A Levels: Drama, Psychology, Art & Design

I joined Friesland as a Sixth Form student in 2006. I will always remember the range of things available to us as students and the experiences and memories that it has given me. Being an A Level Drama student there was always a vast variety of theatre trips on offer. This was always really exciting and a brilliant way to engage and ignite our creative juices. Not to mention the school shows where I starred as Lucifer in Dr Faustus and Miss Sherman in FAME! There were many extra-curricular opportunities for Friesland students and one that I will always remember was the American Exchange at Radnor High School. It was incredible. Even to this day my host Janet and I remain good friends and try to catch up as much as we can.

I know that the passion and dedication of the staff at Friesland, especially in the Performing Arts Department, was the reason why I wanted to pursue a career working within that industry. I went to study BA(Hons) Drama at the University of Lincoln and graduated in the majestic Cathedral (another moment that will be a treasured memory). Since then I have been lucky enough to work in a wide variety of places and roles which is incredibly exciting when working as a freelancer.

My freelance work took me in many directions including acting, directing, hospitality manager, youth theatre leader and stage crew. I would never underestimate the power of giving freelance work a go. It may not be the career for everyone but it gives you chance to decide what areas you like working in and gives you invaluable hands on experience. By freelancing I have toured the country with a show called Cirque du Ciel: Shanghai which was performers from the Beijing Acrobatic troupe and I was able to learn so many different skills from being hospitality manager. Work like this can open doors and bring you in to contact with a range of people.

From working at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton I was able to secure an Assistant Directors role with JunkShop Theatre Company, a youth theatre based in Nottingham. This really ignited my passion for working with young people and seeing them grow and develop as not only performers but also young adults. This has led me in to one of my current roles teaching and directing at TipToe School of Performing Arts and have been involved in directing LAMDA exams, National Theatre Connections Festival and full-scale musicals and plays. Each job that I encountered gave me the contacts that opened up the door for the next one. It was an exciting period of my career and one that has enhanced my skills and experiences further than I thought possible.

Even my journey working in schools has not been an expected one. My first job in a school was as an Assistant Librarian. There, the head knew about my experience of working with young people and my roles previously, she gave me the opportunity to work as a KS3 Learning Mentor. This meant I was able to use my skills further by trying to engage and motivate students academically whilst supporting them personally. I enjoyed this side of things and again, within the same school, this developed in to me then becoming a Pastoral Tutor.

This leads me in to my current role back at Friesland School as the Curriculum Support Assistant in Performing Arts. This role is great as I get to enjoy doing something I love, which is engaging young people in the arts. I like to see confidence grow and see people develop. It is an absolute pleasure to be back working in a great department that taught me so much. Not only are my teachers still teaching me things today all these years later, but I am able now to ignite the imagination and creativity of current students to set them up for the futures that lay ahead of them.

I have to admit I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do when I was a student studying my A Levels at Friesland and truth be told, I am still not 100% on where life might take me in the future. Take the opportunities when you can see where it might take you. Never be afraid to give difficult or different things a try. I always said I never want to be a teacher; however, I love the teaching role that I have in working in youth theatre and all the joy that brings with it. Sometimes your career will take you down a different path to what you were expecting but enjoy it and gain as much experience as you possibly can.