhi Wignall is set to study for a degree in Acting at Wolverhampton
Pictured: (back row from left) Malkye Galloway-Baxter, Roby Singh, Josiah Oladoyin, Iman Mohammadi (front row from left) Katie Johnson, Effie Langley-Evans, Katelyn Murphy, Christie King, Emilia Hargraves and Rhianne Wignall