#Gail Egbeson

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News: Six brand new writers chosen for WriteWild 2022

News: Six brand new writers chosen for @wearewildchild_ 2022

WildChild are excited to announce the six brand new, under-represented writers chosen for WriteWild 2022: Sebastian Rex, Liv Woodward, Gail Egbeson, Alice Lazar, Yvonne Shelling and Beth Westbrooke. Over the next twelve months these writers will be provided with bespoke mentorship, resources, script development sessions and opportunities to pitch their work to leaders within the world of TV and…

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Jollof Wars, Vault Festival

REVIEW: Jollof Wars, Vault Festival A wasted opportunity that felt unprepared and underdeveloped.

Who does Jollof rice better? Ghana or Nigeria ? Gail Egbeson’s play of culture wars in a relationship is based around this very loose premise.

It is hard to get an hour long play about this and Egbeson fails to achieve it. In this disjointed play of two halves it starts well with the male characters discussing love, food and Fifa as they argue not just about Nigerian and Ghanian cuisine but…

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Its 10:42 pm dark/cold/Palace of the Prophets

Welcome to a another edition of “8 Questions with…..”

  Today we are headed back over the Pond to catch up with London based actress Wiktoria Wabnyc. We first met Wiktoria (pronounced “Victoria”) back in 2017 on Facebook and then when she did her first interview with me.which you can catch here. I was very impressed with how not only driven she was in pursuing her craft  but also in keeping a even keel in doing so. She had a specific plan for her career and she wasn’t afraid of hard work.    Flash forward to 2020 and I’m very pleased to see Wiktoria’s hard work is paying off.   A veteran of over 20 productions in both film and the stage,Wiktoria continues to work hard and shine in any role she is in. She has a brand new play called “Jollof Wars” which starts in Febuary and I’m sure she’ll be outstanding as the “Judge”. It looks to be great fun and just another step forward for this talented 21 year old.      So once again,we sent Wiktoria her 8 Questions and if I learned one thing from the first interview and this one……the lady loves her Piccadilly Circus!!!

We last chatted in 2017…..so what has been going on in your career since then?

   Yes, thank you for having me back! For the past couple of years I’ve focused on taking different classes and learning new skills. I also worked on so many exciting projects including two feature films , 10 shorts films and 5 theatre productions! I also started writing my own short film which I can’t wait to produce!

How has the British film industry changed during the past few years?  Has it become easier for actors to get roles or harder?

    As the industry shifted to a more digital based. It became easier for casting directors to see more people for each role. Now this has definitely increased the competition for the role as now larger volume of actors can apply and audition for the same character. However, on the other side it gives you the opportunity to audition for roles that you might not have been able to do so previously for obvious reasons. I also feel like now the industry is slowly opening up and we see more diversity on screen. Where in the past, if you haven’t attended one of the top 5  drama schools you wouldn’t even be considered for a role. Leaving the industry to be upper-class centric. 

I understand you are doing a theater play called “Jollof Wars”? What can you tell about your involvement in this play? When and where does it open? Is this your first theater project?

   Jollof Wars is a family friendly comedy written by Gail Egbeson, directed by Lucy Dear and produced by Purple Moon Drama. Jollof Wars is about a young couple, who are unable to agree on which jollof rice should be served at their wedding. The couple takes the matter into court in hopes that the Judge will be able to  end their cultural disagreement. In Jollof Wars, I play the role of the Judge who tries to resolve the issue and make both parties happy. Jollof Wars, has been previously performed at the Theatre Peckham, Poplar Union and is now opening for the VAULTs festival on the 14th February 2020-16th February 2020 at the Network Theatre. 

The tickets are on sale now: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/jollof-wars/

   Since I started acting 4 years ago, I had the opportunity to act in over 20 productions including leading a feature film/short films, webseries and theatre.  In the past, I had the opportunity to work with Purple Moon Drama on ‘Noughts and Crosses’ written by Malorie Blackman at the Brady Art Theatre and Rich Mix. I also performed as a lead chorus in Antigone, a Greek tragedy directed by George Eugeniou at Theatro Technis and worked with Victor Sobchak on Anna Karenina. 

What drew you to doing this play? 

   I saw this play as an opportunity to learn more about the African culture, dances and traditions. I think as an actor it is so important to learn about other cultures and listen to different stories people have to offer. In the play we share an important story of marrying outside your culture and the challenges that it may impose onto your relationship. 

What three aspects about your acting have you improved on the most since we last chatted?

   Definitely improvisation, when I first started acting 4 years ago I was afraid of not being able to come up with dialogue on the spot. Now I can’t imagine working on any script without doing a bit of improvisation in character first. Second aspect that I’ve improved on is my listening skills. Acting is all about reacting but you can’t react to something you haven’t listened to. Thirdly, getting out of my comfort zone. I am not afraid to try something ‘silly’ and embarrass myself in front of my cast mates but I take it as an opportunity to push myself further and try something new.

Has living in London opened many more doors for you career wise?

Living in London definitely helps when you’re an actor, just because you have everything within reach. For example, the best acting classes, great headshot photographers and the majority of casting head offices are based in London.  I don’t think it’s essential to live in London to become a working actor, but it definitely helps when you live close by. Especially when you have last minute auditions to get to. I would say yes, living in London has open doors for me especially when someone had dropped out last minute from a production and I got called in to replace them on the day. Living in London made it easier to get there as fast as possible.

What are three things you would have told your younger self differently?

Learn to say no more often

Put yourself before others, you can’t help others if you’re not okay yourself.

Learn to love yourself because if you want to achieve anything, you need  to be confident and believe in yourself. 

How important has networking become to  artists? Do you feel social media support groups help or hinder artists?

 Networking is essential as an actor. If you’re not networking as an actor – WHY NOT? Majority of my roles resulted from attending film festivals and meeting film directors who would then invite me to audition for the roles in their films. I think if you know how to use social media to your advantage , it’s a great tool to promote your projects and also network with other creatives.

What do you do for fun and recreation? Do you have any hobbies that you enjoy?

   In my free time I love to travel solo. I travelled to Vietnam last year, to teach English and it was the most incredible experience of my life. It made me appreciate what I have and I got to meet so many people from different backgrounds/cultures and just get to know them a little bit more. My hobbies vary from exploring different countries (travelling) to reading books and doing unhealthy amount of online courses.

The cheetah and I are flying over to watch your latest film but we are a day early and now you are playing tour guide,what are we doing? 

Okay so anyone who is planning on visiting London HAS to visit the Camden food market. Camden Town is a unique artistic place where no one is ashamed to be themselves. It’s colourful and always has a good atmosphere! Camden Market has over 1000 stalls selling fashion, music , art and FOOD! There’s definitely something for everyone! Another place would be visiting Southwark,near the National Youth Theatre and Royal Festival Hall. Not only is it a beautiful scenery, with the walk alongside the river, but it’s the perfect spot to sit down and observe London. My ultimate favourite place in London is the Piccadilly Circus. It’s a very busy, touristic place, but you can enjoy a great amount of street entertainment from new up coming artists. It never fails to keep me inspired!

    I like to thank Wiktoria for letting us have a chance for a catch up. It’s very clear that her hard work is indeed paying off and we wish her the very best in the upcoming “Jollof Wars” and in her future projects!!

Wiktoria has her social media going in the right direction as well…..

You can follow Wiktoria on her InstaGram page. Come check out Wiktoria’s YouTube Channel and hit that Subscribe button!! You can see which film/TV project Wiktoria is doing next by visiting her IMDb page. And you can join Wiktoria’s Facebook page by clicking here.

You can catch up with our interview series by clicking here.  As always,I think you for both supporting the folks we chat with but the cheetah and myself as well…..

8 More Questions with…………actress Wiktoria Wabnyc Its 10:42 pm dark/cold/Palace of the Prophets Welcome to a another edition of "8 Questions with....."