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While most of us are relaxing over the Christmas break, Wellington College student Ralph M will be busy preparing for the toughest assignment of his burgeoning stage career. After passing through the first audition in November, Ralph has been called back for the second round of interviews for admission to the world-renowned Juilliard School of Performing Arts, where he hopes to take his place on their Acting Course in 2025. Asked to prepare four monologues and a song, to be delivered on a transatlantic Zoom call, Ralph impressed the panel with pieces from Chekhov’s The Seagull and Shakespeare’s Richard II, as well as his version of Sinatra’s That’s Life.
His interest in acting was apparent from an early age, and his enthusiasm for ‘let’s pretend’ games with his sister convinced his parents to sign him up for LAMDA courses. It was not until he arrived at Wellington, however, that he got his chance to strut his stuff on an actual stage. Lead roles in junior productions of the experimental work Tuesday and an adaptation of 1984, where he played Winston Smith, were well received, as was a performance in a student-written version of Sophocles’ Electra at the Edinburgh Fringe. Most recently, Ralph played the lead in Birdsong, his portrayal of Stephen Wraysford causing one critic to observe that it ‘resonated far beyond the final curtain.’
Ralph, who is studying Drama, Philosophy, and English for A Level (as well as representing the College in football), hopes to make acting his career. Asked about his dream role, he opted for Richard II, but said: ‘In truth, I don’t mind what roles I play – all I want is to be good enough to earn a living doing what I love the most.’ Let’s hope his callback—this time in person in New York in early January—goes well and helps him to succeed in his ambition.
Break a leg, Ralph!
