Task 7A: Part 3

Over the last few days I have been trying to piece together my first draft of my inquiry dissertation for submission in a few weeks time. I have found myself doubting my ability and stressing over little details as I know that it is such an important piece of work but I am trying to keep faith and stay positive!

I have found a lot more websites with articles for my literature and this will help back up the information I recorded in my interviews. Documenting what was said in the interviews is one of the hardest things as each of my interviewee's were so helpful and gave me so much information which is all very relevant!

I am going to really concentrate this weekend on finalising exactly what I want to say in my inquiry dissertation and also sorting my word counts and whether I am 'rambling', as the topic is very personal and obviously of great interest to me. I have also made contact with Hopal whilst Helen is away so I look forward to speaking to her soon too!

Task 7A: Part 2

Over the last (very busy) few weeks I have been continuing with my inquiry and I feel like I am definitely making progress!

It has been extremely difficult to arrange interviews, either in person or over Skype, due to both my interviewee's and my own busy schedules! I am so happy that I have now finished my interviews for my inquiry. I think that the interviews went very well and were extremely helpful in my research. I made a lot of notes throughout each interview, which I held with a variety of creatives from actors to casting directors, and have spent time re-reading the notes from each interview and analyzing the data. All of the content that was discussed in the interviews is vital for my inquiry.

After holding the interviews, I noticed that my own opinion now has a definite viewpoint on my inquiry based on the experiences and jobs I have had since starting my initial inquiry process in Module 2.

Tomorrow morning, I am having a Skype tutorial with Helen. This will really help me to ensure that I am staying on track and it will be good to discuss my research that I have found, both through literature and interviews, with Helen.

Task 7A: Update on Inquiry Process

Over the last week I have been reading my feedback from my work in Module 2 and seeing how I can improve my inquiry. I submitted my Module 3 Feedback Response form to Helen and I have also spent time studying the Module 3 handbook and Reader 7 again.

I feel like my inquiry is going well so far, but with Module 3 being an extremely self-motivated study block (more so than any of the other modules), it is hard to know whether you are really on track or not!

I have managed to source some more literature which is relevant to my inquiry but a lot of my literature has come from news articles from The Stage or The Guardian, for example. This is great because there are so many new and up to date articles posted daily, but it does mean it is also quite hard to keep track of all of the new articles on a daily basis!

I have started to really discuss my inquiry topic with friends and colleagues in my professional circle and will be conducting more formal interviews for my inquiry within the next few weeks. I am going to continue analysing the literature I have sourced and this will help me to gain a variety of viewpoints on my inquiry topic.

Over the next week I am going to structure and set out how I am going to complete my inquiry as I am feeling a little overwhelmed with it all at the moment. Hopefully I am on the right track and I look forward to developing my inquiry further!

Module 3 - the beginning...

I'm back! I hope you all had an amazing Summer.

After completing Module 2 in May, I was soon off to work on 4:48 Psychosis, a play by Sarah Kane dealing with mental health, which had it's run at the off West End venue, Barons Court Theatre. I can easily say that working on this production was a truly amazing experience. It gave me so much more confidence and I will treasure the memories for a very long time. I feel so lucky to have worked with a fantastic director and cast, and the two 5 star reviews that we received were just the icing on the cake.

Production shots from 4:48 Psychosis

The week after the play finished, I went straight into rehearsals for a Chekhov play, The Proposal, in which I played Natalya. This was a much shorter run but I learnt so much from the experience and have now added a Chekhov credit onto my CV which was one of my goals when I graduated college!

Production shot from The Proposal

As well as starting a new day job and all of the acting, over Summer, I continued to think about my BAPP journey and the professional inquiry I will soon be starting. I began to make a list of the people that I really wanted to gain some information and experiences from, and found a few more websites and articles which were relevant to my inquiry topic. I cannot wait to get started on my inquiry and I will use all of the feedback that I received from my tutor in Module 2 to make sure that I produce the best work that I possibly can.

So now it's back to blogging after a crazy summer. It doesn't quite feel real that I am beginning the final module of my degree. Module 3, let's go...

Task 6C: Award Specialism Title

Award Specialism Title Proposal: BA (Hons) Professional Practice in Arts (Acting)

I have decided to conduct my research on the above title as I have a great desire to succeed now as an actress. My ultimate goal would be to perform in straight plays, especially Shakespearean dramas. My main passion has always been for acting and throughout my studies on the 3 Year Professional Diploma in Performing Arts at The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, the straight acting classes and Acting Masterclass, which I was chosen to be part of, fuelled my love for straight theatre. In the final year of my studies at Italia Conti, I chose to study the acting option in the first term and this resulted in touring with a TIE production of Macbeth. Following this experience I knew that I wanted to pursue straight acting for stage and also film and television.

In my inquiry, I would like to focus on the positioning of the performer between musical theatre and straight theatre/acting. I want to find out how performers who have been trained in musical theatre are perceived in the world of straight acting and if there is room for performers to work in both acting and musical theatre. I would also like to investigate different forms of theatre including pantomime and Fringe work, and how actors can keep themselves afloat in resting periods between acting work. I want to find out what kind of effect the industry has on an actors self esteem and confidence and also the importance of actors in our society today and how they would be affected if funding for the arts was completely cut.

Tasl 6B: Reviewing Inquiry Tools

Whilst choosing the method(s) which I believe are most relevant to my inquiry, I have critically reviewed the merits and limits of the tools discussed in Reader 6 in order to make a decision on which tool(s) to take forward to benefit my inquiry. I have analysed the merits and limits of 4 tools below.

Interviews

Merits:
- I am in charge of the questions
- Answers can be recorded for later reference
- Can get both verbal and non verbal communication (from watching the interviewee's body language)
- Able to choose exactly who you want to interview
- Allows the interviewee to expand on the questions therefore gaining more detailed answers
- Information is completely true and accurate
- Allows me to explain the questions in further detail if need be and allows the interviewee to expand on the question into a more developed conversation

Limits:
- Time consuming
- Might be difficult to arrange a time that suits both myself and the person I am interviewing
- Interviewer might cause a question to be taken the wrong way based on their tone of voice/the way they ask the question

Surveys

Merits:
- Data is collected from a wide range of individuals
- Doesn't take much time to create a survey and can be easily shared online
- Interviewee can remain anonymous so responses might be more honest and truthful

Limits:
- Sometimes a quantatitive approach only provides you with yes and no answers and these may not provide much information or help
- People might not leave enough time to complete the survey especially if it is on Web 2.0 and they are completing it on the go
- Participants might get bored and not complete the survey if they do not find it interesting
- Questions might not be 100% understood by the participants

Focus Groups

Merits:
- People can discuss in an open environment which may encourage them to be more honest
- As discussion continues more ideas and points might be brought up as individuals bounce off others' ideas

Limits:
- May not stick to the original points if the conversation wanders
- Some people may not say anything at all if there are individuals who are controlling the conversation
- Might be difficult to gather everyone at the same time
- Participants might feel that they cannot say everything that they would like to infront of other individuals

Documents

Merits:
- Will expand your current knowledge
- Research is easily found on Web 2.0 and can be great to back up your point
- Can help act as a starting point for inquiry

Limits:
- The document might be out of date information
- Could be biased and not truthful
- Can be difficult to find documents that relate to your inquiry and might mean that you don't stay on track

I think that interviews and documents will be the most beneficial in helping me with my inquiry. Interviews will help me to gain the exact information I need and ensures that it is true and accurate. I can record the interview to use for later reference and this will help me stay on track in my inquiry. Documents will also be essential for my inquiry as I want to gain knowledge and a better understanding. Documents will also give me evidence of what practitioners and professionals have said to use to back up my inquiry and this will act as a starting point.

I will be using the tools and methods in my inquiry planning and this will give me a broader understanding. I hope that my inquiry will provide performing arts students and professionals with a better understanding of the positioning of the performer between musical theatre and straight theatre/acting. After I have presented my inquiry I hope to add knowledge to this field.

Task 6A: Reviewing Reader 6 & Informal Trial

Reader 6 contains a great number of tools/methods needed when it comes to an inquiry. The reader explains how research can be approached in a qualitative or quantitative way.

"A common distinction in research is the difference between qualitative approach, which relies on the words that people use to understand phenomena, and a quantitative approach that can be translated into numerical data", (Punch, 1998).

Reader 6 also talks about 3 concepts:

- Validity of the Inqury: "whether your methods, approaches and techniques actually relate to, or meausre, the issues you have been exploring" (Blaxter et al, 2001, p221) (Reader 6, Middlesex Uni)
- Reliability of the Inquiry: "if another researcher were to look into the same questions in the same setting, they would come up with essentially the same results" (Blaxter et al, 2001, p221) (Reader 6, Middlesex Uni)
- Generalisability of the Inquiry: "this relates to the ability of the inquiry, or practitioner research, to apply to or have relevance beyong the immediate objectives of the research" (Blaxter et al, 2001)(Reader 6, Middlesex Uni)

Types of data collection tools include:

- Interview
- Survey
- Focus group
- Pilot observation
- Looking at documents

After looking at the different methods, I decided that conducting interviews will be the most appropriate tool to use to benefit my inquiry. I plan on making the interviews structured with a list of set questions, but I also want the interviewee's to feel free to add points or information that would be helpful to my inquiry. I would love to conduct all interviews in person but due to most people having busy schedules this may not be possible! I will look into using some Web 2.0 platforms such as Skype, FaceTime and telephone calls to conduct some of the interviews. I feel that an interview will be the best tool to use in order to hear people's real thoughts and opinions.

Last week, I interviewed a close friend as a trial run by sending her a few questions via email. I made sure that she was aware what her answers would be used for, what I wanted to achieve and that she was not obliged to take part. When I conduct the real interviews, the interviewee's will be shown the ethics form so they will give them more detail. I felt that by asking her the questions over email I did not gain quite as much information as I would have liked to. Carrying out a trial run has allowed me to learn from my mistakes and this will ensure that when it comes to conducting the real interviews I will gain more from them.

Task 5C: Professional Ethics

Reader 5 on Professional Ethics, for me was a very interesting and thought-provoking read. The reader provided me with a lot of information and there is a lot to take into consideration in this area. It broke down how ethics work in society from a personal level to professional and organisational and how they "all contribute to the promotion of social good in the larger society" (Middlesex University, Reader 5, 2017). This might also have a domino effect as your personal morals will have an effect on how you behave in a professional situation which will then have a knock-on effect on an organisation level. Before studying Reader 5, I had never thought about breaking down ethics into the three main different contexts but I found this helped me to understand the subject of ethics and morals better.

The history of ethics can be traced back to Greeks such as Plato and Aristotle and following on from this, philosophers such as Hobbes, Kant and Mill all have differing views on ethics. I found Hobbes' views most intriguing. Hobbes (1651) viewed ethics as "a practical solution to social harmony and good through the vehicle of a social contract" (Middlesex University, Reader 5, 2017).  This is about the awareness you have of others and I think as a performer this idea is very important both on and off stage.  Ethics are essential and you must consider the various views and approaches.

In the industry, ethics are also essential as you must be professional and treat others with respect but also have respect for yourself. As an actor, I always take ethics into consideration and will always treat others how I would want to be treated myself. At the end of the day, it doesn't cost anything to be nice! At college, I remember the Principal saying at the start of the year that the room held actors, directors, producers and writers and that we must all be professional towards one another. I carry this with me always because you never know who you might meet on your journey to the top.

My personal ethics and morals that I have today, both as an actor and a teacher, came primarily from what my parents taught me from a young age. As you go through life you learn that it is so important to treat others as you would want to be treated yourself and in this industry I believe that creating a mutual respect is so important.

Reader 5 has increased my knowledge and taught me that ethics is actually a lot more complex that I initially thought! In turn, I am now able to take the large subject of professional ethics and apply it to my inquiry.

Task 5B: Codes of Practise

In the previous task, I started to think about ethics within the workplace for myself as both a teacher and a performer.

Firstly, as a teacher of drama at a Saturday school, our company has a code of conduct and a set of guidelines that all teachers must follow and respect. When you read these rules and guidelines they seem like common sense to me and very straightforward to understand and adhere to, however other teachers or schools may have different rules so it is good to know that all of the teachers at our school are thinking and working along the same lines. This ensures that the children know how to behave in every lesson and know what to expect from us as teaching staff.

Secondly, as a performer there are rules that I must follow with my agent and also when working in a theatre/performance area. When working with my agent, these rules ensure that we are both in agreement and open with each other about auditions and work etc. When working in a theatre I must followed the rules outlined by the theatre and backstage staff in order to ensure that everyone in the cast is adhering to health and safety regulations.

Finally, I also have some personal ethical considerations for myself on a personal level. These include representing myself whether that be as a teacher or as a performer in a what that I want people to view myself as. I will always try my best in any situation and be enthusiastic and positive.

In my opinion, it is very important to respect and adhere to the rules, regulations and codes of practice in your professional environment, whether that be on a personal or working level. I believe that by following the rules is the best way to ensure success in your job.

Task 5A: Ethics Within The Workplace

Within my practise both as a teacher and a performer, there have always been ethics.

As a teacher I have to take into consideration the following:

• School policies and code of conduct
• Safeguarding
• Full DBS Check
• Appropriate behaviour towards the children
• Data Protection Act
• Equality and treating every child as an individual
• Health and Safety/Risk Assessment
• Being a role model to the children

As a performer I have to take into consideration the following:

• Communication with agent regarding auditions, castings and holidays etc
• Being prepared for auditions/jobs
• Respect for other performers at auditions
• Respect for creative team
• Social media - how do others view me?
• You are your product!

Reader 5 has really forced me to think more in depth about my ethical consideration and about just how important these are to me as both a performer and a teacher. It just shows that in both aspects there is a lot more than meets the eye and that teaching and performing are three dimensional jobs with a lot to consider! To improve my ethical consideration as a performer I will consult Equity's rules and to improve as a teacher I will re-consider the guidelines and codes of conduct of the company I teach for. 

Task 4D: Literature

Over the past few weeks, I have researched and read literature related to teaching with performing as that is what I am most interested in for my line of inquiry. This will help me to develop my research in order to find the most appropriate title for my inquiry at the end of the Module.

I have used Summon, Middlesex University Library and Google which allowed me to read articles written on newspapers such as The Guardian, as well as articles written by industry professionals.

The resources I have found so far which have interested me and which will hopefully help me with my inquiry are below.:

Brown, M; The Guardian Arts Correspondent; (2015); Arts and Culture being 'systematically removed from UK education system'; available: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/17/arts-and-culture-systematically-removed-from-uk-education-system

Jenny; Degree Match; (2014); 10 Coolest Celebrities Turned College Professors; available: http://www.degreematch.org/10-coolest-celebrities-turned-college-professors/

Independent School Parent; The Independent School Parent; (2017); The Importance of Drama and Performing Arts; available: http://www.independentschoolparent.com/school/the-importance-of-drama-and-performing-arts/

Joseph, AnnRene; Johns Hopkins School of Education; (2002); The Value of the Arts to the Community and Education; available: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts%20in%20Education/joseph.htm

Sanders, Brian; Is Theatre Important In Our Society?; (2012); Importance of Theatre In A Modern World; available: http://briansanderstheatre.blogspot.co.uk/

Brown, Kevin; TCG Circle; (2010); The Top Ten Reasons Why Theatre is Still Important in the Twenty-First Century; available: http://www.tcgcircle.org/2014/06/the-top-ten-reasons-why-theatre-is-still-important-in-the-twenty-first-century/

Schwartz, Katrina; KQED News; (2013); Why Teachers Should Be Trained Like Actors; available: https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/07/01/teaching-as-acting-a-performance-profession/

Heath, Jason; Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog; (2007); You can't teach professionally and perform professionally - misperceptions on both sides of the divide; available: http://doublebassblog.org/2007/09/you-can-teach-professionally-and.html

Acting Coach Scotland; (2017); Why Most Actors Make Lousy Acting Teachers; available: http://actingcoachscotland.co.uk/blog/why-most-actors-make-lousy-acting-teachers/

Acting in London; (2017); Can You Become An Actor Without A Degree?; available: https://actinginlondon.co.uk/can-you-become-an-actor-without-a-degree/

Performing Arts High Schools; (2017); Pros And Cons Of Performing Arts High Schools; available: http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/cm278i6hcu/Performing-Arts-High-Schools-Pros-Cons-Performing-Arts-High-Schools.html

BBC Active; (2010); A University Degree VS Vocational Training: Which one to choose?; available: http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/AUniversityDegreevsVocationalTraining.aspx


I need to look more into book resources now as the majority I have found so far are from the internet so I think I would like to take a visit to the Middlesex University Library soon to find some more resources but I think the above resources are a good start.

  

Task 4C: Developing My Questions

After a Skype call with Paula last week, I figured that I really needed to narrow down my choices for my line of inquiry as my initial interests were way too broad-based. I put my questions to contacts within my own professional community and have narrowed down my question choices to the following:

• Do you feel that drama and arts subjects are undervalued in education?
• Does having practical experience in performing help to make you a better teacher and give you a better understanding?
• Why is theatre important in our society and is it important for children to study arts subjects at school?
• What are the pros and cons of vocational training?

I have tried hard to combine teaching with performing as that is what I am most interested in and is most relevant to me in my professional practise at the moment. I researched and read various articles to help me narrow own my options and I will blog these separately.

I would love to hear if you have any thoughts on any of the above!

Task 4B: Special Interest Groups

This week I was contacted by Eleanor through one of my blog posts and she invited me to join a SIG that she had set up. The SIG is regarding Performing Arts in Education. As I currently teach drama to children for 2 different companies 3 days a week, this is one area that I am very interested in researching for my inquiry. 

In my previous blogs, I have explained my views on the importance of teaching performing arts in schools. By joining this SIG, I hope to discuss this further and hear views from the other members.

This evening I have also joined another SIG that was created by Gonzalo which is regarding How to Develop Your Creativity. This SIG will be great for me to explore other ideas for my inquiry which are not related to education and this will allow me to keep my thinking quite open at this early stage.

Being part of a SIG will allow me to raise questions and issues that are relevant to my practise, reflect and discuss with others who are like-minded. Although it is still early days, SIGs seem like an extremely good idea and I'm sure it will be vital to my learning in this module. 

I have had quite a few other ideas for my inquiry but not all of them link to performing arts in education. Discussing my ideas with the members of both of the SIGs I am part of will help me to narrow down my options and decide which route I would like to take for my inquiry from the choices I stated in my previous blog for Task 4A.

I was unable to make the most recent Skype session with Paula due to work but I have read through the slides from the session on her blog. These have prevented me from getting bogged down with too many ideas. By writing down what I know and what I want to know has helped me so far and when discussing ideas with the other members of the SIGs I will be able to refer back to this to ensure I stay on track!

Task 4A: My Questions

After studying Reader 4, it is safe to say that I am very excited to see what Module 2 will have in store for me. It is clear that I have a wide range of interests and I think this shows how far I have come in my profession since starting the BAPP course. I am keen to see what thoughts will develop from my research to lead me to the area of my inquiry.

Module 1 allowed me to think about areas that probably wouldn't have crossed my mind if I hadn't reflected on my professional practice. Blogging forced me to really see where my interests are at the moment and also what path I might like to follow in the future and also how my studies on the BAPP Arts course may affect this. Towards the end of Module 1 I started to produce some ideas about what I thought about studying for my area of inquiry, however after studying Reader 4 and trying to put my ideas down on paper, this is proving more difficult than I thought.

My initial areas of interest are:

The Industry
- Politics within the industry and how this may affect an individual
- Vocational training: Pros & Cons
- It's not what you know, it's who you know: how your network may have an effect on your success within the industry
- Is theatre important in our society?
- What makes an actor successful?

The Education System & Performing Arts
- Why are drama and arts subjects under valued in schools?
- Does the age you start studying drama have an effect on your success/talent?

Mental Health & Performing Arts
- How does studying drama and arts subjects affect individuals with mental health issues?
- What is drama therapy? How does it help those affected by mental health issues? Is there a link between performing arts and positive mental health?
- The importance of relaxed performances
- How the industry could affect your mental health and your way of thinking

These are just a few ideas to get me started and that I would like to explore before choosing my final area of inquiry. If you have any thoughts or comments on my questions then please comment below or get in touch - I would love to hear from you!

Pantoland 2016

I have been very quiet on the blogging front recently, having just completed a 5 week panto run of Dick Whittington in Liverpool.

Having completed my panto contract I now believe that what they say is true - you never really learn about the industry until you start working! I have learnt a lot from this contract, which no amount of training could have ever prepared me for and which I will take with me into further work.

My favourite experience of my time in 'Pantoland' was the relaxed performance that we presented. This performance was designed to welcome individuals of any age who have Autism, Asperger's Syndrome or learning difficulties, as these people would benefit from a more relaxed performance, meaning that the music is quieter, the house lights are left on and it is a generally all round less daunting environment and experience. This performance was incredibly rewarding as we were told by their parents that these children and young adults would not have been able to attend a performance otherwise and to see their reactions and receive their appreciation was amazing. We did a meet & greet (in costume as our characters) for some of the younger children after the performance to be told that it was the "best show they had ever seen". This made the long hours of rehearsals, early mornings and late nights all seem worthwhile.

I feel like I have grown so much as a performer over the last few weeks. I have never been cast as the comedy lead before (and a boy at that!) and this allowed me to discover another set of skills that I never knew I had. My confidence has improved both a performer and as an individual and I have made friends and contacts within the industry who I will definitely keep in touch with.

This experience allowed me to put the first pieces of my learning from the BAPP course into practise and it was interesting to hear the view of other professional actors (who are not studying on the BAPP course) about some of the topics we have covered in the first module. I have already improved my networking skills since working at Panto, as a friend in the cast suggested I contact a theatre company that she has worked for previously, and this has allowed me to make a further contact in the industry. Performing to large groups of children also gave me a lot to think about in regards to my upcoming inquiry and modules as I am really interested in exploring the teaching of drama in schools and how this affects children from a young age. For a lot of children this was the first time they had ever been to the theatre or seen a show and this could have a massive impact on their life. I remember being taken to the theatre as a child and I knew from a very young age that performing was the career path I wanted to take. I will definitely explore this further in the upcoming modules and tasks.