Feature Friday: April Boyd

Please state your full name and your new position here at Marlborough College Malaysia.

April Lynn Boyd – Teacher of Speech and Drama, Prep and Senior School

Could you share a little about your background, family, hobbies, and anything else that’s important to you?

I grew up in a small town called Keosauqua, in South East Iowa U.S.A. on an orchard farm. My weekends and evenings were often spent picking crops and getting produce ready for market, aside from that, I also helped out in the family tyre business, loading and unloading tyres as well as the day to day operations of the farm.  It wasn’t unusual for me at age 7 to take the weekly takings to the bank on my own by bicycle, it was indeed a tumbleweed town!

My passion for theatre developed in high school, where I would involve myself in everything, partly to ensure that I didn’t have to be at home and work on the farm! I then attended Central College in Pella, Iowa, taking a major in theatre. It was later on during the BA that I had the opportunity to travel. I turned down an internship at the National Theatre London, opting instead for a more appropriate fit given my background, a small farming town in South Wales. I loved it so much and I decided to stay, meeting my husband, Dylan Boyd and residing in the UK for many years.

Why Marlborough College Malaysia and why Malaysia?

In 2014, my husband and I decided that we needed a change and were restless for travel, so we started to apply for international teaching positions and ended up in Penang, Malaysia, not a bad place indeed! We loved it so much we stayed for 7 years and had our only son, Lancelot – currently in Year 4 here at Marlborough College. Covid and family illnesses took us back to the UK, via a year in Morocco, before settling in Suffolk, England. There was always a calling to come back to Malaysia and when the opportunity came to teach at Marlborough College Malaysia, it was too good an opportunity to turn down. As both a teacher and a parent, I knew that MCM is the perfect school where my son will grow up and thrive.  Furthermore, after living in Malaysia before, I love the variety, diversity and friendliness of the country and culture.

Can you describe your experiences and achievements in your current/previous role?

Bringing LAMDA Speech and Drama as a new qualification to Marlborough is exciting and already the interest is considerable. Having been a successful Head of Department of Drama for many years, I hope to enthuse my students with passion and curiosity, nurturing them into well-rounded characters and supporting them in their academic endeavours. Having previously led international FOBISIA Drama festivals as well as international trips, I hope that I can use my experience to help enrich the student experience here at Marlborough through similar ventures.