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The Corporation

Posted: 06/03/14

Top drama specialist delivers student masterclass

Budding actors at West Nottinghamshire College enjoyed a practical workshop from a top industry specialist yesterday (5 March).

Hugh Hodgart (centre) with BTEC Performing Arts students

Students on performing arts courses welcomed the Dean of Drama from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), Hugh Hodgart.

Hugh delivered a masterclass on how to pitch the perfect audition to enter higher level courses to the Acting and Musical Theatre BTEC Level 3 students as well as giving professional feedback on the students’ latest performance pieces.

He spoke to university-level students about Masters degrees that could be studied at the RCS – one of the top drama schools in the UK – and gave them an insight into his professional life and the performing arts industry.

Sixteen-year-old Acting and Musical Theatre BTEC student George Morley, said: “Hugh showed us how to succeed in our future auditions.  He told us more about where we can study at different drama schools and about the drama school in Scotland where he’s based and it was really interesting.
 
“My dream job would be performing on a stage or teaching drama appeals to me too.”

Curriculum manager for performing arts, Kerry Pilcher, said: “It was a great opportunity for students to meet Hugh. His wealth of experience in the industry and advice about succeeding in the art provided our students with plenty to think about as they study at the college.

“We seek to actively engage with national drama schools to widen our students’ knowledge of performing arts education and the industry as a whole.  Several of our learners have shown an interest in pursuing their studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.”

More about Hugh Hodgart

On graduating from university in 1976 Hugh began his professional theatre career in a wide range of technical and production roles before achieving his ambition to be a theatre director, first with TAG Theatre Company at the Glasgow Citizens and then as Associate Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh from 1984-93.

In the USA he was a guest artist at Interlochen Arts Academy, in Poland he taught at the Warsaw Academy, in Italy at the Paolo Grassi school in Milan and in Germany on the directing programme of the Ernst Busch school in Berlin. He has served on accreditation panels for the National Council for Drama Training, and is an external examiner at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the E15 Acting School, University of Essex.