Tom

USW’s connections made it the standout choice 

I've always been interested in theatre and drama, but I wanted to push outside the boundaries of traditional theatre, so I chose to explore the BA (Hons) Performance and Media course. The University of South Wales was the choice for me because of the opportunities they give to their students to work with big names in the industry. 

We’ve had the opportunity to undertake placements, and through this, I had experience working with Hijinx Theatre, one of Europe's leading inclusive theatre companies. We have also had many guest lecturers come in to tell us about their work and a trip to Bad Wolf studios where we got to see and learn about the set of His Dark Materials and explore the different areas of the industry. 

I’ve enjoyed learning the different elements of media from radio to film but also being able to explore how media can be part of live performance. The highlight of the course so far has been creating a live new media production which used immersive theatre styles to create an interactive police detective show. I can now leave university knowing how to create a short film, radio drama or a theatre production which makes me far more employable.  

There’s so much equipment I could talk about, but when it comes to what I think I’m going to use a lot when I graduate it’s the Adobe editing software. We have been shown how to edit films using Adobe Premiere Pro but also how to record and edit audio using adobe audition, a platform I continue to use outside of my studies to create my own podcast. 

Tom’s advice to new students

My advice to any new students would be to throw yourself into the deep end. Explore what’s out there and what the University has to offer. Take risks. You may not think you’re not going to enjoy something, but you will always learn a new skill. Also, keep on creating!  

Be yourself and be proud to be yourself. In university, you might be worried that you won’t fit in but it’s always good to know that there are people out there that will be happy to listen to you and will help you out.