1.Could you tell us how you would identify yourself as a practitioner and the context in which you’d like to work including who your audience or target market would be?
When it comes to theatre I believe I am very open minded in my ways of working. You cannot have a performance without writers, directors, performers etc and I believe having a range of these skills allows me to be extremely versatile as a practitioner. However, that being said to narrow it down for you my passion is in directing and creating work. This is the element I plan to develop further when I have finished my degree.
I am a practitioner who has a drive for creating and directing theatre using verbatim theatre and people’s real lives and stories. Furthermore, I am particularly interested in telling well known stories but from a perspective that has not been heard before. An example of me creating a performance similar to this was my performance of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. This focused on the aftermath of Hillsborough for two survivors. Although Hillsborough is a well-known disaster surrounding the victims, I wanted to put my own spin onto the story and share survivor’s stories that had been unheard for years. This was not only to give a voice back to the survivors but also give another side of the story that people maybe were unaware of.
As a practitioner I enjoy working in a collaborative manner. One of my reasons for this being, I feel it is too easy to get caught up in making a piece for yourself, you assume everything you like the audience will also enjoy. That being said I believe it is important to work collaboratively with people who are not afraid to be critical. The performances that I create are made as a collaborative using skills and techniques from myself and my cast. It is important for me to allow creative ideas to flow in the space and not to enter with a set idea that I am unwilling to work around.
When it comes to my target audience there is not one particular person I believe my theatre is for, but I think that is the great thing about it. I believe theatre of any form has the ability to be enjoyable for everyone, depending on how you approach it. The theatre I am to create will be filled with deep meanings and hope and I believe could be relevant to anyone who watches. Although I will be creating the theatre, it is the audience who choose what they take away from it.
- How is your identity as a practitioner both reflected in the portfolio; and produced by the portfolio?
I believe my portfolio reflects my identity as a practitioner in its layout as it is very straight and to the point, much like myself. When creating the site, I wanted everything to be easily accessible and easy to find to make sure there were no loopholes were my readers could get confused and take information from my site that may not be factually correct. This is important as it shows future employers what I hold important and I am able to communicate clearly and concisely. This shows a level of accuracy and that I aim to hold my work to a commendable standard, so when offering my services out in the community, others will have confidence in my abilities. I decided to choose my ‘About me’ page as my static page that my readers will see as soon as they click on my site. My reason for this is I think it is important for readers to read my artistic vision and get a grasp for my passion for directing before they read my other material.
I have chosen three pieces of previous work that have influenced my way of working as a theatre maker and also influenced my identity as a practitioner. The first being ‘The Motley crew, this was the first time I had worked collaboratively as well as independently not being led by a tutor. ‘Truth be truth’ explores my way of creating work based around such a sensitive topic and working with a large ensemble. Finally, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ combines skills and techniques I have gathered throughout university using them to write and direct my own show. I believe reading all three of my previous projects shows the journey I have been on as a practitioner and how I wish to continue to develop my work after my degree.
Additionally, throughout this portfolio I assure readers that as a practitioner the community or cast that I work with are always safeguarded, especially when working with moments including intimacy. This is reflected on my page ‘ A reflection on intimacy within the arts’ where I discuss the I.D.I workshop I participated in London and how I have taken this into my practice. I think by including this in my reflection it will show the level of importance this is to me as a practitioner as I explain how I have taken it in to past projects.
Furthermore, I believe that this portfolio showcases some of my works that I am most proud of and believe signify my aims as a practitioner. However, my work is constantly developing and evolving as I learn to improve on the skills I have already acquired throughout university.
3.Drawing on evidence from your portfolio, what would you identify as the most significant moments of insights to your learning as a practitioner?
Throughout my three years at York St John university I have learnt so much about theatre, things that I would have never even imagined. As I have mentioned above, the performances I have showcased on this site were chosen as they have all enabled me in some way to develop into the practitioner I am today.
One of the first moments I would identify as the most significant moment of insight would be the rehearsal process for ‘Truth Be Truth’. This whole process allowed me to understand the inner workings of a large ensemble. As I have previously spoke about on the page of my portfolio, as an ensemble we struggled to work effectively together as there was such a lack of trust in the room. Reflecting back on this time and having worked with ensembles post this performance, I have learnt that there is no set way for an ensemble to work. As well as this from a personal view I believe trying to force everyone to conform to one way of working or behaving can often push people further apart. I have learnt that the best way to overcome it is to establish a sense of trust with your fellow cast or a joint goal and begin to work as one.
I developed my learning as a practitioner further through my Independent Practice and Research piece ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. This is the first time I had been given full creative control which meant it was both exciting and daunting. Writing, directing and performing in my own show was an experience I would never take back, however, I do believe that this showed me the importance of collaborative work with your cast. As a practitioner I was the driving force behind this show but I was not always the loudest voice in the room and I believe that is an important lesson to be learned.
Additionally, being fully in charge of directing my own IPAR allowed me to gain my creative vison as a director. This was the first time I was able to experiment and play with set, lighting. sound etc and I found that the way I had imagined the piece in my head before the rehearsal process was nothing like the finished piece. My process for making this piece taught me a lot about the trial and error which often comes with theatre making and how elements that seem definite can change and evolve throughout time. I also realised that if you have an engaging piece of work then stripping it back to minimalist costume and set will hopefully allow the audience to connect with it more emotionally.
Overall, I believe it is difficult to pinpoint my most significant moments of insight as a practitioner as each project that I have worked on has helped me develop my skills in one way or another.
4.What do you want to do next and how do your think your portfolio evidences and helps this ambition?
My portfolio evidences my passion for directing and creating material through the projects I have discussed, my personal statement and video pitch. When finishing my degree at York St John University I am going to apply to the Everyman & Playhouse directors course in Liverpool. Attending this eight week course I hope to refine my skills that I have gathered through university, as well as finding my feet as a practitioner. This course only being part time will also allow me to work a part time job alongside to earn as much money as possible for my first year out of full time education.
As well as this I plan on developing and refining my IPAR piece ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, my ultimate dream for this piece is to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I believe this would be a great opportunity for me to give my work some exposure and for a story so important to be shared with a bigger audience. I know that breaking into the industry is difficult without connections so getting my work out to the public as much as possible is my way forward.
Furthermore, performing has always been a big passion of mine and although career wise I am looking into creating and directing I still want performing to be a part of my life. I am planning on joining local amateur theatre groups outside of my course with the Everyman & Playhouse. As I spoke about in my video pitch, I believe that performing has enhanced my ways of working as a director and I wish for that to continue over time. I have loved my three years studying in York creating work. But I believe it is time to expand and move on to experience the industry elsewhere.