Isla's Story
“I felt like a failure. I felt like I had no hope,”
For Isla, work did not begin with a CV or qualifications. It began with being seen.
“I felt like a failure. I felt like I had no hope,” she says, looking back on her childhood and teenage years. “The education system failed me, over and over again.”
Growing up with SEND, Isla moved through five different schools. She was sent to a Pupil Referral Unit at just eight years old, a decision that later couldn’t even be explained by the system that made it. “They literally didn’t have an answer as to why I was there,” she recalls. “I was misunderstood. Still am, probably, but now there’s more awareness.”
By her teens, education felt damaging rather than supportive. “I didn’t want to be in education anymore because of the negative impact it was having on me,” she says. “It made me feel like I was doing nothing with my life.”
Then came Immediate Theatre.
Every loss is a loss, but this one really hurt.
Isla
Isla first became involved through Isaiah, someone she describes as pivotal. “He introduced me to everyone. He was such a pinnacle member of Immediate Theatre,” she says. Isaiah’s sudden death in 2020 was devastating. “Every loss is a loss, but this one really hurt.”
At the time, Isla didn’t know what to expect when she started attending. What she did know was that she needed somewhere safe. “I needed it at the time,” she says simply. “It felt like a light.”
Immediate Theatre was different from anything she had known. “People were allowed to go and express themselves and be heard,” she explains. “For the first time, I was listened to.”
The impact wasn’t instant, but it was profound. Isla began exploring acting techniques, performing on stage, travelling to different venues across London. “Forest Road, Adventure Play, Manor House, Kingsmead—everywhere,” she remembers. “I loved coming.”
It felt like family
Isla
More importantly, she found community. “It felt like family,” she says. And Charmain… she’s my second mum. One hundred percent.”
Charmain, she says, believed in her before she believed in herself. “She’s an incredible woman. If it wasn’t for her. Boy, I don’t know.”
The changes crept in quietly. “I’ve always been outspoken and extroverted,” Isla says, “but I wasn’t heard.” Through theatre, that began to shift. Performing helped rebuild confidence stripped away by years of failure. “Being given the opportunity to perform on stage, I never would have believed that,” she says.
In 2014, Isla joined Chickenshed Theatre, building on the foundations Immediate Theatre had laid. “That confidence just grew.”
Support people. Nurture them. Nourish them. Plain and simple.
Isla
Still, the past weighs heavy. “My teenage years are quite a blur,” she admits. “Probably a coping mechanism.” She left school with no GCSEs, something that once felt like a dead end. “But I’m still successful,” she says firmly.
JD Sports. “That was my first proper job,” she laughs, recalling a manager telling her off in a small room. But work, like theatre, turned out to be about people. “Supporting others came naturally to me,” she says.
That instinct shaped her career.
Today, Isla works in presenting and acting, alongside supporting children and young people with SEND. “It’s a full circle moment,” she explains. “I was that person being misunderstood. Now I get to support them.”
That place gave me hope, when I didn’t have any.
Isla
The skills she gained through Immediate Theatre underpin everything she does. “You learn so many valuable skills,” she says. “For me, Immediate Theatre means home. Comfort. Family. Acceptance.”
Looking back, she’s proud, and determined to pass that hope on. “Your GCSEs aren’t the be‑all and end‑all,” she says. “Your experiences are your most valuable tool.”
Isla wants young people like her younger self to know there is life beyond failure, beyond exclusion. “I’d love to tell my story on another platform one day,” she says. “To empower the younger generation.”
As she puts it, Immediate Theatre knew how to do one thing exceptionally well: “Support people. Nurture them. Nourish them. Plain and simple.”
Before finishing, Isla had one last thing to say. “I love everyone at Immediate Theatre. Keep shining. Keep doing the incredible work you do.”
Then she smiles.
“That place gave me hope, when I didn’t have any.”