My second year of training has been one of adapting, building resilience, and preparing for life after graduation. I have definitely felt the shift this year from finding out who I am as an artist, to learning how to present that artist to the industry. I have greatly enjoyed moving from a student’s mindset to working in more professional environments and readying myself for the life after uni. This portfolio details my development as a performer, my goals for third year, future plans, and the measures I have in place to achieve those goals.
Identity
Biography
Appendix 1
I wanted my biography to cover as many sides of me as possible. I do not want to separate my identities and be just an actor, or just a musician, so having a biography that encapsulated everything was my aim. I really struggled to up-sell myself, and asked peers for words they would use to describe me instead. Having an external opinion was useful for understanding how I come across. I found looking at graduates Spotlight bios helpful, as it gave me an idea of structure. I didn’t want to waste words, so described myself as a “multi-instrumentalist” rather than list every instrument I play (something I can put on a CV instead). I also decided to include both my training at Leeds Conservatoire and the BRIT School, as BRIT is an increasingly recognisable name, and an excellent credential to have. This biography covers my skills, my performance style, and my interests, and is able to be cut down, extended and updated where that may be appropriate.
Headshots
Headshots are my first impression so it’s vital to get them right. I intend to have a range of looks to show off as many of my casting types as I can. I would like shots with and without glasses so finding a photographer adept at shooting glasses is key.
I researched many photographers, but settled on a top three (see appendix 2), listing pros and cons for each. I found looking at LCON graduates’ headshots the best way to research potential photographers. Because I know these people personally , it makes it much easier to identify which photographers did them justice. I also tried to find examples of actors who look more like me and their headshots, to get a better idea of how that photographer’s style might work with my features.
Emily Goldie is my top choice. Her background as an actor means she understands the industry and what headshots would best serve me. Seeing as I don’t have an agent to advise me, this sort of insight is incredibly valuable. Her style is striking but natural and her headshots have a warmth to them which lends itself nicely to my features. I was impressed by her ability to capture an individual, as well as her shots of actors wearing glasses. Her packages are reasonably priced and accommodate several looks which will help to show range.
Appendix 2
CV
My CV (appendix 3) is adapted from a document I had made and updated since leaving college (appendix 4). While I was happy with most of the formatting of my original CV, the content needed quite a lot of revision. My name and face need to be the most prominent thing on the page to make it easy for agents and casting directors to identify me. I changed the positioning of my name and contact details, and added a headshot at the top of the page (I’ve used my ID photo as placeholder), as well as using a sans-serif font nicely frames all the information and makes it easy to read. I also wanted to fit everything onto one page, which meant I had to think carefully about what sort of information to include. Some example CVs I looked at included an “About Me” section. I felt that information was already covered in a biography, so I omitted it in favour of my credits and skills. It was important that there was nothing on my CV I would not want to be asked about, so a lot of smaller credits and less relevant skills were removed or updated in my new document. The credits listed demonstrate my range as they cover a variety of both productions and companies, which helps to emphasise my experience to agents and casting directors. I found categorising my skills into ‘highly skilled’ and ‘skilled’ an interesting challenge, as I needed to make sure I was making myself look desirable without over-selling myself. I think there is still some tweaking to be done with this, as I erred on the side of caution and think I can afford to show off more. When listing skills, I led with ones most relevant to performing, but I also made sure to list my hobbies and skills outside of actor-musicianship. By including other interests, a sense of my personality can be showcased as well as my technical abilities.
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Image
I decided to take a stage name for several reasons. My given name is very common and searches turn up lots of people who are not me. Pyzniuk is a name I have a connection with, as it is my mum’s maiden name (though she still uses it professionally). When searched, the only people who come up are members of my family. It also references my Polish heritage, something I included in my CV. I went back and forth on whether or not to change my name, particularly to a Polish one, as ease of spelling and pronunciation is something to consider. However, I felt the pros outweighed the cons. ‘Beth Pyzniuk’ is a unique memorable name that I have a close connection with, and I would rather my name be misspelt than forgotten completely.
Another thing I had to consider was how to market myself. I knew I did not want a professional social media presence. Though I have personal accounts, social media grants a level of access that I am not comfortable with. Social media plays an enormous role in the industry, and not having an online presence may be considered a risk. However, my own well-being and peace of mind is not something I am willing to compromise. Instead, I plan to have a website. I think it is a great way to have an online presence, but gives me much more control of what can be accessed. This will be a place to host my credits, showreels, contact details and current or upcoming projects. This will be something I update regularly, and will be an incredibly useful thing to be able to send to agents and casting directors.
Industry
Where/who to?
Appendix 5
A discovery I have made is that I am much more drawn to live theatre than I am to film and TV. I have found screen lessons a valuable part of my training, but I don’t have the same connection to acting for camera as I do with live performance. I really enjoy the process and the craft that goes into theatre, and doing projects such as The Moors in our American module really demonstrated that. Another consideration for what areas of the industry I wanted to go into was impacted by the rise of artificial intelligence. With AI being so unregulated, particularly online, recorded media is much less appealing to me. I am aware, however, that is unwise to hem myself in at any stage of my career and I would never turn down work without careful consideration. For now, however, my plan post graduation is to focus on finding work predominantly in theatre. I have tried to research agents, casting directors and theatre companies with a focus on stage productions (see Appendix 5).
A task we were set was to find people to invite to our third year showcase, which was an exciting prospect. I had more luck finding casting directors than agents, so I found this shared spreadsheet a big help when looking for agents I might want to represent me. I found it fairly difficult to find agencies that seemed to fit exactly what I was looking for. I am hesitant to go for bigger agencies such as Curtis Brown or United Agents. I am unlikely to be successful seeking representation from such big names so early on in my career, and even if I were signed, I would likely be lost or overlooked. I looked for agencies with smaller books, but still well established within the industry. I did find it quite challenging finding agents, and my research is definitely ongoing. I am also interested in writing and making my own work, so finding an agent who is able to represent me as an actor musician and writer may be a tall order. I have, however, signed up to several mailing lists, such as Southwark Playhouse, Theatre Peckham, and Furnace, in order to keep me in the loop of local theatre. I also plan on seeing more theatre to discover more theatre companies, writers and directors I might be interested in working with.
In terms of making my own work, however, I am continuing to write and create both in and outside of my course. I really appreciate the room for devising and original work built in to the course. Through assessments and assignments set, I have developed a lot of original material. Over the summer my plan is to record songs and speeches and start a portfolio of my work. I would also like to start performing at more scratch nights, as a solo artist or with peers. All of this is a great opportunity for learning and development, but also experience to put on a CV.
Network
I found mapping out my ‘solar system’ (see appendix 6) to actually be very encouraging. Over the years, I have managed to build up a decent network of contacts in the industry, both at a similar level to me and further ahead. Over the last couple of years, I have tried to get into the practice of nurturing these relationships and utilising my contacts.
For example, last year I reached out to one of my peers from BRIT who was putting on a play to take to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and asked to audition. This was an incredible experience which connected me with so many new contacts, and shows the power of using your network. This year I have also started work on an R&D project run by a friend who I did the Old Vic Theatre Makers programme with, who reached out to me.
This year’s projects run by external practitioners have given me additional contacts as well, such as Archipelago Arts co-founder Beth Knight, director and choreographer Lucie Raine, and Sean Linnen. Moving forward, an easy step I can take to maintain theses relationships is dropping a line to people I have worked with. This can either be to find out what sort of work they are making, asking about opportunities, or just keeping them informed about what I am up to.
Good professional practice is essential for maintaining a network of contacts. Advice given to me by director Joe Hancock was to properly pace how often you reach out to someone. Too often will come across as too keen, but you risk becoming a stranger if left too long. Two or three times a year I think is a manageable and courteous amount of times to drop someone a line. I also liked Claire’s advice of picking a specific few people or organisations to focus on at a time. My network has already proved to be an invaluable resource and I am excited to watch it grow.
Appendix 6
Second Year Developments
This year I have seen a massive development in my musicianship skills, both technically and in relation to performance. A big turning point for me was the panto project at the start of the year. I finished first year with a good amount of confidence in my abilities as an actor-musician, however, the prospect of putting on a pantomime in two weeks was definitely daunting. It was my first proper chance to take everything I had learnt and apply it to a full project, and it was a challenge I relished. I made an enormous amount of technical progress with my instruments, managing to learn and memorise eight songs within the first week, and then being able to put choreography and action on top of that. A big moment for me was around halfway through the project when we decided to try playing everything without the score in front of us. I was initially quite nervous about this, particularly when it came to playing the drums off-book (having only started learning the drums this year). However, without the score, I was able to put a lot more energy and life into the music, and ended up playing much better than I had. This experience taught me to trust myself and my abilities. It made me feel like I was on the right path to getting to a level where I can work professionally. If I get work on another panto or actor muso show (which I hope to), I will need to be able to learn quickly and be able to perform as early in the rehearsal process as I can. Something I am going to do is improve my technical knowledge and music theory skills for each of my instruments, by regularly practising things like scales and sight-reading exercises. This will help to prepare me for situations where I will have to learn quickly and efficiently, as well as being a good way to better myself as a musician. I found the panto project very affirming, and made me excited for the prospect of future actor muso shows.
In my first year portfolio, I talked about my ever-evolving relationship with disability. Over the summer between first and second year, I got COVID which had a huge impact on my physical and mental health. A lot of the strength I had built up over first year had completely gone, and starting skills again felt like taking a massive step back. I had a difficult start to the year, and my resilience was tested. I had to reevaluate the relationship I had with my physical abilities and limitations and work out what that meant for my studies and prospects as a performer. Learning to properly advocate for myself and navigating my disability within a rehearsal space was a steep learning curve. Within the first term particularly, there were several occasions I had to take a step back from things like movement classes, which took quite a lot for me to do. I began feeling concerned about how I was going to manage the physical and mental demands of the industry whilst also keeping myself safe and healthy. ‘Access riders’ were a new concept to me. They are effectively a document like a personal adjustment plan (PAP) that an artist or an agent can send to relevant parties detailing disabilities and access requirements. This is definitely a document that I need to start making over the next year. I have had a lot of practice this year writing and rewriting accessibility forms, so it will be an easy thing to get done. Although I have had a challenging year, I now feel much more able to advocate for myself and effectively outline my needs in a professional way. There is always a worry when setting personal boundaries about how it reflects on me professionally. I was always anxious about coming across as difficult, but speaking with tutors and facilitators this year has given me the chance to practice establishing my access requirements in a professional setting. I know feel very confident advocating for myself.
This Year, Next Year, and Beyond…
I think I have grown into myself a lot more this year, and have a much better idea of who I am as an artist. I feel much more well rounded and the gap I felt last year between acting and music is definitely smaller. My goal for this year was to apply myself more and to be less afraid of taking risks. While these are not exactly tangible goals, I do feel like I have come a long way since first year. My fear of looking stupid or embarrassing myself is much less prevalent, in fact I cannot easily bring to mind a time this year where I have felt stupid or embarrassed. I have made mistakes and got things wrong, but I have taken the opportunity to learn rather than feel ashamed, which is a massive win. I have finished my training as far as skills are concerned. Happily, this is not as scary as it might be. I feel prepared and excited for my final year of drama school. I have learnt an enormous amount over the last two years and am ready to apply that to shows and showcases.
In third year, a goal of mine is to continue improving my accordion skills, having made a lot of progress this year. I would also like to continue working on original material and find opportunities to share my work outside of LCON. I would love to leave third year feeling fully equipped to go into the industry. I would ideally like to leave with an agent, so continuing my research will help achieve this. It is also important I continue to build an image as an artist, albeit without social media. I want to leave with as much as possible to share with casting directors and prospective agents. Recording media and compiling a portfolio is an actionable and achievable goal to set for the end of third year. Having already made a strong start on preparing myself for the industry, I feel confident going into the year ahead.
