My UEA Story: Amy
Who are you and where are you from?
Hi, I am Amy, I'm from St Albans in Hertfordshire, and I'm a Scriptwriting and Performance student at UEA.
Why did you choose to study at UEA?
I went to a lot of universities when I was choosing what to do at uni, and overall, UEA felt the homeliest to me. When I came again for my audition day I fell in love with it. The course was perfect for me – it offered lots of choices, the staff seemed like they cared a lot and the students were all friendly and actually seemed to love being here.
What's the best thing about your course?
The intimacy of it – it gives you a family when you are suddenly not at home anymore. The staff and students merge together and it’s a sociable atmosphere. My scriptwriting classes pushed me, and despite my self-doubt saying I wasn’t imaginative enough for it, I managed to come up with new things each week which really helped with my self-confidence in myself and my writing.
What's been your favourite module?
I actually loved doing my dissertation. I had to write a full-length play and a commentary and it felt like I had a chance really to push myself and delve into a subject and style of writing that I was interested in and passionate about and felt important to me. The help of my wonderful adviser helped me to go beyond the first and second drafts and create something I am proud of and feel has inspired me for the future.
I also really enjoyed how in the first year you have to take different modules in order to learn about the Drama Studio and how to use it. My standout class was Sound and Lighting, which I have continued to develop throughout my time at university and has given me some great opportunities in backstage work since learning it all in the first year.
What's the extra-curricular activity you've enjoyed the most?
Minotaur Theatre Company is the student theatre company that Drama students at UEA join automatically. It is all extra-curricular and gives us the chance to use what we’ve learnt and make theatre we’re interested in. With the company I have teched many shows which is something I had never considered before coming to uni, and I have also assistant directed really challenging plays which, again, really pushed me as a person in terms of how I work with other people and how I work in the theatre world.
My favourite part of Minotaur is the cabaret put on every year for charity which, luckily, I was involved in in all of my three years at UEA. It’s an all-singing, all-dancing showcase of the musical theatre talent we have in Minotaur and enabled me to continue my love of musical theatre as well as gave me the chance to get to know other years well.
What's the best thing about UEA's campus?
The square. It’s such a sociable place where everyone hangs out and is usually always bustling. It reminds you of how big campus is and how different and mixed the place is. It’s also conveniently near the bar which is always a nice way to end a busy/stressful/fun day!
What do you want to do in the future?
I have been looking at going into backstage work, following my interest in the technical side of theatre, but since doing my dissertation my interests are more in writing and researching verbatim plays and learning about real experiences and how theatre has an important role in society in telling real stories. The future is very open for me at the moment.
School of Literature, Drama &
Creative Writing