In order to be successful in an industry with competition around every corner, it is important to be aware of my own strengths and weaknesses and where I would place myself in terms of casting upon graduating. Within this essay I will be discussing my approach to the industry, taking into account what I have learnt and completed throughout my years of training. I will also consider potential outcomes and routes that will help me to succeed when working professionally.

Through taking into account both my strengths and weaknesses, I have started to make a list of potential avenues I could go down with regards to work. As a self-employed actor/singer working in such a challenging industry, I will need to ensure I look at other work as a backup, when performing is not on the cards. For this reason, it is important to have another string to the bow in case it is difficult to find work. Considering my own attributes and skills as a well organised, approachable and outgoing individual; further work could include teaching or directing within the realms of theatre. Subsequently, I have already been able to look into possible positions within youth theatres across the country and performing arts organisations such as Perform or the National Youth Music Theatre, to name just a few.  Alternatively, work within a front of house or box office capacity for theatres may also be beneficial in not only helping to support myself financially, but also in gaining contacts which is an essential part of the profession.

Through possibly diversifying into teaching and directing, I will be able to put my own skills to use by teaching others while improving my knowledge and understanding of theatre, as well as furthering my skills in acting at the same time. There is always the potential for one job to act as a catalyst for another, especially within the entertainments industry.

In order to succeed, it is also essential to consider my own “unique selling point” that makes me stand out from the crowd and be exclusive from other performers out there. In relation to performance and casting ability, I have been able to build up a repertoire of both songs and monologues that are suited to my vocal range, style and character casting. Having a strong repertoire based on my abilities and strengths will help me significantly and be most helpful when it comes to auditions. When deciding what to include in my repertoire, it was necessary to consider my current playing age and possible casting types that I could be put up for. Taking into account my appearance, height and vocal quality, an ideal casting age range would be between 16-25 years, however there is always certain degrees of variation.

I have started to define my casting through my Spotlight account. By using the online filters, my casting choices have been limited to my abilities and thusly only jobs that I would be suited for appear on the list. This however does not seem to have limited my options, with many castings for musicals, short films, TV and commercials appearing regularly. Research into performing groups such as the BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus has also proved to be most useful. With auditions held on a regular basis, although unpaid, it is an opportunity to increase my skills surrounding choral singing and performing while gaining valuable experience and building up my CV. Furthermore, joining extras companies who specialise in casting for feature film and TV, has helped to promote myself within the industry. These are all example of different avenues I could take, upon graduation, in order to put my name out there.

From the perspective of an Actor/Singer, my personal strengths lie within both acting and singing character roles with dance being my weakest skill from the triple threat. Although dance may not come as naturally to me, it is important to have a clear sense of rhythm through the means of movement, as taught to me throughout the movement modules during training. Although I have the ability to move fluently, I can further my dance skills through attending external classes at either Pineapple or Dance Attic. As the majority of roles within a show require some form of dance/movement, it is essential to ensure I keep up practice in order to improve my skill set.

As part of such a challenging industry, it is very much the case of “who you know” instead of “what you know”. Therefore, it is important to keep in contact with those I have already worked with and build up connections. Through being very close friends with a director of a UK touring Pantomime company and having worked with him for 10 years prior to studying at university, I have already managed to “put my foot in the door” with regards to possible seasonal work. Although this is not guaranteed, it puts me in good stead against other applicants.

Through putting into place the above strategies, staying well connected within the industry and being unique from the rest, I personally believe I stand as good a chance as any other graduate who is about to enter the profession. Although it is impossible to say exactly where I will be within my career in a year’s time, through having a positive, focused and disciplined mind-set, combined with enthusiasm and commitment, I can continue to enhance and improve my current skill sets and abilities through different forms of work in order to be successful within the industry.