On The Hunt: A new DT Connection For Me to Pursue

...or, I Love it When My Brain Does a Weird!

So back in 2021, a book called Royal Conservatoire of Scotland: Raising the Curtain was published by Luath Press Ltd. It was researched and written by my friend Stuart Harris-Logan, the Keeper of the Archives at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland/RCS (previously the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama/RSAMD). I was honored to work alongside Stuart in the RCS archives for a time in 2019 during my tenure as a student archivist at the University of Glasgow.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly if you're interested in the history of the RCS. It's a great read! It contains spotlights on many former RCS students who've gone on to become successful in their fields (including Sam Heughan, Ncuti Gatwa, Richard Madden, James McAvoy, etc.) and - of course! - has a small spotlight on David Tennant as well.

That spotlight is only a few pages long, but it contains quotes from a sit-down interview David did called 'Conversations at the RCS with Andy Dougan' on 4 July 2016, when David was there to receive his honorary Doctorate. This interview was recorded, and is housed at the RCS Archives. The chat was intended for RCS acting students and therefore spent a lot of time focusing on David's years at the school (a particular thrill of mine!) so of course I've seen it! It remains one of my favorite interviews with David.

My favorite, though? David's brilliant and engrossing 2016 SAG-AFTRA interview, which I was in the audience for. I encourage you wholeheartedly to watch it below:

Raising The Curtain also contains this fabulous matriculation photo of a very young David (around age 11), taken in 1982 upon his entrance into the RCS (then RSAMD) Junior School. He's said before he hated his glasses when he was a kid, and by the looks of his expression in his picture, it definitely seems like he didn't want his picture taken! (For those of you who don't know what the Junior School did, I've included this little explanation from the 9 March 1988 edition of the Glasgow Herald.)

During the course of the RCS interview I mentioned previously, David speaks about how important getting involved with the Junior School program was to him. Quoting the interview from Raising The Curtain, David says the following:

"I came from a background where nobody really knew how you go about becoming an actor. I mean, we were aware that there was the Athenaeum as it was then, so we sniffed around and found out there was a Saturday morning class called the Junior School which you could come to and do classes. I later found out that it was run by the students and it was part of the BA Acting course. At the time, I just thought I was going to a Saturday morning drama club, and I did that every year until I left school and came here as a full time student."

Upon reading this, my brain did a Weird (a phenomena I affectionately call my "DT Spidey Sense") and it began to prickle. Given my extensive research into David's early career and my heavy focus on his time at drama school, I knew that during his years as a BA Acting student, it was part of his last year's coursework requirement to help teach and direct Junior School participants in at least one production (so yes, if you've ever wondered if DT directed anything, well -- you heard it here first!)

Now here's what I noticed. In 1984 and 1985, there was a 3rd Yr. BA Acting student who was attending the RSAMD/RCS. He would've been required to teach Junior School students as part of his coursework, and direct the Junior School students in a few plays. That student was Alan Cumming. 

As previously noted, David began Junior School in 1982 and continued until he enrolled as a full-time student in 1988, so David would've been in the program at the time. 

So...is it possible to confirm Alan taught a very young David Tennant?

I'm in the process of pursuing an answer!