As I was in the mist of hunting for a placement right for me, I ran right into one. In the height of worry and stress finding a placement I was contacted by c21’s artistic director Stephen Kelly. I originally met Stephen at Queen’s University career event in June. Through this event I was able to make a few new contacts. A few weeks passed and I received an email asking for my contact details so that c21 can get in contact with me. Stephen expressed great interest in me working with the company for my placement. We arranged to meet at the Edinburgh Fringe Northern Ireland theatre and dance launch, which I was invited to. This was an amazing opportunity for me as I got to network with many creatives from Northern Ireland and beyond. From our initial chat Stephen told me about all their upcoming projects they would be interested in me working on. We also chatted about my placement needs and what the future holds. It was an exciting day that led to new connections and gave me a sense of hope for my upcoming placement. Reflecting on the first half of my placement, I aim to use Gibbs mode of reflective practice to talk about my three months of placement experience with c21.  

‘Reflective practice is one of the most important ways we learn from our experiences in a professional context. It enables you to develop your knowledge and skills towards becoming a professional practitioner and to continue to learn and develop throughout your career’ ¹ 

After our initial meet up, I wasn’t expecting to hear from c21 until after Edinburgh Fringe. Around that time was also when we agreed to begin my placement in September. I knew they were busy from there run at Edinburgh fringe so I was excited to creat new work off of that and learn more about theatre producing and creating professional work.

My official placement started in September. I was not told in my initial conversation that my placement would be majority online. As of now, I have still not been in an actual workplace environment. Since working online, I have been helping Stephen and Fionnula, the company manager, with different tasks.  I have been assisting with the day-to-day management of c21. I have also been involved in some of their exciting and innovative projects. These include their deaf awareness play ‘Expecting’ and their national lottery funded project for care homes ‘Our stories, Scene and Heard’. I have enjoyed being involved in professional projects. Being involved in these projects allows me to show my professional knowledge, skills and qualities surrounding theatre. ‘Within Reflective practice the experiences you have are used as the foundations for actively, and consciously, learning in a professional capacity.’² 

Within my placement I feel as though my tasks have become very repetitive. .While originally, I learnt new things it soon felt like I wasn’t learning more skills in the workplace . I feel accomplished with what I have produced thus far in my placement. While being online has been challenging as I am eager to get into the a physical work environment, I have still learnt beneficial skills like transcribing sessions and learning about routes of funding for theatre makers. I am hopeful for the rest of my placement to get some in person work and to experience more learning opportunities within c21. I am delighted to work within a theatre company, and I hope my experiences become more positive and exciting. 

Since joining c21 I have been included in their 2023 projects. As a creative I have a passion for working with the arts disability sector, especially working with the youth. I was involved in helping c21 take ‘Expecting’ Northern Ireland’s first piece of D/Deaf theatre to Edinburgh Fringe. This was a rewarding project as I got to see how this inclusive piece of theatre influenced audiences with disabilities.  My knowledge and passion for disability theatre helped me inform creative decisions with the piece. I have a huge passion for drama/art facilitation within all ages.

I was involved in the behind-the-scenes work of c21 creative reminiscence project ‘Our stories, scene and heard’. This project involved eight different care homes. The members of the homes participated in reminiscence sessions which led to creating their own memory books. My task was to transcript the audio files and help make the memory books. I enjoyed listening to the facilitators and hearing how they facilitated the session according to the group. This was a sweet task as I got hear the memories of generations before me. My placement has allowed me to explore deeper into the creative areas I have a passion for. This will be beneficial to me as a student as I can apply my knowledge from my creative work within c21 to my university education. 

My dream career ambition is to open my own educational theatre company for young people. I also aim to become a freelancer facilitator and actor. ‘Overall, 25% of those working or available for work in the creative industries are freelance and the remaining operate on an employee basis.’ ³ Whilst I have knowledge of creating a business and the factors it needs to become successful. It was a beneficial experience for me as a businesswoman to see how a successful theatre company is ran. I have been able to meet with some influential figures within the arts and business industry whom which have gave me advice for my career. I have been involved in the admin side of the company. I have learnt how to access and apply for funding applications in Northern Ireland and aboard. I have also been involved in creating play scripts, managing company data, updating social media and website pages. These experiences have all taught me what I need to consider when opening my own successful theatre company. I am looking forward to the next few months of my placement to be involved in in c21 playwrights and director’s scheme, hopefully this will present more work opportunities for me in a physical space. Within the project I will be able to collaborate with professional writers, directors and dramaturgs. This is an amazing opportunity for a soon to be graduate like me who is looking to develop their creative skills and repertoire to make them more employable. I hope to resolve my concerns of my repetitive work task in the new year with new unique projects happening.  

I have an open mind for my role within the company. I now am slowly learning what is best for my placement needs and how to effectively communicate this in the workplace. This is something I aim to improve on, and I want my placement to continue to benefit my theatrical education. 

In conclusion, of reflecting on my first few months as a placement student with c21 theatre company. I can say I have experienced a range of opportunities, feelings and experiences. I have been taught new skills and have been presented with the opportunity to develop my current skills and passions. I feel accomplished knowing that my placement wants me to work with them as they see my talent and ambition to the creative industry. I am hopeful for my future.  

As this is only the beginning of my first few months of placement, I am ready to set out an action plan for the rest of my hours. I hope to get some in-person hours within the company. I hope this can be through the playwrights and director’s scheme, possibly helping with the research and development process. I hope to also work within the community sector again on projects. I was told there is an opportunity for me to facilitate the creative reminiscence sessions. This would be beneficial for me as I would love to work within community art projects professionally. I am excited for what the future holds for me within c21 theatre company.  

word count; 1335 (excluding footnotes, bibliography and title)

Footnotes

Melanie Jasper, ‘Beginning Reflective Practice: Second Edition’ (Cengage learning, 2013), p. 1 

IBID, p.117 

Rosamund Davies and Gauti Sigthorsson, ‘Introducing the Creative Industries: from Theory to Practice’, (London, Sage publications, 2013), p.46  

Bibliography  

Davies, Rosamund and Sigthorsson Gauti, ‘Introducing the Creative Industries: from Theory to Practice’, (London, Sage publications, 2013) 

Jasper, Melanie, ‘Beginning Reflective Practice: Second Edition’ (Cengage learning, 2013)