Darren lives on the outskirts of Kingston on Thames and he's a local determined to make a name for himself. He began acting back in 1992 with Electric Youth Theatre in Lewisham and the Base Young People's Theatre in Camberwell SE London. He also studied women's wear and tailoring at The London College of Fashion and Ravensbourn College of Art & Design.

Once the courses had finished Darren felt he had to take some time out to decide where he was going next. Three months of 'soul searching' in Ibiza brought him to the conclusion that acting was his destiny.

But it is never easy, you have to make a life for yourself in the wings while you wait and hope that you get your opportunities. After working in bars and restaurants and a trip to Rome, Darren felt he had to come up with a strategy to make things happen. He took a friend's advice to start showing his face through support work in films and TV. "I wasn't that keen on being an extra at first" says Darren. "But once I walked on to that film set, I knew that this was the best move I could have made".

The work poured in and he was ecstatic. But Darren soon needed to move on to the next stage. Gradually the found he was being brought to the front of the crowd scenes. He was asked to stay in shot more often. The extra work progressed into feature work. (Right A knight of King Arthur in Merlin; far right as an RAF officer in A Rather English Marriage)

"Being an extra gives you the raw experience you don't get at drama school. This is how you get to understand how it all works. You get to appreciate everyone's contribution to the finished production. The directors, the assistants, the camera operators, the lighting technicians, the runners and of course other actors all devoting themselves to creating a compelling result, within budget of course."

So where have we seen him? Darren was in the Spice Girls movie. He was a VIP guest at the celebrity party where he did a scene with Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Saunders. He was also in Star Wars wearing 'the heaviest costume of his career'. Darren describes this experience as very hard work but great fun. You may also have seen him as one of Arthur's men in Merlin or in Shakespeare in Love where he played a brothel customer. One of his favourites was Velvet Goldmine with Eddie Izzard, Ewan McGregger and Toni Collette.

His first TV role was as a rent boy in Touching Evil with Robson Green who he met a year later in Grafters.

With this experience under his belt, Darren felt it was time to develop his technique and broaden his experience by studying different media such as radio and theatre. He chose the Academy of Live & Recorded Arts in Wandsworth SW11. "I wanted to explore and push the boundaries and work with other students in an environment where I could make mistakes and learn from them."

ALRA delivered everything he needed and more. He left in September 1999 and hasn't looked back. He walked straight into a role in Metropolis a t.v. drama for ITV starring James Fox and Louise Lombard. This was followed by a role in Fish for BBC as a mechanics assistant with Gemma Redgrave and Paul McGann.

"Film is my ultimate passion" says Darren. "I have managed to work on five consecutive films, mainly shorts, playing the lead in all but one of them." The most recent was Target Audience - a spoof comedy in which he plays three characters one of them opposite ex-Eastender Dr Legg. This is due to be screened in Soho first and then at the Vienna Film Festival in September.

Darren has also worked in new media, specifically as a presenter of Freedomtv.net. This was an in at the deep-end experience which has helped develop his improv skills as you don't get much more live and interactive than internet tv. Contrary to the beliefs of many a presenter, Darren believes that presenting and acting are complimentary art forms. His acting experience and training were extremely useful for internet presenting.

So thanks Darren for giving www.kingstononline.co.uk this interview. Everyone here wishes you the best of luck.

Introducing a dramatic challenge for Kingston young hopefuls! An exciting new Youth Theatre initiative has been devised in association with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames for all young aspiring actors and actresses from this area.

The creation of Kingston Youth Theatre marks a series of moves on the part of the council to help make Kingston a cultural centre of performing arts excellence for the new millennium.

Prior to moving to Kingston, the director of Kingston Youth Theatre, Nic Paris, was in charge of Guildford's prestigious Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre company and has won several major awards for his youth theatre projects within Surrey. Nic, who currently lecturers in drama at Kingston college, is confident that there is a wealth of untapped theatrical potential within the borough who will benefit from this exciting development. "The aim of our Youth Theatre" explained Nic "is to offer a professionally run facility which will give young people a fun and enjoyable opportunity to explore their potential as performers. We want Kingston Youth Theatre to earn a reputation as one of the countries foremost training grounds of young theatrical talent."

The Youth Theatre offers a wide variety of dramatic activities throughout term times and the school holidays for young people aged 8 to 19 years.

The workshops take place at the Cornerhouse Community Arts Centre. To apply for a place in spring term 2002 people are advised to pick up a Youth Theatre application form from schools, colleges and libraries around the borough or by telephoning the Kingston Youth Theatre on 020 8977 3700. Places are strictly limited so early application is advised.

This page will change bimonthly.All previous editions are archived. If you would like to include a review or you think someone you know is good enough for the One to Watch spot or if you have an up and coming performance you would like included then- e-mail kingston online.

Click here for issue 1 "Ooh What a Performance!"

Click here for issue 2 "Ooh What a Performance!"

Click here for issue 3 "Ooh What a Performance!"

Click here for issue 4 "Ooh What a Performance!"

Click here for issue 5 "Ooh What a Performance!"

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