Campbell-Jay Parker
young company member
they/them
Meet Campbell-Jay
Who are you?
I am Campbell-Jay Parker. I'm an actor/writer/performer in every way I can get my hands on. I've been described as a renaissance person (by which they meant I probably have a lifespan of around 40). I'm non-binary, pansexual, autistic and I wouldn't change any of it for the world. I live in the Gorbals of Glasgow home to legend of The Gorbals Vampire. As a person with light sensitivity, who regularly stays up until half 6 in the morning writing, who has the complexion of milk I consider myself the new Gorbals Vampire.
I'm a goth-cabaret, cartoon car crash.
I'm Disney villains, and fruity cocktails.
I'm snuggled under a blanket for days reading comic books.
I'm over the top and you certainly will never have to ask me to speak up.
How did you get here?
I've always been a mimic. From a very young age studying the pitch, rhythm, and timbre of the voices in my favourite cartoons and repeating them as flawlessly as I could to the encouraging applause of family members (probably the start of my addiction to applause). After becoming obsessed with Doctor Who and the making of the show, realisation hit me and I discovered that I'd been basically acting my whole life. It felt like a no-brainer that I should pursue this career. I marched up to my mother, more determined than any 7 year old should be and proudly declared "I SHALL BE AN ACTOR". After a very good-natured giggle from my mother, some amazingly supportive drama teachers, 10 years at the RCS short courses where I learned to love writing and directing just as much as performing, and an HND in Acting and Performance from New College Lanarkshire... I'm frankly just excited to be on board.
What does the concept of Sanctuary mean to you?
Sanctuary to me isn't just a safe space, it isn't just a place where you feel comfortable in isolation from bigotry or misunderstanding. No, sanctuary to me is a place where differences are not only accepted, but celebrated. Sanctuary is a place you feel all facades fade away and you can be as unapologetically yourself and feel loved for it. A place where the minutiae of what makes us all the unique and fantastic people that we are, is supported and appreciated above and beyond the call of duty. Acceptance and tolerance followed by love and continued support and an effort to understand.
What does your Sanctuary look like?
Dark but warm. Weathered but not broken. Something like an old and gothic library filled to the brim with history and new stories to read and enjoy. A museum dedicated to the oddities of the world but with big comfy velvet chairs to waste away reclining in. My personal sanctuary would be a place that inspires me and challenges my mind while my body feels at peace and rested. Somewhere that evokes a mischievous and macabre twinkle while a fireplace roars away in the corner. A perpetual November. Somewhere that feels between Halloween and Christmas. Normally solitary but with room for loved ones to visit.