Proper Job Gradcast University of Kent

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Kate Lennon about her career as a talent manager at UTC Artist Management. Kate takes us through the long and varied path that took her from graduating at Kent to where she is now, including stints working in TV, performing with her sketch group Kitten Killers, and working for Funny Women. She talks at length about working for UTC, where she manages comedians like Ria Lina, Toussaint Douglass and Laura Lexx (who featured in episode 7 of this podcast). She has great advice for anyone pursuing careers in the arts, including the importance of a well-written email and even complimenting somebody’s shoes!

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduates Elyse Hall, Colette McLoughlin and Jess Pattrick about how they set up Moonbeam Theatre – which is one of the University of Kent’s Graduate Theatre Companies. This was recorded while they were touring a show around Kent and Essex and preparing longer term for their first national tour. They talk about their three successful applications for Arts Council England funding, the importance of networking with other companies (like Square Pegs and Frozen Light), and how Covid helped them decide to commit to starting their own company. They also explain in detail how the Graduate Theatre Company scheme works and reflect on how the modules they took prepared them for becoming professional theatremakers – at one point using the memorable phrase, ‘What would Roanna do?’ Finally, there’s a bit of bonus fun with an audio clip from before the interview started.

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Verity Tan about keeping her creative career going whilst being a full-time mum to three young children. She talks about how studying Drama at the University of Kent led to a career teaching creative drama classes to children. More importantly, she talks about putting this career to one side for a while to bring up her children – and balancing this with commissions to photograph theatre shows. She also talks about working in different countries, having started her career in Singapore before moving to Thailand. Whilst she was a student, she made a point of taking advantage of creative opportunities, from working for a youth theatre to being an extra in the film Into the Woods. She believes that this set her up for a creative career, and advises: ‘Try everything…You have to hustle. You have to try things.’ This is a perfect episode to listen to if you want to think about how parenthood might fit into your creative career.

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Gersom de Koning about his career as Head of Performing Arts at the International Community School in Bangkok, Thailand. Gersom talks about how studying for an MA at Kent led to an international career in the arts up to the job he’s now doing – which includes being in charge of a 600-seat theatre and regularly producing student shows there. Along the way, you’ll hear about staging a Singlish adaptation of Shakespeare, following a production of High School Musical with Lord of the Flies, and being ‘quite the energy bunny’. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is how what Gersom has learned from improvisational theatre and Keith Johnstone’s book Impro has helped him navigate through his career.

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Beatrice Hyde about her career as an actor and playwright. This was recorded as Beatrice was rehearsing her play Emmeline for Theatre Lab Company at the Cockpit, and she tells the story of how she started writing it in a second year Drama module at Kent, developed it during a year studying abroad at Berkeley, staged a version at the end of her final year at Kent, and onwards to finally staging it professionally. Along the way, she talks about the option of studying abroad at Kent, doing a postgrad MA at East 15, being mentored, and developing the freelancer lifestyle in a career which ‘can have many slashes’. Want to know what she means by that? Then listen to the episode!

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Claudia Marciano about her career as an actor and creator of physical theatre, particularly with the company Theatre Re. Claudia talks about how the modules she studied at Kent helped equip her with the skills and interests she draws on in her work, and the transition into professional work after graduating. Importantly, she talks about the nature of her portmanteau career, which involves balancing various different jobs, including acting and fitness training, at the same time as studying for an MA. Many who work in the creative industries have this kind of portmanteau career, and Claudia talks about how rewarding it is for each week of your working life to be different from the last.