For any young actor a professional stage debut should be an experience to cherish but for Georgia Maguire this event must be extra special as she is treading the boards on her home turf.
Maguire, 24, has lived in Kingston her entire life and is currently appearing at The Rose Theatre in the its revival of the classic Noel Coward comedy Hay Fever and she is delighted to be making her professional bow with some familiar faces in the crowd.
“I love Kingston so It is amazing to have my first theatre job here,” she says.
“Kingston is quite far away from the centre of London so it is great to do a play here rather than up in town so that the whole family can come and watch.”
Maguire developed her love for theatre by performing in a number of productions at her former school, Tiffin Girls, and was also a keen member of The Orange Tree’s youth theatre and The Dragon drama group in Teddington. She sees The Rose as an excellent addition to the cultural life of Kingston and only wishes that it had come along sooner.
“When I was younger we used to go the Orange Tree but it would have been great if we had had The Rose earlier as I would have come all the time when I was at school,” she says.
“I saw As You Like It at The Rose that was on before the theatre was completely finished and I remember being blown away by it and excited by the space and the idea that was going to be a theatre in Kingston - it is great that we have been put on the map by it.”
In Hay Fever, Maguire plays Sorel Bliss, part of the bohemian family whose story the play focuses on. Sorel is, according to the actor, trapped in her family’s lifestyle and wishes to escape it.
Yet a big part of Sorel that relishes her own bad manners and the fact that she gets to lounge around - Maguire says it is a “gift of a part.”
She adds: “It is incredibly fun and I have loved Noel Coward since I saw Juliet Stevenson in Private Lives years ago at the National when I was about 12.
“Working with everyone in the cast has been a real joy and performing alongside actors who I have admired for so long, such as Celia Imrie, has made it an amazing first theatre job to have.”
Hay Fever, Rose Theatre, Kingston, until October 23, for more information and to book tickets, visit rosetheatrekingston.org
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article