DESPITE not having any formal acting training, Turf Lodge-born actor and Gort na Móna player Darren Franklin, is taking the local theatre scene by storm.
Taking a break from rehearsals for his latest production, Darren told the Andersonstown News that his love of acting came from seeing his sister perform and wanting in on the action.
“My first real experience of acting came when I saw my sister perform with The Rainbow Factory when we were kids. I watched her performance and knew that I wanted to do that too.
“I got involved with The Rainbow Factory and it sort of went from there,” he said.
“The good thing about the acting community here is that it is so small so once you get a break and get your foot in the door, you will start to get more work.”
Darren got his first major break with a performance of Macbeth in the Lyric Theatre and then went on to perform in Teenage Kicks at the Millennium Forum in Derry.
“Macbeth and Teenage Kicks were really my first major performances and from that I then went to work with the Hole in the Wall Gang on Give My Head Peace. That was brilliant,” he continued.
“I also have an agent in London now which is exciting. Although my experience is proof that you don’t need to go to the likes of RADA to get a break into the industry.
“The big theatre schools are great at opening doors and making contacts but when you are in the audition room, they don’t care about where you trained, they just want to see if you are the right actor for the job.
“A lot of it also comes down to being in the right place at the right time. A good example of that is my partner who is currently touring with The Commitments. The drummer in that show was picked up off the street.
“The director happened to be walking past him busking in the street and was blown away by his talent and from that he was asked to come on the show.”
Darren is currently rehearsing for the the Lyric’s upcoming production of Propaganda: The Musical, a new show set in post-War Berlin which he describes as being a nod to the traditional Broadway musical. The show runs from 8 October to 5 November.
