00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Now, lovely
00:06this morning to speak to Toba Agbalusi. Now, Toba, by the end of the summer, you will have
00:10something utterly fantastic on your CV. You will be able to tell the world that you have
00:15been in Oliver on the Church's Festival Theatre this stage, this summer, this stage. And how
00:22exciting is that? You had to do so many auditions just to get the part, didn't you?
00:27Yeah, I had to do four auditions to get the part. It was a really scary moment for me,
00:33because I was like, will he pick me? Will he not? And when I finally got the part,
00:38like, let's say the excitement level's here, I was all the way up there.
00:43And is that excitement useful? Can you channel that excitement into energy on stage?
00:49Yeah, yeah, yeah, it really is.
00:52What were they making you do?
00:54So, on the first audition, I had to sing Consider Yourself. I had to learn that song. And on the
01:01second audition, I kind of had to introduce all my performing art teachers. So, Mrs Elliot,
01:13also known as Mini Elliot, Mrs Wardroper, also known as Jo Wardroper, and Mrs Hall,
01:20also known as Stan Hall. So, Mrs Elliot is my drama teacher, Mrs Wardroper is my music teacher,
01:31and Mrs Hall is my, she's a teacher, she also helps Miss Elliot with acting, but she's also
01:40great at teaching dance.
01:42Goodness, and then there were two more auditions after that then?
01:46Yes. So, on the second one, I had to learn a dance. So, Miss Hall kind of really helped me
01:50with that. And Miss Wardroper helped me with the music, so I know, like, the beats to when to come
01:56in. And then Miss Elliot helped me how to, like, act when I'm singing at the same time. So, it was
02:05really, it was a, like, four-man job for that.
02:08Wow. And did it feel like pressure at the time? Because you must have been so much.
02:14Pressure. But, like, it was, I was scared, but excited at the same moment, because, like,
02:24if I don't get in, it's still a good achievement that I even made it to, like, the final audition.
02:31If I do, that's going to be great, like, exciting, like, really exciting.
02:35And you made it to the final audition, and then you had the email saying you were in.
02:40What passed through your mind when you had that email saying, yes?
02:45I was like, is this a dream or something? Cameron McIntosh just picked me.
02:52Yeah, it was really, really exciting.
02:56And tell me a little bit about the character you're playing.
02:59It's not necessarily terribly good, but he's not bad, is he?
03:04No. So, my character is called Swindler Lockhart, and he kind of, like, he's a highwayman,
03:14and the way he got into the gang is, like, he pickpocketed Fagin, who's, like, the leader of
03:21the gang. He's not a good, he's not so good of a character, but he's not so bad of a character,
03:26so he's kind of in the middle. And Fagin kind of liked the way I pickpocketed him,
03:32so he allowed us to join the gang. And then we met so many other people, like Dodger,
03:40Bartholomew Standy, Charlie, lots of, like, some of the older classes for pickpocketers in Fagin's
03:49gang. This sounds fantastic, and it's such a brilliant story, isn't it? Incredibly involving,
03:54and from the audience point of view, we're just going to be swept along by it, aren't we?
03:58Yeah. But is it going to be hard work for you? It must be a big feat of concentration.
04:04Yeah, it's quite tough work, but then, when I've done the work, like, it's great. Like,
04:10I can just express myself, and, like, when it's all over, I can meet my friends again,
04:16or I might even get picked for the West End, which I hope I do.
04:18Absolutely. So, are you kind of putting the rest of your life on hold for the summer,
04:23to concentrate? It's clear.
04:25Yeah. Wow. And all this at the age of nine. Incredible.
04:32This is my first ever show, yeah, in my home theatre. Well, I mean, I do just a youth theatre.
04:40Yeah. But that helps that you have that background then, doesn't it?
04:45Yeah. And this is, if all being well, where your career will lie, isn't it?
04:50Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:53So, go on then, what is the pleasure in acting? Why do you do it?
04:57I mean, I've just loved it. From, like, the start I was born, I was, like,
05:04jumping up and down and all that stuff, and, like, if, like, if I got tapped by,
05:09like, my mum or dad, I'd be like, oh! Like, it's really hard, yeah.
05:14Oh, it sounds like you're a natural. Really lovely to speak to you, and have a fantastic summer.
05:20Congratulations on getting your part, and enjoy every second, I'm sure you will.
05:24Lovely to speak to you.
05:26Yeah.
05:27Thank you.
Comments