Why a career in Drama is possible

"Oh, you want to do Drama at university? Do you think you could make a career out of that?"

 

The School Panto 2016

 

 

I've heard that quote or words to that effect quite a lot growing up. As someone who has loved drama as a subject and all aspects of acting and performance, I've always known that I wanted to study it at university. Honestly, I'm not worried about "not being able to make a career with a drama degree", because I know I will and hopefully it'll be successful. I'm hoping to pursue a Drama and English joint honours to be specific, and I've noticed that people tend to exhale and smile after mentioning the English part of my possible degree—as if that's the thing that's going to make sure I'm 'well-off' or in a respectable job (however you define that).  

I believe there's a big misconception about Drama as both a subject and a career, that it's both easy and useless. If you believe that that's fine, but I (and many others) know, that's definitely not the case.

I'll be honest, drama GCSE was a very packed subject. Both year 10 classes were full, with many inside and outside the classes believing that it was a "cop-out" subject, one that you take for a

"bit of fun" and that "anyone can pass it".

Let me tell you right now that it's not.

Both Drama GCSE and Drama AS level were possibly my most difficult subjects, for the following reasons:

• You're basically constantly working with other people so you NEED to learn how to work effectively in a group.
• There's so much writing it's ridiculous.
• There are so many other subjects relevant to Drama that you need to have some idea about in order to understand the context of a play (History, Sociology, English...etc).
• You have to be creative, logical and understanding when devising a performance. No matter what role you take during a practical exam, you need to approach it from the perspective of an actor, director and set designer.
• THERE'S SO MUCH YOU NEED TO LEARN.

 

My Drama written exam was admittedly the hardest one I sat, and even though I consider it my favourite subject— that exam was horrible and I never want to see it again. Yet, I'm proud that I managed to pass it and Drama has definitely built my confidence up, made me more creative and pushed me into countless opportunities.

 

Drama for a lot of people isn't just about acting; it certainly isn't just that for me. For a lot of people it is, and those are the people who are determined to make an acting career for themselves and will go to countless auditions and hope that they get into a conservatoire (acting school) or get an agent and will end up on the West End or on the big screen. I know a few people who will and are already on their way there.

I love acting, I really do. I also love script-writing, directing, choreographing, designing, dancing and developing each of these things into something.

That's what I'll do with a Drama degree.

I could go around schools and encourage confidence through performance. I could write plays about issues relevant today. I could produce films that encourage change and star in those films too. I could teach Drama. I could work in the media. I could review performances. I could go abroad and exchange different kinds of theatre with different cultures. I could star in a one-woman show and end up a damn successful actress and be like someone out of La La Land. I could be all of these things, just as you could become a child psychologist, YA author, or a pharmacist. Sam Williams, one of my peers who hopes to make an acting career for himself stated:

"I think it’s a great thing to peruse a career in drama as it can be used to entertain or even educate an audience and that’s a really important thing".

Apart from the fact many jobs don't care what degree you have, just as long as you have one; a degree in Drama will teach me things that I want to learn that no. other. degree. will. teach. me. Which is why I want to study it!

As thespian Cameron Davies put it:

"...the best way to get started is to be involved in as much as you possibly can, big or small, because getting yourself known in the industry is the best way to make contacts to further any sort of career".

I'm not saying that it's easy to launch yourself off into a fulfilling, happy career in Drama because it's not— but it is most certainly possible. So, these things may make it easier for you and this approach can be said about every subject and degree. If you want it to happen it will and I think you've got to have a positive outlook in order to achieve it.

So no, it's not a stupid and naïve career choice to study any aspect of Drama as a degree, it would actually be naïve to think that studying Drama is the worst thing you could possibly study because "you can't make a career out of it".

 

According to prospects.ac.uk:

"Three of the top four jobs held by graduates employed in the UK include actors, entertainers and presenters, arts officers, producers and directors and dancers and choreographers."

Destination	Percentage
Employed	76.6
Further study	9.9
Working and studying	3.9
Unemployed	5.2

Okay, I admit, maybe this turned into a bit of a rant but nonetheless my point still stands.
A career through a Drama degree is possible and trust me I will be proof.



Pink Mist - A Quick Review

Pink Mist by Owen Sheers – A QUICK REVIEW

 Photography by Mark Douet

“Who wants to play war?”

02/02/2017
Sherman Theatre

Pink Mist, inspired by numerous interviews with British soldiers, tells the story of three friends who all experience a different aspect of the Afganistan war and the family and friends that suffer as a result of these stories.

Before I begin I should probably state that my opinion may be slightly biased when it comes to Pink Mist for an accumulation of reasons. 

Firstly, I’m a huge fan of Owen Sheers. After studying him for my English Literature AS exams (which I’m sure a few of you can relate to) and meeting him as part of the Hay Festival’s Beacons Project (of which he’s an alumnus); I can conclude that he’s a very down-to-earth, descriptively gifted playwright and poet. 

Secondly, Pink Mist was performed in a Frantic Assembly style, and as someone who danced for 14 years and sees the emotional value of movement in relation to performance, I love Frantic Assembly. I took elements of it for my year 11 GCSE prac and it was the entire style of my year 12 prac, so to say I was excited to watch Pink Mist is an understatement. Pink Mist was originally written for radio performance, so it was really exciting to see how they implemented movement and actual physical performance.

Also, I apologise in advance for how vague I might be with regards to the plot – it’s just me trying to convince you to read the play.

Before the play had even begun I was captivated. On the stage there was only a wheelchair and a bench, it sparked my curiosity and I overheard many audience members comment on the very openness and bareness of the stage. It made sense when considering the Frantic Assembly style of course, but it was effective in leaving the canvas blank and having only a vague idea of what we were about to watch. Both the bench and the wheelchair were used almost like an extension of characters throughout the play. The bench gave the option of levels to give variety to the otherwise empty stage and the wheelchair in relation to movement only added to the variety of movements throughout the piece. It’s interesting to note how when the youngest soldier uses the wheelchair he’s obviously unable to get out of it and the contrast between the pretty consistent movement and then the stillness and stiffness that comes with being a wheelchair user was made extremely clear and added more depth to that raw emotion.

One of the most noteworthy parts of the play was the nightclub scene. One of the discharged soldiers found solace in music and clubbing. The sound by Jon Nicholls was delicate here, the combination of this sound, slow-motion dancing movements surrounding the present narrator and slow-motion walking from said narrator really emphasised the feeling of a club (not that I go to many to be fair). It was a change from the very heavy and intense theme of war and was really pleasant to watch for aesthetic reasons. It was something that inspired me to use a similar technique in my practical exam – which is now what I consider to be my favourite part of the exam.

The ending was powerful. The combination of low light, sharp sound and quick movement really hit home the tragedy that is war and how it affects numerous people in dissimilar ways. Arthur, Taff and Hads all performed their own stories in such an emotive way it was difficult to leave the theatre without questioning the effects of war in the modern day. The movement was only a catalyst for the messages and emotions that Owen Sheers successfully creates and I’m pretty sure I didn’t shut up about how brilliant it was for a solid week afterwards. It pushed on feelings that I don’t typically feel on a day-to-day basis which only added to how in awe I was of this play.

If you have any interest in literature or drama then I highly recommend you read this play! I watched it so long ago but I still remember it so vividly. The cast and crew really outdid themselves.

Here a few of my fellow thespians' opinions on Pink Mist:

"Really imaginative and the story was acted out really well, meaning it was easy and clear to follow." - Henry Marsden

 "Smart staging. Great use of lighting and SFX." - Sam Williams

Photography by Mark Douet

Credits to the Creative Team
Writer Owen Sheers
Directors John Retallack and George Mann
Designer Emma Cains
Lighting Designer Peter HarrisonComposer & Sound Designer Jon Nicholls 
Cast Peter Edwards, Rebecca Hamilton, Rebecca Killick, Dan Krikler, Zara Ramm and Alex Stedman

Sweet - A Sonnet

 

Sweet

 

She wants to set her toffee mind at ease

and though she tries to find a solution,

the wooden floor is hard against her knees.

Saving her thoughts for redistribution,

throwing sanity into sugar bags.

It's so sweet that it gives her cavities,

all cluttered and sickly. So she defrags

the constant aggression of gravity,

the confusion and the trepidation.

"You don't eat anything 'cept candy canes..."

Was that a question or allegation?

Doubt pulsing through her veins and it remains

'til she figures out it's all in her head

which is weaved together, with nylon thread.

 

 

 

This sonnet took me forever to write because I tried writing a Shakespearean style sonnet (ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme), whilst staying true to Iambic Pentameter (10 syllables in each sentence, 5 stressed and 5 unstressed). Although sonnets are one of my favourite forms of poetry to both read and write, I never actually realised how much work it takes to stick so closely to a specific amount of syllables for each sentence (and it's surprising with how many words sound like they could have more than one syllable but actually don't).

This was just a little poem about mental health so I could become accustomed to this style of poetry. You may not read in connection with mental health which is completely fine - if you do have any other interpretations or can see where I've attempted to portray this pretty personal theme let me know!

Why is poetry important?

I suppose, the easiest answer to this would be that poetry is only something important to those who love literature and understand it, but like poetry - this answer isn't something that is supposed to be easy. How you interpret poetry is how it affects you and I believe that it affects everyone; if even just a little.

According to the Oxford dictionaries poetry is defined as;

Literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.

But if poetry is all about interpretation, why is there a definition that limits it?

Poetry is important to me because it helps me express how I'm feeling and in general gives me something to work on, for some people that's reading about physics or working with watercolours. For myself, it is poetry. Poetry is something that brings me joy because when read it makes you think. About what exactly? I don't know and a lot of the time I'll admit, I stare at a poem unable to decipher it's deeper meaning or message but I believe that's where it holds a vast amount of power. When I write a poem, sure I let other people read it and I love if they like it, but I didn't write it for them. I write for myself, and I think even if your career is all about poetry and you're Owen Sheers or Carol Ann Duffy, you still write for yourself. To make yourself proud because a feeling, thought or memory you've had is finally in words that you feel are right. Self expression through any form of media, literature or art will always be for the individual. Not everybody has to understand the story or relate to it, they can just appreciate that it's exactly the way the poet wanted it to be written to describe it.

A lot of people (I know a few) don't understand poetry and don't want to understand it and that's okay. I myself don't like coffee (I know, judge me), but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the smell of it and all that coffee has done for others, how it makes them feel and the power it creates (c'mon, Starbucks?).  So ignoring that weird metaphor, you don't have to like or even acknowledge poetry for it to still be powerful. Yet, I'm sure a lot of people are actually unaware of what poetry has actually done except give the stereotype that all poets are pretentious and we only read poetry because we want to sound smart (that's just down to personality).

One of my friends really appreciates rap and many people state that rap is either a form of poetry or something similar. 

My friend stated the following:

"I listen to rap because I can relate to it more than other forms of expression. A lot of it is about coming from a poorer area and managing to just power through and 'come up'. I can appreciate lyrics like Kendrick Lamar's, but not relate to them because of the links to violence and gangs, because I've never experienced that but I understand it and still want to listen to him.

Tyler, The Creator is someone I relate to because it's about a kid who doesn't know who he is or where he's going, and that's easier to relate to for me. He has a song 'Pot Holes' and he explains how material items make him feel good and how the road in front of him has pot holes that make it more difficult for the expensive car he's driving."

Perhaps we can take from this that a lot of the ways we interpret lyrics or poetry has a lot to do with ourselves. If you search for yourself in someone else's story it helps you not only understand your own feelings but appreciate theirs. I don't hold any expertise when it comes to rap so I'm not going to answer whether I believe it's a form of poetry, because it holds its own as a genre of music, but that's not to say I can't see the links because I definitely can. 

However, staying with the theme of music, poetry has inspired countless songs that you're probably either familiar with or wish you were:

• '39 - Queen
• Bare Trees - Fleetwood Mac
• Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter - Iron Maiden
• Colour Spectrum - Coldplay
• Golden Slumber - The Beatles
• I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys
• The Man Who Sold the World - David Bowie

I could go on and on about the link between music and poetry. All of these songs either take lyrics from, are based on or are inspired by poetry. They might not exist and definitely wouldn't be the same without poetry. Hence, it must be brought to attention that poetry might not be important to you, but it can lead to something that is.

...But you still don't have to like poetry. You're very welcome to hate it because that means that somehow it's had an effect on you. Poetry as a collective or maybe as a single poem or maybe by proxy, has had an effect on you somehow whether you acknowledge it or not; One-line poems, Sonnets, Slam poetry, Limericks, Haiku, ect...

The are so many forms it's difficult to even comprehend that none of these can manage to speak to some people, because that's okay. I'm sure they like tea instead of coffee.

Therefore, poetry doesn't have to be important to everyone and the fact of the matter is that it's not. Yet, poetry is important because of it's social, political and economic effects. It raises questions about tough topics such as mental health. It presents individuals with a solace. It gives collectives a way to connect. It provides a means of self-expression. It affects other forms of self-expression. 

It is often just ink on paper, but it is powerful ink on paper, and that is important to me.

A Fresh Start

 

 

A Fresh Start.

So, for some reason I decided that starting a blog would be good for me. Hopefully I'll keep at it because I think having an outlet for my opinions, thoughts and work will benefit me (somehow). I already have a lot of ideas about what I'm going to post, but this blog is more for myself than getting my work out there (that would just be a great bonus). Whether it's just my mam or my friends who read this, or even just me, I'm sure that this is a positive thing. Therefore, I thought it would only be right if I started by giving a quick overview of how I came to have one of the best experiences of the year.

The Beacons Project, 2017.

This project, funded by the Welsh Gov and run by Hay Festival of Literature and Arts, has been possibly one of the best things to happen to me. Not only did it finalise the "Yes! I really do love literature! This is what I want to do! I can build a career out of this!" thought I'd been turning over in my head for God knows how long, but it introduced me to experiences, people and literature that I'll forever be thankful for.

This fairy-tale story began after I wrote a sequence of sonnets for the English Prize for my school Eisteddfod. I worked really hard on them and drew the emotion from a personal experience I had. The theme was "Fake News", but instead of taking a political Donald Trump-esque route like a few of my peers, I decided to focus my poems on rumours and how they affect the individual, the person who spreads the rumours, and the collective group who just watch what's going on and spread the rumours further. I chose this because I'd gone through something similar as the individual and hadn't really dealt with it. No time like the present, right? (Technically the past is what I'm talking about here but I'm reflecting so rhetorical questions are necessary).
 This was the first time I had ever attempted to write poetry for myself but I was so proud of what I'd written that I feel comfortable enough to share it with whoever you are (if you want to, or you could just skip it).

RUMOURS I

Have you heard the fake news?

Whispers floating down the impish street.

Now opprobrious instead of a muse,

no longer respectable, pure or neat.

Looking at the filthy floor,

hanging down her head

and not seeing the truth she saw before,

only seeing red.

Then she cries

about what she knows is real  -

not the lies.

Why should she suffer this ordeal?

So she stands stern for all to see,

the rumours about her, the fake news about me.

RUMOURS II

Relaying false realities

from the sharpness of my tongue

creating numerous casualties

whilst the fiction is still young.

With a slight whisper here,

an adroit blather there,

until you can hold their fear

and they're caught in the snare

of crying and shame

towards an anonymous source

not knowing who they should blame

for the false news that hold such force.

Why do I do it the familiars ask?

If I don't someone else will complete the task.

RUMOURS III

We don't know her face

which is filled with regret,

only her case

that was spitefully set

by an Ossa of prowess

who sought to diminish

the confidence she held to confess

that she didn't want to finish

her growth and light

that shone so brightly on those surrounding,

but without the will to fight

the rumours are compounding

her, even though she knows what's real.

We don't (but we do), so how should we feel?

TRUTH

It finds the way out eventually,

then everybody knows

that although she’s okay essentially

it’s the scarring not the blows

to her self esteem and reputation

that have a hold on her still.

Is she out of this damnation?

She’s changed now with her battle and will

to forget the drip and drops of liars

or the thieves of calm

and extinguish the fires

and to finally disarm

them and create her own.

The fake news that taunted, finally overthrown.

The day of the Eisteddfod came and I came 3rd and I was incredibly happy about it, especially because it was something relatively new to me. After this though I pretty much focused on school work because exams were looming; I didn't have much time to write any more poetry or even read it. Until one English lesson we were handed a letter about entering the Beacons Project competition for creative writing. The Project included meeting and talking to a wide variety of authors and influential workers within the Literature and Theatre community, going to lectures about a rage of compelling subjects but most importantly learning about how to break into the industry and develop our own work. All of this across 4 days at Hay Festival.

I entered.

Obviously.

20 A-level pupils from across Wales were selected for it out of the hundreds that applied and I'm still proud to say that I was fortunate to receive one of those places by submitting my collection of sonnets. I will never tire of saying that because the experience was life changing (sorry for the dramatics - it really feels that way). 

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to split what happened each day into a series of blog posts because I don't want to skim the details, but I also don't want to write something that goes on for eternity. Leaving the post here will create suspense right? Isn't that how this works?