More than a decade after leaving Northampton College, former musical theatre student Amelia Michaels is back in town, directing her critically acclaimed show MANDEM at the Royal & Derngate.
Having moved on to a specialist performing arts college and toiling away in the London scene for several years, Amelia is enjoying well-deserved success with a play she wrote in the midst of the pandemic.
The coming-of-age production, which has appeared at several UK festivals and is now featuring as part of the Royal & Derngate’s GenFest series, tells the story of three young black men who reveal their everyday struggles and concerns through the board game Articulate.
Amelia said: “It’s an exploration of friendship and loyalty, raising topics that young men find it difficult to talk about day in, day out. It’s about he power of communication.
“I’m so proud to be bringing it to Northampton, where it all started for me. I loved my time at Booth Lane, it taught me so much about the industry and gave me the discipline I needed.
“I always knew I wanted to do something creative but at college I was able to channel that and really focus. I was getting three different buses and it would take me two and a half hours to get in each day so I had to make it work to make it worthwhile. I spent a lot of time sleeping on the X4!
“College was excellent for me and got me used to a full day of work, which has stood me in good stead for everything that I have encountered in my career.”
MANDEM is at Royal & Derngate on Friday, October 11.
