“I sort of blundered my way into something that I didn’t even know existed.”
Growing up on his parent’s dairy farm near Takapau, he saw more gumboots and milking sheds than stages and costumes.
A push from his Central Hawke’s Bay College drama class teacher took the science-minded student out of the lab and onto the stage.
Despite his lack of knowledge of the work of Shakespeare, Galloway instantly fell in love with the feeling of being on stage and exploring the rich tapestry of the 16th-century English playwright’s scripts.
He entered with two others and was handpicked after the group’s performance of a scene from Macbeth.
“It was completely foreign. It was something that we just threw ourselves into and we didn’t know what it would come to, we just entered.”
Galloway considers his rural background to be both a blessing and a curse as he didn’t receive much exposure to theatre as a child.
“It kind of grounds me... when you are sitting on a quad bike getting the cows, learning lines you start to go this is something not a lot of people are doing.”
Oisín Galloway runs lines with the milking cows in preparation to perform at the Globe Theatre in London. Photo / Connull Lang
He understood the absurdity as he recited lines with cows for critics but didn’t let it stop him.
The young actor said he was proud to be representing a “small part of New Zealand” and endeavoured to do his best while overseas.
Galloway is set to leave the country on May 14 and head to Ireland to visit family before making his debut at The Globe Theatre in London.
“It can be a little bit daunting to have come into it not by luck, or by fluke, but just having stumbled into something people have been doing for years.”
Oisín Galloway said he was pursuing a passion, but would always return home to his rural roots. Photo / Connull Lang
Galloway finds himself more of a fan of Shakespeare’s comedies, rather than tragedies and said he was still learning to understand the different interpretations.
His rural background kept him humble - he was expected home in August to help with calving, and said no matter his success, “the cows don’t care who you are”.
He encouraged anyone wanting to pursue acting or pursue a passion to put themselves out there and get involved, and know a journey like his was possible for others.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
