Source: University of Otago
Rosie Collier (far left) with the cast of the Mousetrap
Off-Campus profiles the diverse and inspiring out-of-office pursuits of Otago staff. This week, lead administrator and actor Rosie Collier.
For Rosie Collier, nothing compares to the buzz of acting in a play.
For the past month she has been in her happy place, her energies focussed on playing Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap, the classic Agatha Christie play, at Dunedin’s Playhouse Theatre.
She’s enjoyed every moment of it, even the after-work rehearsals which meant she didn’t get home until 9.30pm.
“It’s quite strenuous but I love the rehearsals and you get a feeling of family when you’re putting on a production,” Rosie says. “It’s a really interesting process. You get to know all these amazing people and have this bright spot in your year.”
Rosie caught the acting bug early and has been on stage since she was a child.
“I just love theatre. I’ve always been able to memorise lines. I don’t know why but even as a little kid I used to memorise some of the books I was reading for no reason at all. It’s just definitely part of who I am.”
Rosie Collier
Growing up in the United Kingdom, she started out in pantomime. From there she moved on to stage plays, winning an award for her first leading role in Neil Simon’s The Gingerbread Lady when she was 13.
“I remember very distinctly one of the first performances I did as a child and as the curtain was about to go up a hush came over the audience. I felt a little apprehensive, but then I was fine. It is really like becoming a different person. You’re in this character and I always find that there’s a part of me that I choose to grow for that brief period of time. And then the characters take on their own personality and their own mannerisms as well.”
Since relocating to Dunedin in 2014, she has performed in plays at the Globe and Allen Hall along with Shakespeare in the Park at the Dunedin Botanic Garden. “Being outdoors definitely had its own challenges. And it was in the round, which was new for me. That’s when the audience is all around you so you need to make sure that people can see and hear you.”
Rosie’s Mousetrap character Miss Casewell – a serious, almost mannish, young woman who has recently returned to England but refuses to disclose anything about her past or her motives in returning – is a smaller role but that suits her just fine.
She had a big start to the year where she switched jobs, becoming a Client Services Lead Administrator for Sciences.
“I like organising things. I’ve been doing admin for a while and I enjoy it. I like acting on the side because it has a special freedom. I think if I was acting full time the pressures would be there because it’s really difficult most of the time to get full time work as an actor. So, the fact that I can act while doing work I really like supporting Academics and Professional staff to deliver these amazing science projects and content – it’s just great.”
As for the acting, the only downside is that the productions have to end.
“You have to get over the show when it stops. That part’s really hard. You have to actually grieve after each production to get over the fact that you’re not going to be doing it any more. And you have to say goodbye to the character that you’ve created as well.”
