Meet Emma

'As a child I remember feeling alone and different. I am an only child. My dad was from the outskirts of Manchester, my mum from a small fishing town in the Philippines. And I was born in Somerset. You don’t find people like me every day, so no matter how proud I was of my background, it was often dismissed. I was told I was too loud, a very vocal daydreamer - that I yearned for more than the world could provide for me. My head was in the clouds. 

 

I remember sneaking downstairs at 6 o’clock in the morning to watch TV because that was my form of escape from the world. On the stage and screen, everyone is free to be whoever they want to be. It is a place where we can escape through fantastical fictions, get swept up in the thrill of a moment, or even reflect upon the realities that we face day to day. It is a place where we can laugh, cry, scream and shout together. It is a place where we can accept our truth. 

 

The day I first set foot on stage was a nerve wrecking one - I was seven, terrified because after being told I was too loud, I had all of a sudden become too quiet to get a better role than a piece of tinsel hanging off the Christmas tree in the school nativity. That’s what all the girls who weren’t ‘good enough’ were given. I didn’t let that dim my sparkle though. Literally, because I was wrapped in gold and red tinsel, and I went on that stage and performed like I was the sparkliest piece of tinsel that anyone had ever laid eyes on. In that moment, I wasn’t an out of place little kid - I was star power personified… Or at least, that’s how I felt in the moment (and to be fair many mums, dads and teachers told me I was the shiniest piece of tinsel they’d ever seen). 

 

It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from, everyone has a story that needs to be told, and it is my mission to find those stories so we don’t feel so alone. Whether you’re a dreamer who always has a bit too much to say, an outsider who doesn’t quite fit in, a nomad searching for a place to call home or yes, even a piece of tinsel - everyone has more to their story than meets the eye. As a performer and storyteller, I want to make sure that everyone’s voices are heard, whether it’s on a stage, a big screen, a small screen; comedy, drama, musical, thriller. But most importantly, I know that there are countless little girls like me around the world, who don’t feel like their story is worth being told. I want them to know that this is far from the truth. I want to share my story as a little mixed kid who always felt out of place. I want to share my dad’s story of love so immense that his impact on the world rippled amongst everyone he knew when he left the world. I want to share my mum’s story of endurance and optimism through times that most couldn’t dare to imagine in a world that has shown her more cruelty than kindness. But even in these darker times, I want them to remember that there is light. I want them to sing, dance, laugh and rejoice with me because our differences in life is what illuminates the world.

 

Because to me, the best feeling I get from performing isn’t the warmth of a spotlight on my face, it isn’t the rapturous applause, or the accolades of praise I get afterwards. The best feeling is when you make a connection to the audience - when the role that you play is a bridge between a fantasy land and a place that really hits home.'