What is your favourite memory of your time at Brighton College?
It’s hard to sift through so many, so I’ll be weak and choose not to. Apologies! When you’re boarding, every night is a sleepover with your best friends. We were terrified playing Slender Man, I watched an unseemly amount of NCIS while knitting with my best friend... Song practice for our ultimate House Song victory, singing in harmony non-stop with the choir on the bus, being hockey goalkeeper for the 2nd team and only having to touch the ball once the whole season because they were just that good. Falling in love for the first time. Trying to stop seagulls stealing our baguettes from Smith Café. And I couldn’t forget the Dyslexia Centre — those small, close-knit English sessions had me in constant stitches.
What takes up most of your time at the moment?
I’m putting on a new show at the Edinburgh Fringe, "All In" ,exploring the problem of female gambling, so almost every waking second is taken up with writing, learning lines, buying posters, and managing regular crises.
What about your life now would most surprise your Brighton College teachers?
Probably that I’m writing and producing plays, although I still can’t spell or use punctuation to save my life!
What about your life now would most surprise you as a Brighton College starter?
How incredibly close I still am with the people I met right at the beginning of my BC journey. They grew up with me and know me better than I know myself.
What excites you about the future?
Well…I don’t know where I will be a year from now. It’s scary but also wonderful! I’m hoping I’ll get the opportunity to perform and tour my new show.
How has your time at Brighton College shaped your outlook on life?
If you convince yourself you’re good at something (or bad), you’ll do anything to support that narrative which means confidence and determination can get you a really long way. Also, a good teacher can make or break a subject.
What advice would you give to current Brighton College pupils inspired by your own journey?
Do the scary thing. Do the harder thing. I never thought that, as someone who’s dyslexic and dyspraxic, it would be possible to go to Oxford, get a first-class academic degree, and then go to drama school. But it was. The scientist and the creative can absolutely coexist. You don’t need to tick boxes. Build the life that fulfils you!
What are the most challenging parts of your work?
We grow up in an educational system with a very clear metric for success: if you get good grades, you’re doing well. But in the real world, that constant validation disappears. I find it tough to recognise how much I’m doing or how hard I’m working without external feedback telling me I’m “enough.”
What are you most proud of?
Last year, I performed a one-woman show. I never thought I’d be capable of learning a 90-minute play — let alone performing it while making eye contact with a room full of people for that long. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. It gave me the confidence to write my new show.
Which is your favourite House and why?
Of course, I have to say New House. I had such a good support system but mostly because we were always the best at House Song. I will die on this hill.
What is the best thing about being an Old Brightonian?
Still feeling connected to my friends, my school, and my amazing teachers. Knowing they continue to support me and are behind me means the world.
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'All In' runs from the 1st-16th August 2025 at Greenside on George Street, Edinburgh.
For tickets and more information, visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.