Theatre Studies Personal Statement Example 3

Theatre has become hugely influential in my life, far more so than I could have predicted even four years ago. The process of reading and performing plays has never failed to surprise me in the ways these texts make me consider and evaluate my own beliefs; developments that, looking back upon, I always cherish. Theatre can easily be reduced to the Greek idea of comedy and tragedy, but in reality, it goes far beyond those two terms: theatre is inextricably a philosophical examination of humanity; much like a book, it's next to impossible to leave a production the same person you were one or two hours, including the interval, ago. It's this gift of thoughtfulness that I find so enthralling about theatre. To be able to perform in or write a piece of theatre that could change lives is a possibility to be treasured, which is why I look to university as my path to that possibility.

Before I moved to the Denbigh Sixth Form, I spent nine years at the Potterspury Lodge School, a specialist school for young people on the autism spectrum. Asperger's syndrome and ADHD both play a large part in my life socially, personally and academically, ranging from positively to negatively. Though there were no curricular drama lessons at my old school, when a new headteacher took over, he began to incorporate his passion for the art into the school itself, as he was an active director. Even if it was towards the end of my time there, his involvement gave me the privilege of performing as one of the leads of In-Sook Chappell's "The Free9" at the Royal Theatre in Northampton for the National Theatre Connections programme. It wasn't the first production I'd been in, but it was most certainly the most memorable.

Studying A-Level Theatre has been both exciting and terrifying, feelings doubled by the lack of a GCSE Drama course; therefore I was jumping into the deep-end with the subject. However, I was quickly able to find my feet and settle in well. Alongside the plunge into a new subject at this level, I also had to manage the transition from a school of about fifty people that I'd been at for so long, to one of over 1800 students. This process went similarly well, as I quickly settled in and involved myself in a large, but tight-knit, group of friends. This gives me the assurance that my transition to university will be as straightforward.

My other studies aside from theatre have been extremely beneficial in aiding me to contextualise, understand and think through the functions and performances of various texts. The three courses have been largely analytical in their structure, especially philosophy and ethics. With the basis provided by these subjects, I have found effective methods to critically assess the themes, parts, etc. presented within literature and evaluate them with proficiency.

As for my interests beyond academia: I would largely consider myself an activist for many causes, focusing on politics, social issues and environmentalism. These are all extremely important in my life and I do what I can to raise awareness to friends and strangers alike about these matters. I have put together presentations on the importance of diversity, on what autism is and how it affects people (presented at a school in Northampton), and one on the classification of what is and isn't a sandwich based upon statistics and opinions gathered during our research. These opportunities added to my desire to teach and inform others about the things close to me and that I believe should be more valued by everybody. All of our presentations were well-received by our audience and our class even accrued a reputation for our pro-activity, referenced by Ofsted, who cited us as 'mature and sensible young people who are good role models for others'.