Performing Arts student Kizzy Dunn from Hackney was the winner of a national prize from Colleges Week 2009, giving her the opportunity to go behind the scenes at The Shared Experience Theatre Company and watch them rehearsing for their production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
Kizzy won her prize in the ‘If I were running the show’ competition, which asked students to present a video of what they would do if they were leading a well-known organisation. Kizzy chose the National Theatre and argued a convincing case for making more topical and issue-led drama to engage young people.
“She says: “If I were in charge of a big theatre company I would tackle political issues such as war and knife crime in much more depth in order to get more young people interested in drama and make them think about what is going on around them.”
The prize of meeting professional actors and technicians at an award-winning company was a real treat for Kizzy, who is planning to go on to drama school. She says: “It was really interesting and inspiring – it made me realise that this is something we students can achieve.”
City of Westminster College offers highly-regarded training in Performing Arts from its own theatre The Cockpit. The College is a founder College of the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills, which is engaged in ensuring training in technical and management roles match the needs of employers in the theatre, performance, film and broadcast industries.