Career change: actor Jo James is training for the ministry with the trust¡¯s help

At a time when many students are scrabbling around to make ends meet, one support organisation has ¡°unallocated funds¡± that it would dearly like to distribute to help former actors into higher education.

The Equity Charitable Trust, which unfortunately can help only those with ¡°at least 10 years¡¯ experience as an adult professional performer¡±, was set up by the actors¡¯ union Equity in 1989 but is now ¡°entirely independent¡±.

Each year it provides educational bursaries, allocated on the basis of financial need, to about 40 performers seeking to build new careers.

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Among those it has helped is Xavier Fontenille, who worked for a theatre company performing and running workshops in schools until budgets for such activities began to be squeezed by what he calls ¡°an obsessive focus on maths and literacy¡±.

However, after going to ¡°a fantastic open day¡± for a drama therapy course at the University of Roehampton, he discovered a new pathway.

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At the end of the first year of his studies when money was getting tight, a tutor encouraged him to contact the trust, which offered to pay his second- and third-year fees and most of his supervision and therapy costs.

¡°The trust has made it possible for me to use the creativity I learned as an actor in a new career that can make a real difference to people¡¯s lives,¡± he said, explaining how drama therapy had enabled him to see ¡°how people with no experience or confidence as actors can be gently encouraged to play and be creative¡±.

Another recipient of help from the trust is Connor McIntyre, who after more than two decades as an actor was forced by health problems to consider a career change.

He embarked on a joint degree in fine art and art history at Plymouth University and secured financial support from the trust for both an undergraduate degree and a subsequent master¡¯s in contemporary art practice.

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After gaining first-class honours in his BA, he was ¡°invited to represent (the university) at a very prestigious gathering of artists in Singapore¡± and has since exhibited at a number of events in the South West.

Even more striking was the change in Jo James¡¯ life. Performing under the name Jack James, he had ¡°worked steadily if not spectacularly as an actor for 20 years. Starting at the Royal Shakespeare Company, I went on to work with Anthony Neilson at the Royal Court, Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic and Trevor Nunn at the National Theatre.¡±

It was while based at the National that he ¡°became aware¡­that I was less and less satisfied with life in the theatre and that the Equity Charitable Trust offered assistance to actors wishing to retrain¡±.

The real change came, however, when Mr James became involved with leading worship at his local Unitarian church, and eventually was encouraged to look into training for the ministry.

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When he secured a place at Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and discovered that ¡°alongside the (generously supported) ministerial training I would also have to attain a further theological qualification¡±, he turned to the trust, which offered to help with childcare costs as well as fees.

He believes that retraining for the ministry has given him ¡°a calling as acting had once been, but which allows me to do what the theatre never could: deal with reality¡±.

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matthew.reisz@tsleducation.com.