For Acting and World Theatre alumna, Roberta Livingston, the opportunity to study abroad in her second year was one of the many reasons she chose Regent’s.
‘I knew I wanted to go into theatre and explore both acting and writing. The chance to study in London (for the West End) and New York (for Broadway) was such a fantastic opportunity.’
‘Studying at Regent’s was such a great launch pad. We went to the theatre two or three times a week and we were always encouraged to understand what kinds of theatre we liked, what we wanted to be involved in, what suited our acting style. Studying in New York in my second year also added so many strings to my bow – including experiencing acting training in another country.'
Since graduating in 2017, Roberta's acting credits have included Small Island at the National Theatre, The Village at the Theatre Royal Stratford East and Ghost Fruit at the Camden People’s Theatre. She’s acted alongside names such as James Norton, Celia Imrie and Roger Allam in Jamie Lloyd Whither's Would You Go? in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency and starred in Rachael Spence and Lisa Hammond’s Old Street New Street, a verbatim theatre piece exploring the gentrification of the Old Street area in London.
‘The Regent's network continues to support me well after graduation. I’m still in touch with my lecturers who have great industry knowledge – this is really useful in an industry where sometimes you need to check a contract or bounce some ideas off someone. I also love how international Regent’s is – I have friends and colleagues all over the world.’
‘I’ve loved my journey since graduation. I started out as a Young Associate at the Gate Theatre and I've continued to be involved in so many great projects. Small Island was such a career highlight for me – being able to act on stage at the National Theatre was incredible.’
Roberta has also written several plays for theatre and radio. She co-wrote a play for Talawa Young People’s Theatre called Bite Your Tongue which had a sell-out run at the Hackney Showrooms, and her play Precious Little Thing was aired on Radio 4 in May 2021.
‘2020 was obviously an incredibly turbulent year for the stage. We haven’t seen theatres go dark for centuries. However, I’m lucky to be involved in some exciting projects that mark the beginning of the return of theatre, and I can’t wait to get back out there on stage in front of audiences!’
