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?
I would like to pursue a career in the performing arts as both an actor and as a theatre maker. Although my current plans to pursue this is taking two quite distinct routes, I do not view these two ventures in isolation of each other. I believe that developing and refining my practice in one of these areas inherently benefits my growth in the other.
Working as a theatre maker in which I write, direct and perform in my own work requires an understanding of the important role which the actor plays within a piece of theatre. To create a character or piece of material knowing that I will be performing it requires an awareness of myself, my strengths as a performer and the impact which I have on an audience. I feel that this level of self-awareness is a very important quality which I highly value in any actor as it allows for performances which can be more truthful and vulnerable. Additionally,forming my own cast and creating theatre for them has allowed me to examine other actors and learn from them. I learn from their own processes and approaches to work by and identify their strengths, which I can apply to my own acting approach. With this knowledge, I can also adapt the work which I create to best suit my cast.
Conversely, I believe that acting in other productions is a great opportunity to learn about the craft of theatre making through observing the creative process of other practitioners. Whenever I work as a performer in someone else’s piece, I make sure to develop an understanding of what the director or theatre maker is trying to achieve with the production as a whole. With this knowledge I am able to provide a performance which is appropriate not just for the character which am portraying, but the production as a whole. Additionally, I am able to learn from the approaches taken by different practitioners and apply it to my own theatre making practice.
The theatre which I create starts from a place of personal interest or which has a particular connection to myself, possibly autobiographical. Although I ultimately aim for my work to connect with its audience, I feel that as a theatre maker I need to have a connection to the work myself for this to be achieved. From this personal stimulus I work outward, aiming to find and explore themes which can be identified and understood by a wider audience. Because of this, I feel that my theatre can have universal resonance, appealing to and connecting with a range of demographics.
As an actor, I believe that I have been able to display a versatility in my performance experience so far, adapting to a range of different styles and audiences. Having had experience performing Shakespeare and Old English texts, physical theatre, physical and heightened, satirical comedy and more straightforward drama, I am an adaptable performer who brings their full commitment and energy to any role.
How is your identity as a practitioner both reflected in the portfolio; and produced by the portfolio?
When I created my portfolio, I wanted to present my work both as an actor and as a theatre maker, giving equal attention to both. I wanted to express this not just in textual content of my portfolio, but through the presentation of the website. Upon opening up the home page on my WordPress site, you are presented with a slider which scrolls through all of the key performances which I have made and been involved with up to this point, as well as links to reflections on all of these below it, ordered by the date in which I performed each one.
Although my work as a theatre maker and actor can be viewed in isolation through the Past Projects and Performance Portfolio sections of my website respectively, I wanted this work to initially be presented side by side. I did this because I did not want to suggest that my own theatre pieces were more important or superior to the work produced by my peers. Equally, I wanted my own work to be presented on an equal platform to other productions I have been a part of. I feel that my identity as a practitioner is defined just as much by the work which I have performed in as it is by the theatre which have created and the format of my portfolio reflects this.
With my Performance Portfolio, I have chosen to reflect on four productions I have been involved with which I feel showcase the range of theatre I have been involved with and my versatility as a performer. For example, ‘A Perfected Reality’ displays my ability to perform physical theatre and experience with theatre in education, Woz the Great and Powerful allowed me to perform a significant role in a satirical comedy, The Remorse of Judas gave me the opportunity to perform a medieval text in traditional performance conditions and in Our Mutual Friend I was able to play a heightened role involving physical comedy and fight choreography, as well as gain experience working in a professional theatre environment as part of a high profile production.
Additionally, I believe that my reflections on my own theatre projects present an understanding of the type of work which I have created so far. My reflections on Shivers and Father’s Day, the two shows which I devised independently, are especially effective at communicating the style of theatre which I make. Both shows are at least semi-autobiographical and used this personal stimulus to create work which can have universal resonance.
Additionally, I make note of what I have learnt from making these projects in each of my reflections, displaying a continual growth as a theatre maker during my time at university. I feel that my reflection on Father’s Day is particularly effective at at this. Despite it being my most recent piece, my reflection concludes with me stating that I would like to develop my identity further through future work. In addition to expressing an eagerness to continue creating theatre, I feel that this desire to improve and refine my identity as a theatre maker is a very productive and promising quality going forward and entering the arts industry.
Drawing on evidence from your portfolio, what would you identify as the most significant moments of insights to your learning as a practitioner?
During my time as a student at York St John university I feel that my most significant moments of learning have come from modules in which I have been tasked with conceiving of and creating original work, either independently or as part of a small group.
My first experience with this was the Funny Words module in second year in which myself, Rhys Speight and Jean Evans created The Friend, which I reflect upon in my portfolio. Being placed in charge of writing, staging and performing our own comedy performance was a daunting task. However, being tasked with this a little less than halfway through my degree ended up being incredibly rewarding and enlightening. Working on The Friend collaboratively with two other students taught me a lot about the importance of effective collaboration in the arts. Each creative voice brought their own unique perspective to the project, helping to elevate the work into something greater than what could have been achieved by any individual. Additionally, having other people to bounce ideas off can be incredibly beneficial, as their suggestions for developing your ideas help to bring the best out of each individual. Even when working on projects independently since, I have always made sure to get an outside eye to view my work and give feedback.
At the same time as working on The Friend I was developing Shivers for my Auto/biographical Performance module, a solo performance which I independently wrote and developed. My process for making this piece taught me a lot about the trial and error which often comes with theatre making and how many elements which may seem integral early on in the process end up being unnecessary as the piece evolves. I discuss this in my reflection upon the piece in my portfolio.
For instance, I played with representing different facets of my personality by putting on and taking off various clothing clothing items, naming the personas after each item of clothing. However, I realised that this served as a barrier rather than a helpful means of communication to the audience. I stripped back the presentation of the piece upon realising this, removing all of the symbolic clothing. I instead put trust in my own acting ability to clearly communicate the various personas. This ended up paying off, producing a final piece which was cleaner and more accessible, with the audience emotionally connecting with it and being entertained by the performance throughout its duration.
I developed my learning as a practitioner further through my Independent Practice and research piece, Father’s Day. Like Shivers, this was a piece which I wrote, directed, devised and performed in with an autobiographical element. In my portfolio I reflect upon how working on this piece allowed me to experiment with new theatre making techniques, including Tim Etchells and Forced Entertainment’s use of play in the space with objects and materials. Additionally, I studied Multiple Sclerosis in relation to entropy, using the condition as a mechanic to create physical sequences.
Through creating Father’s Day I also discovered a process of deconstructing and reconstructing. I learnt to view theatre as a collection fragments which I can take apart, refine and reorder to form a stronger whole. I feel that this approach will be a key part of my identity as a theatre maker going forward.
What do you want to do next and how do you think your portfolio evidences and helps this ambition?
After I graduate I would like to pursue a career as an actor and as a theatre maker. This year I have auditioned for Acting MAs at a few different drama schools. My Personal Statement for one of these institutions, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is available to download and view in the About Me section of my portfolio.
By late June I should know whether I will have a place and will start studying September. If I don’t get into drama school for the 2020/21 academic year then I shall apply again for 2021/22. The advantage which I shall have reapplying is that I wouldn’t have my final year of university to prioritise, so I shall be able to dedicate more time and energy to making applications to more institutions, rehearsing audition pieces and travelling to the various towns and cities throughout the year.
As I state in my Personal Statement, I believe that studying an MA in Acting will help me to refine my technical skills and develop my identity as a practitioner, as well as give me the expertise required to start working in the industry. I’m view going to drama school as the next step for me to make towards starting a career as an actor, providing me with the opportunity to make connections in the performing arts and join an acting agency. Although I am aware that it is possible to get an agent and succeed in the acting industry without going to drama school, most agencies want someone who has been to drama school.
In addition to pursuing a drama school MA, I plan to further developing my Independent Practice and Research project, Father’s Day, into a larger and more complete piece to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the Summer of 2021.
My plans and reasons for wanting to take this show to Edinburgh are detailed in my portfolio’s Video Pitch. Although I am aware that Edinburgh Fringe is a significant time and money commitment, I believe that it is a worthwhile venture as it provides a networking opportunity with other performers and companies, as well as a chance to build connections with people in the arts industry, network and hopefully find opportunities to tour my piece.
Although it is true that I could be attempting to prepare Father’s Day for Edinburgh Fringe alongside applying for or even studying an Acting MA, I still feel that it is still an achievable goal to achieve within the space of a year. Part of the reason for this is that I already know the style and shape which the final performance will take and I’ve formed a reliable cast which understands the piece really well and who I am confident could return to a revised version of the show in a years’ time. Altering, reordering and adding new material to Father’s Day would also be a very straightforward process compared to creating a new show because it is structured as a series of disconnected scenes and bits of material, making it an easily adaptable piece.