Book of Mormon star honed talent at leading Scottish performing arts school
LIVINGSTON-BORN actor Blair Gibson is receiving rave reviews in the West End production of The Book of Mormon, where he is starring as leading role Elder Kevin Price.
His success comes after years of hard work and training at The MGA Academy, Scotland’s only fully CDMT accredited performing arts college.
After discovering his passion for musical theatre at a young age, Blair left high school at 15 to enrol in MGA’s three-year HND Musical Theatre course to hone his craft.
Fresh off his studies, Blair made the move to London and signed with an agent. The talent quickly began booking roles and secured a lead role in Jersey Boys on Norwegian Cruise Lines in 2018 playing Bob Gaudio, which later earned him the role on the UK tour of the musical.
Blair said: “I auditioned seven years ago before landing my role as Elder Price for Book of Mormon when I was straight out of college, and I had written off ever doing the show as the audition didn’t go well. But my goal since then was to better myself.
“The three years I spent at MGA were so beneficial, they gave us all the basics and foundations, so we didn’t go into auditions completely blind. I loved that I didn’t have to move away from home too, I was really well looked after.
“As our classes were a lot smaller than you’d typically get in the bigger London schools, you get a lot more one to ones and more time to focus on you, as opposed to being lost in the crowd,”
The small class sizes at the collage allowed for personalised attention and focus on Blair’s development, building his confidence and preparing him for a career in musical theatre and since graduating has returned to the college to share his experience with the next generation to stars.
His talent and work ethic have enabled him to ascend to the top of London’s fierce theatre scene. Among Blair’s stand-out performances while studying were lead roles in Spring Awakening and Addam’s Family.
On being cast in his first West End leading role, Blair said: “When I was on tour with Jersey boys in Edinburgh, the call came through for a first round for Book of Mormon for Elder Price.
“The audition process was tough, after ten rounds of auditions and a lot of hard work, I got the call to say I got the part.
“To anyone looking to get into musical theatre, or any performing arts, my advice would be to be fearless, the worst that can happen is getting cut from the process.
“It’s ok not to go for every opportunity, be confident to know who you are and what you can do. Also Know its ok to turn things down if they don’t feel right for you.”
At just 25 years old, Blair’s performance as Elder Price is receiving rave reviews. Shows are being held in The Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
Marcella Macdonald, Principal of MGA Academy said, “We are incredibly proud of Blair and all that he has achieved.
“His drive and dedication during his time with us was evident, and we know this is only the beginning for him.
“MGA’s focus remains on nurturing and developing talent like Blair’s, giving students the personalised training and foundations needed to build careers on the global stage.”
The MGA Academy recently relocated to a brand new multi-million-pound facility, which has the capacity for the college to triple its intake.
MGA is Scotland’s only fully CDMT accredited performing arts college, holding Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Council of Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) and Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dance (ISTD).
Learn more about The MGA Academy and how to enrol for courses here: https://www.themgaacademy.com/
