Don’t Stop Believing
Eleanor Lewis had only just begun her foray into the big wide world of music theatre when Covid-19 said “No. Not today.” This marvellous young woman talked to us about studying, working, creating - doing what she loves.
Who are you?
I’m Eleanor Lewis. I graduated from the MTA (Music Theatre Academy) September 2019. Usually, when you graduate, you finish at the end of the academic year. We went straight up to September. I left doing everything - singing, dancing, acting. Since then, I moved back to Hertfordshire. I’ve been working as a teacher for various stage schools and as a teaching assistant in a primary school as well as working at a theatre in the West End. So I feel that there are still connections.
When did you decide to move back home? And why?
It took a long time. Originally, I’d been in London for three years. Also, I’d spent time in London beforehand - to see shows and for churchy things. And, we also used to live in London years and years ago. There was always that connection and I wanted to keep that.
When I knew I was coming up to graduating, I thought – do I stay in London? Do I still have that freedom I had living in London or do I come back home and basically sort myself out before venturing on, wherever it may be? It was probably Jun-ish last year when I thought, I am going to move back to Hertfordshire. Hindsight is a great thing. If I hadn’t had made that decision, I don’t know what I would have done over this last period. Being at home is probably the best thing that could have happened over the Corona virus “era”. And it’s meant that I’ve had a brilliant support system. The fact that I’ve been here with my parents has been lovely. And we’ve got a dog! Even better!
What was the trigger to move? You were living and working in London…
Money. It was money, in the end. The course that I was on was uncredited. You don’t get any government support, you don’t get a student loan, you don’t get that maintenance loan. I had to work hard and I also had other people giving me money from different places. That was my way of funding that course. That was also my way of being able to live in London.
That was the trigger in the end – definitely the money. I was getting to a really nice, stable point. March would have been one of my first proper pay packages – I was on zero hours for everything. So, coming round to March, I thought – I’m doing alright. And then – coronavirus.
When you qualified, what happened?
We’re really lucky. In the second show of your second year, you get a lot of agent exposure. We were doing one-to-ones, we did a showcase at the Bridewell and I managed to get an agent then. I signed all my contracts March/April. From then to March this year, I was being sent for auditions. Like anything, sometimes you do really well, you get through a few rounds. I made all of my jobs zero hours so I could go to auditions anytime. When I did graduate, from December through to March, I was going for auditions once a week, sometimes twice a week, which was brilliant. I was seeing lots of different casting directors and I was being recognized. Things were starting to get exciting. It was also nice to go and do a completely different job – the TA in the primary school. That brought me back to reality. I’d been singing, dancing and acting, every hour of every day for how many years? Now I was coming back to something that is a little bit out of all of that. Which has now made me realize that I can take time for myself (for a while, I didn’t think I could). I love working with children – that’s my other huge passion. Some of the teachers would say “Guess where Ms Lewis is going today?” and I’d get to tell the children something that they’ve never heard about. There are kids asking “do you think I could do this one day?” Well, if you put your mind to it – yes! Of course you can!
Why do you do what you? Why did you think studying music theatre was a good idea?!
There’s just something about getting on that stage and, no matter who it is you’re performing to and no matter what that stage is, there’s something about going out, doing what makes you feel good and makes other people feel good as well – sharing emotion in one big room. You can’t much better than that. There is no other way that I feel that I can get that same adrenalin than from applause at the end of something, where everyone comes together and appreciates how everything has been put together. That is just magical.
The stage school where I teach, last year the kids did a show at the O2 and I was part of the dance group that danced behind the principal during his big number. During the dress rehearsal, he wanted to run his number, but the other dancers weren’t there, it was just me on my own. The kids were so excited. When I finished, the kids were hugging and saying “you’re amazing! We didn’t know you could do that!” I’d never been so overwhelmed.
This is what I do when I don’t teach you! “We though you just taught us!” NO – this is what we want you to end up doing. It was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. It was also very cringy and very embarrassing… It was lovely. A lot of the kids that we teach have never seen people perform and they were excited. That’s what we want.
With all the declarations about the end of theatre (as we know it), how does that sit with you, being at the beginning of your career?
It is difficult. People are coming up with ways around it. Lots of outdoor things.
when it comes around to winter, it’s going to get quieter because people don’t want to sit in the snow, while they’re watching stuff. For a while, it looked like nothing was going to come back. It seemed drastic – what is going to happen? The snooker was a bit of setback, when you watch all of them standing, not socially distanced, no masks on. Then people are expecting that when they go to the London Palladium. (It’s also very ironic that the snooker took place in a theatre!) Andrew Lloyd Webber is saying that we can do things. But that’s coming from someone who owns some of the biggest theatres in London. The little theatre that I work at, if we did something like that (open), we wouldn’t make enough revenue. Recently, we’ve all been made redundant. But, if that’s the step that we have to take in order to come back, that’s a step that I’m willing to take. They looked after me. Our manager actually rang us and discussed it with us and why it was happening. and if that is a step we have to take, then that is a step we have to take. If that means we are going to be able to go back, then that’s how we do it. It is disheartening. My agent has been brilliant, saying, as soon as we get back, we’re going to do this and that. It’s good to know that someone is still there and still rooting for me to go and get out there. I know that there were some good impressions that I made before the pandemic happened, so I’ve got a lot of hope.
A lot of schools graduated and they were out by May. A lot of people, in the same graduating year as me, have already managed to have their West End debut. Then you’ve also got the grads from this year being given so many different opportunities. When we first started in lockdown, I reached out to so many of these grad schemes. “You graduated late year”. I asked if I might be able to join in (I graduated in September 2019) “No. It’s strictly for 2020 grads.” I get that people haven’t had graduations. I get that people haven’t had exposure. But, I’ve only just put my foot in the door. And it’s just been kicked out. don’t get me wrong – I have been into some amazing rooms. I had a really good few auditions. But – I’ve only just graduated and I’ve had less time in the industry than a lot of people in that 2019 bracket. All I want to do is just sit in on something. I don’t have to get up and sing. I can sit in and take in what they’re talking about. Surely that wouldn’t make a difference.
You’re younger than us (and therefore, infinitely more optimistic!) – how do you envisage going forward?
When we were at college, we were told that if we had a backup, then – did we want to do it? Forever it’s been – I just want to do this. And with this pandemic, well – I can’t do this.
The primary school that I now work at, is my old primary school. The head teacher is my old class teacher. The room I’m in this year is one of my old teachers. And my mum as well…! I’m surrounded by people who have known me for years and who know what I’m like. When one of the stage school jobs told me that they couldn’t reopen because of the pandemic, I was fine. The head teacher of the primary said to me “why don’t you try and do your PGCE?” I thought – actually, that might be a nice thing to have. Because we don’t know what’s going on. I love working with children. I love teaching. I’ve basically had a class to myself over the pandemic, which has been SO much fun! But the PGCE – if that is something that I then have to go to – it’s something I do enjoy. I don’t get the same as performing from it, but I know that I can go and do that if I have to top my diploma up to a degree. I know that that is something that I can go to. It’s a taken a pandemic for me to say – there is something more. I don’t have to worry if I can’t – but, I want to… It’s so difficult because I don’t want to have that mindset of it’s never going to happen, you’re never going to make that big debut, because I’ve still got it there. I still know that, at some point, it’s still going to happen. And I don’t want that PGCE to completely engulf that and for it to go away. I still want that there.
Has it occurred to you to create the work yourself?
I have done a few things over lockdown. When we first had the pandemic, everyone was saying we’ll come back by May and it’s all going to be fine. When we found out that year below me weren’t going to have their graduation, we decided we would have a big bumper two year graduation next year. Me and my year decided to do something to show them that we’re here. Let’s make it as cheezy as possible, funny – just to bring some light to this situation. I managed to get a few people who have graduated from the school and I put together a Zoom version of “Don’t Stop Believing”. I learned how to use Adobe! That took me ages to mix – I’ve learned a few new skills! I have sung. I haven’t stopped singing. I say to myself – let’s flip through my rep and see what I’ve got. The amount of times I’ve said “Let’s film it. Let’s film it and see.” And then it becomes “No – I’m not going to film it this time.” That keeps happening. So, it’s just been singing for myself, which I haven’t done for a long time. It’s been quite nice. Because I’ve had such a long break and I haven’t been singing at the top of my voice all the time, I’ve felt that I could do other things with it. It’s been creating stuff for myself. A couple of people have asked me to do things, which haven’t happened as yet. Nothing major has happened. It’s all been for myself, the stuff that I’ve been creating. I did start playing the piano again. I’d stopped for so long because I didn’t have a piano in my house in Tottenham. I started playing again at the beginning of lockdown and that brought so much joy. It’s difficult when you want to create things but you don’t know where they’re going to end up.
Would you rather create something and put it out there for a “digital response” or would you rather wait for a real, live human in front of you?
I’d rather wait. So many people I know have posted things. “I just want to put it out there so it looks like I’ve done something during this pandemic” and it’s not been good quality. Someone I know, who is a very good performer has put out stuff that is just not her. It’s put out there as “look at me – look at me”. Everywhere. I don’t want to do that. I want to come back almost fresh. I feel I’ve made enough good impressions. I’m back where I was before, just a bit more rested!
I’ve done it once. I didn’t “post it” post it. I did it on an Instagram story, a little something. Lots of people thought it was brilliant. But – I can’t share it with you. It’s not the same. I’m not getting the same thrill out of it as if you were sitting in the same room with me. So, I think I’ll just wait. Unless I get really bored.
What do you think we can do? In order to survive.
The people I work with at the theatre, we all come from different aspects of the creative bubble. Designers, performers, writers, directors. We’ve had this chat where we’ve said, if anyone feels like they can’t get through this, something gets put on the chat. Can we do a call, can we do something. Can we liven each other up. That has been the main point for me, during the pandemic. I’ve been able to reconnect. I’ve been able to connect with people that I haven’t before. Because, we’re all in the same boat. We’re all united because of the “lack of”. Because there is a lack of everything. And we need to something to fill that hole. I’m guessing we’re doing that by connecting with other people.
Lulu. And Eleanor.