Iconic Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn once said: “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”, a motto Zerina Francis has embodied after achieving her dream of attending a prestigious acting school.
Local resident and former Parmiter’s School pupil Zerina has admitted that her career hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
Zerina joined the National Youth Theatre in 2011 and also performed at the London 2012 Olympics. But following some setbacks as a teen, she had put a pin in her acting dreams and attended university, achieving a first-class degree in Actuarial Science.
Talking to GARSTONnews, she said: “As a plus-size woman, I may not conform to stereotypical beauty standards. So, from a casting perspective I sometimes thought, can I even do this?
“I remember moving back home during the pandemic and sitting in my childhood bedroom thinking ‘what has happened to this dream?’”
But her dream of performing remained a burning flame within her, and in 2021 she decided to try again. She retrained at the Identity School of Acting, got her first writing commission at Watford Palace Theatre, signed with an agent, and began training at Collage Voices.
After months of drama school auditions, a process she said “tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally”, she has been chosen as one of only nine students from across the globe for the four-year MFA Acting programme at The Juilliard School in New York.
Zerina said: “The way Juilliard host their audition process displayed a real level of care and tenderness to all these hopeful artists. When I got that call to say I had made it, it was so surreal. I had to go for a walk down St Albans Road and call all of my friends and family to tell them the news!”
Juilliard is considered one of the most influential private performing arts conservatories in the world and has a series of notable alumni such as Viola Davis, Miles Davis and Jessica Chastain.
Now, Zerina is fundraising to raise the money she needs to live in New York while completing the course. A friend of hers has even donated a portion of ticket sales from her debut show to Zerina.
She continued: “I hope people take away from this that it is never too late to go after your dreams. I’m in my 30s now, but no matter your age, it’s important to not give up or lose hope.”
To find out more about her story, please visit www.shorturl.at/GrpVw
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