Alumni Anecdotes is our series showcasing the bright portfolio of BIS Alumni - where they both reminsice about their experiences at the school and provide valuable insights on studying, working and more. This week - Olivia Brown.

Olivia attended BIS from 2006 until graduating in 2018. She is currently studying acting at the University of Chichester at the time of writing and is looking to star in films and television shows in the future.

How did BIS prepare you for university life?

"It helped when it came to [the] academic load and structuring when to do certain things such as essays and preparation for acting."
 

What was your favourite grade to be in at BIS and why?

“Grade 12 - [with] the friendships that I developed from being at the school since 2006 and the realisation that I had grown up with these people was a special moment for us.”
 

If you had to sum up BIS in a few sentences what would it be?

“Everyone is academically driven - [which] made me want to be more academically driven. It was nice because it opened your mind and forced you to be creative in so many different situations. Especially when you had a new friend who couldn't speak English - and therefore you needed to be creative in communicating.”

"Stage acting and film acting are different in the sense of the emotion portrayal. So if I’m on stage, all the emotions have to be very surface level and quite visible so that everyone in the audience can see and experience the emotions of the character."

What was your first day at BIS like?

“I don't remember much of my first day at BIS, because I [was quite young] when I joined the school. I do remember one thing [though] - I walked into the wrong classroom and didn't realise until after registration!”
 

...And your last?

“We went to cellinos to get ice cream twice in one day. That was the most exciting bit, other than [it] being very emotional.”


 

Did you think you study acting (in the future) while you were at BIS? 

“Yeah because I've known for a very long time what I wanted to do - [since] Grade 4 when I was in a Shakespeare play.” 
 

What was your favourite moment at BIS?

“I really enjoyed school trips, despite how challenging they were. They were my favourite because of the bonding experience with the other students.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

"I hope I'll be doing regular acting work, and living in Manchester or London - these are the biggest hubs for acting and auditions."

What has it been like studying acting?

It's been interesting - it's different from what we learnt at school. Everything was theatre-related at school, but the course I did was specific to film acting, and even though you're [still acting], the style is a lot different to what I thought it would be. [And] I prefer TV/Film!

Have you been in any shows, plays or films/movies?

"Nothing official. Just short films and stuff like that. It would be lovely to be in a TV show, film or play, but it’s a difficult industry to get into. I just like the feeling of being on set!"

And finally, how is acting different from what you do now compared to what you did in school?

"Stage acting and film acting are different in the sense of the emotion portrayal. So if I’m on stage, all the emotions have to be very surface level and quite visible so that everyone in the audience can see and experience the emotions of the character.

Whereas with film, it’s all internalised. A camera can be placed as close or as far away from the actor as necessary to build the story. If the camera is far away the actor has to be more obvious with their emotions and acting, but when the camera is close the actor can be so subtle - almost invisible - with their thoughts and feelings."

If you've got a story to tell and you'd like to be featured in the future on Alumni Anecdotes, please get in touch at alumni@bis-school.com