After graduating high school, Kate Low moved to New York for the first time to attend the Summer Conservatory at the Stella Adler School of Acting.
Covid unfortunately put a hold on further plans, but in 2022 she returned after receiving a practical aesthetics scholarship to attend the prestigious Atlantic Acting School.
Low is preparing to graduate this month and begin the next step in her acting journey.
The 24-year-old said she could not pinpoint a time when she decided acting was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.
"My parents would vouch for the fact that I was always rather dramatic, so perhaps it was an innate inclination.
"As soon as opportunities arose I was in boots and all. I remember acting at primary school under the guidance of Sheralyn Judd and doing Theatre Machine, Kimble Henderson’s holiday programmes. Later I was in Junior and Senior [South Canterbury]
Drama League shows and was heavily involved with Aidan Theatre Company.
"I remember being in a dance class talking to Melanie Wheeler, my dance teacher, about wanting to pursue a career in acting and she was very firm and honest that it would be a tough career and I would need a strong backbone to survive in it. It gave me a bit of a wake-up call and I am honestly so grateful for that advice at a young age."
It was a big step up training at an acting school, she said.
"The Summer Conservatory was an amazing introduction to training as an actor.
"Going from two or three rehearsals a week to five days of 9-5 classes was a little bit of an adjustment but I quickly got into the routine and loved it.
"It opened me up to the craft of acting and really made me eager for more training."
Low said Covid was a big road block.
"It was crushing to realise I was not going to get back to continue my studies. I worked in hospitality in Timaru for a time and then moved to Auckland for a corporate job.
"While I was in Auckland I came across the Atlantic Acting School, I liked their philosophy and technique so I auditioned.
"To be accepted there heightened my determination to get back and ironically the extra time that Covid gave me to work and save helped me get back sooner."
She said her growth and transformation as an actress through her time at Atlantic had been incredible.
"It is a highly intense environment where we are working on so much all of the time. It is truly a singular environment.
"The training has given me such a strong foundation to now go and work on any project. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ll never stop learning and growing as an actor, but Atlantic has provided me with an unshakeable foundation, a craft and a technique I can consistently rely on in my work."
Her ultimate goal was to make a living as an actress as well as work on projects that were fulfilling.
"It isn’t an easy pathway by any means. I’ve known from a young age that in this industry I could have 100 auditions and maybe book one.
"As an actor half of the job is auditioning and looking for work then the other half is actually doing the thing.
"Now I’m finishing studying I will be looking for representation both locally and internationally and will be busy auditioning as well as self-producing work."
She said she was very thankful for everyone who had got her this far.
"I am just incredibly grateful for all of the people who have helped me along the way. This started at such a young age and I have had so many teachers and tutors who have shaped who I am along the way and helped me get to the place I am now.
"For those within the broader community who have encouraged me and fundraised with me to enable me to study, a huge thank you."
