After Bucks Creative careers in performing arts
Performing Arts at Bucks embraces a contemporary, interdisciplinary approach, which fuses theatre, film, television and audio media - placing the performer at the heart of the creative process. Equipped with a broad understanding of the industry and multi-faceted skills and techniques of production, our graduates develop into thinking practitioners in the performing arts and are well-prepared for careers in the arts and media sectors. As well as acting and performance, this might include working in theatre, in education, outreach groups and arts marketing. Our graduates enjoy careers in performance, and have taken further training to set up their own theatre companies, become teachers or drama-therapists.
Ben Coleman
Studied BA (Hons) Performing Arts (Film, TV and Stage) Currently a drama teacher and chairman of Avocet Theatre Company. The wide range of modules on offer at Bucks gave me the breadth of skills required for my current roles. I not only learned subject-specific knowledge but also got to delve further into the education side of the subject in the Theatre and Education module. The focus on media has also allowed me to stand out from other candidates, as it has shown employers and training courses that I can bring something extra to the school environment. As chairman of Avocet Theatre Company, the skills acquired at Bucks have allowed me to take this small group to the next level, and we are now performing largescale productions while also continuing to develop new and original ideas based on skills I learned on my course. I am currently finishing my teacher training with a focus on drama and media. I have also been hired to direct numerous productions for a variety of companies, which include musicals, plays and pantomimes. My own company has grown beyond my wildest imaginations over the past year, and we continue to produce a variety of exciting theatre and film creations. We are currently working on a pantomime we have created ourselves, which has over 50 cast members involved and will likely play to audiences of
more than 1,500 people. Alongside this we are developing a web-series based on my dissertation film, Acting Out, a mockumentary that follows the dysfunctional dynamics of an amateur theatre company. When I first started at Bucks, I was quite theatre and stage orientated. My knowledge of media was limited and I hadn’t considered how these skills could go hand in hand to create dynamic pieces of work. Since then, my eyes have been opened to the possibilities of what can be created when merging the two. One of the most valuable things I learned on the course was how to effectively create a piece of work. I now know how to effectively nurture and develop an idea from an initial concept and continue to improve on it over time in order to create a well-rounded and meaningful piece. Bucks provided many opportunities to access the industry. Industry panels provided a key opportunity to ask questions of professionals, as well as develop contacts. I was also thrilled to be able to have my dissertation film shown at the end-of-year showcase to outside professionals. The best part of my experience at Bucks was the collaboration with fellow students as well as staff. I have made a number of lifelong friends at Bucks with whom I plan to continue to collaborate with. The different skills that were taught on the course opened my eyes to the numerous ways that theatre and film can be created.
Laura Mathis
directing, producing, arts management and casting, which gave me a fresh outlook on the industry and the strands of roles available.
Currently the owner and principal of a children’s theatre school in Wiltshire (Rising Aspirations Academy of Performing Arts). She also works as a freelance casting assistant in theatre and TV, working alongside Dixie Chassay and Pearson Casting.
There are so many ways to be a performer, a director, a producer; and so many ways to be involved in the arts that I hadn’t yet even known about or explored! The University was excellent at honing skills you didn’t know you had and steering them into challenging yet exciting, practical experiences that make you fall in love with a whole new area of the arts.
Studied BA (Hons) Performing Arts (Film, TV and Stage)
The Performing Arts degree at Bucks is unique, exciting and diverse. I graduated with an abundance of practical experience across film, TV and stage which felt very current and led me straight into the world of professional work as theatre school owner and freelance casting assistant. As a creative, the Performing Arts degree steered me to discover skills in
The three-year degree course fully immerses you into conceiving and constructing performance with a sense of originality and exploration. These key skills have shaped my work as a teacher in my own theatre school. I graduated with a passion for creating exciting
and imaginative stage work, and working with children and young people in the same fresh and creative flair that Bucks instilled in me as a student. The teaching team at Bucks are outstanding; offering practical, hands-on training and advice across the entire curriculum. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their guidance and encouragement. As an owner and principal of a theatre school for children, it is this sense of creativity and support that I encourage in my students. Creativity and belief are the most valuable things I picked up at university. The course offers such creative freedom and exploration across so many platforms – devising, writing, directing, intermediality, acting for camera, radio work – you leave feeling prepared and armed with the confidence, knowledge and
skill to tackle the arts industry, with a sense of creative freedom. The most unique and invaluable thing about the course is the interdisciplinary fusion which explores film, TV and stage across immersive, site specific and intermedial performances in a range of creative and experimental processes. This style of work feels very ground-breaking.
Ludmila Neto
Studied BA (Hons) Performing Arts (Film, Television and Stage) Currently working as marketing and communications assistant at the Young Vic. As a student at Bucks, I gained some technical skills that have definitely supported me to in my career. I learned to use editing software, edit in Photoshop and use camera equipment.
The most important skill I developed was confidence, which supported me to secure my current job working on the marketing campaign for Stephen Adly Guirgis’s play Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train at the Young Vic. The most valuable thing I learned on the course was to research theatres and see what kind of jobs are out there. There are various jobs within the arts and it’s important to apply the knowledge about industry I learned on
the course to find the right career. The course encouraged us to be outward-facing, and I applied for an internship on my own in my final year. I was a marketing volunteer at the Rose Theatre Kingston, and this role gave me some real-life experience in the theatre environment. The best part of my experience at Bucks was being able to learn something new about my subject in each module. My course helped me
to understand other people’s ways of thinking when working in a group. In that way we could challenge each other and develop our individual knowledge.
Modupe Salu
Studied BA (Hons) Performing Arts (Film, TV and Stage) Currently an actress alongside being a temporary office assistant at various London offices. As a student, Bucks gave me the background and skills necessary to get to where I am now and was the first place to introduce me into creating your own work from scratch. Since graduating, my practice has developed in a range of different ways. I performed I Can’t Breathe at the National Student Drama Festival (NSDF) and won two awards - Most Promising Actress, as well as Buzz Goodbody Student Director Award. I also became a member of National Youth Theatre, toured The Reluctant Fundamentalist with the National Youth Theatre to Bradford Literary Festival and Edinburgh Festival, and performed at London City Hall. I’ve also devised a show
with Opia Theatre collective Girl with Glitter in her Eyes performed at Stratford East Theatre. Additionally, I was cast in my first lead role in a short film called Motswakwa. My course at Bucks did challenge my approach to acting and thinking in many ways. The dissertation process was challenging – understanding that research was a huge part of the creative process was a huge learning curve for me and something I still benefit from today. The course also instilled in me that working hard is a major key to success and just having talent is not enough. Creating and rehearsing after class time, well into the night and on the weekends is what is needed for what we do. Going to a university to study acting is completely different from drama school; you don’t have the luxury of time, you have to create the extra time and build your stamina yourself so when you’re out in the world it’s not a huge shock to you.
The most valuable thing I learned at University was devising my own work, team work and physical movement expressing not only through words but your body as well. Furthermore, the course provided me with further opportunities. For example, I was selected to join Sign Dance Collective, a theatre company founded by my movement teachers at the time and we travelled to Turkey to perform at the annual international Theatre festival. My dissertation was also entered into the NSDF festival by my lecturer where I got to perform at the festival in Scarborough. This opportunity led me to further performances in London and invitations to university performances as well as to speak at panel events to discuss further topics.
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bucks.ac.uk This publication was produced by Buckinghamshire New University in February 2019, and is accurate at the time of going to press. We reserve the right to amend information without prior notice. Š Buckinghamshire New University