#OnceAMonkey - Celebrating Fourth Monkey's Class of 2022
As Fourth Monkey celebrate our first official graduation ceremony as an accredited Drama School, we are excited to see what our Class of 2022 BA (Hons) Acting and MA Collaborative Theatre graduates go on to create and make as brave, intelligent actors and artists.
Reflecting on her actor training as part of our inaugural BA (Hons) Acting cohort, we spoke to Class of 2022 graduate Martha Ibbotson about why she choose Fourth Monkey for her creative training, highlights and memories from her time at The Monkey House and what is next as she steps out into the industry as a professional actor and theatre maker…
Introduce yourself! Tell us your name, what you studied at Fourth Monkey plus a little about your background.
My name is Martha Ibbotson and I was in the inaugural year of the two-year BA (Hons) Acting degree. I grew up in Oxford and was involved in every kind of extra-curricular drama opportunity that you can imagine and then in the huge AmDram scene in the city for the three years post-Sixth Form before I came to Fourth Monkey.
This coincided with a production of Macbeth that I was in as part of the Oxford Shakespeare Festival. The woman playing Lady Macbeth was a Fourth Monkey alumnus and the way she worked and her performance was so brilliant, I knew I wanted the kind of training that she received. The full day workshop and financial accessibility of the audition at Fourth Monkey was only confirmation that this was a school that I would actually like to go to if I got in.
Tell us a bit about your audition day memories with Fourth Monkey?
I absolutely adored my audition day – I felt as though I was actually getting a taste of what it would be like to attend Fourth Monkey (including some elements I liked and elements that made me nervous!), but I felt as though I was truly being given a chance to express myself and demonstrate my skills.
My individual audition was far less nerve wracking after having being run ragged in a Movement workshop and after watching me perform and working on my speeches with the panel, we spent a long time actually talking about me and who I was. I felt seen at the Fourth Monkey audition in a way that I hadn’t encountered at any other drama school, and I knew when I left at the end of the day that I would be offered a place to train, as it felt like such a good fit. I’m so glad I was right!
What were your highlights of your training with Fourth Monkey? Why?
It’s honestly hard to pick a highlight because, as cheesy as it sounds, even the really tough parts contributed to my learning and growth as an actor, I wouldn’t change them. However, my last public-facing production of Julius Caesar, directed by Jane Jeffery and in which I played Brutus, felt like a culmination of all my training and like I had the opportunity to use everything I had learned over the last two years – it was the most satisfying experience of my life.
How did your interests or things you always thought to be your “strengths” or “weaknesses” evolve during your time with Fourth Monkey?
One of my steepest learning curves came in the first month of training. I had this perception of myself as being very open and in touch with my emotions, however, in Meisner classes I was confronted almost immediately with the masks and deflecting mannerisms I used when faced with emotions like anger or sadness from another person. Learning to differentiate between impulses that I have learned in order to protect myself and what I actually feel has become one of my greatest strengths as an actor, but it’s something I know I have to keep working on.
Fourth Monkey’s core training ethos focuses on ensemble and collaboration. Is there anyone you’d particularly like to work or collaborate with in the future? Likewise, is there anyone from your cohort that you are already working collaboratively with?
I was lucky that I was thrown together with Frida Cæcilia Rødroe as a flatmate and classmate in my first year, as she has become my closest friend and a wonderful collaborator. We are constantly coming up with ideas for projects we want to make together, from “Mocumentaries” to classical theatre adaptations. We are also working as part of a larger group with fellow Class of 2022 graduates Victoria Sloan-Kirton, Laura Di Luca and Sophie Blythe to continue and expand our original Devising Project which we created at the end of our second year. Though progress is slow at the moment while we all find our feet as graduates in the real world, we are planning to develop the show into a one-hour piece to take to festivals in 2023.
Even though one of the most valuable things training with Fourth Monkey has given me is the ability to collaborate with anybody, I would be glad to work with most, if not all of, the people in my year again and I feel confident in my ability to deliver my best work regardless of the group of creatives around me and how well we get on personally.
When you joined Fourth Monkey, what direction did you imagine your creative career would take? How has this evolved and developed over the last two years?
I am ashamed to admit that a small part of me was convinced I didn’t have much to learn when I started at Fourth Monkey, however, the saying “you don’t know what you don’t know” could not have applied to anyone more.
My view of my career is far more broad now, as Fourth Monkey gave me the opportunity to expand my skills as a fight performer and Fight Director, Stage Manager, Assistant Director, Writer and Theatre Maker… Although I still love acting more than anything else, I’m excited to see how these skills can support my career, whereas previously I was convinced only acting would satisfy me creatively.
Do you have any upcoming projects or performances that you are working on and able to share with us?
I recently landed a role in the Vienna English Theatre’s Schools Tour which begins January 2023 and will run for five months – I could not be more excited to get back to performing every day! The tour goes all across Austria, starting with two weeks of rehearsal in London and in Vienna. The play is a fun and heartwarming story about two lonely teenagers finding friendship and comfort with each other online and then in person – I honestly cannot wait to get started.
Finally, what advice would you share with anyone thinking about auditioning for Fourth Monkey?
My advice would be to give it a go. In my experience, Fourth Monkey and the audition day itself is unlike any other drama school, and it may not be right for you as it was for me, but the workshop is a valuable experience in and of itself.
I would also say don’t let your pride prevent you from pursuing training in acting, whether that is in formal training at Drama School or at university, or through classes and workshops that you find through your own research.
I know myself so much better now than I did before I trained and even if acting ends up not working out for me, I will always be grateful for my two years at Fourth Monkey simply for allowing me to know myself, my limits, and my strengths more deeply than if I hadn’t done this training.
