Introduction
During my 2nd year, I’ve started to wonder where I will fit after I graduate and enter the industry. I’ve taken into consideration what my acting type is, what style of acting suits me most and what roles/projects I would like to be a part of. Over the year I’ve learnt that there is a lot more to the industry than I thought and how you present yourself as an actor is very important. This portfolio highlights how I would like to present myself, what current things I am working on and how I am going to achieve the career that I would like. I believe having this prepared moving into third year will really help me to get the most out of my last year of drama school and have a great entrance into the industry.
Head shots
When I initially started researching headshot styles and photographers, I knew I wanted to find something that would show my personality, as well as something that would aid me going into the industry. I had some headshots taken around 4 years ago (see Appendix 2) however there has been clear changes in my appearance since then and in my opinion, it’s very blank and doesn’t show any of my personality. From my research I’ve decided that I would like to take multiple outfits to the shoot in order to show versatility within my appearance. I am aware that I shouldn’t dress up as a character however I think if I choose an outfit/hairstyle that hints towards a character I can play, it will help agents and casting to imagine me in those roles. I have been looking into David John headshots for that reason in particular as he is hired by a lot of soap stars (Vicky Myers, Peter Ash, Sue Cleaver, Katie Mcglynn) and that is a career path I am interested in taking. He offers to take outdoor shots for an extra cost, and I think having that could really help people visualise me in a tv soap like Coronation Street or Emmerdale due to the natural lighting and realistic background of the photo. I also looked at headshots from people that have similar features to me, and I love the style of headshot that exenterates their eye colour/hair colour as I think they’re very striking photos and makes the actors stand out. For this reason, I’ll be taking a green outfit and will be matching it with a similar colour backdrop which will compliment my green eyes and contrast with my red hair. Fortunately, I’ve been given the opportunity to get headshots taken for a lower fee with Atka, so I think it is a perfect chance to get that style of photo taken as I have looked at their gallery and have found very similar photos to what I’m looking for. If I am able to book David John and Akta, I feel I will be able to have a wide range of photos in a number of styles that aid me moving into third year.
CV
I already have an acting CV which I used when applying for drama school (Appendix 3) but from looking at it again, I’ve decided I would like to change the layout to make it look more professional and appealing, as well as updating the information within it. I looked at multiple templates on Adobe and Canva and made a few drafts (see Appendix 4 and Appendix 5). I love the pop of colour in Appendix 4 as it shows a bit of personality however, I chose to keep my final draft in black and white as it looks more professional and will be easier for printing. It also means that when I am able to put my headshot on the document (top left hand corner of Appendix 5) it will stand out more. To make the information easier to navigate for agents and casting, I decided to divide my CV into sections and add headings to make it clear. From further research, I have noticed that a lot of actors don’t put their personal information on the CV at all, or at the very least they place it at the bottom of the page. I think as I don’t yet have any representation, I will put my phone number and email in the bottom corner so people can contact me if needed but the information isn’t too obvious to find. I’ve also made a section for my biography. I think it will be a nice touch to add it in so people will be able to see what my upcoming projects are and I will have to update this section regularly alongside the credits section. I have decided to not to leave room for a lot of credits as that will prevent me from keeping credits that are no longer necessary.
Biography
When starting to write my biography, I didn’t know how much information I should include or how to format it. I collected several CV’s first this year’s graduating class that I believe we short and sweet but told us a lot about the person and who they are as an actor. A lot of the examples of biographies I have seen tend to be a mix of 1st and 3rd person. I think 3rd person presents as very professional however I also think biographies in 1st person tend to seem more personal. I decided to choose 3rd person for my own; I find it easier talking about myself from a different point of view. I have always struggled with talking about myself and I found describing myself really difficult. I didn’t want to use too much flowery language however, I think it is important to present myself in an optimistic way. I used words like ‘creative’ and ‘collaborative’ as they show me in a positive light while still being realistic to who I am as a person and performer. I like the structure that a lot of the Leeds Conservatoire 2026 grads use (personality/actor skills/what I have done/ what I am doing next). I think this layout makes the information easy to take in and agents will know where to look for certain information. Additionally, I think it is helpful to put as much information in your biography as you can, without rambling, as the more information you put in, the more an agent can learn about you without having to look elsewhere.
Industry research
Sue Devaney
Industry Solar System and Social Media
I’ve been doing some research into what type of career I would like and I found that I really admire Sue Devaney’s work. She’s most known for her role as Debbie Webster in Coronation Street and Jane in Dinnerladies however, she has also appeared in multiple other tv shows as well as musicals and plays. She tends to take on a lot of comedy characters but can also perform dramatic, high stakes scenes brilliantly. I had the opportunity to perform in a pantomime with her at the Oldham Coliseum and I really admired her comedic timing and how quickly she could improvise when things go wrong.
I think that being a regular on a soap is a great career path as you have a steady income and don’t have to go from job to job so often, however I have very little experience in that part of the industry. Sue has been in the tv industry for years and gained a lot of experience from being on Coronation Street from such a young age so it is important for me to focus on my screen acting lessons so I can have baseline knowledge of what a soap set is like and the challenges that come with it.
In addition to this, I really admire all the work she has done in theatres. For me to have the best chance at following in her footsteps, I would like to keep on top of my dance and singing skills as well as my acting. I have done some research into a few dance/musical theatre/singing classes both in Leeds and in my hometown that I can take to develop my skills so if I ever get the opportunity, I’ll feel comfortable walking into the audition.
I’ve also had a look into her agency: ‘Intertalent rights group’. They’re an agency that takes on clients for multiple sections of the entertainment industry and they have other soap actors on their books as well as stage/musical theatre performers. I think this is a brilliant agency to get signed with as they have access and connections with many industries, so I plan on inviting one of their agents to my 3rd year showcase.
I’ve also been thinking of making a separate social media account on Instagram for my acting. I think that it will ensure that I can keep my personal life and professional life separate and I’ll be able to add my acting account to my CV as another reference point to the work I have done. It will also be an opportunity to share videos and photos from projects I am working on, and I’ll be able to show other skills that I have that I don’t always get to. So to achieve this I’m going to start filming different content, such as dance videos, singing videos, so that when I create the profile I have videos to upload.
As well as this, I have started to create a spreadsheet of everyone I know who works in the entertainment industry (see Appendix 8) to help me keep track of all of my contacts. I have already worked with a number of companies across Greater Manchester and Blackpool and from those experiences I’ve built connections with many directors, actors and creatives. This year I’ve realised that it is extremely important to nurture the connections I have made and keep track of any new ones. Claire suggested to note down the names and contact details of anyone I know in the industry as well as any casting directors/agents I would like to invite to my 3rd year productions. This document is a working progress as I am constantly updating it however it will ensure that I can keep track of everyone I know and can easily contact them if needed.
Reflections
Acting for Screen
A lot of our acting for screen lessons this year were focused on the technicalities of screen acting and how to handle all the difficulties that come with working with cameras. Our skills block with Matt Luney really helped me understand how to navigate working on a set and what I can do as an actor to make the production go smoother. When we did a class focusing on hitting beats within a script, I found I did well with remembering what I needed to do within the script however, trying to manage that alongside making sure I was hitting marks, finding the light and cheating to the camera was a lot to remember. What helped was creating a checklist in my head of everything I need to do in the order I need to do it. There were a lot of things that Matt mention that I never would have thought of otherwise. For example, prior to these session I would try to guess where the end of the frame is and would just hope that I was entering the frame on the right spot. Matt then pointed out that if you plant one foot inside the frame and then lean back so the rest of your body is out of it, you’re guaranteed to enter the frame at the correct point every time. He also told us not to be afraid to communicate with the camera operators to make sure we are in the right place/where the end of the frame is. It can seem quite daunting to do that, especially when you are new to a film/tv set but asking questions will ensure that no unnecessary mistakes will happen. I didn’t have much knowledge on it before, so these lessons were greatly beneficial to my development. It’s likely my first screen jobs will be in adverts or tv shows, most likely as a day player so it’s important that I know how to act on a set and know how to do my job efficiently. If I remember all of these details, hopefully I will ensure filming and editing goes smoothly and that I present myself as a professional/ trustworthy actor on set.
Movement with Laban
This year I really focused on creating a process for developing physicality for a character. I often find that I don’t prioritise movement in rehearsals/ character development and it was often due to the fact that I didn’t know where to start. In the first skills block of 2nd year, we did a lot of work on Laban Efforts in our movement classes and as we explored them, I began to realise how helpful they would be when starting to create a character. I decided to use this technique in our first project: a production of “Our Town”. Using Laban efforts made a huge difference in the way I approached building my character; I used “wring” as a starting point and I layered other techniques/qualities over the top to create a more nuanced/complex character. I was extremely happy with the progress I made during rehearsals using this technique and have now made it a permanent part of my process. Despite this, within my feedback from the performance, I was told “Further development could be seen physically, especially in how the character moves/walks/travels through the space”. I couldn’t help but agree as even though this technique definitely helped, I was only using it at base level and it often felt quite limited in what I could do. So, to further develop my skills in the second skills block, I researched further into Laban efforts learnt about the use of observation. “While this technique was created in order to create clear physicalities, it is based upon the real ways people move or express themselves” ; it allowed me to see how the Laban efforts manifest themselves in people’s everyday movement. Through doing this exercise and transferring what I saw in others into my own body, I was able to connect my entire body with my chosen effort and sustain it, rather than only showing it through gestures. Now having a wider range of techniques and tools, I’m extremely excited to put them to use in the next project and I’m feeling a lot more confident moving forward into 3rd year that I know how to independently develop character with strong physical qualities to match. Furthermore, I think that this tool will be useful when doing comedy character, especially ones for stage like in pantomimes and children’s theatre shows which is something I would like to try one day.
Mock Auditions
This year we were given the opportunity to take part is some mock auditions. Each week we would get a different brief about what we were auditioning for and what we would need to prepare. These sessions taught me a lot about how important it is to prepare before an audition. Aside from learning your lines, it’s extremely important that you do some research into the company you’re auditioning for and who might be on the audition panel. In addition, you might want to think about what role/project you are auditioning for and how you might want to present yourself. Even your choice of clothing can help you stand out a mile and make you more memorable. In the past I have struggled with auditions as I put too much pressure on my performance rather than thinking about other aspects of the audition. I find that I overprepare the material but don’t spend enough time on researching who I’m auditioning for and what they might be searching for. These sessions have helped a lot as I was able to put myself in an audition environment without worrying too much about the outcome of the day. I also had the opportunity to get feedback from tutors and an external casting director on how I was in the room and what I could improve on. Overall, I was told that I made clear choices and was confident in my material, which is great to here. From this experience, I’ll take all of the advice on board for my 3rd year auditions and see how effective it is in a real audition.
Conclusion
Overall, I do feel more confident walking into third year. I knew that the final year of drama school could be quite challenging and stressful but from doing all this research and preparation, next year seems less daunting. I have more knowledge of how the industry works and how I can navigate it as a newly graduated actor, and everything that I have prepared will still be helpful to me for years to come. I’m now aware of where I fit in the industry and what projects I would love to take part in and I have the opportunity to use that to my advantage as well as challenging myself and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I have managed to really focus on my weaker areas, so I feel like a more well-rounded actor, ready for 3rd year. I’m excited to further work on my skills, especially ones that I will need in projects I would like to pursue in the future.
Bibliography
pattielemon (2023). Ultimate Guide To Using Laban Technique For Actors. [online] Actorstoolkit.co.uk. Available at: https://actorstoolkit.co.uk/ultimate-guide-to-using-laban-technique-for-actors/#90c163ad-5aae-4b52-b3b6-4a29d950b7bf [Accessed 13 Apr. 2026].
