One of the things I was looking forward to most when coming to uni was all the student drama I’d be able to go to see… little did I know I’d end up being heavily involved with back stage stuff, but I’m so, so glad I am!
I ended up involved because term starts in October, and October is when my school do this really cool inter-House drama competition called House Arts, and I was feeling nostalgic. Then along came a notice about taking part in Drama Cuppers. Cuppers is Oxford-speak for an inter-collegiate competition, and it was sold to us as a really good way to make friends in college, and find a way to structure your busy first days around rehearsals – and it certainly was: I would highly recommend getting involved in any sort of Cuppers. For Drama Cuppers, you don’t have to be a talented actor – you can produce, director, sort props and costumes, do tech… anything really! Other Cuppers, too, are a great way to meet people!
Drama Cuppers then gave me enough confidence to start applying to help out with other productions, which turned out to be a really fantastic way to meet lovely people from outside your college. The play I’m working on at the moment is called A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, being performed in 8th Week Michaelmas at the Burton Taylor Studio. The BT Studio is a 50-seat, intimate theatre, making it perfect for student drama! The play is looking like it will be truly magical, and theatre company producing it is comprised of quite possibly the loveliest people I’ve met since coming to Oxford. If you’re interested in them / the play, you can check out their Facebook below…