In conversation with Merryl Ansah
“The best advice I've been given is to fake your confidence when going to auditions!”
- Merryl Ansah
Image: Merryl Ansah. © James Everett
Merryl Ansah is an actress and singer from London. She started her career in 2017 after graduating from The Royal Academy of Music with an MA in Musical Theatre. Since then, she has gone on to do a variety of musicals, plays, commercials and short films.
How and when exactly did you realise you had a passion for acting?
I’m not sure I can pinpoint the exact moment but for as long as I can remember, my sister and I would always put on “shows”, occasionally roping our brother in and would perform in our living room for our family to watch (sometimes begrudgingly) and I think it took off from there! I then went on to take extra curricular drama classes from the age of 7 and studied Drama GCSE and Theatre Studies A-Level, but I never thought of it as something I could do full time. It wasn’t until I auditioned for The National Youth Music Theatre that my eyes were opened to the possibilities of working within the industry and I started thinking of ways to pursue it full time.
What’s been the most rewarding moment of your journey as an actress?
Getting to record the original West End Cast recording of Heathers: The Musical was a huge moment for me. It had always been a dream of mine to work on the West End, record an album and be a part of an original cast and Heathers brought me all of those moments at once, but being able to have something tangible to remember it by in the form of an album that would be streamed worldwide was just the icing on the cake!
What’s been the biggest lesson – about yourself, your abilities or just general life lessons – you’ve learnt since starting your career?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my career so far is to not compare yourself to others. It’s something that is so difficult to do as a lot of this industry is about comparison and people will do that for you regardless. If you’re able to focus on yourself and not get consumed by what others are doing, it will serve your mental health a great deal and give you a much better peace of mind. Everything happens for a reason and at its appointed time and you really have to trust that.
Tell us about your first audition.
My first audition came when I was in drama school towards the end of our course, and a few of us heard that they were holding auditions for the first UK Tour of Shrek the Musical. So, we all got our freshly taken headshots and CVs printed out to drop off in person at the casting office and from that I was called in for an audition. I remember being really nervous, practising like crazy and thinking about every detail down to what outfit to wear which would give some sort of nod to the show. I was auditioning to understudy the role of the Dragon and they asked me to bring my own pop song alongside the material from the show, and so I sang Why Don’t You Love Me by Beyonce! The audition went really well and I then had a recall to do some movement from the show which I remember enjoying as there were a lot of characterful elements as well as some tap dancing which I had only just picked up when I started my degree a few months prior! I then made it to the final audition where I was given some more material from the show and had to go through another movement call, which was followed by a couple of weeks of waiting after which I found out I didn’t get it, but I was really proud of how far I got through the process.
Describe your most challenging role to date?
This is a tough one but I think it has to be when I performed a 70 minute one-woman-show called How I Learned to Swim. I never dreamed that I would be able to pull something like that off and it was definitely one of the most challenging things I've ever done. I had worked with the writer Somebody Jones and the director Khadifa Wong before so when they approached me to do this play, I absolutely jumped at the opportunity because I completely trust them as collaborators but I was also 100% bricking it. There is no one else on stage with you to bounce off or help you out if you go wrong/dry up, so you really have to be switched on all the time which I found mentally and physically exhausting but the payoff at the end was incredible and I was really proud of what we achieved.
What is the first movie that made an impression on you?
Titanic!! I remember having a sleepover with some friends and we must have been about 8 or 9 at the time and I remember completely falling in love with the story of Jack and Rose! I think it was the first time a film had made me uncontrollably sob at the end of it and I was probably a little traumatised by it, but then came the swift realisation that Leonardo DiCaprio was in fact alive and well and I felt complete again.
Image: Merryl Ansah and Owen Chaponda who will be returning to the West End production of The Lion King as Nala and Simba from 9 May 2023. © James Everett
What does a typical day look like for you when preparing for a theatre production?
If it's an audition day I usually wake up as early as possible and wake my body up with some cardio whether that be on the treadmill or doing some skipping, and finish off with some deep stretching. I also try and front load by drinking as much water as I can as it can take up to 4 hours for it to reach your vocal folds. At this point I'll do a gentle vocal warm up to ease into the day followed by a meal as I don't normally like to leave the house for an audition on an empty stomach! I'll then use the rest of the time to go over any script work I have and practice any songs I have to prepare and then if there's time I'll try and have a warm drink (usually a ginger tea) just before I leave the house!
What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
The biggest challenge for me was when I developed soft nodules from continuing to sing on my voice while it was tired. There's usually a stigma around nodules in our industry but in reality, your vocal folds are muscles and just as many sports players get muscle injuries, many singers have the same issue. Thankfully my situation wasn't very serious and went away through some vocal therapy and vocal rest. I think it also helped that this happened around the same time lockdown started so timing-wise it didn't actually affect any work!
What’s the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I've been given is to fake your confidence when going to auditions! It sounds silly to say but it really does go a long way in terms of tricking your body into feeling cool, calm and collected and usually puts the panel at ease as well as you give off a self-assured aura.
What advice do you have for young people looking to pursue a career in acting?
I would say they should study their favourite actors and try and work out what makes them drawn to that person’s performance. It’s also so important to watch people in their daily lives and study human behaviours. And then finally I would say get as much practice as you can whether that be through amateur productions, filming scenes for self-tapes, or even creating your own work; but whatever it is, always try and stay active!
Outside of acting, do you have any other major interests or passions?
I really enjoy anything to do with food! I love cooking and jazzing up recipes, and I also love exploring new restaurants when I’m able. I’m also a big fan of Formula 1 so a lot of my Sundays are dedicated to watching the races if I’m able!
What do you love about London?
I've grown up and lived most of my life in and around London and so for me it feels like home. It also helps that most of my family and a lot of my friends live in London so it makes seeing them a lot easier! That aside, there is so much to do in the city and I think we're so blessed having the West End on our doorstep along with a very string fringe Theatre scene too so there is always something to see. Theatre aside, we are also absolutely spoiled in terms of restaurants and food stalls! If I’m not watching a show, I’m most likely to be trekking to another area in London to try out a restaurant recommendation from one of the many food blogs that I follow!
Can you tell us a bit about any upcoming projects?
I'm currently gearing up to starting rehearsals for The Lion King next month where I'll be returning to the show and this time, taking over the role of Nala!
Instagram: @merrylansah
Twitter: @merrylansah
