Medea, performer — West End, US tour, Broadway & Paris

This was a months-long masterclass in talent, grit and discipline. Night after night, from my spot in the 5-person Chorus, I watched Fiona Shaw bring Medea to life in all her agonised, victimised, monstrously human glory. This show was 1 hour and 20 minutes long and moved with the power of an express train from the beginning.

I count this job as one of the biggest life lessons I've ever been taught and it feeds into everything I do today. Finding compassion and understanding for people who commit the worst crimes is a difficult task but surely a necessary step on the path to understanding the full spectrum of humanity.

From a theatre-making and writing point of view, I learned the value of high stakes and the urgency of grabbing the audience from the get-go. The director, Deborah Warner, made sure each of us felt invested in the play so we all turned up every night, for months on end, with our A game. As theatre jobs go, it doesn't get much better than this.