Former Greenfields Students find success in the Arts
04 Sep 2017
Greenfields has a strong track record for helping to nurture the creativeness of its students. Whether via is own Theatre Company, Rock School or by making professional artists available for tuition, the result is that many of its former students have gone into theatre, film production, design, photography, music and many other arts. Here are some updates on some of them:
Omayma Ramzey – Hollywood makeup artist
“I was very lucky I went to Greenfields School. They have an amazing arts department. In the last three weeks of the year we would do theatre production. They put on Pride and Prejudice one year and they had a costume department where I was helping my teacher make dresses. It was amazing.”
Omayma is now living in LA where she runs her own company called Omayma Inc., providing make-up, clothing and styling services to the stars. She has also worked on music videos and numerous TV commercials including for Ford and Samsung.
The daughter of Hossam Ramzy – an Egyptian percussionist who has provided music for artists such as Shakira, Led Zeppelin and Ricky Martin – Omayma started out with an interest in fashion when she attended Greenfields School in Forest Row.
After Greenfields, Omayma gained a degree in fine art at the City and Guilds of London Art School. But she credits her time at Greenfields School with giving her the buzz for fashion, which has led her to her glamorous career.
Ali Helnwein – Musician and Orchestra Founder
“I remember some of my earliest musical memories being at Greenfields. I greatly enjoyed the lessons and learned a lot from them, which in turn helped prompt me to pursue a career as a composer conductor – now having my own chamber orchestra. Using study technology (A method that helps children learn and to retain and use what they have learned) helped me a lot in my early studies and I continue to use it every day. Knowing how to study, makes it possible to learn what I need to and want to know in order to achieve my artistic goals.”
Ali is an Emmy winning composer and has orchestrated Grammy winning projects.
He composed all the music for 13 “Touch of Evil” short films, featuring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Kirsten Dunst, Ryan Gosling, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Jessica Chastain, Rooney Mara, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Shannon, Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin and Adepero Oduye.
In 2006 he founded the Traction Avenue Chamber Orchestra, which he has been successfully conducting since. The orchestra has become known for showing up in places where one normally wouldn’t expect an orchestra, premiering new works, and playing to new audiences — performing in places such as a skatepark, a Chinatown Alley, the rooftop of the Standard, etc.
Joanna Bessey – Top Malaysian actress
“I have found study technology to be invaluable not only when I was in school but in life in general and I continue to use it on a daily basis. I have had a successful career as an actress in both the theatre and television, including hosting a programme for BBC World News recently called ‘Exploring Malaysia’.
There is no question that study technology has and does help me in accomplishing all these endeavours, as my ability to truly comprehend and therefore fully apply myself is achieved with study technology. It even helps with learning my lines rapidly!”
Joanna is the star of hit Malaysian comedy series Kopitiam and has appeared in over 200 episodes of television, 6 TV movies, 5 feature films, commercials with 2 major celebrity endorsements, voice-over work for commercials and animated series and numerous theatre productions.
Felix Kunze – International photographer
“The most valuable skill I took away from Greenfields is the ability to learn any subject I set my sights on. The school gives you the tools you need to learn about life and actually USE the knowledge you attain. The attainment of knowledge takes a back seat to the USE of knowledge, which is invaluable.”
Felix is an international world class portrait photographer whose work is often featured in magazines and events and in the portfolios of celebrities.
From his base in London, Felix travels for projects all around the globe. As well as providing some photo assistance for Annie Leibovitz in New York, he shoots a lot of portraiture as well as assignments for agencies like Getty Images, WireImage, the Redferns Music Library, Getty Travel and others, including celebrity portraits at ContourPhotos.
Shannon Tarbet – British TV and Theatre Actress
“From attending Greenfields School at such a young age I have been given a strong sense of my own integrity and belief in my competence going into any career field. If it hadn’t been for growing up in such a positive and supportive environment I don’t think I would have thought of myself being in the position I’m in today. Greenfields is a great exemplification of how important support is and I cannot thank the staff and my fellow pupils enough! At Greenfields I learned to love studying and that was because of the study tech used in this school helping me to fully grasp each subject. When you really apply something as simple as “clearing your misunderstood words” – no subject appears as a challenge anymore. Studying becomes a game! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent at Greenfields, and am very grateful for the tech this school has provided me with to flourish and prosper in life!”
Shannon first came to public attention in 2010 with her critically acclaimed professional stage debut as Delilah Evans in Spur of the Moment by Anya Reiss at the Royal Court Theatre in London where she was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Outstanding Newcomer in 2010.
Her second theatre performance was in Mogadishu by Vivienne Franzmann at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester which then transferred to the Lyric Theatre in London in 2011. Shannon won the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Mogadishu and has made appearances in episodes BBC programs such as Silk, Lewis, Monroe, Inspector George Gently and many others.
Gabriel Philips Sanchez – award winning international Lighting Designer
“Greenfields gave me the opportunity to discover an art form that not many people notice – Lighting. If anything, my story shows what you can really achieve if you put your mind to it. And the answer is anything. For example, Greenfields Theatre Company – always pushing the boundaries of what can be done in such a short time scale, GTC showed me that a brilliant team can be more of an asset than a large budget. I am thrilled to be creating on lighting every day for my living, and Greenfields helped me discover this.”
Gabriel designs and installs lighting for concerts, dance shows, musicals and drama on an international level, and is manager of his own company, GPS Lighting.
Assaff Rawner – MD of Mark Roberts Motion Control
“Before coming to Greenfields I had been out of school for several months. I didn’t want to go to school anymore, I was bored with it. When I started at Greenfields, I was able to study at my own speed at each of the different levels I was at in the subjects. This allowed me to excel in certain subjects and my desire to study increased dramatically. As a result, I studied a lot of different subjects, doing exams in everything from cookery to computing, but what I enjoyed the most was electronic engineering. Needless to say after finishing my A Levels at Greenfields, electronic engineering at university was a breeze and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
MRM Motion Control is a revolutionary special effects company for the film industry used in most major films such as ‘the Matrix’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Harry Potter’ etc. Winners of a technical Oscar at the Academy Awards Hollywood 1999.
Lucy Renouf – Ballet Dancer
“I would like to let you know my appreciation for the wonderful Study Technology I have learnt here at Greenfields. Previously I found learning a chore. Now, I enjoy learning new things and taking on any task which is thrown at me”
Lucy is the most recent graduate to be mentioned here and left Greenfields to study at the Laine Theatre Arts in London in 2014. Despite her youth she is already making an impact in the dance world where she continues to excel.