Amy Huberman wants more schools to take part in student theatre awards
On the day I meet Amy Huberman, she has 348,200 Twitter followers. She is a hugely successful actress, author, jewellery and shoe designer. She’s a happily-married mum of two, one half of Ireland’s favourite celebrity couple. With all this under her belt, you’d think she’d be happy to sit back and soak up the success.
Instead, she’s giving something back, encouraging new acting talent as a judge for the Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards, which was created to recognise and reward participation in the dramatic arts in primary and secondary schools around Ireland. For everyone, and youngsters in particular, a willingness to participate fully in life serves to combat the miasma that is the soul-diminishing outcome of excessive spare time spent naval-gazing and contemplating one’s lot. For that reason, it’s an excellent thing that BGE places its focus on participation rather than on talent alone.
No surprise so that the awards have generated great interest. More than 1,000 schools have participated since 2013, with 2,888 entries received last year. Cork students have been holding their own. In 2015/2016, Oskar Smith and Orla Scally brought home top prizes for their performances while representing the Carrigaline Educate Together NS, and the Sacred Heart Secondary School Clonakilty respectively.
2017 will see the beautiful and gifted actress and writer, Amy Huberman, join the awards judging panel for the third time. Asked about the BGE focus on participation rather than talent she says: “The awards are a great platform for talent, but participation is a really big part of it.
“In theatre, it’s all about teamwork. Nobody does it entirely alone. Every award, whether Best Female Performer or Best Male Lead, comes about as a result of the excellent collaboration that is the weaving together of a dedicated team.” But it’s a competition, so surely talent must matter as well? “It does,” says Huberman.
“We keep a look-out for stand-out talent. But throughout, there’s a feelgood participation vibe that generates a positive buzz for all who take part.” Huberman excels in all of the fields in which she participates and comedy is one of them. She’s a funny lady, but even so, comedy is not for the faint-hearted. So how does she approach it? Does she feel the fear and do it anyway or is she inherently fearless in matters comedic?
“Definitely I get afraid,” she says. “But my approach is to do it anyway. My approach is: do it, try it, and move on. When I try, it either works or it doesn’t but I try anyway. I try because I love the buzz and challenge of it.”
“There’s a subtlety about engaging in comedy. It’s an inexact science. You nearly have to figure it out as you go along. Often, comedy is about going with the braver option but, in the process, it’s important that you don’t gag others, that you know your place. Instinct is important.”
Of actors escaping into their roles, she says: “It can be nice to simply get lost in another world — the acting world — and play. I sometimes do that.” She says that in a dreamlike way. But is she highly driven, high energy?” I am high energy but I’m not competitive at all. For me, it’s about the feeling of love I have for the work I do. I love being creative. For me, a creative platform offers new challenges and new possibilities that bring new adventures my way.”
Along with all the talent and wit, and glitz and glam, Huberman is an inherently nice lady, one who is tremendously popular on social media. I mention her 348,200 Twitter followers; it’s a fact that neither fazes nor enthrals her: “I enjoy social media but try not to take it or me too seriously. Instead, I try to have fun with it. I don’t think about the number at all. With all things, if you overthink, you can become scared.”
As a schoolgirl she wanted to be a vet, an animator, an occupational therapist or a social worker. Who were her role models back then? “I wouldn’t describe her as having been a role model for me, but I liked Kylie Minogue when I was a kid. Scrap that. I adored her,” she laughs. “I was even a member of her fan club!”
These days Huberman’s name is often linked with her Bourbon shoe and Newbridge jewellery collections. Does she enjoy being bejewelled? “I am,” she replies, deadpan.
“Does she, like Carrie Bradshaw, have a great fondness for fine footwear? “I do. But I’m trying to be quite good in that I try hard not to hoard them.” It’s her habit to give shoes away to her friends. But as she has Cinderella-esque sized feet, only her gal-pals who wear a size 3 can benefit from her laudable largesse.
Being a mum sometimes stretches the feet. It doesn’t seem to have done that to Huberman. But has motherhood changed her at all?
“Oh yes, definitely. It brought a whole new level of joy into my life. It changed my priorities. It changed the amount of time I have for other things.” She says she has tried in recent times to ‘stop pretending’ about the fact that sometimes having a family and kids means she’s not available for other things: “When I say ‘pretending’ I mean pretending it isn’t entirely normal and apologising for the fact that because I have a family, there are things that I will turn down,” she explains.
“I have reached a point where I fully accept my priorities and know they’re entirely natural for a woman at my stage in life. We’re all getting older, and getting older changes us and our priorities. I think there needs to be more honest and open discussion about this and more acceptance of it as well.” Huberman is comfortable with who she is, and laughs easily at herself. “I’m not a great cook,” she says. “I’d feel intimidated if I had to cook for a crowd. But there’ll be none of that on Christmas Day as first we’re going to my folks and then to Brian’s. I’m so looking forward to that and thrilled that I won’t be cooking at all.”
‘Brian,’ is of course her husband, the former rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll. When they first met who knew first that the pair would be forever? “Oh, I’d get into so much trouble if I were to answer that…” She laughs then, thinks a bit then concedes: “From the very beginning there were no games with us. It felt easy. It was easy. It just seemed to work from the get go.”
Bringing her back to the Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards, I ask if acting stars are born or made. “Some have innate talent,” she says. “But no matter how much of that anyone might have, there’s always room to hone your craft. What’s vital is having the ballsyness to stick at it.”
The Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards are open to primary school students from third to sixth class, and to all secondary school students.
The deadline for production category entries is January 27, and for written category entries, February 10. To find out more and to enter, visit www.bgesta.ie.
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