Elaine Hua Jones, Class of 2020

Elaine is one of our more recent theatrical graduates, having left Trinity in 2020. She enrolled in the BA (Hons) Actor-Musician degree course at Guildford School of Acting, one of the most highly regarded theatre schools in the UK, and graduates this year. Her future looks promising, with a role already secured in the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

How did your experience at Trinity influence your decision to pursue further education in theatre at Guildford School of Acting (GSA)? Were there any specific teachers or mentors at Trinity who positively influenced your passion for theatre?

I think the plethora of extracurricular drama and music activities meant that I was able to really immerse myself in what I enjoyed outside of school time, which helped me realise that it was what I wanted to do full time. All the teachers who ran those activities - Mr Chambers, Ms Robinson, Mr Swinson, Mr Pettitt, Mr Holdsworth - helped me expand on my enjoyment of music and drama outside of academics. All my teachers really helped and supported me, even the maths teachers, when I made it very clear that I was going to drop maths as soon as I could!

Can you share how Trinity supported you in your choice of further education in theatre and what resources or opportunities they provided that helped you in your journey towards GSA? You turned down an offer at Cambridge to go to GSA; was this a tough decision, and how did the school support you with this?

I had to spend a lot of time really deliberating between the two schools, as obviously they are both very prestigious in their respective fields. Mr Chambers was a big help, as he had gone to Cambridge and then made it into theatre too. He helped me prepare my audition monologue, which was really helpful. I spoke to all my academic subject teachers and the music teachers, and they encouraged me to do whatever felt right.

In the end, it came down to how excited I was to receive the offers. I remember getting my Cambridge acceptance email after a netball match and thinking, “Oh, that’s nice”, and then carrying on with my day, whereas when I got the GSA offer email in the Sixth Form Centre, I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot and ran to tell my friends - that was a pretty clear sign to me about which one I cared more about and should pursue.

What skills, knowledge, or experiences from Trinity do you feel have been valuable in your course at GSA and in preparing you for your future career in theatre?

I think my ability to organise my time has been really useful. At Trinity, I had an after-school extracurricular activity basically every day, so arranging homework and downtime as well as music practice around that has helped me prepare for the intense 9am-7pm GSA schedule, and for the busy life of auditioning after I graduate. I’m also right in the middle of writing my dissertation, so I must thank Dr Asquith and Mr Ryan for their essay-writing skills! The text-based work we do now is a breeze because of them. I also have to confess that I am absolutely terrified of accidentally committing tax fraud next year, being self-employed, so we’ll see if the maths teachers left an impression on me.

Can you talk about any notable experiences or projects you were involved in at the Guildford School of Acting that have enriched your skills and prepared you for the professional theatre industry?

One of my second-year projects was Anna Karenina, which for me was one of the first difficult texts I’ve tackled. I played Anna during one part, which has really helped me develop my character work and figure out how I work best. I also ended up covering the role of Anna in a different section of the play because everyone was dropping like flies with Covid, so I learnt how to sight-read text more effectively and put my own spin on a role I had got used to watching someone else do.

In my first and second GSA third year shows, I was appointed assistant music director, which was really helpful as I would love to music direct one day. It was also great as we have external creatives brought in for these shows, so I was able to work side by side with experienced professionals, which made me feel much more relaxed about going into the big wide world soon. I was also lucky enough to participate in the RepresentAsian concert at the Phoenix Arts Club in London, which is a showcase of musical theatre for performers of Asian heritage, who are often underrepresented in theatre.

What are your hopes and aspirations for your future career in theatre, and how do you plan to apply what you’ve learnt at GSA to achieve those goals?

I would really like to try out all different kinds of acting! We took some screen classes last year, and I found them fascinating. I’d love to be in a film or TV show one day. I think my aspirations mainly lie on the stage, though. At GSA, we covered almost every aspect of stage work, so I think I’m fully prepared to act in plays, musicals, actor-musician shows, and maybe play in the pit of a musical. I’ll be taking my notebook full of wise words from my teachers; my favourite quote is: “Acting is easy. Actually, no, it’s not; it’s really hard. But it’s actually easy.”

Are there any specific acting techniques or approaches that you learnt at Guildford School of Acting that have had a significant impact on your craft and artistic development?

All I know now is that I think method acting does not work beyond an extent, and I do NOT like Laban’s Efforts (the movement principles and theories developed by Rudolf Laban, which aim to describe and analyse human movement and its expressive qualities).

Really, though, I think my approach now is much less perfectionist and has a better sense of play to it, which really helps with devising, but also just makes it more fun for everyone involved. I am also more accepting of what I can bring to a role personally. In acting, it’s hard not to take things personally sometimes, but you just need to remember that it’s not that you’re bad; you’re just not what they wanted on that day for that project! There’s something else for which you will be the perfect fit down the line.

How has your time at GSA helped you further develop your unique artistic voice and style, and how do you plan to incorporate that into your future work in theatre?

I think I am more open now that I have been through GSA. Before going, I thought I was a musician who could act, dance, and maybe sing a bit, but not that well, whereas now I think I present myself more confidently and don’t put myself forward as just one thing.

Can you discuss any challenges you faced during your time at GSA and how you overcame them, as well as any lessons you learnt from those experiences that you plan to carry with you into your career in theatre?

My first year of university was almost entirely on Zoom, which, as you can probably imagine, isn’t compatible with 9am singing lessons or ballet lessons in a tiny uni flat with 14 flatmates. I had a really hard time with it, especially because it took a very long time for our whole course to meet each other properly. It has helped greatly with self-taping though; most of what we did in our first year ended up being self-taped, which makes it a lot easier now when I get requests to self-tape a first-round audition.

In what ways do you feel GSA has prepared you for the professional theatre industry, and what do you believe will be your biggest strengths as you start your career?

I think the whole experience as well as the classes have really helped me prepare to put my best foot forward in the real world. I have learnt to be more confident in what I bring to the table as well as to develop all my skills in a well-rounded way. I feel I’ve improved in all areas at least a little bit.

What are your immediate and long-term plans and aspirations as you graduate from Guildford School of Acting and embark on your career in theatre, and how do you plan to continue your growth and development as an actor?

I have just finished playing Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, which was a fantastic experience! I also took part in a workshop for a new actor-musician musical called Cliffs at BEAM at the Oxford Playhouse in May, which was really cool. We also filmed our showcase last term, and since it was released, I am now signed with BBA management, which will make finding future jobs even easier. My aim for the rest of this year is to hopefully be booked and busy, to move closer to central London (unless jobs take me elsewhere), and to continue working to improve my skillset.