Harrow College Student Success
All the world's a stage
For Tara Jessica Hollingsworth, acting is not just a career option; it’s her passion, her world.
Just as she finished her BTEC Level 2 course at Harrow College, Tara found herself performing at Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. Having been one of our performing arts students in 2010, she now enjoys teaching drama to children at the same theatre. She received three distinctions in her course and says the College played a key role in her achievement.
What she learnt at the College made her a paid artist in one of the reputed theatres in London. She says: ‘it’s the best thing ever. It was a great opportunity to play in Dick Whittington, it was brilliant! We had a very good audience. The theatre life is difficult though. We were getting paid, so they expected professional work from us. We practised 13 hours a day. It was a big change from being at the College. We had to be perfect!’
She praises her teachers at the College saying they were excellent: ‘they were really helpful. We had good auditions at the College and the tutors taught me a lot and helped me prepare for my professional world.’
Having spent almost all her time in the drama studios of the College, she says the College has really good facilities for the students: ‘We had lots of props to work with. The teachers really prepared us for the outside world, taught us how to work professionally from the start. Doing a drama course is very hard but working hard definitely pays off. I learnt that through Harrow College.’
As much as she loves theatre acting, Tara would like to go into television acting in future as she finds it natural. For the time being, she is taking a gap year and learning as much as she can through practical experience. Tara’s last words to our current students: ‘just keep working hard. I know sometimes it’s difficult to find motivation but I’d advise you to keep going- if you are passionate about your work, you’ll end up being where you want.’
