NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
When Joseph Raboy was awarded the Equity Neighbours Graduate Internship, he thought life couldn’t get any better… then it did. He writes about his experience on set and what this golden opportunity meant to him.
Along with my parents, Nova Raboy and Lorenzo Raboy, I migrated to Australia from the Philippines in 2005, arriving on Friday 13th May (a spooky day, no less). I had turned six just 10 days before getting on a plane for the first time. English was my second language and I certainly wasn’t fluent. I used to watch Neighbours after school and it was through the program that I really learnt English.
When a friend from acting school told me about the Equity Neighbours Graduate Internship, I decided to audition. The competition was open to anyone who had graduated from a tertiary-level performing arts school in 2021 and I had just finished my Bachelor of Performing Arts (Stage and Screen) Degree at the Actors Centre Australia.
I knew the first round was based on a self-tape of a scene from the show. Any opportunity to put down a self-tape and step into a character feeds my spirit and hunger for art, so I chose a scene, filmed it with a friend and submitted it via Showcast. Little did I know what was to come.
When I got the call from Mary Cotter from the Equity Foundation, it was an unknown number and I assumed it was my orthodontist ringing to organise wisdom teeth surgery. When I heard the words ‘Equity Foundation’, I was a tad embarrassed but just laughed it off, assuming it had something to do with changing my Equity password and having trouble logging in.
I was utterly elated to hear that I was among five finalists for the Neighbours internship and that the next step was an interview with Thea McLeod from McLeod Casting. Naturally I was nervous for the interview, but soon eased into it because Thea is such a down-to-earth, genuine and beautiful human.
Two weeks later, I found out I had won the scholarship.
Getting to learn first-hand how Neighbours all came together, just before the show was set to wrap for the final time, was a monumental honour, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I thought it couldn’t possibly get any better… until it did!
Not long after I was announced as the winner, my agency, Smith & Macdonald Management, forwarded me an email from McLeod Casting about me guest starring on Neighbours. I had to read everything twice to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding.
This meant so much to me. If you had asked six-year-old Joseph, who was still learning English, if he could ever make it onto Neighbours, he would have given you a definitive “no!”. Naturally, I was ecstatic. Getting to make my first TV appearance only months after finishing acting school on the longest-running soap opera in Australia was truly epic. Thea McLeod had been casting Neighbours for the past 12 years, and the change in diversity and inclusion was greatly appreciated by me and other people of colour and immigrants.
I got to act opposite Georgie Stone and Ben Turland, and was directed by Neighbours cast alumna, Kate Kendall. On top of the acting, producer Andrew Thompson made sure I sat in and observed the workings of every creative department. Directing, writing, cinematography, editing, costume, hair and makeup… Not only did I learn about other aspects of the industry, but I also gained a greater understanding of how all the cogs in the machine kept the engine running. Everyone I met, whether it was a cast member or someone from the production team, was so lovely and accommodating. Special shoutout to cast members Matt Wilson and Candice Leask, whom I keep in contact with months after the internship.
I am eternally grateful to Thea McLeod and Georgia Rickards from McLeod Casting, as well as Andrew Thompson and fellow producer Jason Herbison for choosing me as the 2022 winner. Massive thanks also to Media Super for sponsoring my flights, accommodation and the internship’s award rate. Thanks to Showcast and Fremantle for their support, too. Of course, none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for Mary Cotter, director of The Equity Foundation, who launched the internship programs.
The internship was a magical week. I learnt so much and made some friends along the way. I feel blessed to have been involved in something as humongous as Neighbours, and hope I get to work with these lovely people again.
Lastly, I want to say to any young artists who are part of a marginalised community, or anyone who might feel unseen and unheard, know that there is a place for you.
Joseph Raboy is a Sydney-based actor and 2021 graduate of the Actors Centre Australia.
This paid internship is made possible with the generous support of Media Super. Joseph received return flights and accommodation for the duration of the internship. He was also paid at the appropriate award rate.
