Personal statement

I have the right level of hard work, skills, determination and enthusiasm to succeed on a degree level course, studying Musical Theatre. My strong commitment to training in Performance related skills is demonstrated by the training in dance that I have undertaken for the last 15 years.  These include, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, contemporary, commercial, and musical theatre at Jean Butterworth School of dance up to Advanced level. I have also had experience in performing in regular dance shows and competing in dance festivals annually. This training outside of education has given me a good start to a hopeful career in musical theatre and demonstrates my skills that I have developed over the years.

Singing has always been a strength of mine. I have been lucky enough to have been given fantastic solo opportunities through education and semi-professional shows over the last 10 years. I have benefited from one to one singing lessons for a number of years, developing my voice in a number of ways to be able to sing in different genres and styles. The lessons have taught me many of the vocal disciplines/techniques required for professional vocal work and vastly improved my vocal skills. The ability to portray emotion and character through my vocals has been both challenging and rewarding. 

I am currently studying a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) at Worthing College. The course has afforded me many exciting roles in a range of performance disciplines. For example, the course has introduced me to the Physical Theatre approach to choreography.  The course has also befitted me in a way that I have been opened to research and study both musical theatre and classical and Greek theatre.

I am also a keen contributor to all areas of theatre including the production side of theatre and understanding how the jobs connect. Many of the performances that I have been involved with through college has seen me be involved with lighting design, sound design, costume design and set design which has really opened my eyes and introduced me to all the vital work that happens behind the scenes for a performance. I am currently studying Classical Theatre in my musical theatre course where I am playing the role of Clytemenstra in the Greek Tragedy play of ‘Electra’. The role is highly challenging as it is a complete contrast of character that I have ever played before and has been a huge learning curve with positive outcomes for my confidence in classical acting both from a performance and a theoretical perspective.

During my first year I achieved a Distinction* in my musical theatre course which really shows the hard work and effort that I put into the course and also reflects my determination to succeed and do well in both the practical and theoretical aspects required of a musical theatre degree course. Alongside musical theatre I am also studying A Level dance at college which has introduced me to look into and study different professional dance works by choreographers such as Matthew Bourne, Christopher Bruce, Akram Khan, and Alvin Ailey. I am currently choreographing my solo dance for my A level inspired by the professional work ‘Cry’ by Alvin Ailey. I adore this piece of professional work as it extremely powerful and I feel that as a performer I am able to express the correct emotions for this piece.

I have performed in regular shows on a professional stage for the last 8 years with local semi-professional theatre companies. The shows have been performed in front of large audiences, on a regular basis and have inspired me to strive to find work in the Creative Industries. The company has also developed my organisational skills balancing the demands of external performances with my academic education. The last few years have required a highly disciplined approach to education, which I feel has placed me in a strong position for further development academically.

In 2013 I gained a part time job in a Hairdressing salon working as a shampooist/receptionist and assistant to the top stylist of the salon. Through this work the job has taught me the importance of team work, multi-tasking, punctuality and communication and people skills towards the public. I also have had experience of teaching and choreographing solo and group dances at the dance school I attend, working towards creating dances for children aged 11-15 for festivals and competitions which by doing this has given me the chance to express my creative work through choreography. I regularly sing for charity events to raise money for St. Barnabas hospice and Chestnut tree house which are both very close to my heart. An achievement following my charity work was singing for an event and raising over £1000 for St Barnabas. I have also had the experience of performing as a solo vocalist for weddings, engagement parties, birthday events and christenings which I have had great experience singing with bands to accompany me for some of these events. I work extremely hard when I want to succeed in something and my commitment to anything is always 100%. I always try to stay active and involved with the creative arts and try to take every opportunity I can.

I am at a point in my training and development when I have gained enough performance work, been exposed to a variety of professional practice and achieved the highest possible grade academically, that I feel more than ready to take the exciting next steps into Higher Education. My ultimate goal for my future is to perform on a West End stage. For me, nothing beats the adrenaline rush at the end of a performance when you have a whole theatre full of people applauding your work. I feel that training in Musical Theatre at degree level is the next step I should take in order to achieve this dream, and I am looking forward to being able to take this opportunity. I am prepared to endure on any challenge to enable this to become a reality and to work extensively to meet any standard and level of worked required of me as a performer.