Rationale+for+Award+Title

__Rationale for Award Title__ The award I seek as a result of doing this programme is     BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performance Welfare)

Having completed a three year Diploma in Performing Arts I am very passionate about what I do. Upon graduating from the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts I still felt there was something missing from my background knowledge, which I needed in order to help me in gaining a job and career that I would find both challenging and rewarding. After spending the summer auditioning and working in a local bar I realised that I wanted to further my academic studies. I have always worked hard to achieve my goals and have been financially self sufficient from a young age. I think that this has been the main reason for my being drawn towards my chosen line of inquiry. The thought of ‘pushy parents’ and children who have the opportunity to attend as many classes as they wish because money simply isn’t an object, have fascinated me over the years. I have always looked at these children and wondered if without that support, both motivational and financial would they be where they are today? I am aware that I was in a minority at Performing Arts College in that I funded it myself through hard work and determination. I was lucky enough to receive 50% scholarships in my second and third year but this didn’t come easily. Most of my peers freely admitted that if they weren’t on funding and their parents wouldn’t pay for them they simply wouldn’t attend college. Some of the most talented amongst us said they would have given up on performing years ago had it not been for the support of those around them, and would be in no way as successful as they are now. I feel that so many talented but financially challenged people miss out on the opportunity to go on and succeed in Performing Arts, while those less naturally gifted go on to overtake them. As inevitably with practice and the money to attend the right classes and meet the right people comes success. I also want to establish whether it is better for the industry to keep such raw talents at bay as it is essentially such a small industry. Everybody knows everybody else and although competition is fierce is there really enough room to bring more people into the mix. I found it very challenging to come up with an award title to encompass all that I wish to look into further. I started by thinking along the lines of BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Student Finance) or (Performance Finance) along with the likes of (Performance Psychology) and (Human Behaviour). As I wish to look into not only how funding affects performers careers, but also how their determination and/or support groups can have an effect. The only way I felt I could even begin to express this was through the title (Performance Welfare). I hope that in gaining this title it will allow me to take my career to the next level and portray not only my skills as a performer but also the theoretical and research background I will have achieved at the end of this course.