A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE — EXPLORING NEW REALITIES
Final-year acting student Thea Raveneau speaks with us about her aspirations and how taking part in the Equity Diversity Showcase helped boost her confidence, as well as providing valuable insights into the workings of the screen industry.
Equity Magazine: Did you always want to be an actor?
Thea Raveneau: I grew up with an insane amount of change in my life, but the one thing that never changed was my love and admiration for movies and TV. I had a very active imagination and would play Buffy, Harry Potter, the Power Rangers etc with my siblings, cousins and friends, just so I could imagine myself as those characters in those worlds.
What do you love about acting?
It gives me the opportunity to transport myself out of my own reality and into a completely new one, where I can be anyone and do anything. It brings me joy to do a story justice through all the hard work I put into the analysis of the character and the story being told, while also incorporating a sense of my own life experience.
I love the feeling of butterflies when I get a new script and begin to work on it. There is excitement and curiosity, mixed with nervousness, for what’s to come, from the first read-through to the last performance. There is a sense of accomplishment that transcends feelings of self-doubt or worry, and it’s truly empowering.
What has your experience at acting school been like?
It has been both complicated and rewarding. I moved from Toowoomba to Meanjin [Brisbane] in 2020, just as COVID hit, so I spent my first semester acting over Zoom − or Zacting, as we called it − and the rest of my time at university navigating the new world we live in. It wasn’t just QUT undergoing that change and it took me a while to understand that there was nothing I could achieve by fretting over what we didn’t have, which is when I started to focus on what we did have and how I could utilise that to grow as a performer.
I’m grateful for the incredible group of friends I made during my time at QUT and feel blessed I got to start my journey with them in my corner. They help keep me grounded in my love of storytelling and remind me of my potential and worth as an artist.
What was it like to be part of the Equity Diversity Showcase?
I wanted to be part of the showcase because of how safe the idea of participating in it made me feel. I thought it would be an opportunity to ensure my experience outside of acting school would be positive. I was absolutely on the money in thinking that, because the entire process was a respectful and caring one that valued me as a person and a performer. It helped me gain knowledge around how the screen industry works and the pace of it all, while understanding the boundaries I am allowed to have as an actor. At the start of your career, you can feel like you aren’t allowed to speak up, but the showcase taught me that I can voice my concerns and establish boundaries without any backlash.
The project I performed in, Biting Dust, was an important story that needed to be heard, and the entire team of cast and crew were warm and welcoming, which eased the nerves I had going into it. It was such a wholesome and fulfilling experience, and I connected with people I can lean on throughout my journey as a performer, and whose work as storytellers inspires me.
What characters do you hope to one day play and create?
I hope to play and create characters who bring genuine representation to the screen and stage. I grew up having to imagine myself as the heterosexual, cisgender, white characters I always saw, so there wasn’t room to envision myself in those spaces. I can bring transgender and First Nations representation with every role I land, to empower and educate the world through my storytelling, which creates a greater chance of acceptance and understanding within everyone.
What can we, as an industry, do to create more opportunities for performers from diverse backgrounds?
We must work harder to create spaces for performers with diverse backgrounds, and always look around to ensure diverse people are in the room and are included in the conversation. We know the world is changing, and screen and stage are starting to reflect how diverse it truly is, but we can’t rely on that. We must actively seek out diverse people, because a lot of us are still scared to take up space and need to be shown that we’re welcome and wanted.
Thea Raveneau is an Aboriginal transgender woman from Gunggari, Lardil and Kullilli Country. Soon to be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from QUT, she aspires to tell stories through acting, writing, directing and yarning. Thea was selected as one of the performers for the Equity Diversity Showcase project Biting Dust (2021), performed for La Boite’s Assembly program (2022) and, most recently, in the play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour (2022). She strives to be a part of projects that create a sense of growth, hope and happiness.
