My first stage performance in London was as Richard Carruthers, junior lead in Virtue Triumphant, directed by the late and much-loved Terry O'Brien. This spoof Victorian melodramic romp was as much fun for the cast as for the audience.

I went on to play Jim in Hobson's Choice, directed by the late David Liney, famed for his 1940s movie career when still in his teens. Then it was another junior lead as Simon, in Murder on the Nile, performed at the Hampstead Theatre. My final role was Julien in The Flip Side, a challenging comedy about two married couples, performed in Johannesburg.

My semi-autobiographical novel, Jessica, is inspired by my experiences and the friendships I made while rehearsing for Virtue Triumphant. Jessica's Park Players is based on the now-defunct Camden Players, whose Terry O'Brien becomes Lionel Marks. As Matthew explains to Harry's friends at his birthday party, "We were from all sorts of backgrounds. That's the thing about acting. You can be who you want to be".

This is why, as Vice President of the English-speaking Union in France, I work with a performing arts academy in the difficult "Quartiers Nord" of Marseille to open the eyes of talented young people to choices they don't even know they have. When your vision is limited to your immediate surroundings, family, and social group, it isn't easy to develop beyond that.  

Acting in the role of someone else is a great way to find out who you are. You only need to believe.