Accidentally ripping a hole in one’s pants while performing before a live audience sounds like the stuff of nightmares for most people.But for budding actor Rory Wilson, the stage mishap was a real problem he had to face on the last night of a school production.“I go on stage for the first scene, like five minutes in I have to trip on purpose. But on this particular night I sort of overdid it and ripped my pants,” Rory said. “I was thinking, oh dear, I have to wear these trousers for the next five scenes until I change, and there’s just a massive gaping hole.”Instead of letting the accident trip him up for the rest of the show, Rory used it to better his performance.“It all sort of went wrong, but then I tried to use that anger to drill through my last scene in which I was supposed to be really angry. I sort of redirected it,” he said.One of four recipients of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s scholarships this year, Rory’s next step in his acting career begins when he starts at the London School of Dramatic Art (LSDA) this autumn.He had his first experience with acting in Year 9 at Warwick Academy. Previously an avid football player, he was introduced to acting by his drama teacher.“I started to understand it and appreciate it and found sort of a harmony with it, and sort of sacrificed football for acting,” he said. “I continued that, pursued that in England at my boarding school in Uppingham and got lots of encouragement about it.”Rory said the personal journey involved in portraying a character is part of what draws him to acting.“Acting is, I guess I kind of find it a weird concept in that it’s sort of deranged, sort of deluded if you look at it,” he said. “It’s just people pretending to be other people, but then there’s a harmony about it.“The irony is you find out a lot about yourself, it’s a personal journey, but then you also find out about other people.”He has performed in numerous school plays as well as the Gilbert and Sullivan productions Animal Farm and History Boys in Bermuda.“History Boys was quite monumental in my memory. It was just a really strong performance, and same with Animal Farm really,” he said.Through acting on stage, Rory has also discovered an interest in filmmaking, as well as film acting and editing.“I make my own little films and get my brothers to be in them, it’s quite funny,” he said. He also said he is looking forward to the opportunity to do some on-camera acting work at LSDA during his one-year course at the school.Rory hopes to continue on to a three-year drama school after finishing the advanced course at LSDA, then make a career in the film industry.“I’m pretty fascinated by the whole film industry,” he said. “I’m quite keen on art and design, but tied into my acting and filmmaking and editing.”He continued: “Hopefully I’ll continue acting, that’s sort of the main goal.”For other aspiring actors on the Island, Rory said he has found that there are many opportunities in the performing arts here.“There’s just loads of opportunities in Bermuda,” he said. “The thing is, they’re not just going to wait around for you. It takes hard work but there are opportunities, and people willing to help.”