Alex Moran – Actor

Alex was at Balshaw’s Church of England High School until 2005. He took part in many drama productions gleaning valuable acting knowledge from acting greats like Mr Woodcock and Mr Swarbrick.

Alex Moran is in his final year at university, yet the star in the making has already secured a prominent place in the upcoming production of ‘Blackjack’, which has been commissioned to play at The Lowry in Manchester next year.

With a unique zest for life, Alex, 22, has been treading the boards since the tender age of 5. Gone are the days of Alex playing sheep number two as lead roles seem more so in Moran’s league.

His first lead role came when he was a pre-adolescent 10 year old, playing the main part in, ‘The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’. He was, of course, the ominous, Sweeny Todd and as the crowd played along with his character’s persona, Alex fell in love with theatre and so a beautiful tale began.

“Alex Moran. Remember that name; you’ll be hearing more it if there’s any justice.” – David Upton of the Lancashire Evening Post.

His life, from that moment on WAS acting – nothing more and nothing less and as he went through school life his main ambition was to get, ‘the role’. With an A* for Drama fixed firmly in the palm of his hand, Alex began to study English and Drama near his home in Leyland. After settling into college life and taking on new challenges he grasped the life of theatre by starring in productions of, ‘Teechers’ and ‘Our Country’s Good’.

As his family recognised his raw talent and unbelievable ambition, they encouraged him to pursue his dream and so, Alex took the plunge and applied to join The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The RSAMD were thoroughly impressed with his glowing skills but aged only seventeen they asked him to reapply when he had a bit more life experience.

As Alex sought out gaining ‘more life experience’ he also, at that point, decided to join the University of Central Lancashire and gain a degree in Drama. Throughout the degree, this young whippersnapper just didn’t stop. Working part-time to support himself, he also joined a local dramatics group in order to help him thrive on his course. And as he picked up more roles throughout his journey, he only set his sights higher, going to France in the summer holidays to attend The Roy Hart Theatre School. Whilst there, in France,  he thrived on the demanding timetable, which only enabled student’s to do one thing; act.

One tutor there, Linda White, commented that he was a “fantastic actor”, which of course, boosted his confidence further and made him realise that his hard work and hectic lifestyle was starting to pay off, as he heard the professionals give such comments.

When the time in France came to a close, Alex packed his bags and caught a plane home. The weather in Blighty didn’t compare to that of in France but Alex was back in university and theatres across England, so he didn’t really notice – or care.

Not forgetting his roots he returned home and jumped into another play for the new, Preston Tringe, which as we all know here on Blog Preston, was an immense hit! Alex played several parts in the play of ‘Blackjack’ being serene and convincing one moment and furiously irritated the next. It was at this time that David Upton of the Lancashire Evening Post reviewed the show and told readers to remember Alex Moran!

A major production Alex then played the lead role in was, ‘The Hypochondriac’, which was directed by the Olivier Award Winner, Mark Whitelaw. Having studied the art of biomechanical movement in his time at university, he enjoyed the role of Argan even more so and felt that director Whitelaw could make you do things you never realised possible before.

So, what’s next on the agenda for our budding thespian? Well, not one to slow down and take life easy, Alex will be knocking upon The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama again, where he plans to embark on studying for his Masters…and don’t forget he’ll be playing at The Lowry next year.

This local lad will undoubtedly go far, we wish you the best of luck, Alex!

“Tales From The Blackjack” at the Lowry
One man show  -  Alex Moran

One man, three tales, the edge of your seat.

Hold tight to your seats as you are taken at breakneck speed through the mysterious and mesmerising world of the Casino. A straight-talking Glaswegian croupier introduces three exhilarating accounts of life inside the four walls of the gambling superhighway, stripping away the glitz and glamour to reveal a harsh reality of debt and desperation. Have you ever wondered how you turn a relatively normal human being into a dependant gambling addict? Find out the answer in this energetic tale of corruption and despair, kung fu fights and insane heights.

“..breathtaking..” ****
Public Reviews

“A fine introduction to a fresh new acting talent.”
What’s On Stage North West

“..incredibly engaging..”
A Younger Theatre

Lancashire Evening Post review:-

Published on Fri Jul 31 09:19:55 BST 2009

The essence of fringe theatre is wrapped up in two sparkling productions that also prove the organisers of Tringe, the city’s first-ever festival of small-scale theatre, have created something special.

Fitting more than 20 acts into five venues in just eight days was always going to be a gamble, but has paid off with audience sizes that even Edinburgh might have envied in its early days.

Tales from the Blackjack, upstairs at the Angel last night, was a case in point.

It has an appeal that spreads by word of mouth, or more likely digital means, and earned itself a capacity audience on just its second showing.

Writer Richard Holdsworth (using his acute knowledge of life as a croupier) and actor Alex Moran (remember that name, you’ll be hearing more of it if there’s any justice) have fashioned a half-hour of thrilling entertainment out of a story set around the green baize table at a casino.

Moran is a croupier, coolly persuasive one moment, angrily dealing with the demons of his trade the next.

He also switches effortlessly to the roles of three of his addictive customers and invokes each with an earthy realism, and language to match.

The energy and urgency make it a little gem of a drama, and you have one last chance to catch it again tonight.

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