TRP Stories: Tip Cullen

Royal Marine turned actor, Tip Cullen spent more than three decades as a Mountain Leader, on operations in forward reconnaissance and as an instructor in mountainous and cold weather environments.

It’s a far cry from his life now as a professional actor and Assistant Practitioner for Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Our Space project.

Ahead of National Armed Forces Day on 29 June, Tip tells us his story.

“As a young lad growing up in Belfast, I chose the less than natural path to become a Royal Marine. It was the sense of adventure and challenge and maybe even the need to get away from Belfast in the 70s and 80s. It was my form of escapism looking back in hindsight.

“It gave me everything I wanted at that time of my life. It was extremely hard, extremely challenging, but there’s no regrets at all.”

Tip’s 30-year long career in the forces began in 1986.

“It was a rollercoaster and a constant in my life for all that time. I lost a lot of friends, but it was important that we were all there to make a difference and to help people.”

Tip later moved into a different role that was office based. Something quite different to the kind of work he originally signed up for.

“I wasn’t long back from operations in Afghanistan and there was a moment where I felt I had to do something else. I like telling stories, listening to stories, and reading. I wanted to be a storyteller.”

Tip then joined the reserves, but at the same time began a three-year acting degree at Plymouth Marjon University, something he describes as an “incredible experience”.

“To be an actor you’ve got to be so dynamic, you’ve got to play on emotions and experiences. I struggled initially because for me to reach those depths of emotions, I’d need to tap into real life memories from being out on operations and I struggled with that.

“It took me a few months to realise that for me to be credible as an actor, I had to think about friends who are no longer with me. I will always have those absent friends with me, and I want to keep their memories alive.”

Whilst at university, Tip appeared as an extra in Hollywood films including Ready Player One and Kingsman 2.

It was also while at Marjon, that Tip became involved with Theatre Royal Plymouth, through a community production called Boots at the Door, which was presented on The Lyric stage in 2015.

The play was based on real-life experience and explored what it means to be part of the military community, told by those who had served.

More recently, Tip has become an Assistant Practitioner on TRP’s Our Space programme, and specifically the veterans strand of the project. It provides creative opportunities and weekly workshops for service personnel, veterans, and the long-term wounded, injured and sick.

“For people that have physical or mental vulnerabilities, it’s so important to see them come alive again and tell their stories and feel secure enough to open up. Our Space really delivers that. It gives them a hunger to improve and move forward, not only in the performance world, but in life.

 “Because of my life experience, I can completely empathise with them.”

Tip never thought he’d eventually work at Theatre Royal Plymouth, but finds working on Our Space hugely rewarding.

“I live locally now, and the theatre is a focal point, not only for Plymouth but for the West Country. It’s a real bastion for the community’s ability to get into performing arts.”

Find out more about Our Space: https://theatreroyal.com/ourspace

Watch Tip’s video: