“Tom Barber is a great natural talent. I am convinced that he will certainly go on from West Suffolk to the West End. He deserves all the help he can get in order to reach his target. His work ethic and passion is unquestionable.”
Ruthie Henshall, West End Leading Lady
I have worked hard to train and prepare for drama school auditions and am delighted to have been offered a place at Arts Educational School to study their BA in Musical Theatre starting in September this year. As you are probably aware government cuts in funding have made these places more expensive and the student loan does not cover all the fees. In fact it leaves me £8,000 short per year. Time is running out and I still do not have sufficient funds to take my place.
I started playing guitar when I was 8 years old and began performing straight away. My confidence grew and I started to sing and then later, act. At 13 I discovered I could combine all my talents in musical theatre, and since then have taken lead roles in a number of musicals and plays including Sweeney Todd (Anthony), Grease (Danny Zuko), Kes (Jud), Our House (Dad), A Flea In Her Ear (Don Homenides De Histangua), Bent (Max), Spring Awakening (Melchior), Bonnie and Clyde (Clyde) and I have also featured as a special guest for “Ruthie Henshall and Her Band” along with Kerry Ellis. Now I have the opportunity to train and turn my talents into a career having secured one of only 50 places at one of the most prestigious drama schools in the world. Living in rural Suffolk has its benefits, however moving to London is an experience I will relish.
I like to connect with an audience and seeing the change in their emotional state throughout a performance. For me it’s all about the power of live theatre. Researching characters and understanding their perspective is fantastic for me as I feel every production educates me. I found school challenging, but when I discovered my passion for Performance, I found a strong work ethic and drive to succeed. This all came to fruition on receiving my offer from Arts Ed. I look forward to the next step in my training and looking for help in allowing me realise my full potential.
I plan to use all that I raise to help make up the difference between the money I am able to put on a student loan and the tuition fees for the first year at Arts Ed.
Here are some Tom&Paris links for Elastic Heart , Blame It On Me , and our Our SoundCloud .
This link takes you to the full performance of Spring Awakening with me as Melchior.