Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

Blog post by Jenny Hughes, Head of Drama

It was good to celebrate graduation with the ‘Class of 2019’ last week – many congratulations to every single one of this year’s graduates. It was my second year of playing the role of ‘presenter’ – of having the honour of reading the names of each of our graduates as they came up onto the podium to accept their degrees. The Head of Department gets to do this each year and it is a real highlight of the year. Before being a presenter for the first time, I had considered sharing the role with other members of Drama staff throughout my tenure as Head of Department. The joy should be shared! But, well, no … I did not engage in this act of generosity this year, and suspect that the same will occur next year. Sorry, colleagues!

For the ceremony this year we were paired up with our friends and colleagues from the Music Department, which made for good, rowdy event. I’m pleased to report that Drama students upheld the tradition established by previous Drama graduates of celebrating their peers’ achievements more joyously (noisily) than, I believe, any other ceremony at the University last week. We had a full contingent of Drama staff to add to the noise (although with more decorum, of course). See above – a photo of staff lining up outside the Whitworth Hall, ready to process!

This year’s prize winners …

I want to preface this by saying that we have mixed feelings about individual prizes here in the Department. So many of students contribute so much in their three years here and we welcome the way that this reflects the collective ethos of the art-forms that we study, as well as the culture of the Department and our values as teachers and researchers. That said, it felt wrong, sitting in graduation ceremonies with Departments that do award prizes over the years, to not take an opportunity to celebrate our graduates. There were some lovely whoops and gasps when our prize-winners were announced this year, and it’s always entertaining to see the (often awkward and slightly pained) looks on winners’ faces as prizes are announced.

The prize-winners this year were as follows:

The Viv Gardner Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement was awarded to Sassy Holmes.

The David Mayer Prize for Outstanding Dissertation was awarded to Georgia Brown.

These two awards are decided on the basis of academic excellence – they go the student with the highest overall spread of marks in academic work over the final year (Sassy) and to the Final year research project that achieved the highest mark (Georgia). Sassy’s work in third year was nothing short of outstanding, and what was really notable was her excellence across the study of theatre and film, and study and practice modules. Georgia Brown’s Research essay, entitled ‘Towards a Minimum Unit: Late Beckett and the Via Negativa’, was a fantastic piece of work, called ‘an elegant, well-researched and beautifully written’ by the first marker.

The Tony Jackson Prize for Outstanding Student Citizenship was awarded to Jordan Jones. This prize is decided by Drama department staff and given to the student who has, in our view, contributed the most to the life of the Department over the degree period. Jordan was awarded the prize for his work on the Staff-Student Liaison Committee, peer mentor, student ambassador and for being an all-round positive and constructive member of the student body. Throughout all three years of his degree, Jordan enhanced the sense of fellowship throughout the Drama Department and across the wider community of the University, through his work with both Drama Society and the Music Theatre Society.

The Meera Syal Prize for Outstanding Practical Work was shared by Ayden Brouwers, Elizabeth Morris, and Emily Tandy. Ayden and Lizzie’s award was in recognition of their performance work on our intensive third year contemporary theatre-making module, led by theatre-maker and lecturer, Andy Smith. Any new first years reading this – you will be able to see Ayden and Lizzie’s Sound Cistem, which began life on Andy’s course, and is shortly to play Edinburgh Fringe – as it will be our welcome week show this year! Andy Smith said: ‘Ayden and Lizzie made a piece of work that felt really of its moment. It developed and took on methodologies and had a clear sense of its antecedents whilst remaining absolutely of and for its makers. It contained the personal and the political.’

Emily was awarded the prize in recognition of her work to strengthen the links between Drama and Music practice, and for developing a movement-based practice as part of her final year research project. It was also awarded for her beautiful interpretation of Angels in America for her final year Directing module. Our Directing course is led by Artistic Director, Gwenda Hughes, who said of Emily’s direction: ‘an excellent piece of work, simply but attractively designed and beautifully staged. The dialogue was clear and sharp with attention paid to the specificity of the text, eliciting very good performances from the cast.’ Emily’s directorial work showed creative maturity, a confident and distinctive aesthetic, and rigorous, detailed work with her actors.

Thanks to the Class of 2019 for three great years – we will miss you, and good luck with next steps. Please keep in touch – send me your personal email address if you’d like to – I regularly get sent opportunities for graduates, and it can be handy to have direct email addresses. Also, join our UoM Drama alumni facebook page here – https://www.facebook.com/groups/124061231629085/

Sound in Film symposium – Film@Manchester

Blog post by Nick Bimson, MA Film Studies – University of Manchester

My name is Nick Bimson and I am studying for an MA in Film Studies at the University of Manchester. In addition to my studies I undertook the planning and delivery of a film-related event for the benefit of both fellow students and a public audience, which took place on 28 May 2019. With the help of students and staff, it was decided to develop a symposium around “Sound in Film”; an under-researched area within the discipline.

The symposium was part of a drive to supplement the teaching and learning delivered on the film studies programme and to provide a meeting point that would bring outsiders with an interest in film into the university. This certainly succeeded on the level of academia as there were representatives from a few Manchester based educational institutions present at the event. Aside from them, there was generally a good turnout at the event and there were many opportunities available for people to network with others, most of whom were connected to film in some way.

I took on a central organisational role, however, I had a fantastic and crucial range of people helping me before and during the event, including both staff and other students. I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to these people who made the planning and the delivery of the symposium a pleasure! There was also a great selection of guest speakers present at the event who were all my first choices and from whom I was lucky to obtain enthusiastic agreement to contribute to the event.

The event was split into three sections. The first was a talk delivered by Dr. Melanie Bell of the University of Leeds which centred on female sound artists in film and was based upon an article she published in the journal Screen (link to article at the end of this post). Melanie’s talk was followed by a screening of Ridley Scott’s Alien, which was appropriate as it featured the sound work of Beryl Mortimer.

The second section featured three former PhD students from the University of Manchester all giving talks about their specific areas of interest. These students were Dr. Suzy Mangion, Dr. Dan White and Dr. Laura Wilson. This round of talks finished with a short panel involving all three speakers which was chaired by Dr. David Butler, for whom sound is an area of specialty. This panel gave the speakers the opportunity to expand on some of the ideas in their work and for the audience to ask questions.

The final section was a panel that involved all three former PhD students, along with Melanie and David. This panel was themed around the future of studying sound in film and provided a large amount of time for audience participation and questions. The event finished with an early evening screening of Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio, which once more linked to Melanie’s talk by featuring the work of Beryl Mortimer.

Luckily, I experienced very few difficulties putting on the event as I was given a lot of excellent support throughout the processes of organising and delivering the symposium. The main area in which I was challenged was actually in the initial planning stages, specifically in having to construct a document that would be sent to the head of department and which aimed to secure the funding necessary to make the event feasible. I now feel much more confidence regarding the very early stages of planning such events and I now know what would be expected in future.

The symposium was hard work and I was pushed out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions. For example, I had to deliver various public speeches throughout the day, introducing the event as a whole as well as certain sections and the guest speakers involved; a role I have sought to avoid in the past. However, I feel the experience has greatly increased my skills and confidence in this and many other areas. The next time I work on such an event I will be much surer of myself and be able to push the standard of the event even further.

Stills from Caravaggio from: https://letterboxd.com/film/caravaggio/ & Alien from: https://horrorfreaknews.com/10-terrifying-facts-probably-didnt-know-alien

References

Melanie Bell, ‘Learning to Listen: Histories of Women’s Soundwork in the British Film Industry’, Screen 58/4, pp. 437-57. https://academic.oup.com/screen/article/58/4/437/4772797

Wondering what to do with a Drama degree? …

Thanks to UoM Drama graduate Jessica Harris (Class of 2016) for writing this blog post!

Wondering what to do with that drama degree? Determined to prove to outsiders that it’s so much more than ‘being a tree?’

It’s only now I’ve sat down to write this blog that I’ve realised it’s been 3 years since I left the hussle bussle and beauty of student life.

The last three years have been a whirlwind. I came straight back to Leeds, lived in France, back to Leeds again. I’ve been a barmaid at four separate establishments, I was an estate agent, I went travelling for 6 months, I was an estate agent again – and now I’m here. In my first job in the arts. Leaving University is scary for anyone, but especially for those who don’t have a degree that leads you down a particular route. I knew I wanted to work in the arts and I knew that kickstarting a career in the arts is bloody difficult.  

I work for arts and heritage charity Settle Stories. We’re based in Settle (shock) so I’ve moved up to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. I found the advertisement for the ‘Sales & Communications Officer’ role on the arts council website. They advertise paid/unpaid, full-time and part-time work for all over the country.

The first thing that attracted me to Settle Stories was the cocktail of what’s on. There’s storytelling performances, networking events, outreach programmes, work with schools, a film club, retreats, workshops and so on and so on and so on.

Here’s what I’m most excited about:

Our flagship festival is what we’re most known for! We have a biannual story festival that brings international storytellers and artists from all over for a weekend of creativity here in Settle. Our next festival is in Summer 2020 and we’re going bigger and bolder as we relaunch as the festival to the Yorkshire Festival of Story.

We’ve just had a visa accepted for Shanthamani Muddaiah to come and work on our ‘Life in our Hands’ project. Shanthamani is an international visual artist coming from India to work with us here in rural Yorkshire. Her aim is to tell the stories of Settle’s vibrant community through beautiful sculptures of people’s hands.

Our Lazy Sunday Afternoon Film Club is on the last Sunday of every month. We showcase films that provoke thought and opinion. In June we are screening ‘Storytelling in Africa: Changing the News Narrative’ which is a presentation of short films followed by a live-streamed Q & A with director Thomas Lewton.

We also run retreats that literally are the DREAM. I often found whilst doing my degree that the stress and pressure hindered my creativity rather than nourishing it. Both our retreats use mindfulness and meditation to give you chance to explore your self-awareness and creativity.

Our outreach programmes respond to community needs using the arts. We recently did an animation project in partnership with North Yorkshire Horizons who are a drug and alcohol recovery service. We commissioned Virpi Kettu (one of the artists who helped bring Wallace & Gromit alive) to teach individuals to use animation to recreate their stories and challenge perceptions of recovery.

So far, my first job in the arts has been an absolute eye-opener in many ways. One is that it’s not glamorous and exciting everyday, there is an awful lot of background work that needs doing to allow the fun stuff to happen later. Mainly I’ve learnt how amazing ideas can be tried, tested and created by just a few passionate hard-working members of staff. Creative conversation swirls around the office- sometimes ideas fall flat but sometimes they turn into actual tangible physical events/workshops/projects that people come to and participate in and enjoy. That is the best bit.

Getting a job in the arts sector is hard and sometimes seemingly impossible. You need to be resilient. Expect the setbacks and learn from them. Volunteer whenever and whereever you can. If you’re unsure how exactly you want to be involved in the arts, but just know it’s where you want to be, scroll through job advertisements and see what inspires you! You’ll soon learn where your interests lie. Apply apply apply and don’t rule anything out.

Settle Stories has an awful lot of volunteering opportunities, especially over the Summer. So fire me an email if you want any more info on any of what I’ve just been rambling about … jessica@settlestories.org.uk.

And GOOD LUCK with the graduate adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Announcing our new MA Playwriting degree …

We are pleased to announce our brand new Masters degree, starting this September – MA Playwriting at the University of Manchester.

Taught by our new appointments in playwriting, Chloë Moss and Anders Lustgarten (see below), the Manchester MA Playwriting is an intensive one-year programme designed to provide a gateway into a writing career in the theatre and performance industries.

This programme will:

• Help you prepare for a writing career in the theatre and performance industries
• Provide an opportunity to learn from working practitioners on a vocationally-oriented and industry-focused Masters degree
• Enable you to develop skills in writing for performance across a diverse range of contexts, genres and themes

Playwrights, Anders Lustgarten and Chloë Moss will deliver the programme, working closely with existing members of staff in the Drama Department and Centre for New Writing at UoM, including playwright and screenwriter Tim Price, theatre-maker Andy Smith alongside other UoM Drama department staff.

As part of the Drama Department and Centre for New Writing, you will be able to access Jeanette Winterson’s weekly seminar for new writers, a range of theatre specialists in the Drama Department and facilities for live performance in the Martin Harris Centre.

Chloë Moss is an accomplished playwright and screenwriter. Her celebrated play THIS WIDE NIGHT 2008/2009 (Clean Break, Soho) won the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize and was subsequently produced off Broadway, starring Edie Falco. Chloe has written numerous other shows including THE GATEKEEPER 2012 (Royal Exchange Theatre), FATAL LIGHT 2010/2011 (Soho Theatre), CATCH 2006 (Royal Court), HOW LOVE IS SPELT 2002 (Bush Theatre & New York’s Summer Play Festival) and CHRISTMAS IS MILES AWAY 2005/2006(Bush theatre and off Broadway)

Site-specific work includes I DO (for Dante or Die theatre company/ Almeida Theatre festival then touring 2013/14), HANDLE WITH CARE (Touring production with Dante or Die 2016) and SWEATBOX (Clean Break theatre for Latitude Festival 2015 and due to tour UK Autumn 2019)

She is currently under commission to the Soho Theatre, Royal Court and Headlong Theatre.

Chloe has also written extensively for television. Credits include SIX WIVES (BBC One) DICKENSIAN (BBC One), NEW TRICKS (BBC One) THE SMOKE (Sky1) and PRISONER’S WIVES (BBC One). She has also written CARE, a single drama for Warp Films and Sky Arts, and an original series SWITCH, co-written with Tim Price (ITV2).

She is currently developing and original TV project with Hillbilly films and is working on an original teen drama for CBBC. She is also under commission to BBC Radio 4.

Anders Lustgarten has been described in the national newspapers as “our most exciting political playwright,” “Britain’s most international dramatist” and “clearly a pseudonym for a Marxist collective.” He writes about the truth with humour and hope, it’s pretty simple really.

Anders won the inaugural Harold Pinter Playwriting Award for his austerity play IF YOU DON’T LET US DREAM, WE WON’T LET YOU SLEEP at the Royal Court. BLACK JESUS, about Zimbabwe after Mugabe, went to the Harare International Festival while Mugabe was alive. LAMPEDUSA, about the migrant crisis, has been performed in over twenty countries. THE SUGAR COATED BULLETS OF THE BOURGEOISIE is an extremely rare depiction of China on its own terms. THE SEVEN ACTS OF MERCY combined Caravaggio and austerity in the Swan Theatre at the RSC. THE SECRET THEATRE, at the Globe, is an allegory for mass surveillance set in the sixteenth century.

Anders is currently writing about Israel/Palestine for the National Theatre, Europe for the RSC and The Great Sheffield Tree Resistance for Sheffield Theatres. He is also working on a slew of TV and film projects.

Prior to becoming a writer, Anders taught on Death Row in California, was an international 400m runner and was arrested in multiple continents as an activist. Despite this, he still thinks “Write what you know” is terrible writing advice.

 

More information about the Manchester MA Playwriting is available here – https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/courses/list/12563/ma-playwriting/#course-profile

If you have any questions, please get in touch with:

rachel.clements@manchester.ac.uk

tim.price@manchester.ac.uk