Life after graduation.

On the 19th July 2014 i graduated my college of 3 years with a national diploma in dance, music and theatre performance. today's post is going to be about life after graduation for me. this will particularly be aimed towards dancers and actors, as that is what i am, but some points i am positive can be related to anyone just graduated.



Graduation

The day I graduated was one of the most emotional days of my life to date.
Good emotions and bad alike. I woke up at around 6.30am, we had to be at the theatre ready to have our pictures taken for 9. sounds silly now, but the first thing I did when I woke up was to write a speech on the notes part of my iPhone. I later posted this to Facebook, It wasn't planned it that way but I knew whatever I said on-line that day needed to be good. not only that, but I was writing for myself.. so that in years to come I could look back at that status and know how proud of myself I was that day.

Pictures were taken and the ceremony was done, my certificate collected and lots of tears accidentally shed. There was one major thing that separated our graduation to a normal university graduation.. And that was that we then had to do 2 shows! we all had to pull ourselves together for the final shows to be done all together, but they were by far the best, most atmospheric most emotional shows we have done as a college to date. 

'Summer Holidays' after graduation..

My summer holidays were great! I chilled out, caught up with friends, went to Madrid, ate as much as i wanted when i wanted. then i realised something.. this isn't a 'summer holiday' any-more .. I am not going back to an institution of any kind.. this is actually just life. So in came the auditions, the gym, the eating slightly healthier. i am very lucky in the fact that before i had left college i had nabbed myself one of the best agents going. having an agent is not the be all and end all of your career as a dancer or actress.. i have friends that are doing very well without one and keeping everything they earn for themselves! (Bonus), but it is so much harder to get in the door of the London west-end theatre land without one, so the fact that that was already sorted was a bonus.

Then starts the real job hunting..

Now.. This is where the industry can make or break you. Audition after audition with no luck at all. Sometimes audition after audition getting to the very final of every single one, and then STILL not getting the job. I'm not sure what's worse.. To be told 'No' from the start, or to be lead into believing you were perfect for the role, only to be told no (or to never hear back) at the very end. 

i think the key thing to remember is that every audition and every job interview that you go for has something very specific that they are looking for. There is no point trying to completely change yourself to suite one job.. you may still not get it, and then you've made yourself unsuitable for other jobs just around the corner. 

Keep going!

The more auditions and job interviews you go to, the better you get, the more confident and comfortable you feel, the more likely you are to get the job. its a matter of statistics. Go to 2 auditions, and you'd be very lucky to get the job out of just those 2. Go to 50 auditions and the odds are increased dramatically. That goes for every type of job interview. Weather that be an audition for a musical or an interview for a job opportunity to be a secretary. Keep going.

                                         Myself..

I have auditioned for a hell of a lot. From the lion king west end, to Matilda, cruise ships to dance jobs in Germany, Japan and more. So far i have had 1 job offer after maybe.. 30 auditions? by the time this post goes up i should be in full swing of my rehearsals for a pantomime. i will be in Cinderella over the Christmas period. i will be a dancer and understudy fairy god mother. And let me tell you i can not wait to get back onto that stage performing every day for hundreds.

When you haven't been on stage for a while as a dancer or actor, its easy to loose sight of what all of the hassle is for. One second on that stage and it is all apparent once more. I LOVE to perform, and i love to dance.. I am extremely excited to have a job, my first professional job, for the Christmas period.