Task 2D - Inquiry

1) What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

Being an inquisitive person I'm always wanting to know more. In my daily practice I get really enthusiastic about is seeing other people enjoy themselves. Some of the things I do are aimed mainly at children but when adults get involved and have a great time it's fantastic to see. I love to see every type of child get involved regardless of their ability, it is something I try to do when my practice involves kids. Performing and playing games is fun and the all inclusive nature of theatre is something I have come to be interested in the older I have become. I really admire the work of Blue Apple http://blueappletheatre.com/ . A theatre company whose mission is to 'seek to change the way people see and understand learning disability'.  I first encountered this company when they appeared on the BBC News program. The all inclusive nature of theatre is something that is inspiring to all. So many different religions, societies, cultures and personalities can be show through the arts.

2) What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings of has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?

'Oh so you studied drama? That must have been easy.' Umm no. This is what angers me. So many people see drama, theatre, dance, singing, as 'soft' subjects. What people don't seem to understand is that although audiences and lets say students at school who don't study drama, get to see the finished, polished and preened product, there is a whole mountain of work that goes into a role or a whole piece.

Don't judge a book by its cover (pardon the cliché) but it's true. So many people work so hard to put on a performance. From the performers to the runners and stage hands/crew. I have been in both of these positions and that was a fantastic experience because its broadened my knowledge of the true craft that is, a show. In recent years there have been so many debates over whether or not the arts is a subject worth teaching, but I believe it is. The arts can bring people who wouldn't normally be confident, out of their shell and it gives them a chance to explore.

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/oct/30/defence-school-drama-arts-curriculum-ebacc

Julie Walters (https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/23/julie-walters-lack-working-class-actors-sad) is probably one of the more famous voices that has voiced her opinion on the 'lack of working class actors'. University and Drama School fees are rocketing up towards the sky and it can eliminate those with true and raw talent from ever getting the chance to be seen. The acting world can sometimes come with a bit of an elitist label. Only the shows with the big names get the most bums on seats. Is this the right way to do things? For ethical reasons I won't mention names but in some productions of big musicals or plays they'll get in a pop star to play a lead, which wipes out the chance for those who trained for years to get that opportunity. Is this fair? I don't think so, but I would be interested to hear other people's opinions.

3) What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

How to put this 'eloquently' without feeling the need to run around flailing my arms in the air shouting 'everything!!'? I love that acting is playing. I love that we can pretty much pretend to be anyone we want. People often ask me what I wanted to do before I went to drama school. My response is always that I got my place at university to study Criminology, Psychology and Forensic Science but instead I went to drama school where I can pretend to be a scientist and whatever else I like (it's often met with 'have you been a tree?') and they laugh, but it's true. As much as I loved working in an office in my gap year, it didn't satisfy my thirst for creativity. Having the ability to play and discover is such a fantastic thing to have. I love that you can always learn when it comes to performing, if the role demands you must tap dance, then one must learn.

As I'm sure most of you are now aware, I trained with Amanda. She was never phased at the thought of getting up and giving something a go, I admired that and still do. I'm sure she won't mind me saying that some of the things that we had to do at drama school would probably look a bit silly if someone walked in on our classes but she always embraced it with open arms.

4) What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understand it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?

This question raises the same issues that I mentioned in the second question. I just don't understand how some people cannot see the benefits of the arts. Someone once said to me that 'it's ridiculous that as a society we have decided the best way to test someone's intelligence is to feed them information and make the regurgitate it in the form of an exam, which takes place in complete silence. If we took a fish out of water it would be useless but when in the water it is in its prime environment in which in can strive' (this quote is paraphrased). You never know who will benefit from learning through other means that just writing. Drama as a subject can introduce other ways of learning that may not have been previously thought of. I understand the importance of the core subjects but they can be a lot of pressure on some people. I always loved my drama lessons and couldn't wait until the next one. Why take the opportunity for someone else to feel like that, away?

5) How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more in generally in society?

There are so many professions that can come from being in the performing industry. So to answer this question I have drawn a mind map to show each ethical consideration (written in red so that it is clear) for each tangent. I have also done another mind map to show the ethical considerations of other professions to show contrast and to see what similarities occur. The green writing is some questions that I think one should ask themselves before taking action.