Rachel Gaughan

And then I was lucky to graduate at a time where post-COVID...

self-tapes became a very common practice.

Whereas prior to COVID, to be asked to send a tape of yourself doing the audition would have been, you know, under very special circumstances or if you can't make it.

Whereas now it's the first round of most auditions.

So you can be auditioning for UK productions

while sat at home in Ireland.

But then there's also another benefit where I did an audition the other day for a project where they were auditioning groups in London and they were auditioning groups in Ireland.

And the casting team told us that in London, they have this gigantic pile of people to choose from because everybody submits for the London audition, submits and they have this huge pile of CVs.

And he told us that for Ireland, only 80 people submitted.

So there is a big pool of... There is a great big pool of talent in Ireland and the UK.

But, like, there's kind of an edge to getting to do that audition from Ireland because...

There's just not as many of us over here.

So you stand out a little bit more, I think, yeah.

And with a project like this, I was in Little Shop of Horrors last year in the Borgosh as well, which was another all-Irish production.

And then I do Panto at Christmastime with Clare Tye for the Helix.

And then I got to be involved in Oklahoma as well.

So it's just like, I feel like I've graduated at like...

the most fantastic time, the perfect time where all these, like in college, a lot of my lecturers were trying to kind of, you know, help us with our expectations and go, look, just so you know, there's not going to be much in Ireland.

There's not going to be a lot of opportunities in Ireland.

But I was kind of like, but I want to stay and see what's here before I think about London.