PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS//
Ellie-Mae Rooke
Sixth Former Ellie-Mae Rooke is
set to appear on our TV screens in
Emmerdale, after overcoming stage
fright to become a star of School
productions - and then land the part of
an extra in the TV soap.
Ellie-Mae has been signed up as a
‘regular supporting artist’ and will
appear in the background of Emmerdale
scenes on a regular basis. She has
already met several of the soap’s main
characters during filming in Leeds, and
could be asked to deliver small amounts
of dialogue in future.
She says her enjoyment of acting was
marred by shyness and stage fright
when she was younger, but that
changed when she moved up to
Pocklington Senior School and started
studying drama: “I owe a lot to Mr
Heaven and the other Drama Department
teachers, who recognised that I had a talent
for acting and have helped me to build
my confidence, develop a stage presence
and become the person that I am today,”
she said.
“When someone tells you that you are good
at something, it gives you the confidence to
take it forward. I now have a real passion
for writing, directing and acting.”
Ellie-Mae impressed in recent School
plays Animal Farm and Daisy Pulls it
Off and has helped direct these and
junior play productions. The big break
on Emmerdale came after she heard
its casting directors were looking for
families to appear in the background
during scenes. Her mum is already a
supporting artist on the soap so Ellie-
Mae auditioned to join her.
She said: “I was sent pieces of script and
asked to make a video of myself acting
to camera at home. It was a bit weird to
begin with, trying to avoid eye contact with
the camera and you feel a bit silly, but the
directors just want to see how you are in front
of a camera.”
They were sufficiently impressed to
invite Ellie-Mae to the ITV studios
in Leeds, where she found herself
alongside the soap’s familiar characters:
“There is a very relaxed atmosphere at the
studios and everyone is very friendly and
chatty – they are just normal really! I’ve met
some of the main characters such as Megan
Macey, David and Tracy Metcalfe, Paddy
Kirk and Chas Dingle. It usually takes 6-8
weeks for filming to air, so the scenes I have
just done will air in May or June.”
Ellie-Mae also appears in local
Performing Arts Etc summer school
productions and has previously
helped teach drama at Pocklington’s
Stagestruck Theatre School. She
said she finds television acting a very
different experience: “In stage acting,
you have to rehearse a lot as you only get one
chance to impress! On a set it is different
because you can retake the scene.”
so many people involved and several cuts are
taken, with different camera angle, lighting
or set construction. A one minute to minute-
and-a-half scene can take over an hour to
shoot.”
Ellie-Mae is studying Theatre Studies,
Psychology and English Literature A
Levels and aiming for a Theatre Studies
course at university.
Her contribution to drama across
the board has led her to being
awarded Drama Colours, and she is
the Sixth Form Drama Prefect. She
has also recently been signed up as a
supporting artist for a TV series set in
Scarborough.
Head of Drama, Alan Heaven, said:
“Ellie Mae has been an inspiration to others
throughout her time at the school. She is
dedicated and professional in her approach
and we all wish her every success in this first
step on an exciting career.”
She added: “Being on
Emmerdale has taught me
a lot about TV production.
Discovering the work
involved in putting just one
scene together for an episode
was fascinating. There are
THE POCKLINGTONIAN
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