Hello all
It seems a long time since I was at Stagecoach, but time I will never forget. I spent six years at stagecoach and those six years have given me the opportunities I never thought possible.
I remember the very first audition I ever went to with Stagecoach, it was my first week ever at stagecoach. I auditioned for the Demon Headmaster with Terrance Hardiman and Dave Benson Philips. Zoe Birkett sang at the end of the show to them both and Dave Benson Philips had tears in his eyes. I loved being in that show, it has always stayed with me and more importantly what Dave Benson philips said to me. You look so small and quiet then this character appears from no where, its like magic. I told him I wanted to be an actor for real, he said it is one hellish journey, hard work, but if you want it you will find out. I did want just that and more than anytying else I still do.
Whilst at Stagecoach I auditioned for Redroofs Theatre School in London. My audition was very short notice, in fact I was only told the day before. My mum rang Trudy and she spent six hours with me until 11pm at night going over my shakespeare piece and listening to my song choice. The audition came at a bad time as my grandmother was dying in hospital and hours to live so only my mum could take me on the train. We arrived at Redroofs to a line of very posh cars. It was bouncing down with rain, we were soaked through by the time we arrived. My audtion was in stages, my mum felt as if we were wasting our time due to the people at the audition. She told me at one point ‘ Look son even if you swim you will still sink so go in and sing your socks off. I sang that loud that my mum was so embarrassed she hid in the toilets until I had finished. It was an all day audition, a lot of waiting round.
At the end of it all, names were called out and asked to go to the right, then my name came out and I was told to go the the left near the exit and toilet. We were then taken into this very old large dark mysterious room, the decor was ancient. It turned out to be Ivor Novellos front room where I was told that I had won a full scholarhsip worth £27,000. On the way back home my mum was larking about singing shakespeare To be or not to be, everyone kept looking at her. By the time we arrived home my grandmother had died that day.
I started Redroofs at 16, and spent my time in college and also working in Theatres in many lead roles at the Novello Theatre, Doody in Grease, Geek In the Spotlight, James in james and the Giant Peach and lots of auditions for film, television, commercials and corporate work. It was a very hard time, I was young and London is a frightening experience at 16 to be totally on your own. I was having to wake myself up at 5am to set off for auditions, walking about 11/4 miles to the train station on my own, through the underground, It made me grow up. I was attacked during broad daylight on my way to an audition, and could have easily given up at times. It went from desperate to okay to brilliant. I am glad I stuck it out.
Now I have graduated from Redroofs, with their Agency, travelling too and from London at a seconds notice. One tip, once you have an Agency, never ever say no for an audition especially if a casting director has selected you, you have to go to build up a rapore not only with the Agency but with the casting director who asked for you. There have been many times when I have just come home from London, my phone has rang it was the Agency with another audition. Three hours there and three hours back for a five minute audition, then if recalled the same the next day. Buts that what I do, I am 100% reliable, can be called on at any time of day or night and never ever let them down. I am starting to be called for auditions with some very famous people. I was recalled down to the last two last week, when I went back I was a bit star stuck as the the other person was from Hollyoaks, its a wierd feeling to think that you are considered as good as them and to have been selected from loads of other people.
What am I doing now. Still acting of course, Some paid, some unpaid, thats what you have to do, it is no easy life, I work also in a gym as a gym instructor in between. One of the most beneficial things to come out of Redroofs withe being selected by Lizzie Webb (mad Lizzie from GMTV) to be a character she created called Joggy the Bear. I spent two years with Lizzie promoting the Olympic Games for 2012, also making DVDs for children, travelling the country. I even stayed at her house. She is a really kind person, and we have built a good friendship. She is now my referee for acting referals should it be need. I have worked on the Sugarbabes and Girlsaloud Music Video for Comic Relief, a lead role in a music video waiting release by Demolition records, all sorts of things, including voice over work for radio pilots and corporate videos. Offered scholarhships to further my acting career but turned them down on Redroofs advice who told me to make the most of my youth, and for now they are right because one at Degree level you are not allowed to audition for three years, that would be a prison sentence to me.
Currently, unpaid I am supporting the Arc and Riverside College with their producition of Westide Story. I play Jino I am on Tuesday 10th July Thursday 11th and Friday 12th evenings also Saturday Matinee. Then come September I have 6 months work with the new Harry Potter film.
Did Stagecoach prove worthwhile and beneficial to me ……….. you decide, to me it has been the best time of my life that has set me off on this journey - my life is hectic and often drained. I am not rich (YET) but I do not believe that people become actors for the money, I know for me there is something inside me that comes to life on stage and for now thats all I want to do even if it takes time, all of my wages go to GNER on train fares. PS If anyone a private train or jet …… or your best friend is Richard Branson get in touch.
Elliott Francis Stagecoach 1998-2004
Clips from Grease Novello Theatre Elliott singing changes and Rocknroll Party Queen…
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Trudy put me forward for an audition when I was five for the part of Emy in Ibsens ‘A Dolls House’ at the Civic Theatre and I got the part along with Jonathon Harrison & Callum Batkin. I had a famous parents in the show Tara Fitzgerald (Brassed off) and Tom Goodman Hill (The Office).
Since that first part, I got the acting bug and wanted to do more & more & more and decided that an hour and a half of Early Stages was not long enough. My big brother had just moved up to main school and was having a great time. I decided to pester Trudy to let me move up ( I was nearly 6) in the end she gave in and let me have a 2 week trial in Main School. I never went back to Early Stages!
Last year I was in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ at the Civic Theatre with Ryan Stainsby, Emily Collins & Emma White. We all had a fab time doing the show.
At the moment I am the voice of Emily Elephant in the Cartoon ‘Peppa Pig’ which is shown on Channel 5 Milkshake every week day morning and on Nick Jnr. I went to the end of series party a couple of weeks ago and I met all the other charters and I also met Nioami the presenter of Milkshake.
I have been a member of Stagecoach (Yarm)from the age of 4 and I am 14 now. Within this time i have performed in 3 short films. One was when I was six and it was set in Seaham & Durham. The film was called “Bait”. My next short film was called “The Lambeth Marsh” which was not long after and was set in the South. Then this year “Perfect to Begin” in Redcar. I have performed in Macbeth and Midsummer Night`s Dream” for “Shakespeare 4 Kids”, which was at Sunderland ,Middlesbrough and Bridlington. On Saturdays I go to a group called school of Rock & Pop where I am the Singer, i enjoy this very much.
This year I was lucky to be one of five people from my school that won a place to be an Ambassadar of the Arc. We all meet up throughout this year to watch different shows. We then write reviews about what we have seen, also we get to meet the actors afterwards and ask them questions.
Golly! Ten years of Stagecoach! Who’d have thunk it!? Seven years worth of Sunday mornings for me! And what glorious Sunday mornings they were! In hindsight 10am was an early start on a weekend, especially taking into account the thirty minute drive - as a university student ‘lie-ins’ have since become an all too important feature of, well, every day! But, of course, it was absolutely worth missing errrr.. Sunday School!?
