1a

1b

CV

1c

I chose to have my name and my headshot stand out as the largest elements of my cv as these are the things I want people to remember the most. After looking at lots of examples of other actors’ CVs on spotlight, I decided that I want mine to be simple and clear, without too many embellishments (see 1c). This is because I tried to look at them as a casting director might, and found myself drawn to the ones with the quickest easiest information. I went with a muted green tone theme, to give a grounded earthy feel. Coming from my folk roots countryside background this felt authentic to the image I want to put across. I also chose this kind of green as it is closer to my eye colour and will help to tie my headshot in with the other information.  I wanted my details to go at the top next to my headshot to keep the personal information together so that it gives a sense of me as a person before they read my credits. I was slightly worried that I didn’t have enough credits to actually put on my list but I will add things as I go in third year. 

1d

Headshot research

My headshots are crucial for my image – arguably they are the most important tool in my tool kit.  After asking for advice from different lecturers , I gathered that it is important to play into the types of characters you are likely to be cast for in your headshots. As I have a dark look and I am very pale, I want to lean into how high contrast I am. This contrast lends well to period roles so I want to choose an outfit that is era non specific for one of my headshots. 

I researched the current graduate’s headshot photographers and I came up with a top 3 that suited my tastes. (see 1d)

I liked the range of poses and different senses of character in the AKTA headshots. The different colour backgrounds compliment the features and choice of outfit cleverly. I preferred the colour contrast in the Emily Goldie headshots. I think the rich tones and bold colours are really striking to look at. I feel positive that she’s based in Wakefield as many of the photographers that are ‘popular’ are from London, seeming inaccessible to people based further north. On this note I also looked for headshot photographers who were based in Scotland. I found this surprisingly hard. I investigated the Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland’s acting graduates and found that some of them had theirs done in Glasgow by ‘Gold visuals’. I liked the muted earthy tones and clear professional feel they give which I think would be good for someone who wanted to do mainly classical/ Shakespeare work.

Casting type

2a

After talking about casting type alot in screen this year, I decided to look into my own as well as actresses I have been compared to (see 2a). I’ve learnt that being self aware and knowing your casting is crucial for being able to sell yourself effectively. I began with some ‘A list’ actresses which I have been told I am similar too either in look or types of roles. Finding out about their backgrounds , I tried to condense what their ‘look’ was made up of and where I am similar. Why did people compare me to them? There are many contrasting opinions on casting type, are we bound by these in the industry currently? Both Kiera Knightly and Helena Bonham Carter share quite skinny angular faces which gives them an androgynous vibe. Big eyes and classical features makes them well suited to period drama – which is something I have been told a lot. They are high contrast which looks good on camera for a fantasy genre also. Helena Bonham Carter has previously spoken about how she spent her career fighting this. I think that it’s important to be aware of how you come across so that you can choose whether you play into it or do the opposite. I found researching my casting type really helpful as it made me really think about what sort of roles I would like to do and how this might be possible through headshots, social media presence and the wording of my biography.  

Theatre Companies

I also wanted to look into theatre companies who make folky actor musician work. I started by digging into the areas that I am based in, North Scotland (see 2b) and Yorkshire (see 2c). Despite living in the Scottish highlands, I discovered that there is a lack of industry representation in Scotland as a whole, so when completing industry research I had to look at Scotland as a wider area. As an actor who isn’t Scottish but lives in Scotland there are certain types of theatre companies I don’t fit in, which I find limits my options. I was particularly interested in Grid Iron theatre company which is based in Edinburgh as they do a lot of site specific work which is something I’ve come to love this year. I also was interested in ‘Wonderfools’ who are based in Glasgow. They create empowering socially engaged theatre and work a lot with young people. I joined both of these companies’ mailing lists and plan to keep up with their work and what they’re up to. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any actor musician led companies in my research. This made me begin to think about making my own theatre company post graduating to fill the gap in the Scottish industry with the kind of work I want to make. 

In Yorkshire, I found companies like ‘Archipelago arts’ really compelling. They focus on heritage stories, in site specific spaces, using folk music and movement. Also, I connect really strongly to the way they incorporate British Sign Language into their work. Due to having auditory processing disorder with ADHD, sign language is a tool I have been learning to aid communication. I feel passionate about accessibility and integration of BSL in theatre and would like to work with this in the future. 

2b

2c

Agents

As I am interested in both screen and stage work, I wanted to investigate agents who specifically represent versatile actors. When looking at the graduates’ agents listed on their spotlights (see 2d) I was the most interested in the ones that mentioned actor musicianship in the about me section. Roberts & William associates have a whole page of specific actor musician clients. I also like how they mention being aware of their client’s mental health. I would really like to belong to an agency that has a friendly and nurturing environment. I think that collaboration is really important between an actor and an agent. This job is a difficult path to choose and it’s not worth having a distant relationship with your agent, or feeling like you can’t advocate for yourself alongside them instead of to them. 

2d

Key Moments

This year we focused on tackling newer musicals with Jacob Savage in Ensemble singing. I have previously been quite resistant to musical theatre on a whole as I have felt unsupported in my abilities to sing in an MT style. When it came to doing solos in class, I felt terrified, which is very unlike me as I am a confident singer. I felt like I knew less than everyone about the musical theatre side of the industry, like everyone was in a secret club I hadn’t been invited to. However, there was a real turning point in confidence for me when I realised that there isn’t a 100% correct way to sing musical theatre and I could work with my voice the way it is. One of the things that was enlightening for me was a 15 minute one to one session I had with Jacob. It was whilst working on my song ‘hushabye mountain’ for the MD’s assessed project. I was expecting to hear that I was singing wrong but Jacob told me my voice sounded really healthy, comparing me to Laura Marling. He also suggested types of musicals that would be a good starting point and would suit my voice. Now I can use these musicals as a reference for what songs to learn for future auditions, thus beginning to build a varied portfolio of repertoire. Since starting this work I have found I enjoy a lot more contemporary musicals as these suit my voice more and I am eager to try some R&Ds for actor musician musicals to build my confidence further.

In November we worked on the first half of Leeds City Varities Rock and Roll panto, ‘Aladdin’. We learnt 8 songs and put on the first half of the show in 2 weeks. The rate at which we had to pick the songs up was extremely fast and taxing. My sight reading ability felt out of practice before this as I hadn’t been keeping up with it due to other projects. This was a well needed shock to the system, throwing me back into it. I tend to learn really well in stressful situations and found myself enjoying the challenge a lot. Sightreading is a crucial skill for actor musicians to be good at, as to be quick and open in a working room, ready for whatever a musical director might throw your way. This was a muscle I didn’t realise I needed to keep exercising consistently. Therefore in third year I aim to form a regular practice of tackling new pieces in my solo instrumental work. 

The Moors

Shakespeare

Directly after the panto project we went into rehearsals for our American Play, ‘The Moors’ by Jen Silverman. These three weeks were instrumental in the progression and consolidation of my acting process. In our first year we were walked through many different techniques, in second year we were encouraged to take ownership of what works for us. This was a freeing feeling but it was overwhelming too. I worked in lots of depth getting to know the play really well over the first few days and then burnt out towards the end of the week. I got invested in Agatha’s timeline and the timeline of the play due to its non linear structure, leaving a gap in the depth of my objectives. This meant I was less ready to work freely with Sean as I was more set in my ways. My tendency to get really engrossed in the world of a project is brilliant when it comes to characterisation but I need to prioritise balancing this with pacing myself over the course of a rehearsal process. This way I can remain playful , receptive and on my toes in the room. I think it’s also noteworthy to remember that an acting process is a constantly evolving thing. I got rather caught up in ‘defining’ what my way to do things was. Allowing myself to not be restricted by this will help me progress as an actor as my experience and career grows.

After Christmas we spent some time working on Shakespeare dualogues as well as a movement piece. This was exciting to me as someone who absolutely loves Shakespeare. Our focus was heavily on technique and language throughout this module. We worked on properly using the language given to us with a strong emphasis on vocal quality. I had never thought about Shakespeare this way before but noticed a complete difference in the quality of my acting. With the vocal practice and warm up I developed last year continuing in second year, I felt much more confident in knowing my voice and playing with range and resonance throughout the text. My feedback shifted from a tightness in my jaw to a need for a more free use of my lower ranges. It was a learning curve to acknowledge just how much difference proper voice work makes on the clarity of a text’s meaning even before proper characterisation has been added. This is something that applies not just to classical texts but any work, which was made apparent when working on our comedy block with Esther later in the year. Going forward I want to absorb these techniques into my wider acting process that I can use throughout my career. It would additionally be interesting to see whether these apply to the subtlety found in screen acting.

Shirley R&D

For our most recent R&D, we were lucky enough to work with Archipelago arts on their developing show ‘Shirley’. Having looked into them earlier in the year I was thrilled. What stood out to me was their musical content. It was really inspiring to work with Sean and be ecouraged to write songs in such a joyful theatrical way. Songwriting has always been my first passion and was what I was studying before applying to drama school.  I definitely want to create music for theatre after graduating, especially in a company that’s acting process is so integrated with their music creation. 

Beach bus and marketing

Outside of my university work I am part of a band called Beach Bus. We have been organising a cabaret in May called ‘Bus Stop Cabaret’ in which marketing has been a big part of. In order to act as hosts, we’ve had to think a lot about our branding. This has involved creating a specific social media, thinking about our colour scheme and making posters for the event. We also have had lots of discussions about creating a band email and how to seem professional when communicating with venues or organisers. We decided that clean and clear name branding for the email address and social media made us seem put together as well as recognisable in peoples inboxes. Inspired by this, I also made a new email for my acting work with my stage name ‘Teddy Ragless’ so that all of my communication was under a memorable and recognisable title.