Performance postgraduate degrees
Read our students stories
Find out first-hand about postgraduate study at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries and life at the University of Leeds.
Before studying at Leeds, I was at the University of York, studying Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance. I had always been a bit of a creative, acting in plays and producing short films, but in particular it was the writing element of the course that made me realise that it was the act of conjuring stories that I wanted to pursue through further education and beyond!
Writing is such a personal exploration of the self. You take the ideas knocking round in your head and try and form them into some sort of blueprint that you can communicate to other people. It’s your thoughts and feelings on the page, which in a weird sort of way tells you more about yourself that you think you know. Being able to do that, whilst also entertaining a reader is incredibly hard and nothing quite beats the rush when an audience responds in the way you’re intending them to!
Read more about Edwards experience at Leeds.
From a very young age, I have had a passion for the arts, particularly for performance; this personal connection helped me become confident as a child and was constantly in awe at the results of creative people collaborating in a safe space.
Studying acting at college was where I began to see the true therapeutic potential of theatre. I discovered a world where theatre could be used as a tool for social change and help people express themselves.
I went on to study Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull, where I focused on drama therapy and theatre in prisons. This element of my academic journey prompted me to conduct a more in-depth investigation into the benefits of using theatre to achieve various goals. Regardless of whether the goal was to bring about social change, improve health and wellbeing, or enhance the educational experience.
I have very recently started working at The Jorvik Viking Centre in York as an Interactive Host. This role is a fantastic way to explore current debates through education and factually correct historical information: centred thematically around the Viking Age. My work encourages me to enhance the visitor experience through performance and character building.
For a while, I was an Activities Coordinator in an advanced dementia care home; I was able to use the skills I gained through my studies to enhance the wellbeing of those living in the care home through meaningful activities and sessions.
As part of my dissertation project at Leeds, I had the opportunity to speak to professionals within this field of work and learn about their thoughts and experiences.
Consequently, this enabled me to focus on the challenges and benefits of using effective techniques within a dementia care setting. Despite the challenges that accompanied this job, I found it highly rewarding and piqued my interest in pursuing my studies further in the future.
I am passionate about representing people whose voices often go unheard. I am passionate about those same people ‘taking up space’ in places they are underrepresented in. Learning about different types of audiences and how to engage them will further allow me to empower minority groups of people.
So far, I have enjoyed the practical side of my module as it allowed me to showcase my strengths in facilitation whilst employing research to improve my existing methods. I have also enjoyed analysing the Human Rights Declaration and learning how policy impacts practise, people and creative industries around the world.