General News
17 December, 2020
Taine De Manser earns acting scholarship
MORTLAKE College student Taine De Manser has been named as one of the recipients of the 2020 John Bell Scholarship.
MORTLAKE College student Taine De Manser has been named as one of the recipients of the 2020 John Bell Scholarship.
The scholarship provides an opportunity for young actors from regional Australia to learn from some of Australia’s most accomplished actors, directors, and educators.
Taine joins three other winners who will travel to Bell Shakespeare’s Sydney headquarters in July 2021where they will undertake acting master classes and backstage tours, watch live theatre performances and observe rehearsals of Hamlet.
During their week-long program, scholars will each perform a Shakespeare monologue for the cast of Hamlet, as well as receiving expert feedback and practical career advice and mentoring.
Taine said it was incredible to have been named.
“It was a surprise because it is a nation-wide scholarship, so it is a pretty big deal,” he said.
“I was a bit star struck, and I was freaking out a little bit.
“I was in the car on the way to Warrnambool when I got the call to say I had the scholarship and I just lost it.”
He said he had grown up in a performing arts culture, with his mum and dad both heavily involved in the arts.
Like all aspiring actors, he quickly felt the heartbreak of rejection when trying out for Warrnambool Region Youth Theatre Company’s Holiday Actors, but got in the following year after coming back more focused.
“I met the most amazing people and had a fantastic time,” he said.
“At that point I decided this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
“I’ve been chasing my dream since.”
His most memorable performances have been with Holiday Actors, starring in five productions.
“The two most memorable would have to be The Boy From OZ and Wicked,” he said.
“Wicked was my first show and it is where I fell in love with performing.
“The Boy From Oz was just an incredible show. I’ve never been in anything like it from the directing to the cast.”
Taine said he was excited to be heading to Sydney next year.
“We will be working with people in the industry who are there and have those connections,” he said.
“I’m really excited; it is going to be an incredible experience.”
He said he wanted to thank his parents for their support, but said everyone around him had let him thrive and pushed him towards his goals.
“Mum and dad have raised me in this industry and exposed me to everything available to me,” he said.
“They have given me all the opportunities, whether through the classroom or in theatre and drama, or giving me the opportunity to audition.
“Our family friend, Lyle Russell, also helped raise me in an arts environment and showed me how amazing it could be.”
Taine encouraged his peers to not try and take the safe route when it came to their ambitions.
“I think that’s the place where kids go a little south, they are pushed in to having an idea of having a plan B,” he said.
“While having a plan B is great and it always has to be there, insisting someone needs a plan B is destructive to plan A.
“Chase your dreams rather than falling back to plan B the first time you get knocked back.”
The scholarship winners were selected by a panel including Bell Shakespeare’s artistic director Peter Evans and founding artistic director John Bell.
Mr Evans said the John Bell Scholarship can be a life-changing experience for aspiring young actors from areas where such opportunities may not exist or be accessible.
“Despite the difficult circumstances of this year, we auditioned 120 students around the country for the scholarship, both in person and via Zoom,” he said.
“It was thrilling to witness the incredible talent and enthusiasm of these young performers.”
Meanwhile, Bell Shakespeare has announced the 30 recipients of its 2021 Regional Teacher Mentorship, a program which provides teachers from regional, rural and remote Australian schools a year-long mentorship with the award-winning Shakespeare company.
Mortlake College teacher Geoff De Manser, who is Taine’s father, has been named as one of Victoria’s two teacher mentors.
The teachers will travel to Bell Shakespeare’s Sydney headquarters for specialist training in the innovative, active teaching of Shakespeare, collaborate and network with teachers from other regions, and learn how to train others in their newfound knowledge and skills.
“Helping teachers to invigorate their students’ experience with the ideas and language of Shakespeare, especially in areas that don’t always have access to reliable internet, a permanent library, or a network of local teachers with whom to collaborate, is a privilege,” Mr Evans said.
“Teachers come away from the experience with the confidence to implement new approaches in the classroom and lesson plans that include more active and enlivened methods of teaching.”