Graduate Profiles
Emma Penny
Theatre Research
Mathilda Branson
Theatre Research
Completing the MRes in Theatre Research was a great springboard for getting involved in both the practical and academic worlds of theatre. During the first term we had sessions with staff from local theatres and companies including Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham Playhouse and New Perspectives, as well as a workshop with the artistic director of Geese Theatre.
The connections I made in the process led to lots of voluntary and paid opportunities, and I worked part time as a freelance theatre practitioner while completing my Masters - including running youth theatres for Lakeside Arts Centre and Nottingham Playhouse and assistant directing on a show for New Perspectives. The contacts between the University and these theatres also gave me a foot in the door when it came to conducting research on local theatres for my thesis.
Since graduating I have been working fulltime as a freelancer and have worked for companies across the East Midlands as well as in London. I have taught drama to students with disabilities at a local college, run afterschool drama sessions at primary schools and facilitated theatre projects in secondary schools and colleges as part of Creative Partnerships. The uncertainty of freelancing can be hard work, but the connections and contacts you make are what keeps you working, and the variety of work you end up doing is lots of fun. It's great to know the MRes has prepared me well for PhD study when I feel ready for academia again!
Rebecca Hall
Norse and Viking Studies
I was introduced to Norse and Viking Studies in my second year of studying English at the University of Nottingham. After the first lecture I was hooked, and have been fascinated by this historical period and culture ever since. What attracted me to the MA course was the interdisciplinary approach and the opportunity to acquire critical skills in number of subject areas, such as language, literature, history, runic studies, and philology. For me, this is what kept my research challenging and stimulating, supported by the superb teaching from the department's enthusiastic staff. The University also has excellent resources available, including the Eirkur Benedikz Icelandic Collection at Kings Meadow Campus. There really is no better place to study the Viking Age at such an in-depth level, and my Masters year was when I felt myself fully engage in serious scholarship.
I now work as a Project Manager for an artist's studio and publishers in Newcastle, a role which has demanded the research skills and critical eye I developed throughout my academic study - my knowledge of the Vikings and Norse language comes in surprisingly handy for several project briefs, in fact!
I am planning to return to university in the near future to complete a PhD that focuses on the Viking Age diaspora in the Scottish Isles.
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