Amanda grew up in Surrey, immersed in theatre from the start. With actor parents and an early career both onstage and behind the scenes, the performing arts shaped her life for fifteen years. In 2001, she moved to France, where she built a new path in property management and cooking. Now “more or less retired,” she still teaches dance and runs an acting group, creativity remains her constant companion.
After leaving school at seventeen to take an acting role, Amanda never returned to formal study. But at fifty‑nine, she felt the pull of theatre again: the texts, the history, the craft. She wanted to direct, deepen her understanding, and reconnect with her first love. That longing led her to the Theatre and Performance Studies course at University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education.
She admits she was nervous about studying again, and about Cambridge itself, but the experience has been transformative. The course has reignited her creativity, strengthened her confidence, and given her collaborators renewed trust in her artistic vision. “I’m enthralled,” she says.
Choosing Cambridge felt natural. She wanted tutors with deep expertise, integrity, and high academic standards, qualities she found immediately reassuring. Early on, she also discovered a supportive community. After accidentally submitting a rough draft a month early, her tutor helped her see it as a head start rather than a setback, and the study skills team boosted her confidence.
Balancing study with life in France has been surprisingly joyful. She studies whenever she has a spare moment, finding the work energising rather than demanding. The flexibility of part‑time learning allows her to follow her curiosity and shape her studies around her life.
The course has opened new possibilities: creating her own performances, producing a play locally, even launching a bilingual theatre festival. Most of all, she wants to keep learning. “If I can continue studying for the rest of my days, I’ll be happy,” she says.
She speaks warmly of her course director, Michael Earley, and her tutor, Stefan Aquilina, whose international perspective enriches the experience. “To learn from scholars with profound knowledge is stimulating,” she reflects.
Amanda hesitated before enrolling. Now, she says with certainty that she’s glad she took the leap. “It’s an exceptional experience.”
You can learn more about the course from Michael Earley himself, in our short course overview video, as he introduces the course, its structure, the vibrant online learning environment, and the skills you’ll develop as you explore drama from page to stage.
Ready to rediscover your creativity and deepen your understanding of theatre? Apply today for the Undergraduate Certificate in Theatre Studies and take the first step toward your own transformative journey.