Alumni Stories - Peter Hobday

We spoke with Peter Hobday, who graduated from our BA (Hons) Acting CDT course in 2011, and is now Creative Lead at Swamp Motel, an immersive entertainment company that specialises in producing experiences that blurs boundaries between theatre, film and gaming. 

How did you get started working with Swamp Motel?

Swamp Motel was co-founded by Central’s MA Scenography graduate Clem Garritty, and I met Clem during my time at Central, when he designed one of my third year shows. I then performed regularly in Swamp Motel’s work over a number of years, working on projects including warehouse zombie takeovers and robotic personality tests, to a crazy tour-gone-wrong in NYC. When the opportunity came up to work for the company full-time in February 2021, I jumped at the chance!

At Swamp Motel we love creating new worlds and blurring the lines between fiction and reality, as our online investigation game trilogy Isklander demonstrates.

What have you been working on recently?

I’ve been working on The Drop, an immersive escape experience which is now running in London until 31 December. Audiences step into a lift where their fate hangs in the balance. Will they go up, down, or further than they imagined? They take part in a thrilling, intimate hybrid of web sleuthing, and in-real-life adventure, that frames them as the main character.

We’re pleased to be able to offer an exclusive 10% discount for Central students, alumni and staff for The Drop, and you can email alumni@cssd.ac.uk for the code to use when booking tickets.  

What has surprised you most about working with Swamp Motel?

How much the whole team comes together to create something incredible, everyone putting their soul into it. It’s a huge team effort and our collective focus is always on the audience’s journey, and we’re constantly finessing, listening and adapting our work to continually improve upon their experience.  

What does a typical working day look like for you at the moment?

My days at Swamp Motel are incredibly varied, which genuinely makes it my dream job. Recently, as well as opening The Drop, I was the Creative Lead on an immersive alien invasion, a client project we did for Beavertown. My days usually include writing, designing, meetings, responding to briefs, liaising with other creative departments, and casting - often using heroic CDT alumni!

On The Drop in particular, we’re scripting, website making, set dressing, puzzle designing, narrative building, working with actors, filming and analysing the groups journey as they pass through experience and note any changes that need to be made.

What has been the biggest challenge that you have overcome while working The Drop?

We’ve spent a long time developing the logical, historical accuracy of the backstories and relationships, motives and drama. Choosing which narrative nuggets to give the audience, and when, has been the challenge. We want to tell the clearest, most exciting story during the audience’s tense 45-60 min journey with us. 

What made you want to study on Central’s BA (Hons) Acting CDT course?

The audition for CDT totally opened my eyes and excited me more than any other drama school audition. Instead of solely reciting a bit of Shakespeare, it challenged me physically and imaginatively. It felt more like a theatre workshop than an audition.

You graduated from the course in 2011, is the work you’re doing now reflective of what you had planned to do after graduation?

As an actor, I’m very grateful to have had the opportunities I’ve had since graduating. It was my ultimate dream to work with director Katie Mitchell,  and I’m honoured to have performed in six of her shows. I’ve performed in theatres such as The National Theatre, The Young Vic, Shakespeare’s Globe, Lincoln Centre, NYC, and The Royal Court with incredible casts and creatives. However, an actors’ life can be anxiety-provoking and for me the time came to change things up a bit. I can honestly say that I’ve never been happier since working full time at Swamp Motel.

What advice would you have for anyone looking to follow in your footsteps?

My top tips would be:

• Remember that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Most of the opportunities that I’ve had didn’t come directly my way, or even via an agent, I had to send out lots of speculative emails.
• Do what makes you content. Don’t spend your life struggling - ask for help, use resources, speak honestly.
• Make use of what you already pay for, for example Spotlight host a number of useful events throughout the year, and you can also access resources, such as six free therapy sessions courtesy of Equity.
• Get as much practical experience as you possibly can, especially when ‘not acting’. I’ve been an agent’s assistant, casting director, a runner, extra, movement director, filmmaker, and yoga teacher, and nothing is wasted. It was that variety that led to my position at Swamp Motel.
• Be kind to yourself - genuinely. Help others. Know that 98% of actors and creatives have difficult periods, we all need support and there’s no shame in that.

Visit Swamp Motel’s website to find out more about their work, and follow @peterhobday and @swamp_motel on Instagram and @swampmotel Twitter for more updates.