In our profile series, Tell Us In 10, we ask cast members and creatives of top London shows to tell us all about themselves in just 10 questions. From how their castmates would describe them and alternative careers, to their Theatreland idols, we want to know it all!
This week, we hear from Jennifer Tierney, who’s currently stand by to six roles at Come From Away London, 1st cover Beverley Bass & Bonnie.
Find out more about Jennifer and her career so far below:
1. My route into theatre was…
I started dancing in a local theatre school in Scotland and went to college to train. But whilst I was there got a knee injury which stopped me dancing. The staff gave me a choice to work on my singing and acting which I did for the first time at 16 years old. Thankfully they gave me good guidance through what was a difficult time and could have gone down a very different route to which I had hoped for! Now I have musical theatre!
2. My West End idol is…
I am inspired by and have learnt from so many incredible friends and colleagues over the years. I love watching different actors and seeing different takes on story telling. But my favourite thing is seeing people who work hard gain success. I admire peoples tenacity and drive in any area of the business, especially after the last couple of years! We have all had to be resilient and I think this is the thing that inspires me most!
3. My colleagues would describe me as…
Hopefully as reliable, hardworking and someone who cares about people!
4. My favourite show present or past (that isn’t one I star in) is…
“Once”. It was the first musical I saw that gave musicals permission to think outside of the box musically but also the story was so beautiful written and so powerful. I found myself completely overwhelmed with emotion at the end and it was on my mind for quite some time afterwards!
5. The career moment I’m most proud of is…
I think any time I have my parents in the audience! They sacrificed a lot to let me do this as a career and so it always feels very special to have them there.
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6. The hardest part about my role is…
Retaining the amount of information that’s needed is one of the biggest challenges I have experienced. But also the pressure of slotting in with an incredible group of actors when not playing any one role regularly. I always just want to be the best I can be for the production and for my colleagues on and offstage.
7. If I didn’t work in theatre I would be…
I think I would work with young people. I do that now in my teaching and have studied various different courses including Counselling skills – I think this is something I would have liked to pursue more.
8. Something people don’t know about me is…
I have been lucky enough to travel a lot with work and been to 65 countries and 5 continents!
9. The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
Two things! I used to really struggle with nerves in auditions and a good friend said to me that the panel want you to be the person they cast! They aren’t against you or judging you. So try to go in knowing they are on your side! The other thing is to find something else you love. The business can be all consuming as being creatives is a part of our make up. We are emotional about it and care! So find something else that you can give your energy to and love just as much, so that when the industry may not be going as well as you would like, you have something else to focus on!
10. The one thing I wish I could tell my younger self is…
That you don’t have to be like anyone else. Coming from a dance background it was expected to look a certain way. Thankfully, in lots of musical theatre productions it’s not valid in this day and age. Individuality is celebrated! Be confident in who you are and what you bring to the table. It will be right for someone at the right time!
