 CANDY Bower will spend two years in the UK to establish herself as an artist, but won’t forget where she came from. Ms Bower was one of six scholarship winners from 580 applicants in the British Council’s Realise Your Dream program. She said growing up in Leumeah had a big impact on her life. She was awarded a $10,000 scholarship, giving her the opportunity to travel to the UK and work with professionals in her chosen field. Ms Bower, who describes herself as an actor, writer, comedian and hip-hop theatre maker, plans to work at the Royal Court Theatre in London from August next year. “It’s a big deal I’m from Campbelltown. It still shocks people that I got into NIDA in the first place. People seem to think that people from Campbelltown can’t possibly be creative,” she said. Ms Bower, who has Asian and African heritage, said the UK was the best place for performing artists from minority groups to have their voices heard. “As a young person of colour, I never had any mentors in Australia. I didn’t look up to Kylie Minogue or Baz Luhrmann,” she said. The 29-year-old said she needed international experience before she could make an impact in Australia. But she is not new to performing. As part of hip-hop comedy duo Sista She, Ms Bower has performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Read Full Article
|
