By day, Emma Johnson is a Radiographer at CRH, but in the evenings she's donning her flat cap and practicing her lines - rehearsing for her upcoming performance in 'A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story.'
Emma is part of Halifax Thespians and will be starring in their upcoming production taking place throughout December at Halifax Playhouse. Her roles include Charity Worker, Miss Dimple, Young Jacob Marley and Mrs Boswick - whose family owe Scrooge money and are on the brink of financial ruin. Emma's shared her story on how she discovered her passion for acting:
"I joined the Halifax Thespians last year, after auditioning (on the spur of the moment) for a production of The Ghost Train. If nothing else, I thought it would be an interesting experience, even if nothing came of it. I had been thinking about having a go at acting for a while, as I hadn't done any since school (when I was a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz), at which time I was quite shy, and being on stage terrified me. However, since working in hospital for more than 20 years, you realise that life can be too short to let fear hold you back from doing something that could bring a huge amount of laughter and joy into your life.
"Surprisingly I enjoyed the audition, but was still shocked, delighted and horrified (all at once), to be offered a significant role. I really loved it, despite the constant terror of forgetting my lines. I was made to feel welcome by the other actors and members of the group, who gave me lots of helpful advice and support.
"Despite feeling like I needed a big rest after Ghost Train, I somehow found myself performing in an Agatha Christie double bill a month later. I mean who could turn down Agatha Christie right? At this point, I realised that I had definitely caught the acting bug. There's nothing like performing on stage, in front of a live audience, to take your mind off the day job, that's for sure."
Break a leg, Emma!
A promotional video can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17j8LRiMoK/
Tickets can be purchased here: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at The Halifax Playhouse event tickets from TicketSource
Share your Christmas plans with communications
With less than four weeks until Christmas, the Communications Team want to hear from wards, teams and departments about their plans for the festive period , so we can spread a little Christmas cheer.
Whether it’s festive fundraising, seasonal sing-a-longs, patient parties, Elf on the Shelf or if colleagues have any interesting Christmas stories to share, email communications@cht.nhs.uk and we’ll be in touch.
