London life is so fast, I slow my pace back in Bandon

ALISON Arnopp is originally from Bandon, but she moved to London 12 years ago to train as an opera singer.

‘I started a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Music, but a year later switched to a Musical Theatre postgrad at the Royal Academy of Music,” she explains.

“At the time there, was no real musical theatre scene in Ireland, though a lot has changed since.

“I’ve stayed in London because that’s where the bulk of performing work is available to me.”

Alison says life in the English capital is full of hustle and bustle.

“It can sometimes feel exhausting with all the crowds and the stresses of travelling around the city, but everything is really on my doorstep. I live with my partner in the old town part of Stratford.

“We moved to Stratford just before the pandemic and were very grateful to have found a house with a small garden, not knowing what was ahead.

“We look after a feral cat that we got to know during lockdown. He/She/It is very afraid of humans and hisses at us every single day, but it comes inside to eat and sleeps in the little hut I bought and put in the garden, so it must like us a least a little. We call the cat Broccoli.”

Alison says London life is very different to her home town of Bandon.

“People definitely walk a lot faster in London, because everyone is, for the most part, always busy and always in a rush, I really have to adjust my speed when I visit home.”

She adds: “On the surface, people in London aren’t as friendly as at home, they’re a lot less patient and more direct, but it’s taught me assertiveness and not to take every interaction personally.”

There are other areas where London is very different.

“I love the melting pot of cultures in London. People come to a city like this with all kinds of backgrounds and dreams, and then we all get squashed together in a tube carriage.

“Living in a place where everyone is so different, it felt safe for me to be different, and to figure out what that means for me.

“I’m generally either acting in plays or musicals or teaching singing. Show contracts can be just a few weeks or up to a year or 18 months, and they often mean I’m away from my London base for a long time.

“There’s a lot of musical theatre work that isn’t just the big West End shows, and they can be just as rewarding and sometimes more interesting to take part in as you may be there from workshops all the way to performance stage.

“I’ve been lucky to teach at some fantastic drama schools and universities, as well as have a steady stream of private students.

“I even got to teach on the new MTU/Cork School of Music musical theatre degree course during the pandemic, when remote teaching was the norm.”

Despite her hectic life and busy career in England, Alison does pause to think of home and the people there.

“I miss the people - my friends and family, but also just the friendliness of strangers. I miss hearing Cork accents, though in London you’re never too far from an Irish person. I can pick out their accent straight away and anytime I meet a new Irish person there’s a real feeling of kinship almost immediately.”

What else does she miss about home?

“I miss the food! My partner is from the UK and loves when we come back to Cork - we have a list of places we try to eat at each time we’re back that gets longer every time we discover somewhere new! I really miss Ó Conaill’s hot chocolate.”

“I also miss the feeling of really belonging to a place that was once my home. Having lived away for so long, I feel in an in-between space of cultural identity.

“I definitely don’t feel British, but I missed a lot of defining moments for Ireland in the last decade or so - I wasn’t eligible to vote in either the marriage equality or the abortion referendum - and I sometimes feel guilty that I wasn’t around to fight for those things with my peers and friends.”

What does the future hold for Alison?

“I do think about returning in the future if I were to have a family, I still think Ireland is a great place to grow up. I miss the beaches- Brighton has absolutely nothing on a West Cork strand!

“If I was back in Cork for one day, I’d go for a walk in Bandon, past my grandparents’ old house and over and around both of the bridges to see whatever wildlife was visiting the river that day.

“I’d pop to Market Lane for lunch with my friends who live nearby and then go for some cocktails in any one of the many bars that I love.

“Then, Inchydoney for a swim before spending the evening in DeBarra’s seeing John Spillane.”

For now, this Cork woman abroad is enjoying her life and career.

“I had only been studying for a few months when I landed a role covering a part at the Royal Opera House in a Wagner opera,” says Alison.

“It felt like a dream going to the stage door every night, and even though I never got to go on, it was the first time feeling like I was tiny part of a huge legacy, walking in the footsteps of so many people I admired, in a place steeped in history.”

She adds: “Lots of love to my parents who still live in Bandon and my pals Sarah, Emma, Amy and Ber. A big hello to all the students on the musical theatre course at MTU that kept me entertained and engaged over the pandemic. Even though they’re not there in body, my first singing teacher Bobby Beare and my grandparents John Doc and Carmel are always with me when I go home.

“I’m about to perform in my first pantomime this Christmas, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m playing the evil stepmother in Cinderella and for once I am very excited to be booed by my audiences!

“I’m also excited to have my first professional engagement in Cork since emigrating 12 years ago. I’ll be performing in the Broadway Prom at the Cork Opera House in April, all going well!”