Maeve Smyth is a 28 year old Actor from Belfast. From a young age Maeve always knew she had a passion for performing. After her A-levels she attended East 15 acting school where she trained for three years. Having worked in London Maeve realised that Northern Ireland had just as many opportunities and she moved back home to be apart of her native scene.
What genre / style do you create in?
My favourite style would have to be drama, the grittier the better! I’ve actually just written my first short film, and the subject matter is pretty dark, (with some black humour to give it an edge!). The pandemic forced me to think outside of my comfort zone. I could no longer rely on theatre work, and it has been very refreshing to delve into something new.
What would you be best known for?
Back in 2018, I secured a leading role in a play at The Lyric. This was a massive achievement for me, as I had grown up watching plays there, and I said to my mum when I was about 12, “that’ll be me one day”. It was a proud moment for us all when it came to fruition. I played The Colleen Bawn in…drumroll please…The Colleen Bawn! It was an extremely demanding role, both physically and emotionally, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
What would you consider your biggest achievement?
It has to be playing Lady Macbeth in The Grand Opera House in Belfast! Getting to grips with the language, the rhythm of the speech, the intentions behind Lady Macbeth’s words was a massive challenge, but I got there in the end! That production was with c21 theatre company, who have always been massively supportive!
What would you consider to be the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your industry?
Hustle. Always push for the next job. Never rely on other people to get you work. In the last few years I have secured so many jobs through my own networking skills. If you’re an actor who thinks opportunities are just going to fall into your lap, you’re in the wrong business. Also the more strings to your bow the better, getting into the audiobook and voiceover field has boosted my career massively!
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
I think in general the biggest challenge has been coping with life when your career goes a bit quiet. It is the nature of the business that sometimes you’re working flat out, feel successful, and then all of a sudden you’ll have weeks and months of uncertainty. A lot of spare time. So filling that time productively is everything, but also knowing that you have to find joy in other things, or else acting will consume every second of your life, and that isn’t healthy!
Tell us a little about your personal life, are you married, kids, hobbies etc?
I love to sing ! I do it all the time (sorry neighbours!) During lockdown myself and my two friends recorded a lot of covers, and people really resonated with them on social media, in times like these it’s important to escape, and I escape through music!
Tell us about your most recent work?
During lockdown I have been focusing a lot on my audio work. I have now recorded multiple teen fiction audiobooks for an American author (which contain General American, Southern American, Irish, English and Scottish accents!) There’s never a dull moment!
What would you like us to tell people about?
Have a look at my soundcloud for examples of my audio work, commercial reels, accent reels, book excerpts, it’s all there! Any voiceover needs feel free to get in touch!
Maeve’s soundclound >>https://soundcloud.com/user-323981313?ref=clipboard
If you had to describe your work to someone who has never heard of you what would you say?
I’d like to think my work is truthful, honest and believable. I don’t enjoy watching “hammy” acting or over the top performances, so I see myself as understated, and that’s worked well for me so far!
What’s the funniest experience you’ve had in your business?
When I was doing one of the Macbeth performances, my mind went blank for about 30 seconds, and I improvised Shakespearean language! When I think of what came out of my mouth I cringe so much! At the time it was petrifying but the looks on the other characters’ faces thinking, “how the hell is she going to turn this around” was hilarious!
What would your advice be to young people hoping to pursue the same industry?
Never let someone belittle your craft. I remember telling people I was going to drama school to train and some people thought my head was up in the clouds for wanting to do something non-traditional. I’ve gone off, I’ve trained, I’ve worked solidly in the industry for 6 years, and I’m so glad I took that leap of faith!
Anything else you want to tell people about yourself or your work?
The pandemic has been so challenging for artists. At the best of times, the industry is a tricky one to navigate, but with so many arts venues still closed and the amount of uncertainty around, it is paramount to support artists you know in any way you can, whether it’s giving a tenner on Indiegogo, or emotionally checking in, every little helps. The pandemic has proven that without art, the world is an empty place, so let’s keep the ghost lights shining!
Who do you look up to and why?
I look up to every single artist who is hustling every day just to keep their electricity going, or to get food on the table. People see success in different ways, some see Hollywood as success (not that I’d say no to the red carpet, who am I trying to fool!). I see making a living from what I love doing as success and doing it all in my home country makes me proud every day.
Check out Maeve’s showreel here (edited by Matty Killen and Thomas Pollock)>>https://vimeo.com/412297996Â