As a young, impressionable actor, I believe that my perception of my own strengths and weaknesses has been formed via comments passed by my peers and industry professionals whom I have worked with.

Musical Theatre was an art form that I was late in perusing compared to my fellow students at London College of Music. Most students training in musical theatre have spent several years previous to university on musical theatre diplomas, whereas I studied A Levels and only began to explore musical theatre at the age of 16/17. As I lack in experience in the subject, I believe that my weaknesses are highlighted against the wealth of experience that the majority of my peers have.

I have always struggled with harmonies as it is a skill that I was never taught and I have had to work hard over the past three years to train my ear in harmony work. I have a very academic way of thinking and therefore I consider Music theory to be one of my strengths. My previous training in music theory has influenced the development of my performance skills greatly as I have been able to use my knowledge to improve my sight reading, timing and harmonising skills. Further to this, I’m aware that music theory skills are much appreciated within the professional industry and so furthering these skills will inevitably make me more employable after graduation.

One of the many reasons that I chose to study at London College of Music was due to the course being geared towards producing actor/singers opposed to triple threat performers. This feature was inviting to me as I am not a strong dancer and therefore it makes sense that I market myself as an actor/singer. With this said, I still need to work harder on my dance or movement skills in order to become successful within the professional industry. I have experience in Ballroom and Latin dancing, however this style of dance isn’t commonly used within musical theatre. I believe that my skills in a niche dance style will eventually benefit me as it makes my casting more narrow.

My weight and lack of stamina are a major setback within my employability. I am therefore currently working to improve both of these things. An employer wants to work with performers who can be reliable and carry out the required work to a high standard for at least eight shows per week. The current state of my health will not allow me to carry out this intensive work and so I aim to become fit enough to succeed within my chosen vocation.

In regards to my professionalism, I am extremely hardworking and conscientious. Throughout my training I have developed my own process for approaching  and developing a character using a mixture of Laban, lecoq and Hagen. I take my character development extremely seriously and my dedication to both the role and show is what makes me employable above those who do not show as much willingness to work hard. I pride myself in being consistent with the quality of my work and forever being punctual to auditions and rehearsals.

In order to become as successful as I can be within the professional performing arts industry, I plan to work my way up and build stage experience throughout my career. After graduation I aim to find work in a fringe or profit share production, with the hope that my career will progress towards bigger productions in both London and throughout the United Kingdom.

Throughout my career I do not only want to work in musical theatre but I want to expand my experience and work in other forms of entertainment. I especially would like to work in film or television, however I have not developed any skills or had any training in acting for screen. Due to my lack of training in this field, I am looking into short courses at the Actors’ centre and more full time courses at reputable drama schools to attain further qualifications in acting, with a specialism for film. However, due to the cost of these courses, I am beginning to secure work in student films to become more confident in front of the camera. I am also aiming to use any footage from these student led films to cut and edit a showreel, a skill that I attained from studying creative media production at A Level.

Alongside working as an actor, I want to source a flexible job that is still worthwhile and contributes to the progression of my skill set as a performer. I also want to be able to educate and inspire younger generations to peruse careers within the arts industry. As a result of both of these aims, I would like to work as a workshop facilitator for a theatre company, leading workshops and performing in schools. I am in contact with a Shakespearean theatre company that could provide this opportunity for me and so I plan to arrange this work post graduation. Another strength within my skillset is the fact that I have teaching and teaching assistance experience, leading classes in both drama and music. Due to this experience in working with children, I believe that I would make a worthy candidate for any job working in schools or extra curricular drama classes.

I will be satisfied as long as I am working within the industry, in whatever capacity, provided I can continue to develop my skillset and progress as a performer. I am very aware of the competitive nature of the performing arts industry and so provided I continue to work hard and develop my performing capabilities, then I believe I will have a successful career within the vocational industry that I am currently pursuing.