One of my earliest memories of First Bite way playing the role of Monique-la-Sleek – I donned a pink beret and tried the best French accent I could muster and became a deadly henchman. From there, Rebecca took me through so many roles, some easy some hard, some brave and wise, others hopelessly in love. It was a fantastic way to spend a Thursday evening with my friends while trying to organise line learning, props, publicity and costume. At the end of each year we would put on a fantastic production and then we’d head off for summer before starting the whole thing again.
It’s only with hindsight that I’ve been able to see the countless other skills that First Bite has taught me – confidence on stage and with meeting new people, but also, with the addition of writing our own scripts, confidence in my own ideas and being able to contribute them to create something amazing. Performing with a close knit group of people is so rewarding. There was always a moment right before a performance where we would stand in the little corridor backstage at NEAC – totally silent, some would hold hands or clutch props, other would have their eyes closed desperately trying to visualise the pages of their script one more time. Regardless, each of us knew that every other person had our backs and everyone rooted for each other. We were all one fantastic team and I will always remember those Thursday nights with a smile.
Sophie Mackaness (2008 – 2016)
