At the start of the academic year, NIDA alum Clare Hughes (Acting, 2022) returned to campus with heart and humour to welcome new and returning students. Drawing from her own experiences as a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Acting student, graduate and working actor, Clare shared these words of encouragement and inspiration:
Good morning NIDA staff, returning students, and importantly a very warm welcome to all those who are brand new to NIDA. I’m very grateful to be with you all on Gadigal land today. Honestly, it feels quite bizarre to be up here, it was just five years ago I was sitting out there, a smiley teenager about to commence on my NIDA journey. My name is Clare Hughes I graduated from the BFA Acting course in 2022, which genuinely feels like a week ago but also a lifetime ago if that’s possible.
I’ve been invited here to speak about my NIDA experience, life post-graduating and to hopefully inspire you and get you excited/pumped about the year ahead. I actually feel like I’ve made it having been invited back here to speak, I’m going to have to come up with some new goals for myself. Unfortunately, Cate Blanchett had to cancel last minute, so I was the next best option, naturally. I’m kidding, for those of you who just experienced a wave of disappointment. Ouch.
I started my NIDA journey in 2020 and as you all know, the following years were rife with COVID. But I distinctly remember in 2021, at the end of my second term of second year, (known for being a very chaotic stressful time in the course) a snap lockdown was announced. And I hate to admit it but I was quite relieved. I was exhausted, I’d worked myself to the bone, and selfishly the idea of having a couple of weeks to just sleep, read, watch some movies, sounded pretty good.
However that lockdown that I thought would be a couple of weeks (no spoilers because you all lived it) that lockdown didn’t last just a couple of weeks, my year group actually didn’t return to the building until the following year, over six months later. Now I don’t say this to bring up COVID (because everyone hates that person) I say it to remind you all, and urge you all to never wish this time away, even when things feel tough. To never take your classes, your connections you make with others, your creative discoveries; for granted. Your time here at NIDA is finite, it is precious. Doing what we do is such a privilege so please don’t become jaded, or complacent. Don’t forget what inspired you to come here in the first place. There is a big, beautiful industry out there waiting for you. But that’s there for the rest of your life. You only have a year/a couple of years here, and trust me when I say they’re valuable.
Publicly, people see your wins; I landed a leading role in a TV series shortly after graduating, and then another one (coming soon on Stan – plug). I performed in a one woman show and got nominated for a Sydney Theatre award. That’s my resume to date. But the personal experience of the past two years, feels far more complicated than a list of credits. I don’t necessarily feel like a success story though I’ve been invited here today, so I suppose I must be a version of one. Or maybe just a symbol of “keep persevering and staying positive”. Because I fail every day.
I’ve gotten so close to projects that have felt like a dream; after rounds and rounds, months and months of auditioning only for them to not go my way. The great paradox of this creative life we’ve all chosen for ourselves is the vulnerability your art requires of you, and simultaneously the thick skin you must have, to be told no over and over again and to still keep trying. “No. No No. Maybe? No.” But everyone sitting in here today got at least one, magical, YES. Even the staff, you got the job! You get paid to be here. That’s awesome. But students, you got into NIDA. That’s huge. Second/third years I’m aware this is old news to you but for a second, I’d like to invite everyone to close their eyes. Yep, I’m going to be that person. Close your eyes and have a think about who helped you get here. Of course you did. Maybe just thank yourself. Respect. Maybe it was a drama teacher, or your mum telling you she thinks you’re a star. Or your sibling who introduced you to your favourite film. Maybe reach out to them later today and thank them.
Because you can’t do this alone. And now, in addition to the support network you’ve built to get yourself this far, added to that web, is this giant NIDA family sitting around you today. There’s that joke, “How can you tell if a someone goes to NIDA? Oh they’ll tell you.” But I want to shift the narrative surrounding this. Don’t say it, if you actually are being pretentious, elitist, or arrogant (you’re ruining it for the rest of us) but if you do lead with it, know that you bring it up because you are proud, not just of yourself, but of the people around you who made the sacrifices and supported you to get here. And you should feel proud.
First years, welcome, brace yourselves, you’re about to become very busy people. Keep an open mind. I can only speak for the actors, but you’ll be very good at walking, breathing and sitting by the end of the year. As for the other disciplines, that’s something you will have to practise in your own time. You’ll feel like you’re moving too slowly, but in fact we’re all just moving too fast a lot of the time. Stay present, curious, embrace the frustration, be on time and be kind. To yourself and others.
For those of you in second year, I wish you luck. That’s it. I only did half of it, as I explained earlier, I was having a mental breakdown after pretending to be a 60-year-old woman living in Russia during winter before swiftly heading into lockdown, so I have little to no advice for you. But you don’t have to do Buffon on zoom, so count your blessings. That being said, you have laid the groundwork now. You hopefully feel very comfortable in front of your peers, but you aren’t yet on showcase to the public, so this is the time to be brave, to sink your teeth in and fail BIG. The schedule of this year is like nothing else. At NIDA I developed a rigour that has made my professional life comparatively, feel like a breeze. Nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to stamina this course requires of you mentally, emotionally, physically, psychologically. So please, take care of yourselves.
Third years, what an exciting time. You’re on the home stretch. This is the year of putting your skills into practice and later in the year, showcasing your work to the public on a scale that is spectacular and world-class, so make the most of it. I was very recently informed by some producers I’ve worked with that they actually first saw me in my end of year show, playing what I thought, were the potentially insignificant roles, of Neighbour and Maid. But they noticed me. So again, there are no small roles, never underestimate the power a serendipitous run in in the foyer can have.
The relationships you make here are golden. Leap at every chance to collaborate across disciplines; writers, directors, designers, prop makers, costume makers, actors, technical theatre and stage management, make up, music theatre students, all of you, take a look around, you’re the industry! Being here you get to stretch your craft and fail gloriously, supported by the best teachers and mentors you could ever hope for. Who aren’t just magnificent technically, but whom are some of the kindest, most generous human beings I’ve had the pleasure to work with. No matter how booked and busy you all are once you leave, there will be no other time in your life you’ll get to dedicate every single day, for up to three years doing what you love.
From left to right: Maya Stange, Tommy James Green and Clare Hughes (Acting, 2022) on Stan/BBC’s Ten Pound Poms. Photo credit: BBC/Eleven Film/Lisa Tomasetti.
So don’t play it safe. Never lose sight of the joy when things become stressful. Embrace failure. The majority of the work I stressed about while I was here, I look back on and think, gee, that wasn’t very good. But there were nuggets, pockets of progress, aliveness, connection, that reignited my love of what I do. And it keeps you going. Drink water. Eat well. Sleep well. Look after each other, you’ll inspire each other to be better, trust me. Don’t look too far ahead. Please don’t wish this time away thinking about the future and all the wonderful things that are surely to come. All in good time.
Thank you so much for having me and I really hope you have the most wonderful year. I can’t wait to work with you all and to see what you all do!
Feeling inspired? Want to learn more about NIDA’s Bachelor of Fine Arts, Acting degree? Click here.