Personal Statement

I have always aspired to pursue a career related to theatre design and stage management. I am interested in the production side of Performing Arts and wish to study this at university to enable me to progress into the field.
Through my work experience, I was given an incredible opportunity to work in television. I have helped behind the scenes, mainly as a runner for the live television event 'House Party' in 2012 and the New Year's Eve special in 2013. I was also able to assist on the BBC documentary Hip Hop World News. It was an amazing experience and great opportunity to have. Part of my job role was to take minutes during various production meetings and set up equipment such as the lights, sound and ensure the set is organized.
I have been dancing since I was four and have trained in a number of styles. As a result, I chose Dance GCSE and Arts Award in secondary school. For my group choreography based on the theme of video games, I handmade and stitched my dancers costumes, this involved making skirt-dungarees and creating the designs on their tops.
 At college, I have performed in 'Our House'. I played a number of characters including Reecey, Mr Pressman, and performed in every ensemble number. I helped choreograph movement numbers such as, Baggy trousers and Wings of a Dove. Furthermore, I assisted the choreographer and helped produce most of the pieces. This involved pre-planning possible movement material and considering the cast involved in each scene and their Dance ability, in order to create successful Dance numbers. In addition, I had a production meeting with the director, where we discussed what the set should look like, what staging we should use, how it should be decorated and if using one set could be used to portray every scene if different areas are used. I made the signs, drew, painted and decorated them, this involved working independently outside of lesson hours, taking initiative and demonstrated my dedication to the show. I also created a cue sheet to be kept backstage that listed all the entrances and exits for characters, and an additional one for when props and set should be taken on and off and who would do it. During this, I also got my first experience doing lighting design and helped the director in the tech run by creating clear cue marks on a script.
 In my first year of college, I took AS level Media and had to produce a film opening.  I was placed in the position where I had to organise multiple people and the equipment, and with hard work and commitment, successfully managed to produce a creative and effective horror movie opening.
 Last year I took part in Rock Challenge for the first time. During this I helped design and make costume and set and also choreographed sections of the performance. This year I am designing the costumes, taking up the role as assistant choreographer - as the piece is street dance and hip hop - and helping with set design. I am currently partaking in a National Theatre Connections project, where I will be designing set and helping with music and lighting as well as partaking in the actual performance.
For my college work experience, I am helping Worthing Youth Theatre Company with their next production of Seussical. I will be helping to create set and props. In addition, I will be acting as an assistant stage manager, and assistant lighting technician for this production.
 I would love to study stage management because it covers such a wide range of skills and a number of areas. Every aspect of the course looks fun and exciting. However, I am really looking forward to being creative and creating costume, scenic construction and learning the technical side of lighting and sound. I enjoy learning new things and challenging myself to achieve my full potential.