Rebekka Meyer

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

I grew up in a creative environment with painters for parents. I started singing in the national children and girls’ choir between the ages of 11 and 21. This taught me discipline and a lot of cultural and artistic experiences. I then became interested in theatre and performance and went to a performance school when I was 21.

What made you want to apply to your course and to Leeds?

With a quite broad background having done a bit of everything from singing, dance, physical theatre to academic training in musicology and modern culture, I needed to combine these and find a focus. That’s why I applied for the masters, as it could help me combine all these skills, to focus it into a theatre design profile. This masters led me also to focus even more on sound design.

What is it that makes you passionate about your area of study?

As this is a very open program, it means that I can combine my skills and experiences in this field. The program is about exploring and extending the frames for theatre and performance, and this gives so many opportunities.

I enjoyed that the course combined both practical and academic work. I love collaborative work, creating performances, analysing other people’s work and diving into concepts and techniques of contemporary theatre. The MA Performance Design course allowed me to do all of this.

What would you say about Leeds as a city?

Leeds is a great city. It has a bit of everything. There is so many cultural things happening all the time! There is not time enough to explore all the cool things. It has a number of interesting festivals including theatre, performance and light. And then it is close to great nature, such as the Yorkshire dales.

What would you say about the learning facilities in your School and at the University in general?

The facilities are really good. The School of Performance and Cultural Industries has great studios and technical equipment. I was very happy about the opportunity of taking English classes to help internationals to improve their language and to get help for essays.

What other activities are available for students to take part in outside of their studies, and which ones have you tried out yourself?

There are so many activities all the time. I really enjoyed Global café. It is a weekly event during the semester where internationals can meet each other to meet new people. I have made friends for a lifetime. Also I love the cinemas, restaurants and theatres available here.

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying to your course?

It is a great course with very talented lecturers. It is very open and the lecturers are interested in helping you focus on your goals and ways to further your career. The program includes practical and academic teaching, which is a great mixture when working with design and performance.

What do you plan to do now you’ve finished your course, and how do you think the skills and knowledge you’ve developed at Leeds will help with these plans?

Right now I am finishing a Danish master in Modern Culture and Communication and after that I will start applying for performance design projects and scenographic positions, or perhaps start my own theatre company.