Solent University lecturer says teaching Arts students a 'joy'

We currently have two undergraduate degrees and one postgraduate degree running in the Performing Arts Department: BA Hons Musical Theatre, BA Hons Acting and Performance and, starting this year, MA Acting for Screen.

It is such a fantastic joy and privilege to teach the young people who study here. Our students are just brilliant – they are hugely supportive of each other, and of us as a staff team. They work incredibly hard and always give that bit extra. Our days are filled with singing, dancing and playing – what more could you ask for?

Each year brings a fresh wave of students, and it’s always so exciting to meet them and to find out what they want to get out of their education. This is important, as it helps shape our planning and enables us to develop opportunities and experiences to help them grow.

Every year group has its own energy, which means that every day is different. I think one of the biggest challenges is helping young people realise just how brilliant they are and building their confidence. We are committed to helping them experience a wide range of pathways into the industry and get as many opportunities to perform in public as possible.

Our students enjoy taking part in projects within the city. They’re always keen to be part of the Southampton community. Recent projects have included working with Unity 101 on their show Om Shanti Om, which was performed at MAST last year, working with World Stages Now and SWVG to deliver a creative arts day for the refugee and asylum seeker community, and creating pieces of children's theatre that have been performed at MAST and on campus for local primary schools. 

Students this semester have been involved in Home Theatre Southampton, which was a fantastic opportunity with Kerry Kyriacos Michael (former director of Theatre Royal Stratford East) that entailed taking live theatre into people’s homes across the city.

Our students worked as stage managers, shadowing practitioners and taking part in workshops. Our film and television students also filmed the event, which will be screened at MAST in January 2025. This was an amazing opportunity, as not only did the students get to work with Kerry but they also worked alongside fourteen other professional theatre makers and directors who were on campus during the project. 

Some students stay in Southampton after they’ve graduated, contributing to the local creative economy, and we are keen to build opportunities for artists across the city. This has been helped by the University, MAST and Southampton Forward with projects such as Home Theatre, which employed fourteen local practitioners.

Supported by The Stage Door, last year our students performed a new piece of musical theatre and a cabaret show for two nights, which meant that all our third year Musical Theatre graduates had paid work straight after leaving us last year. Forming their own companies has offered students another route into this difficult business.

Looking ahead to 2025, we have the Home Theatre Screening with Southampton Forward at MAST on 25th January - this is a free event but people need to register for their ticket. And at Solent there’s an exciting programme starting at the end of April. The Acting and Performance students will be doing A Winter's Tale and our Musical Theatre performers are doing a full-length musical but I can't tell you what it is yet, as it’s still a surprise for the students! There’s also a festival of theatre for our third-year students at MAST from 8th-24th May. All these events are bookable and open to the public.

We have some amazing visitors coming to deliver workshops, including directors Will Holyhead and Stewart Melton. As ever, it’s going to be an exciting and busy year, and we look forward to keeping everyone informed of our upcoming adventures. You can find out all about our Performing Arts courses at solent.ac.uk.