Australian actor Connor Delves discusses co-founding The Australian Theatre Festival NYC, his recent role at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and his advice for international actors looking for work in the UK.
The UK is fast becoming home to an array of talent. Actors hailing from all over the world have packed up and headed to major cities in pursuit of performing in productions on stages far from home. While many have found success, the reality of moving to the UK or the US is far from easy, but not impossible.
Connor Delves is a multi-talented actor, singer, producer and director known for roles in Pinball: The Man who Saved the Game (Hulu) starring opposite Mike Faist, Sugar Plum Twist (Hallmark) and The Weight of Home (SIFF). He has also performed off-Broadway in Daniel’s Husband, Endangered: The Musical, Holy Day and Precious Little Talent. In 2022, he earned OFFIE and Broadway World award nominations for his outstanding performance as ‘Mercutio’ in the UK premiere of Starcrossed at Wilton’s Music Hall.
Born in Perth, Australia, Connor moved to New York City in 2014 to study acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Despite the challenges that came with moving abroad to pursue acting, Connor remained proactive in navigating through difficulties – from enduring the rigorous visa process to co-founding the first Australian theatre festival.
Dividing his time between the UK and US, he recently starred in Bloody Ballad of Bette Davis at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We sat down with Connor to discuss why it’s important to have a plan in place before considering a move abroad, being honest about where you’re based and embracing what makes you different. Here’s what he shared:
Hi Connor! How did you first get started as an actor?
I first got started when a teacher at my primary school in Australia thought I was already a show-off on the sporting field and that I could use those showing-off abilities on the stage. Ironically enough, now as a short king, I played the ‘Big Friendly Giant’ when I was maybe seven or eight – yes, I wore stilts, it was transformative!
I got into the acting scene in Perth, Australia, mainly in musicals and operas, and from there found a passion for storytelling to go alongside my passion for showing-off. Child acting is kind of wild upon reflection. I’m really grateful I had some unbelievable mentors and teachers along the way. Danny Parker is the reason I’m an actor. Love you, Dan!
Can you share some of the realities of moving to another country to pursue acting?
There are certainly many realities of moving overseas that, once the honeymoon period wears off, become a very real thing to face. One of the biggest ones and I’ve now learnt and am convinced is not a bad thing, is that you will always be different and seen as different. I think different is good.
The realities are that it’s going to be a slower, more difficult and certainly not linear path to get to the same place than locals might have. There will, of course, be more hoops to jump through, but ultimately, if the ceiling is higher, the risk is worth it. I continue to think that.
What was the most challenging part of moving to the US for work?
Without a doubt, the most challenging part of my last 10 years in the United States has been the visa process. I am now on a Green Card and a permanent resident, but this took 10 years to get to. I went through school and multiple artist visas, which come with their own restrictions and difficulties. It presented many speed bumps along the way which were sometimes frustrating, other times unbearable.
However, it’s part of the journey, and unless you get very, very lucky, it’s a required part of the journey. I’m glad to be through the thick of that now, as in the end, all I want to do is just focus on the work.
You have also worked in the UK. What are some of the steps you took in order to come over here?
One big job I did in the UK was one that got a visa for me. However, as I’m initially from a Commonwealth country, there were other avenues to getting visas as well. Australian citizens can get a visa in the UK without a job in place. It used to be if you were aged below 30 and now I believe it’s if you’re aged below 35. It goes for three years and gives you pretty good rights to work in the United Kingdom. You just have to prove your citizenship and do paperwork.
I think the piece of advice I would give to any actors that are looking to work in other places is to be totally across the visa process and do most of the work for people. Any time there’s a speed bump, people usually pass on you and the job, because it’s just too hard to work out and scares some casting professionals and producers. It shouldn’t, but alas.
In the UK, I had everything in order for the team that wanted me in this job, and it made the process much smoother. Now I can work in the UK, the US and, of course, Australia, so it’s great now, but it took a while.
I would always check what the rights of your country are, and in countries such as the UK or the United States. It is kind of different for everyone – again, if you’re one of the lucky ones and get a big ol’ job, they’ll take care of this for you, but in reality, that isn’t the case for most actors and certainly something I wasn’t going to wait for.
Have plans in place before you go overseas. It’s amazing how long it takes to actually get your feet on the ground somewhere.
You recently performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in ‘Bloody Ballad of Bette Davis’. Can you tell us about your experience at the Fringe?
The Fringe is so crazy! I loved every second. People always talk about how insane of an experience at Fringe is, and of course I believed that, but you really don’t understand it until you experience it. I’m so glad that I got to go across and perform in a new American musical about Hollywood history. It was nice to get some lovely comments about my performance, too.
The best part of Fringe is getting to see so much work and meet so many artists that are passionate about what they’re doing and creating. The only way to Fringe, in my opinion, is to see and do everything – and yes, it took me a week to recover.
What advice can you share for international actors who want to come and find work in the UK?
Have a plan. Who do you know? What types of things do you want to work on? How can you work towards those goals? What is your end goal? Is it going to school? Is it that you have an agent or manager there? Is it that you have a job that’s going there?
Going without a plan is something that I would never recommend as it can get lonely and feel somewhat hopeless. I hear this from the actors that reach out all the time. I came to the US for school first and built a network and life here. Be smart and remember show-business is just as much about the business as it is about the show.
Image credit: Dax Smith
You moved to New York in 2014. What was the US visa process like and were there any unexpected challenges?
The visa situation in the United States is absolutely gruelling. I didn’t get lucky and win the lottery and I didn’t get married either. So, I did it the long and hard way. I had to move through student visas to O1 visas, which are for ‘aliens with extraordinary talent’. I guess I can add ‘alien’ to my special skills on my CV now!
I had to do the three year O1 visa twice with the help of an entertainment immigration lawyer and then prove I was worthy of a Green Card based on merit. I’m now a permanent resident, which took 10 years, lots of money and trust from people around me and a whole lot of patience. A part of it is documenting everything you do, which is actually nice, as it’s kind of a scrapbook for my life and career thus far.
What are the key deciding factors for actors considering a career move?
Pros and cons. Can you be creative in this new place? Do you have people that inspire you that you’re connected with in that place? Do you have any ‘in’ in that place? How can you continue to stay creatively inspired and motivated if nothing comes to you, because that is a very real reality.
Do you like it? Do you like that place? I know it sounds simple but it’s something people seriously don’t think about. Life is too short – live where you are happy. I love New York. I love the weather change, the drama, the ability to see entertainment and events and how close it is to both LA and London.
Are there any limitations to being an international actor in the US or UK?
I think being an ‘international’ will always come with limitations. As I said earlier, you’ll always be different, and that’s okay. It’s reality and I’m not going to hide who I am or where I came from just because it puts me in a different basket.
Limitations initially come from being from a country that doesn’t have many stories on the international stage, meaning there is less you’re ‘exactly right’ for. We are in a moment of seeking authenticity, where you have the greatest chance of getting a role if it’s very close to who you are. So, if there aren’t many roles exactly like who you are or where you’re from, I guess that could be seen as a limitation. I don’t necessarily agree with this idea but I’m also not setting the trend!
Remember your life experiences are different and that’s a great thing so embrace that. I’ve always felt super at home in the UK though. I’ve been received so wonderfully there, and I feel really grateful for that. The culture is similar, so it’s nice working in the UK when I do because it feels like a little bit of home with the same level of presence in the entertainment community as New York.
The point is: Don’t focus on the limitations. It can put you into a real rut. I got caught in that sense of bitterness and woe is me at one stage and it didn’t serve me. Be who you are and work with the hand you’re dealt.
How do you use the ‘Locations’ field on your Spotlight profile to convey your ability to work in multiple countries? Or are there other features you use to get this across to casting directors?
I use ‘Locations’ and select the places that I can work or have a place to stay without having to pay for it as a ‘Local Hire’. I have bases in New York, London, and LA, which is great and really lucky.
I think being honest is absolutely important here. If you say you have a base somewhere and then don’t it can be really annoying for casting directors and producers. You don’t want to be remembered for lying in that way. If you can’t make it work in multiple cities, that’s absolutely fine but just be upfront.
I’m lucky to have places in these major cities, whilst mostly being in New York. It’s very easy for me to be in either of these cities for a job or audition, and that’s why I list them there. Also, if you don’t go there multiple times a year, you don’t have a base there.
You are also the co-Artistic Director of The Australian Theatre Festival NYC. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
I’m so proud of this! I founded the festival along with Mark Barford and Jillian Geurts – two fellow Australians in New York – in 2019, as we felt there was a desire for a celebration of Australian stories and as artists in New York City. Australian stories are hardly ever told on the New York stage and we rarely get to do our own accents and tell stories about where we’re from – yet, there are so many Australian artists in both New York and London performing at the highest level.
The festival has grown and grown. This year we celebrate five years, which is kind of crazy to say out loud! We hire around 50 Australian artists in New York every single year, produce plays, a cabaret, a panel, a screening of an Australian play from Australia and have many parties and events. We run a New Play Award, developing and awarding new plays with prize money and development, and present them in New York, too. We also have a wonderful gala to celebrate the established artists that have worked here.
I’m really proud to run the festival every year and also act in it! That means that I get to develop my art as well as leading the way in programming it, at least from an Australian point of view in New York City. It’s a highlight of my life so far.
Finally, what has been your favourite location to work in so far and why?
Without a doubt, my favourite location to work in so far was the unbelievably gorgeous and historic Wilton’s Music Hall in East London. I did a production of Starcrossed by Rachel Garnet and directed by Philip Wilson there in 2022. It’s a show I’ve been involved with since the very first reading.
To do a new spin on a classical tail set in the original times, in a historic venue like this, was honestly magical. The joy in being involved in a show from reading to workshops in the US, after a cancelled US production because of COVID and then a brand new production in the UK was the most rewarding moment of my life.
The venue is one of the most unique spaces I’ve seen, let alone performed in. The production went so wonderfully and was received in such a beautiful way by audiences and critics. It was just all round, incredibly fulfilling.
They say there’s something magical that you feel when you walk into the theatre. I’ve never felt that was more true than at Wilton’s in the summer of 2022. Now, let’s get back to work!
A big thanks to Connor for sharing his advice! Connor is represented by TTA in the UK and TalentINK Management & Metropolis Artist Agency in the US.
Find out more about Connor Delves and The Australian Theatre Festival NYC through their websites.
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