Sam Toland recently graduated from The Musical Theatre Academy and has hit the ground running. Since then his professional credits include Understudy in 3 Little Pigs (UK tour/Palace Theatre) and Sam will soon be touring again with 3 Little Pigs, to Australia and Hong Kong. During his training, Sam’s credits included Prince/Beast in Beauty and the Beast (BGAC), Davy in Sunshine and Leith, Jaguar in Just So and Robbine in Just the Ticket (Bridewell). With a rapidly building CV, additional other work Sam has undertaken includes as an Actor in OCR Educational video series, a supporting dancer at the MOBO’s and Ensemble in Cool Rider (Lyric Theatre).
Sam definitely has his head screwed on, now with the opportunity to both work and see the world.
Photo: Leejay Townsend
Have you always wanted to be involved in theatre?
No, not always. When I was younger I essentially did everything you can think of to not do theatre. I’m pretty sure I was convinced I would play hockey in the Olympics.
How did your involvement begin?
My older brother has been involved in theatre from about eight years old but until I was about 12 I was adamant that I wanted nothing to do with it. Instead I wanted to pursue a life of circus skills. It was then that the local theatre group my brother was part of asked me to come and be in their production of Barnum. I was all for it as it was a chance to juggle and walk on stilts and everything that I enjoyed. So I did that show and haven’t really stopped since. And it wasn’t until I was about 16 that I thought that there was a chance I could make a career out of it.
Did you train? Where, and what was it like?
Yes, I have just graduated from The Musical Theatre Academy, more commonly known as The MTA. It was everything I wanted it to be, and more. After having been through drama school I think it’s really important for people to understand that 80% of it is not about teaching you how to sing and dance. Obviously I had three hours of dance classes every day, but for me the main focus of drama school is to help you find yourself as a person. There is no point (in my opinion) working like stink to try and get into splits or get that top note you really want, if at the end of the day you still have thousands of hang ups about yourself. There’s no way you can truly let go of your inhibitions and lose yourself in a character if you don’t understand or control what those inhibitions are. Through college I have improved vastly as a performer not because I can now touch my toes but because I have an acceptance of who I am. And that’s what it’s all about.
What was a typical day like?
5:45am: I would wake up and shower, have breakfast
6:45am: My dad then drove me to the station and I caught the 6:56am train
8:00am: A long commute later I got to college. I would then have 25 mins to either workout, go through things before class or just sit and chat
8:25am: We would start a full college warm up for half an hour and then at 8:55am we would prepare the studios for class and get ready to start
9:00-12:00pm: We would normally have three one hour dance classes or occasionally two hour and a half classes. These would encompass everything; jazz, tap, commercial etc.
12:00pm: Lunch hour. The standard rush to use a microwave so you weren’t in the huge queue. We would then clean up ready to start back at 1:00pm
1:00-5:00pm: Consisted of two two hour long classes in either acting, musical theatre or voice. Occasionally we would have a special afternoon that would feature a Q&A with a special guest or things of that nature.
Then at 4:55pm we would stop to tidy away. We also had a cleaning rota, so for 2 weeks per term you would stay behind to clean the kitchen or take the bins out.
What is a typical day like now?
I am currently on a break from 3 Little Pigs so am working backstage on The Book Of Mormon. So a typical day consists of getting up at around 8am, helping around the house, taking the dog for a walk and chilling out until 2pm. Then to the gym for around two hours, then a train to work and home by 11:15pm, trains permitting!
Tell me more about your next venture…
After finishing our run at the Palace Theatre, the 3 Little Pigs is heading for a two month stint in Australia/Hong Kong. I start rehearsals for that in six weeks as Swing/Dance Captain. Just looking forward to getting started really!
What is your favourite thing about theatre?
Working. There’s nothing better than knowing you are earning a living doing the thing that you love. I mean come on, who doesn’t want to get paid to just sing and dance and be silly?!
And the worst?
The moaning and the egos. And the waiting after an audition. I just had an audition and waited three weeks until I was told I didn’t have the job. That’s hard.
What or who inspires you most on a daily basis?
I’m very guilty of watching my idols on YouTube, a lot. So if I ever feel like I need a kick to get to work then I listen to those people sing/watch those people dance, and that tends to make you feel like a very small fish in a very big pond! That, or I listen to the Rock Of Ages soundtrack (I would sell my soul to be in that show)!
What advice would you offer to an aspiring performer?
Work hard but don’t take yourself too seriously. There is a fine line between the two but always remember the most important thing is to be a nice person. No matter how well you can sing and dance, if you’re not fun to work with then no one will hire you.
What’s next for you?
I’m in Australia with 3 Little Pigs until the start of February, and then I come back to England unemployed and back on the audition circuit. Fingers crossed something will come up quickly but in this business you just never know!