5B

After blogging my initial thoughts on the ethical considerations of an audition, without using reference to any documents or discussion with others, I was extremely interested to do some further research in to the codes of conduct for auditions and to see what differed from my assumptions. 

Equity were extremely helpful in this matter and after a brief discussion on the phone, I was emailed a copy of 'The agreement for Performers and Stage Management in Commercial Theatre', and within this lengthy document I was able to find the 'codes of conduct for auditions'. 

Ethical considerations are not something you think about on a daily basis and before this course I don't think I had ever given them much thought, so reading through these legislations was a real eye opener to me. i am obviously a member of equity but i had never given what they do and the paper work behind what they do much consideration before. For this reason - and for the benefit of anyone else that this may help or may just be interested, I have included in this blog the entire section from 'The agreement for Performers and Stage managers in commercial Theatre' which I have highlighted for eases sake. 

Below, and not highlighted, are my initial thoughts, which I will now compare with the document provided by the statutory source.

A3.1 FACILITIES

1. A3.1.1  The Manager shall provide, where reasonable and practicable, in addition to the room in which the auditions are being held, appropriate accommodation to enable the Artists to change, wait and prepare.
   
2. 
   
3. A3.1.2  Audition accommodation shall be of a suitable size, properly lit, cleaned, heated and ventilated.
   

1. A3.1.3  When Artists are required to dance, the Manager will provide suitable surfaces and washing facilities and will use his best endeavours to provide shower facilities.
   
2. 
   
3. A3.1.4  The Manager shall arrange auditions to provide as much privacy as possible and shall, in any case, ensure that the Tannoy or other sound equipment is switched off.
   
4. 
   
5. A3.1.5  The Manager shall provide, where reasonable and practicable, access for disabled people. 
   

My initial thoughts in regards to facilities...

• I would expect there to be some form of code of conduct in place at the audition location, whether it be a dance studio or other to ensure the area is sufficient for the process. For example, safe floors to dance on, enough space to dance safely, some form of privacy in the way of separate rooms for closed singing auditions.
• I would expect auditionee's to have a private place to change.

The codes of conduct in regards to facilities are, all in all, what I expected.

A3.2 PERSONNEL

1. A3.2.1  A person responsible for casting shall be present at all auditions.
   
2. 
   
3. A3.2.2  There shall be sufficient personnel (and, in the case of open auditions for musicals, there shall be a minimum of two) who shall be briefed as to the requirements of those conducting the audition.
   
4. 
   
5. A3.2.3  An Equity representative shall be entitled to be present at all open auditions to give any necessary information.
   
6. 
   
7. A3.2.4  Unless the Manager is employing an agent as a casting consultant, agents will only be allowed to attend auditions at the request of an Artist and then only for the audition of the Artist making the request and with the prior consent of the Manager.
   
8. 
   
9. A3.2.5  No members of the press or persons other than those listed above shall be entitled to be present in the audition area without the Artist’s prior knowledge and consent upon reasonable notice. Whenever the Manager intends to hold auditions with the press present he shall offer the Artist an alternative time when the press will not be present.
   

This section, when you read it, almost states the obvious in regards to a person responsible for casting being present. But going back to my initial comments on how I have never really considered ethical practices as an auditionee, and of course this is fundamental! 

I would have expected in this section to have seen more in regards to how personnel are expected to conduct themselves.

A3.3 GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR AUDITIONS

2. A3.3.2  If it is intended that the audition be taped or recorded for use by a third party, Equity shall be informed in advance.
   
3. 
   
4. A3.3.3  An adequate number of scripts which, where appropriate, will be made available in advance, will be obtainable not later than the day before the auditions at the stage door (or other designated point) of the place of audition, if the Artist so requires. The material shall remain the property of the Manager to whom it shall be returned at the end of the audition. Where the Artist is supplied with words and music, they will be given clear instruction what they must learn for an audition. Where the Artist is required to select and learn words/music of their own choosing then they shall generally be given no less than 48 hours’ notice (except in an emergency).
   
5. 
   
6. A3.3.4  Artists should arrive in adequate time and be fully prepared by their audition time. If any Artist is unable to attend an audition at the specified time, he will inform the Manager as soon as possible. If any Artist arrives late for an audition, the Manager shall not be obliged to audition that Artist or use his best endeavours to do so.
   
7. 
   
8. A3.3.5  On arrival at the place of audition, the Artist shall be informed of the name of the persons conducting the audition and of any special requirements which have not already been notified in advance.
   
9. 
   
10. A3.3.6  Nothing shall prevent the Manager from inviting the Artist to audition for a part for which he was not originally being considered, provided the Manager shall afford the Artist reasonable time and facilities to prepare for such additional audition.
    
11. 
    
12. A3.3.7  The Manager shall inform Artists (or their agents) either prior to or at the time of the audition of his arrangements for Artists (or their agents) being notified of the results of their audition.
    
13. 
    
14. A3.3.8  If the Artist is recalled on the same day, a time for the recall shall be mutually agreed.
    
15. 
    
16. A3.3.9  If the Artist is called to attend more than two auditions, he shall be paid travel and out- of-pocket expenses for attending any auditions after the second (in London, such provision applies only to Artists who live outside Zone 4). For auditions in excess of six, all travel expenses will be paid for the sixth audition onwards. The Manager will make expense forms available at the auditions and the Artist shall submit a claim for travel within one week of the audition and which shall be reimbursed with two weeks. The Manager shall ensure that the Artist is required to attend as few recalls as possible.
    
17. 
    
18. A3.3.10  Any auditions involving nudity or semi-nudity will be in accordance with the Regulations agreed between the TNC and Equity on 1st January 1971.
    
19. 
    
20. A3.3.11  An Artist already under contract to another Manager shall bring to the audition written evidence of his availability to accept the engagement if offered.
    

My original thoughts on the general procedures...

• I would expect auditionee's to have planned their journey in order to be on time
• I would expect auditionee's to have planned for their audition, by prepping sheet music, dance shoes e.t.c

• I would expect cv's to be handled with a level of privacy.
• I would expect members of the panel to be courteous towards auditionee's by not discussing publicly or loudly how the feel about certain auditons
• I would expect the panel not to discriminate in any way i.e. race, sex, age

• I would expect all auditionee's to be on time
• I would expect auditionee's to be given ample time to prepare i.e. change, warm up.
• I would expect all auditionee's to be courteous towards other auditionee's
• I would expect all auditionee's to be courteous towards the panel and any other member of staff at the venue i.e. not talking when the choreographer is trying to teach the group 

2. Again lots of these points, when I read them, feel like they are stating the obvious, but are points I had missed out when considering the ethics that apply to an audition. In particular the ethical considerations in regards to call backs.
3. Also handy to know that we are entitled to paid travel if we live outside zone 4 after the second recall! 

A3.4 SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR OPEN AUDITIONS

34

35

A3.3.1

All Artists shall be notified in advance generally with 48 hours’ notice (except in an emergency):

A3.3.1.1 A3.3.1.2

Of the nature of the auditions and, details of the part(s) being cast; and who will be present;
If the audition is to be taped or recorded in any way.

A3.4.1

Artists shall be required to complete an audition card, which shall have provision for the Equity name and number (where applicable), legal name (if different from the above), their agent and details of their credits. 

A3.4.2 Artists will normally be auditioned in order of their arrival at the place of audition, where they will be given a numbered card (in addition to the card referred to in A3.4.1 above), which shall determine their place in the order of those being auditioned.

I had never considered that being auditioned in order of arrival or the format of an open call for that matter was part of the written code of conduct. Everything that we just consider the norm for performers is actually stated as regulation.


A3.5 SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR STRAIGHT PLAYS

1. A3.5.1  A description of the part(s) being auditioned shall be given in advance to the Artist or his agent, where the play has been written, with full details of the scenes to be read.
   
2. 
   
3. A3.5.2  The Artist shall be informed in advance whether he is required to give a set speech of his own choosing and/or to read a scene.
   
4. 
   
5. A3.5.3  If the Artist is required to read with another person, that person shall be competent.
   
6. 
   

A3.6 SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR MUSICALS / OPERATIC PRODUCTIONS

1. A3.6.1  A capable pianist and a piano in tune shall be provided although an Artist may use his own pianist if he wishes, and, in any event, the Artist must supply suitable music.
   
2. 
   
3. A3.6.2  If the Artist is required to learn a specific number, the Manager, shall provide the music, which shall be made available not later than forty-eight hours before the audition, and the Artist shall perform the audition piece as provided. 
   

I had expected a capable pianist but had no idea you were actually entitled to use your own pianist! It is also interesting to see that you are entitled to 48 hours to prepare for an audition where music is provided as I know from experience this doesn't always happen.

A3.7 ADVERTISEMENTS

1. A3.7.1  The Manager shall ensure that all advertisements relating to auditions shall be as specific as possible.
   
2. 
   
3. A3.7.2  Advertisements should contain the following information where appropriate;
4. A3.7.2.2 A3.7.2.3 A3.7.2.4
5. Whether any specific requirements exist regarding gender, ethnic characteristics, age range, height, dance or voice or music type, or previous professional experience;
6. Any requirement regarding clothing and footwear; The timing of an open audition;
7. The date of rehearsals and production if known. 

My initial thoughts...

• I would expect auditions to be advertised in appropriate places i.e. the stage and information in regards to the audition to be clear, for example, time, place, what to bring, what to wear e.t.c.
• I would expect audition notices to only be given for genuine positions that are available. 

This is all as expected, although I did expect something in regards to where auditions are advertised. 

                             

Researching the official regulations in regards to auditions has really opened my eyes to the ethical considerations. Many of the codes I had expected, however the regulations go into so much detail and I really hadn't foreseen such a precise document.  It is also extremely intriguing to see that the way we conduct ourselves as human beings is not stated on this document as I had envisaged some guide lines on the way in which an auditionee is expected to behave and likewise the way the panel and anyone working on behalf of the company auditioning, conduct themselves in front of auditionees. 

References

https://www.equity.org.uk/

5a: Considering ethics...

As I progress on this course, the temperamental life of a performer has become even more obvious to me. Even in the short time span of module one, I have been to numerous auditions, got a cruise contract, decided not to re sign with my then agent, got pneumonia and had to return from said cruise contract and played Mimi in Rent. The only relatively steady part of a performers life are auditions (not necessarily for a job you want, but they are always there in some form) and this has lead me to take real interest in the audition process, the idea of the 'professional auditionee' which I have discussed in previous blogs, and now the ethical considerations to audition practices.

As stated in the handbook, this section is meant to stimulate your own thinking rather than trying to find the answers via documents or discussion, so, my initial thoughts on the ethics surrounding the audition process all link to the main stems of my mind map...

Preparation

• I would expect auditions to be advertised in appropriate places i.e. the stage and information in regards to the audition to be clear, for example, time, place, what to bring, what to wear e.t.c.
• I would expect audition notices to only be given for genuine positions that are available. 

Preparation by audutionee

• I would expect auditionee's to have planned their journey in order to be on time
• i would expect auditionee's to have planned for their audition, by prepping sheet music, dance shoes e.t.c.

The process

• I would expect there to be some form of code of conduct in place at the audition location, whether it be a dance studio or other to ensure the area is sufficient for the process. For example, safe floors to dance on, enough space to dance safely, some form of privacy in the way of separate rooms for closed singing auditions.
• I would expect cv's to be handled with a level of privacy.
• I would expect members of the panel to be courteous towards auditionee's by not discussing publicly or loudly how the feel about certain auditons
• I would expect the panel not to discriminate in any way i.e. race, sex, age

• I would expect all auditionee's to be on time
• I would expect auditionee's to be given ample time to prepare i.e. change, warm up.
• I would expect auditionee's to have a private place to change.
• I would expect all auditionee's to be courteous towards other auditionee's
• I would expect all auditionee's to be courteous towards the panel and any other member of staff at the venue i.e. not talking when the choreographer is trying to teach the group 

These points are obviously only my opinion and I am aware that even some of these are not always followed so i am looking forward to exploring further by looking at statutory sources to find out what is actually expected. If there is anyone looking at something similar please feel free to share your thoughts below! 

Potential line of enquiry 4: Life after being a performer; should we all have a plan B?

Definition of 'Plan B' 

an action or set of actions for doing or achieving something that can be used if the preferred method fails:

The alternative Plan B for funding the stadium calls for a contribution of $7.5 million a year from taxpayers for 30 years.

The dreaded alternative career path is a topic of conversation many performers don't wish to have. When at college we were drilled to believe that we would never become a professional performer if we had a plan B prepared. But what happens when we get injured? When we have to pay bills? When we are deemed too old? When having children or a more structured life becomes a priority? What happens if Plan A simply doesn't work? Is it right to plan ahead for all eventualities? Or by doing so are we distracting focus from reaching the ultimate goal?

I began by mind mapping my initial thoughts...

...and am continually adding to this map as a discuss the topic with fellow performers in my SIG group via facebook. So far it looks like this...

The new, key points that came up when discussing this potential line of enquiry with my SIG group were; the idea of admitting to defeat and the guilt they would feel for falling back on a plan B. Many fellow graduates said that because their parents had spent their entire lives driving them to dance class, making costumes, consoling us when we didn't get the part, making sure we had dance shoes, leotards, sheet music, as well as the amount of money it costs for lessons and then professional training, that 'giving up' just didn't feel like an option. This lead to question why a plan B is deemed 'giving up'? Why is changing direction, veering off path, or honing in on a skill that you may have acquired along the way seen as failure? Many people change careers through out life and are applauded for 'being brave', 'taking a leap of faith', 'going after what they want', so why is it the opposite for performers? 

Many of my friends also said that they would be embarrassed to pursue another career. We were all the talented kid from our local dance school who made it into a professional college and was going to be the star...how do we go home and face people who thought you could make it? All those people you promised tickets to when you finally got your break in  a big show? This made me question my own choices. How many people who have no luck, those who always get cut from every audition, would continue to pursue a career as a performer if there wasn't a negative surrounding the idea of the Plan B? Is it really passion driving us?

There are numerous articles on the web in regards to this subject (turns out we might all be thinking the same thing after all.) This particular article highlights many of the key points i've already thought of and tryies to convince us that it is in fact, okay to take a new path.

'blindly following a dream becomes less about pursuing a passion and more about just desperately trying to avoid failure.' 

http://www.thegloss.com/career/i-gave-up-my-dream-and-id-do-it-again-731/ -Allison Ford 2012

One of the most interesting finds from simply googling this topic is the amount of articles in relation to 'successful' well known performers from big features films, tv shows or pop stars who want a year off, or intend to give up their career in the industry. Maybe the problems with this career path stem all the way up the ladder?

Potential line of enquiry 3: The professional auditionee; how do we prepare ourselves for the process and deal with rejection?

Definition of 'professional' - Oxford dictionary 

Relating to or belonging to a profession.

‘young professional people’

Worthy of or appropriate to a professional person; competent, skilful, or assured.

‘his professional expertise’
‘their music is both memorable and professional’

Engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur.

‘a professional boxer’

Definition of 'audition' - Oxford Dictionary 

An interview for a role or job as a singer, actor, dancer, or musician, consisting of a practical demonstration of the candidate's suitability and skill.


‘the Royal Ballet gave Nicola an audition’

The idea of being a 'professional auditionee' was given to me whilst in my third year of training. At this point in our class singing lessons we had begun to 'rehearse' auditions, everything from how we walk into the room and address the panel, how we talk to the pianist, where we look, what we should wear, how we stand, let alone actually getting to the point where we might sing! We were told quite bluntly, that the majority of us would spend more time auditioning then we ever would performing, hence the focus in class. Since graduating, I have come to learn how true this was, and therefore I am extremely interested to learn how others deal with the process.

Before training I was always a very nervous auditionee. I would dread auditioning and got very worked up with the whole process, but since college something has flipped completely, and I have actually come to rather enjoy the experience, which I never thought I would say! The subject is obviously still very broad and I definitely want to narrow this question down a bit, so I started a SIG group on Facebook with a few of my friends from college who I know are all in the same boat as me, and as the chat progresses I will continue to add their thoughts to my mind map.

The original....

so far...

The Key thoughts that have come up so far are Preparation, The Process, Success and Failure. Within these four routes all aspects of the 'Professional Auditionee's' journey can be mapped. My friends also brought up the help having agency representation has which i had completely forgotten about! Another interesting avenue that I also hadn't considered was the power shows like the X Factor and The Voice have on our industry, as peoples ideas of what this profession is like are altered considerably by the easy rise to fame portrayed in these shows.

I have started reading 'The Performing Life: A Singer's Guide to Survival' By Sharon Mabry, which gives a very truthful, if not somewhat pessimistic view on an auditionee's life.

"A singer that goes into this profession with the attitude that the performing world is fair and democratic and the most talented person always comes out on top is naive and doomed to dispair." 

I also found an article written by Hazel Davis for 'The Independent' particularly interesting in regards to the rise of X factor stars getting leading roles in west end musicals. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/want-to-be-a-west-end-star-you-have-to-get-used-to-being-out-of-work-2007723.html

"As well as being a great all-rounder and having star quality, to make it in the West End, says Greenway, you need to get good at being out of work. "Make sure your well-being isn't associated with how well the next audition goes, and work out how to live your life inbetween jobs, because the times out of work can be longer than the times in..."

As always, I would love to hear your views.

Potential line of enquiry 2: Should actors be extras? Is there a stigma surrounding SA work? If so, why?

Definition of an 'extra' or 'SA'

A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking or non singing (silent) capacity, usually in the background.

 (for example, in an audience or busy street scene).

The definition of 'Stigma' in the Oxford Dictionary:

Stigma - a strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair:

There is no longer any stigma to being divorced.
Being an unmarried mother no longer carries the social stigma that it used to.

I first came across extra work when chatting to a friend who was filming on the latest Bridget Jones as a lesbian protester (if you haven't seen it, you must... HILARIOUS!) and after a brief discussion on how you sign up and the sort of money you get for a days work, I thought, why not? I was teaching all hours of the day to pay my rent, and while auditioning for theatre jobs, wasn't doing anything for myself performance wise, so I figured at least this way I would be making some extra money doing something in the industry I trained to be in, rather than stacking shelves. 

Having worked for a year or so now doing various extra jobs I feel that there is definitely a stigma that surrounds paid SA work within the industry. People often question my decision to play nurse number 7, or working class number 111 suggesting that as someone who has trained, it is below me, and whats even more interesting is that in America the stigma is completely reversed as you are expected to do an amount of extra work to earn your stripes as an actor. So where did this stigma come from? 

I have started a SIG group via facebook in regards to this general subject, with people who I have met and become friends with via extra jobs and also other actor friends. Their opinions have allowed me to develop my original mind map.

The original...

latest version...

The response from my SIG was yes, there is definitely a stigma in the uk surrounding actors who take on SA work, but the reasons why varied from person to person massively. Many felt that it was a good experience as much as you were still working within the industry, but that networking or meeting other actors for the first time as an SA, may lead to you being recognised as an extra and never an actor, which is something I hadn't thought of. Others said that because anyone can be an extra, it means people on set assume you have no training and you could be tarnished with an 'amateur' judgement.  It was very clear even within my select group that there was quite a 'British snobbery' present within the discussion, and that some of my actor friends felt that extra work was somewhat beneath them (Which I will remind them of when their current contract ends and they are stood back in the queue at pineapple). 

I have also witnessed enough awkward extra moments when on set to add to this that I think extras can only blame themselves, or certain extras anyway. Last week for example, I was doing an SA job for a comedy on BB3, and one of the other SA's who must have been 60 plus, and had told me prior to this incident that she did a lot of amateur dramatics and was heavily involved with her local Gilbert and Sullivan society, was directed to simply bump into the lead character as he ran through the corridor we were filming in. she then went on to tell the actor quite specifically how he should bump into her and went as far as to disagree with the director and attempted to over rule what he said. I obviously sat there silently in the background cringing that I was on the same level as this woman, but situations like that happen at least once on every job I do. Actors don't respect SA's because lots of SA's are untrained and don't understand the hierarchy.

Another aspect of this that interests me is the difference between America and the UK in their opinion of SA's, and the rules that have been put in place by BECTU, Equity and the screen Extras Guild. America has a much more positive attitude towards extras, suggesting that all actors should earn their stripes through some sort of extra work. Below is an interesting link i've found of some of Hollywoods most famous actors, all of whom did some extra work before making it big.

http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/world/10-of-the-richest-celebrities-who-started-as-extras/

having started to do a bit of research into the stigma I came across an interesting forum chat on casting call pro discussing the topic openly with members, which identified lots of the points i have already made and definitely highlighted the snobbery involved! this forum chat also questioned whether certain extra work should be included on a CV, which also divided opinion, depending on wether you had any lines and if so how many (into the BECTU/Equity rule book you have to have had more than 13 lines to be considered an actor rather than an extra), whether you auditioned for an upgraded role, and whether you would be considered a time waster by a casting director looking at your cv.

http://www.castingcallpro.com/uk/forum/topic/80358/stigma-surrounding-sa-work

and another interesting article highlighting many of the same topics of discussion.

http://www.backstage.com/news/background-check_3/


These are just some of my initial thoughts, and I would love to hear some more opinions! 

Potential line of enquiry 1, understanding the stigma that surrounds the arts from childhood to adulthood, in particular interest to musical theatre.

The definition of 'Stigma' in the Oxford Dictionary:

Stigma - a strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair:

There is no longer any stigma to being divorced.
Being an unmarried mother no longer carries the social stigma that it used to.

The definition of 'Musical Theatre' in the Oxford Dictionary:

Musical Theatre - a genre of drama in which singing and dancing play an essential part.

She had a successful professional career in musical theatre.

My teaching career is a vast one, as I am often from week to week, dotted around in different places, teaching various aspects of performing arts. I am always so conscious of the attitudes towards the performing arts, that I get from different age groups, be it children, teenagers of even adults, and I am extremely interested to learn whether others feel there is a stigma surrounding the arts, and if so, why its there. At the moment this question seems to me to span a scale that is too large, but I am hoping through reading and speaking with peers that I may be able to narrow my focus down and find a more specific line of enquiry.

My first port of call, for this particular subject matter, was to start a discussion group with some select friends of mine who are also teachers in various arts subjects. I did this via facebook as this allowed everyone to message some ideas to the group when they had time and meant the chat could remain informal.

The SIG instantly came up with lots of ideas and stories that, for me, shed new light on the subject. The overwhelming response to the question was yes, and although I am aware that at this stage I can't accept these responses as research in any way as I am still in the planning process, it was reassuring to know that I wasn't alone in my thinking, and that there was definitely something to potentially research.
 I have created a second mind map which adds on the further ideas I have been given by this group.

my original...

and the latest version...

One really interesting subject that came up within this chat was the power of modern technology on children. Most young children now have some form of tablet and with that comes a whole world of information. If there is a stigma towards the arts, what children watch, on tv or youtube etc will effect this greatly. We began talking about a particular children's tv show 'Wiggle Town' which has children on the show who dance - when it comes to ballet, they only show girls doing the ballet, therefore depicting from a very early age that ballet isn't for boys. I found this extremely interesting, as an adult will have made the decision to use only girls for this part of the show, but the potential effect this has on the younger generation is huge.

I have attached a link to a particular ballet episode of 'Wiggle Town'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrUV0XUv9j4

The group then went on to discuss the power of the adult opinion towards the arts, and numerous examples were given. Primary school Teachers only sending girls in to assemblies which are going to advertise after school dance classes, only offering arts subjects as an extra after school, Head teachers scrapping all arts subjects completely, parents telling their children they aren't allowed to take an arts subject for GCSE because they don't deem them as important as the baccalaureate subjects. Science teachers pulling teenagers aside and trying to sway them from taking an arts subject, the government cutting arts funding! The list went on! 

I found this article on The Guardian Teacher Network particularly thought provoking as it addresses the stigma in another way.

 'There’s this stigma with the arts that only “unintelligent” students take those subjects. I still struggle to be taken seriously for taking arts subjects. I was told by advisers that dance and drama wouldn’t help me to get a suitable career, and by other adults that I was wasting my potential.' 

I am interested to see whether this is an opinion held by others, and what experiences people have had in regards to the opinion that the decision to take an arts subject is related to lack of intelligence. The positive effects of arts subjects is another matter that interests me. As I feel that there are so many factors to arts subjects that allow children to develop and learn in different ways, even if you are not the best actor, singer, dancer etc. Imagination, Co-operation, teamwork, personality, confidence, expression, public speaking are naming just a few of the benefits of arts subjects.

'To study arts subjects, you have to take risks, push yourself emotionally, expressively and creatively in every lesson, you have to persevere and be interpretive, passionate and collaborative. I’ve worked harder in these subjects than I’ve ever worked in my life.'

https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2016/jan/31/career-arts-gcse-dance-stop-the-stem-subject-snobbery - Orli Vogt-Vincent - Jan 2016

Another interesting article comes from The Independent, which again cements the idea that the arts are being deemed as invalid, as growing pressure falls onto schools to compete with grades.

'What is even more saddening - perhaps frightening - is the attack that is taking place in the education system itself. Owing to a new obsession with league tables and exam results, the creative and collective nature of the arts has become to be seen as invalid, useless, and unbeneficial to children in education.'

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/istudents/arts-education-funding-is-essential-for-young-people-to-showcase-their-creative-talent-a6963836.html - Grace Fearon - april 2016

Lines of enquiry...

As I start to explore some potential lines of enquiry I can't help but feel apprehensive towards module two and the work that surrounds developing my ideas. After a very insightful chat with Paula on the phone today I realised that my struggle may stem from the fact that I have a multitude of jobs, as many of us do while we audition, and that my professional practice could be a multitude of different things. So, instead of panicking about this, I have decided to see my vast array of jobs as an even better opportunity to explore different ideas.

To begin this, I list my jobs;

-I teach singing
-I teach dance
-I work as a part time TA in primary schools
-I do a lot of SA work
-I perform (currently rehearsing for Rent, playing Mimi)
-I sing at and run Princess Parties
-I run my own business, hand decorating bridal shoes and accessories

Instantly having done this, I can already think of a few more lines of enquiry that might be worth looking into further, so going back to 2d, and adding/changing the list, as a few of my jobs have changed now - my current ideas are as follows;

The importance of arts in education: Is there a growing stigma towards the arts, with particular interest on musical theatre, as children mature?

Should actors be extras? Is there a stigma surrounding SA work? If so, why?

Life after being a performer; should we all have a plan B?

The professional auditionee; how do we prepare ourselves for the process and deal with rejection?

I have mind mapped my ideas, to see what my initial thoughts are but I am looking forward to discussing some of these ideas with my fellow module 2's and also people I work with to see if they can bring new light to my ideas.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!