Young Derry man taking centre stage in Forum's 'Fame'

Matthew, who recently completed a Music degree in Queen’s University, Belfast, will be joining a host of other young talented performers from Derry and the surrounding areas on stage. Matthew took time out of the busy rehearsals to talk to the ‘Journal’ about his role in the musical.

He said: “Nick's an acting student at the New York School of Performing Arts, where all the action takes place. He's quite naïve, but he's very, very driven. His mum has been dragging him to auditions all his life so he's been acting from a very young age – he's known for doing a peanut butter commercial! On the surface, he seems kind of cold and unlikable but I always think you can never really judge your character. You're almost like your character's lawyer, you're their advocate. You really have to make a conscious effort to understand them and their actions and really get underneath the text and see what makes them really tick. You have to find the heart in them.

“Nick and Serena are two love interests, but it's unrequited for three of the four years of their time together and at the end he kind of realizes that he's been hiding his feelings for her all along because he's been so focused on his work. So it's quite a nice story.

"The musical is all coming together so well a this stage. The talent is all unbelievable and the fact that it’s all local is even better. I mean everyone you see on stage is from in and around the town. The dancers are absolutely unreal. I would buy a ticket to see the dancers alone. I've got two left feet so the dancing is a bit of a challenge for me. It's a very bouncy show and I wouldn't label myself as a dancer, but getting to work with a professional director, musical director, choreographer, stage manager, costume department, they're all there for you and the amount of time and training we're getting from these industry professionals for no cost at all is unbelievable. It gives you this real invaluable insight into the industry and how it all works. It's been a fantastic process.”

Matthew is no stranger to the stage, having played Piangi in the Forum’s production of Phantom of the Opera last year. He has also been involved with the Playhouse Music Theatre Company for the past year, where he has been given some fantastic opportunities.

He said: "I was able to be part of the White Handkerchief and then more recently Hume: Beyond Belief in the Guldhall. I'm taking a gap year this year and I have some work lined up with the director of Fame Jonathan Burgess. I've been lucky enough to get some professional gigs with him, which has been fantastic. It just shows how effective the youth musicals are as a training process and springboard of a professional career, which is such a great opportunity in the city. There's so much room for more opportunities, too.

"This process over the past three weeks, it really has been the perfect blend of hard work, professional practice and good craic. We can't wait to get on stage now and for audiences to see it. So make sure to grab your tickets so you don't miss out.

Fame takes place July 26th – 29th and tickets are on sale from millenniumfourm.co.uk, or alternatively you can call Box Office on 02871 264455.