Margaret Jackman with Principal Will Scott and Sixth Form Creative Officers Josh and Arwen (Credit: Crest Photography)
GAME OF THRONES actress Margaret Jackman returned to the Newcastle school she attended in the 1950s to inspire and advise the next generation of aspiring stage, television and film stars.
Jackman, an accomplished actor who made a brief but infamous appearance on Game of Thrones as The Waif’s Disguise, gave an insightful talk to drama pupils at Dame Allan’s Schools, in Fenham.
She encouraged budding actors, directors and stage technicians to gain experience by joining Newcastle’s People’s Theatre, one of the country’s largest and oldest amateur theatre companies, where 85-year-old Jackman, who grew up in Westerhope, honed her talents.
Describing her experience of acting as ‘a life of snakes and ladders’, she said: “Jobs are fiendishly difficult to come by. Sometimes actors act… and then they don’t. For those pupils who know in their guts that this is their vocation, I would encourage them to join the excellent People’s Theatre while they are at school. It was where I learnt all the technical stage jobs and began to train seriously as an actor.”
Jackman, who has recently been working on two undisclosed BBC pilots with regional writers, one based in Sunderland, fell in love with drama and acting when at Dame Allan’s Girls’ School and would regularly attend productions at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal and the Empire Palace Theatre as a teenager.
She began professional training at the age of 19 when she landed her first weekly repertory job at South Shields Pavilion Theatre. Over the years, she has played a vast variety of roles on stage as well as in television and film. TV credits include Coronation Street, Casualty, Heartbeat, and Shameless, while in film she’s known for Risen (2016), Grimsby (2016) and Control (2007).
In 2016, Jackman appeared in Season 6 of Game of Thrones – one of the most popular television series of all time – as The Waif’s Disguise who critically injured the show’s beloved Arya Stark in the seventh episode, The Broken Man.
“That very short scene changed my life,” admitted Jackman. “After the episode aired, I was invited to events across the UK to sign photos and chat to Game of Thrones addicts. I started to receive letters and requests via my agent to sign photos and Facebook friend requests from people all over the world. Some directors I’ve worked with since have said they specifically asked for me because they’d seen me in Game of Thrones – they were fans too!”
A married mother of three sons who were born while she and her husband George were living in Tanzania, East Africa, Jackman spent several years teaching English, both overseas and in Tamworth, Staffordshire, when not working in acting.
She said: “There’s no such thing as a career in acting, every audition is hit and miss. It’s therefore important to add a second string to one’s bow to earn a living. I loved teaching, although my true vocation was acting, and I believe the very best teaching is performance with knowledge. However, if you wish to act, and that true vocation is within you, then you have to do it!”
During her visit to Dame Allan’s Schools, where she was a pupil from 1949 until 1956, Jackman was treated to a showcase performance by drama students of all ages, including famous scenes from Macbeth, Matilda, and The Witches. Arwen Jenkins, a Year 12 student, who was part of a group giving Margaret a tour of the School, said: “It was absolutely amazing to meet Margaret, she has such a wealth of knowledge! As one of the Creative Officers at Dame Allan’s and someone who wants to go into acting, it was a perfect opportunity for me to get advice.”
Will Scott, Principal at Dame Allan’s Schools, said: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome Allanians back to the school; it’s been a delight to hear Margaret regale us with tales of her time at Dame Allan’s and her many years as an accomplished stage and screen actor. She’s given our drama pupils some sage advice that will be of real value to those looking to a future in acting.”