Checking in

In our second throwback post, ex-blogger and Computer Science graduate Robin Johnson shares what he's been up to since leaving Southampton, alongside some friendly advice.

Well… hello again!

Crikey! It’s hard to believe it’s been well over a year since I was bidding farewell to Highfield campus as a permanent home, wearing a pointy hat, collecting a thin paper scroll with which I could prove I’d graduated from the University of Southampton with an MEng in Software Engineering, stuffing four years’ worth of assorted paraphernalia into my parents’ cars (it was a lot!), and then riding off into the glorious sunset - or, more accurately in my case, the Northern drizzle!

Although plenty of time has gone by, memories of the wonderful place are as fresh as ever. It seems like merely weeks since the end of my quite unforgettable life at Southampton, as the time has shot by, having morphed into another incredible year of excitement, adventure, and equally tremendous tales.

Just as my time on the south coast never seemed to stand still, I’ve been lucky enough to land in a graduate life and job which has so far proven just as fast-paced, varied and exciting as the four years of higher education – and it’s similarly making the months just fly by!

Of course, it’s been somewhat impossible to stay away from the place where I learnt so much about the world, and throughout the year, I’ve been back to visit campus on a few occasions – after all, there are too many fantastic folk, and theatrical societies, at the University, not to!

It all still feels warmly like a second home, and although I now feel decidedly “old” when I go back, it’s still coloured with happy memories, friendly faces, and that brilliant communal spirit that makes it such a special place to learn about yourself, your course, and the world around you.

Braced with that infectious enthusiasm at University, which inspired me to try and pursue as many opportunities around my studies as I could (it took getting a First to convince my Mum!), I’ve tried to maintain this approach to life in the ‘real world’ ever since - although it’s ever so slightly more difficult when you pay council tax, have a full-time job, and need a regular sleeping pattern!

Through one way or another, I’m delighted to say I’ve found myself making a living and working in the vibrant setting of the capital city, London, accompanied by many of my friends from my time in Southampton, as well as plenty of brilliant new people. And, in news that will surprise nobody who read my previous articles, my job’s in the theatrical industry!

My ‘new’ home!

Having graduated and then visited the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a third year in a row – it must be a tradition now! - I took a bit of time out to rest up, and consider my options. With a wide-reaching degree under my belt, which encompassed topics from programming to project management, and design to digital systems and applications, as well as numerous opportunities in media, performance and other creative applications afforded to me by the University and brilliant Students’ Union, my experiences in Southampton gave me plenty to consider moving forwards, as well as loads to try and cram into a two-page C.V.!

Directing in Edinburgh after graduation - there was still time for one more production with the University!

In the end, having spent a bit of time practising these skills in my own time, I decided to try and go for the creative industries which formed such an invaluable part of my University life, an interest which Southampton did so much to cultivate.

In doing so, however, I was acutely aware that the sheer flexibility of the degree I received from the University will allow me to move in other directions if necessary, and will stand me in good stead for future endeavours and adventures - whatever they may be!

One chance meeting at a careers’ fair later, and I’ve found myself working as an intern for a wide-reaching West End theatre organisation which has seen me so far:

• work at the Olivier Awards at the Royal Opera House and West End Live in Trafalgar Square
• attend and report from theatre press nights
• work in editorial, ticketing and marketing
• meet and interview plenty of household names (including, recently, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart!)

Needless to say, it’s been a surreal year!

Working on the red carpet at the Olivier Awards was a surreal, but incredibly exciting, experience!

 Reviewing the new Harry Potter play in the West End was another highlight!

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be a part of such a brilliant organisation for the majority of the year, and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunities they’ve afforded me. With hopefully more fantastic experiences on the horizon, the future is certainly looking bright.

To future Southampton graduates, I’d just urge you, no matter what your aspirations, to absolutely go for it; you’ll find a way. And for those of you lucky enough to still be there: enjoy your time, make the most of it, and say “yes” to as many opportunities as you can; you never know where they might take you, both academically and personally.

Looking back on life at Southampton one year on, it’s strange to think that the journey I embarked on five years ago, as a nervous, shy first-year, has taken me to where I currently am. But I’m proud of the fact that the journey started at the University of Southampton; what a place to be!

Robin

Waiting for results

I write this post the day that results are due to be released – a final results day after many years of post-exam suspense, just waiting to find out how it actually all went. Four years of work towards an MEng in Software Engineering will be summed up by a single number – so here’s hoping it falls upwards of that illustrious 2:1 category (or even above!).

In the meantime, to stave off that curious mix of anticipation and trepidation (with this year’s exams being towards a Masters, so even more difficult to predict!), I’ve been keeping myself busy with fond farewells to all. As I wrote last time, I actually think I’ve been busier since my degree ended, somehow! There’ve certainly been plenty of social opportunities to see off my time in Southampton as a student, and I’ve been determined to make the most of them and enjoy the surroundings of a city that’s now a second home to me.

Amongst the highlights of these brilliant farewell opportunities was the 24 Hour Show last weekend, and is in truth the event I’m probably still recovering from – it really takes it out of you! One of my favourite annual goings-on, and one which I fully encourage and any all to go for (even if you’ve no experience in performing, singing or dancing before), it’s a charity fundraiser with an incredibly unique and challenging twist.

As you’ve probably guessed from the name, when you’re in the 24 Hour Show, you’re tasked as a cast member with learning the name of a musical exactly 24 hours before you’re expected to perform that same show! This involves learning the entire thing (including songs, scenes and dances) overnight (who needs sleep, right?!), getting together a costume for it, building the entire set and technical aspects if you’re one of the amazing folks in the staging society StageSoc, and then practicing the material by yourself and in groups, all before watching the show collapse spectacularly in front of an audience’s eyes for charity. If there’s one thing to teach you the value of sleep, practice and getting things done in advance, it’s this show!

It’s also all undertaken for a bit of fun, with no pressure or great expectations on the cast as a result, and this year’s production was no exception. In fact, the show even strangely improved between the first (at 5pm) and second performances (at 8pm, forty-five minutes or so after the first one had finished – no rest for the wicked insomniac performers!), and was actually probably the strongest iteration of it I’ve been a part of, a testament to the talent and dedication of all of those involved. And, of course, when it went wrong, it went really very wrong - and the audiences, all behind us in our battle against sleep deprivation, seemed to love it!

It also proved a brilliant way to say goodbye to performing in Southampton. From a personal perspective, in what’s due to be my final show at the Annex Theatre, on Highfield Campus (a place I’ve probably spent way too much time for my degree’s health!), I was lucky enough to be given a quite unique part: the show’s narrator, with monologues galore and plenty of chances for over-the-top and cheesy characterisation.

However, whereas usually people have to find unique ways of smuggling scripts and line hints (as with no sleep, there’s no way of possibly learning them all!) on stage as part of props or by other inventive means, I was given a script on stage and asked to sit there throughout, raised above the show, with the ultimate goal of keeping it all on course – despite many an accidental attempt to knock it off kilter by confused cast members!

This meant that whenever my fellow actors and actresses struggled, I had the fun of trying to invent a new, but not too obvious (although the audiences guessed my role very quickly!), way of prompting them to keep things on track – my favourite being when a cast forgot they had to take off their jacket, so I had to quickly narrate “Of course, his coat was very wet as well!”. I was even granted the power of restarting an entire song if things went sufficiently awry – and I was delighted to have the chance to do so in the second show, when a number spectacularly collapsed in the first twenty seconds and it seemed the only thing to do!

It was a brilliant and truly memorable way to bow out of SUSU Showstoppers and Performing Arts as a whole alongside many a friend and talented performer alike, and I’m hugely grateful for such an amazing opportunity. The fact that it was all for the incredible Solent Mind charity was just an added bonus, and hopefully we can be proud of the great total we raised for them in having such a lot of fun at the same time – thanks to all involved!

The cast, band, production team and crew of the hectic 24 Hour Show 2015 – thanks guys! Credit: Claudia Ashken

So with performing in Southampton over, I’ve also been working on planning ahead with a goal of having a third and final trip to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, as well as tying up loose ends on the Southampton bucket list I put together at the beginning of the year.

To this end, I had a great time in ticking one particular thing off it quite recently when I finally got the chance to go sailing on the Solent for the first time in four years here, which was a great reminder of how beautiful the city of Southampton actually is. Having said that, my girlfriend and I were on a Jet Viper speedboat at the time, so it was difficult to tell through the spray of the water and the pretty hefty winds hitting us in the face – definitely an experience I would recommend!

Seeing the city from the perspective of a speedboat was a new – and pretty enthralling – experience!

All in all, it’s been another fantastic week or so of celebrations in Southampton, enjoying some memorable final adventures in the city, all the while looking to the future.

So fingers crossed for everyone receiving news soon, be it today (for finalists), next week or even August – I hope you attain the fantastic results you deserve, and we’ll have even more to celebrate in the near future!

Good luck!

Robin

100 not out, but nearly

Over the past few days, I’ve found that, whenever I’ve been asked, the easiest way to describe the feeling is “weird.” But in truth, it’s also probably the only term I’ve been able to come up with that encompasses the sheer number of the thoughts that have come with finishing my degree last week – it’s difficult to believe that it’s all over!

After seventeen years of education, it’s one of those moments you have never really imagined you’d experience until you’re there in the situation yourself, but I couldn’t have asked for a better rounded, mind-blowing and ultimately more enjoyable experience than that which my course in Software Engineering has provided.

Putting my pen down after my final exam was greeted by firstly a wave of euphoria, a slight tinge of sadness – and then finally a huge wave of tiredness, as I headed home for what seemed like a well-earned nap!

By some twist of fate, the exam took place in the Annex Theatre on Highfield Campus which, if you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ll know has been a place I’ve spent probably far too much time in. I had to do my best not to get distracted by the reams of nostalgia-inducing show posters displayed all over the walls! But also quite fittingly, the exam took place just a few days before this, my 100th post for the Life at Southampton blog.

When I first started writing on here and keeping count of my posts nearly three years ago now, I don’t think I expected to be hitting triple figures, but as the experiences, stories and memories have flowed in, there’s been an incredible amount to write.

I’m lucky, therefore, to have had have some kind of avenue through which to write them down and share with everyone just how inspiring a place I’ve found, and continue to find, the University to be - so much so I’m still writing about it after three years.

I wouldn’t really know how to even begin articulating the effect of such a journey, so instead, I’ve tried to summarise a few highlights from each year, although this is really only scratching the surface – please feel free to have a look back through my posts to see plenty more!:

First Year (September 2011 – August 2012):

• Moved into Montefiore 4 Halls, learnt to budget for myself, bought (and burnt) my first self-cooked food, did my own laundry, and met my incredible flatmates, later to be my housemates of three years.
• Became overwhelmed by the Students’ Union (SUSU) Freshers’ Fayre and Bunfight, accidentally signing up to over 50 groups – eventually narrowed down to five!
• Acted at University for the first time, meeting many a theatrical great friend-to-be.
• Worked on a live SUSUtv broadcast to a national student audience within two weeks of arriving – crikey! – and acted in/presented several others.
• Took part in a pillow fight flash mob outside the Union.
• Watched the mighty Southampton FC at St Mary’s Stadium a few times as they gained promotion to the Premier League!
• Went to the London 2012 Olympics after the end of term – a truly unforgettable occasion.
• Undertook my first University assignments and exams – with many more to come!

Minutes into arrival at Southampton – I was incredibly nervous!

St Mary’s Stadium matches are rarely boring, to say the least!

Second Year (September 2012 – August 2013):

• The year when the performing bug really took hold: six shows, including one in the professional Nuffield Theatre on Highfield Campus, along with my first taste of the craziness of the charity 24 Hour Show (exactly what it says on the tin)!
• Got my first taste of the world of directing a show too – a very different, but equally satisfying experience (if not more so)!
• Undertook the step-up to Second Year in terms of the course – things get a bit more serious when assignments and exams count for slightly more, so it was great to have some momentum from First Year!
• Tried stand-up comedy for the first couple of times: a great experience and it seemed to go okay, but never have I been more terrified…!
• Had the honour of taking part in Open Day talks in the Nuffield Theatre with the Pro-Vice Chancellor – again, terrifying, but rewarding!
• The absolutely astounding experience of touring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013: from fundraising in Southampton to rehearsing in July, random trips to Bournemouth beach and film nights aplenty, to actually attending the Festival for the first time and participating in the largest arts event in the world with another magnificent group of friends. This trip really was something! 

Being invited to be part of the Pro-Vice Chancellor’s Open Day talks in second year was a huge honour!

The first Gone Rogue Productions team I toured with to the Fringe, spawning innumerable memories and in-jokes!

 
 

Third Year (September 2013 – August 2014):

• The performing highlight of my Southampton career, where I got to direct my favourite text, Peter Shaffer’s thriller play Equus, which went on to receive 6 Daily Echo Curtain Call (the amateur awards for Hampshire) nominations including Best Director and Production of the Year – I’ve never worked with a more enthusiastic, creative and amicable team, and the result was something I’ll never forget!
• Took a first lead role on film with the award-winning SUSUtv drama The Society, learning how difficult film acting is in the process!
• Acted as the Chairperson of the 2013 Interactive Multimedia Systems Conference as part of a module, being granted a £1,000 budget to lead the organisation of an academic conference on Highfield Campus – talk about experience!
• Served a term on the SUSU Theatre Group committee as Webmaster, a fun experience in itself!
• More shows galore, and another amazing trip to the Edinburgh Fringe – this time featuring an on-screen BBC appearance on Great British Railway Journeys!
• The year of the Third Year Project (the Computer Science equivalent of a dissertation), in which I somehow merged the fields of theatre and image analysis to create an automatic video editor and attain a First – although I’m not sure how well it works!
• Third year: exams aplenty!

 The cast and crew of Equus!

 … and that we toured with to Edinburgh 2014!

Fourth Year (September 2014 – Just Now!):

• Had the honour of serving a term as President of Showstoppers (the musical theatre society), learning an incredible amount along the way about budgeting, strategic management, personal skills, and so much more… it’s been one heck of an experience!
• Also acted as Web Officer for Performing Arts as a whole!
• Probably the most humbling moment of my University career as I was awarded with the Award for Commitment to the Performing Arts at the recent PA Ball – thank you so much to everyone!
• Successfully took on the challenge of the Fourth Year Group Design Project with my team, attaining a First by designing a remote hearing test mobile phone application which we hope may form the basis of life-changing research elsewhere – crikey!
• Made a musical directing debut with The Drowsy Chaperone, which thankfully seemed to go down well!
• Performed for the final time with Theatre Group (Love Song in the Annex and Romeo & Juliet in the Nuffield!) and Showstoppers (Into the Woods) – all classic shows which I’ll never forget, and great ways to bow out!
• Exams, exams, exams!

The final Performing Arts Ball with some of the incredible friends I’ve shared University with – thanks guys! Credit: SU Photographic Society

And that’s omitting so, so much more – it really has been a packed Life at Southampton so far, and there’s plenty more to come before I graduate next month!

Freshers 2015/16 and beyond: you have so much to look forward to!

Robin

Heads down, funds up

So with assignments now well and truly out of the way, and my final couple of exams on the horizon, it’s really been the time, if ever there were, to get my head down in the books! As you can probably imagine, there’s not been too much on the agenda this week in terms of getting out and about in Southampton, as the final, final push towards four years of working on my Software Engineering degree takes place – and it’s a both intimidating yet incredibly exciting prospect!

With every page of my diary currently consumed by lists of topics to cover, from the mathematics of social network dynamics (unfortunately not an excuse to go on Facebook for revision, though I’ve tried to justify it!) to the operations of biometric sensors, there’s a lot of material for me to get through if I’m to be ready in time for next week’s exams.

Then there’s exam technique to practice, including making sure to figure out in advance as many question timings in possible, and hand-write as many summary notes sheets as physically possible. After a year of Computer Science, it’s almost a strange phenomenon using a pen at speed once again!
But having been in a similar situation so often before over the past seven-or-so examinable years, I feel more determined than ever to get through the usual tests and rigours of the summer exam period.

This is my last chance to potentially make the difference in terms of accumulating marks towards my degree, and indeed academic career as a whole, so it’s crucial that I do my best – particularly as I’ll have finished with the whole thing in the next seven days!

It’s never easy, particularly when, at this time of year, the weather decides to be at its best, almost as if it’s just to increase your resentment towards the whole situation! But I happily shut myself away from my housemates (most of whom have now finished for good!) safe in the knowledge that the few weeks afterwards are going to be terrific. Featuring Balls, meals, picnics, road trips, the annual 24 Hour Musical show (where an entire show is learned and performed in that time period for charity!) and much, much more, many memorable occasions are on the horizon and I can’t wait!

Every student needs a release of energy from time to time, however, and during exam period, mine has been preparing to direct one of the University’s entrants into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, the (hopefully spectacular!) musical Dogfight. As this is the first time I’ve been involved in directing and producing a show on tour, it’s been a great learning experience in many ways as I attend meetings, prepare marketing materials and publicity strategies, write press releases, and attempt to plan for all the logistics incurred by bringing a show on the road – and there are plenty!

As this is a significant responsibility, and one which requires being a team player to make sure all’s sorted, I’m delighted to be backed up by the Students’ Union and Performing Arts societies in my efforts. This is a great scheme common across most Student Groups, as I’ve been leant a brilliant opportunity in a form of large-scale project management. I am working alongside an incredibly efficient and imaginative team, while simultaneously receiving constant support and advice from the Union and elsewhere in case a safety net is required, allowing me to learn and pick up skills on the job without fear of adverse consequences. So far, so good!

One of the most crucial aspects of taking a show on tour is the fundraising element. We ask all our members to pay for large chunks of the expenses involved in performing on the world-renowned and incredibly exciting stage of the Edinburgh Fringe, but we still have venue, transport, accommodation and many more costs to consider when taking the show on tour. So we seek out as much funding before we go as we can - any donations we can get towards the cause are hugely appreciated!

This year, fundraising has manifested itself in many ways, with upcoming events including sports tournaments, radio challenge broadcasts (I’ve been promised the challenges will be very entertaining – for everyone not involved in the show, that is!), film screenings and one-off performances to mention but a few. However, the most prolific of our events so far have been our sales of refreshments at one another’s performances and out and about around the Students’ Union, including the classic cake sales – a great excuse for us to attempt (and usually fail) at baking as a temporary distraction from revision!

As part of our last cake sale, we held an entirely improvised online cake auction, which proved surprisingly popular!

So if you see one of us around the University's Highfield Campus Concourse in the next week or so, please do come across, have a chat and, if you’re hungry, buy a cake – your support would be hugely appreciated by many of us! Or, if you’d rather, feel free to tell me to get my head back down in the books as soon as possible. With only a few days left, it’s time to make things count!

Robin

Highlights of my life at Southampton

This will be my penultimate post for the Life at Southampton blog! My first and last exams are this week, after which I’ll hopefully be celebrating, packing for Europe and preparing for my move to Australia. I thought it would be good to dedicate this blog post to some of the highlights of my University experience, all of which I’ve written about in more detail in previous blog posts.

Here’s a summary of some of the amazing things I’ve been up to over the past few years (apart from the obvious which is working towards my degree…)

First year biology field trip to Spain

One of the highlights of my first year was definitely the 10 day Biology field course in Bolonia, Spain. I was able to see, do, learn and experience so much and all in a gorgeous location with wonderful weather. You can’t really ask for more! You can read about the field trip in detail (including lots of lovely photos) see my past blog post “Easter break past and present”.

Getting involved with the dance societies

In my first year I joined three dance societies: Jazz Dance, Ballet and Contemporary, and I auditioned for the advanced competition squads for all. Before coming to the University of Southampton I had never been in competitions and I had mostly danced Ballet, but after making it into the squads I quickly made some of the coolest friends I have at University and I found other dance styles which I really love too. We had an amazing time training together, attending the competitions and taking part in the annual Pure Dance show in both my first and second year. Also, in my second year, after enjoying dance so much in my first year, I took on the role of president for the Jazz Dance Society. I’ve written a lot about my dance experiences in previous posts (also with lots of photos), for those of you more interested in the dance societies you may want to check out these past blog posts: “Getting you up to speed…”, “Dominating at the BNU Dance Competition”, “My last dance competition” and “Pure Dance 2014 and more”.

Mandarin language course 

During the summer of my first year I applied for a place on a three-week intensive mandarin language course which I still feel very lucky to have taken part in. The teacher was super supportive and encouraging and I was amazed at how much I had learnt in just three weeks. If you want to read more about my experience you can check out my past post “Light at the end of the tunnel”.

Obtaining my ocean diver qualifications

At the end of that same summer I finished my ocean diver qualifications with the University’s Sub-Aqua Club. I still find it a little funny how my first ever dive was in dry suit in cold and murky UK waters rather than somewhere in Australia (I had only ever been snorkeling when I lived there). Nevertheless, it was still a great experience. The second location we dived in was pretty cool; the water was clear and there were different parts of wreckage placed around the site so when we were diving we swam past things like a sunken car, a humongous, old, industrial tumble drier and aircraft wreckage. The instructors were really great too.

Third year project

This includes both my field experience in Italy over the summer and the lab experience in at the University during my third year. I’ve learnt a lot during both of those experiences and I had fun while doing it too. I’ve mentioned bits of my lab experience in more recent posts and if you’re interested in my Italy experience check out my past post: “Field experience in Italy”.

 

Green Action

In my third year I took on the role of president of Green Action Society. I was actually completely new to the society when I ran for the role but I was very keen to get involved. I’ve met a lot of new people and learnt so much, gaining new perspectives on global issues, particularly environmental issues but also social issues and the links between the two. I’ve had opportunities to network with people and organisations outside of the University and attended many events connected to the interests of Green Action. Overall it has been a great experience. Past posts where I’ve written about Green Action in more detail include: “Green Action and student campaigns” and “Sustainability festivals and green spaces”.

There’s a whole lot more I could write about but this blog post would be never ending and I need to get back to revision with my exams fast approaching!

I wish everyone good luck in their exams!

Kristin

Making memories

It’s always the night I look forward to most in the calendar: the annual Performing Arts Ball, this year to take place at the grand venue of the home of Southampton Football Club, St Mary’s Stadium – you couldn’t ask for somewhere more swanky!

 It’s the one night where almost everyone you know 'dresses to impress', where a sumptuous three-course dinner makes a great break from the usual pasta dishes and beans on toast, and the one where you get to spend a night in euphoric and celebratory surroundings with great friends to see off a grand year of performing in style. As this was my final one (as a student here, at least!), I was naturally hugely excited and couldn’t sit still come Sunday morning in eager anticipation of the evening ahead. Little was I to know beforehand just how incredible this year’s would be.

It started, as usual, with a house trip to the huge shopping centre in the middle of Southampton, the ever-popular West Quay. The Ball is an occasion which almost everyone treats pretty seriously in terms of looking smart – when it’s once a year, you have to! – so we set about stocking up on supplies, grabbing formal bits and bobs and making sure we were set for the night ahead. From my perspective, I remembered just how amazing it is that your pair of cufflinks can somehow vanish when you’ve not worn them for a year – though I bet I’ll find my (now “old”) pair soon enough (typical)!

After successfully raiding shops galore, we returned home and spent a few hours attempting to be productive. Unfortunately, for almost all of us this just entailed a general pretence of working, while in reality we were actually just eagerly checking the time while hovering in anticipation!

Soon preparations began; suits and dresses were on, photos with one another taken, and people came round so we could all take taxis together to complete the glamorous experience. I was also sure to conform to what now seems to be tradition, getting a photo with my housemate of nearly four-years now, Robyn, just beforehand!

It’s been a brilliant four years!

We arrived at St Mary’s Stadium to a very salient reminder of just how flashy the venue was, with champagne reception, striking decorations and photo booth ready to go. Luckily, as we were one of the first groups to arrive, we were able to take full advantage of the lack of queues for the latter to begin with, getting in pictures while we still all looked relatively prepared for the evening! 

Me and my housemates for this year – the affectionately-nicknamed “Aviary”! Credit: SUSU Photographic Society

St Mary’s made for an incredible venue – thank you so much for having us!

Enjoying such an amazing reception and greeting what seemed like a fair number of the few hundred people who walked through the door, we were swiftly reminded of just how many people are involved in the Performing Arts. It was a great chance to see everyone looking their best, enjoying one another’s company and celebrating loads of achievements together.

It was then time for the three beautiful courses that always befit such an occasion. Sitting with a table of many of the Showstoppers (the musical theatre society) who I’d progressed through the University career alongside, we had a great time talking about the future, reminiscing about former shows – and cracking jokes at one another’s expense, particularly after an accidental drinks spill or two (if you’re reading this, sorry Josh)!

Following this, we had a boogie on the dance floor, during which I again kept up a personal tradition of losing to one of my friends at a pretty terrible standard of ‘dance-off’, before heading on to a nightclub to enjoy the rest of the evening.

We had great company at our table! Credit: SUSU Photographic Society

After three other Performing Arts balls, all incredibly well organised and put together, I knew the night would be a terrific one, and I was enjoying every moment of it. That was, however, until I became completely overwhelmed; I was chuffed to see many of my best friends achieve so highly in the annual Performing Arts awards, including Highly Commended for both Achievement and Commitment to the Performing Arts, but I could never have imagined I’d have the honour and privilege of receiving the overall award for Commitment to the Performing Arts, with an incredible glass trophy and card to boot. I couldn’t believe that I was amongst such incredibly talented hard workers and legends of the Performing Arts, and spent the rest of the evening in something of a fluster as you can see in the photo below!

A little bit overwhelmed towards the end of the evening – thank you so, so much, everyone!

Because my friends on Facebook have already had to endure a long (quite soppy!) status full of thanks to them, and because I can still only struggle to articulate what this meant to me, I won’t write too much here. It suffices to say: I will never forget that night!

And because I can’t resist: just another huge thank you to everyone who nominated me, although it left me in a state somewhere between disbelief and euphoria for the rest of the night (and hasn’t really worn off yet)!

And so another Performing Arts Ball has been and gone and, as a heavy batch of coursework assignments finds its way onto my metaphorical plate, I feel hugely invigorated by an evening, and resulting set of memories, that I will truly never forget. Thank you so much to everyone who helped organise the ball (especially the brilliant Caitlin and Anna), and thank you to everyone who was there! What a night.

Robin

Into the woods

So in this season of finals – and not just the exams! – it has finally come to this: one final appearance in a fully-fledged Annex Theatre-based, University of Southampton, Students’ Union society, show. And what a production to go out on: a large-scale project bringing to the University the classic Stephen Sondheim musical-turned-Disney-film, Into the Woods!

 Although I’ve probably attempted to do so in previous blog posts, I can’t begin to describe just how much the Performing Arts has changed my life since I discovered it as a trembling fresher in first year. My first set of auditions for a show is a stand-out memory for me, as, being extremely shy, I can remember being aghast at having only just met some people for the first time – and then having to pretend to be married to them!

 Back then just being on stage seemed a terrifying prospect, and I wasn’t sure why I subjected myself to it. Four academic years and twenty-five shows later, and the (admittedly still extremely nerve-racking but electrifying) buzz, coupled with nerves and adrenaline galore, is still there - but I’ve learnt to enjoy it along the way!

Of all the shows, it’s definitely the best costume I’ve had to wear!

It’s not just the time on stage, though, or indeed even time off stage – it’s the experience, the journey (if I’m going to be theatrical!) that you go through as both an individual in your role, and a collective with your fellow students within casts, teams or committees, that makes being part of the Performing Arts (or any student group) so special.

I’ve picked up an incredible number of skills from societies, be it public speaking (including dealing with nerves!), project management and co-ordination (of pretty large teams over several months), budgeting, scheduling, touring, designing, teamwork exercises, application writing, communication, and most of all, learning how to relax and trust your instincts. All of these complement the excellent academic groundings that I’ve picked up through my course in Computer Science and Software Engineering.

A far cry from that trembling first audition, definitely!

Along the way, I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting the most inspirational set of people I think I ever will. There’s some innate quality within the casts, crews and production teams I’ve got to know over the past four years that makes them so radiant, enthusiastic, full of quite breathtakingly brilliant ideas, and just great fun to be in the company of . Or maybe it’s just the number of times we’ve acted weirdly with each other in rehearsal rooms (which we always explain with “theatre!”)!

Over the course of the four years, I’ve seen plenty of these people come and go, and formed some fantastic friendships which I know will ensure we’ll keep in touch. Being part of such a strong community, as is the case with being part of SUSU, the Students' Union, in general, has been an honour, and has allowed me to achieve things which I couldn’t have imagined ever having the confidence or ambition to even dream of at first, let alone implement.

I couldn’t have imagined singing publicly at the start of University, let alone wearing eyeliner!

Being part of a show is truly a team effort in all senses, and as a result never fails to be a privilege – even if it does take time away from studying every now and again (although doing both is very doable)! It’s this sense of community which has made me feel so at home during my time here, at ease and enjoying myself at the University, and for anyone coming in September, it’s very, very easy to get into – all you have to do is turn up to a meeting and say hello, and things will go from there!

If the stage isn’t your thing, this experience is replicated in all forms of student group, be it media (the SUSU has its own entertainment magazine, newspaper, and radio and television stations), sports (… far too many to list!), RAG (Raising & Giving), academic clubs, lifestyle groups, and many more. Going along for the first time is probably the most nerve-racking experience of all at University, when you know nobody and everything is new – but if you do take that step, I can promise you that you won’t regret it!

As for Into the Woods, it’s really been one of the best experiences of my life – as every show seems to have been! Spending time with such a brilliantly talented cast and crew over the last few weeks, playing Ultimate Frisbee on the sunny University campus during our breaks, and having movie nights and meals together to give us a break from revision for impending exams (the next priority!). It’s summed up what life in the Performing Arts has been for me: better than I could ever have foreseen, thanks to the people around me.

Oh, and as I’m playing a Prince, I guess getting to dress up as royalty and over-dramatically prance around has been fun, too!

It’s going to be a strange feeling stepping off stage come Saturday evening in light of everything, but I know I couldn’t have asked for (or indeed fit in!) more. I’ll only be able to thank SUSU Performing Arts for making my life at the University of Southampton an extraordinary experience – or a journey 'Into the Woods', if you will!

Robin

Pure Dance and garden parties

During the first weekend of the Easter break I met up with two of my friends from last year’s contemporary dance squad to go and watch Pure Dance 2015. For those of you who don’t know, Pure Dance is a massive show put on once a year to showcase performances from all of the University’s different dance societies including street dance, ballet, jazz dance, breakdance, ballroom and Latin, tap dance, belly dancing and bhangra.

The show covers performances from each level within the different dance societies so that everyone has a chance to perform a routine, demonstrate what they’ve been learning over the year and how much they’ve improved. The University’s competition dance squads also perform at the show.

With so many different dance societies and several routines being performed from each society from beginner’s level to advanced dancers, the show ended up being almost three hours long! This was my first time watching the show, as for the past two years I’ve been a performer. It was a fun new experience and I have to say the show went by unbelievably quickly - it didn’t feel like three hours at all!

I really enjoyed watching some of my dance friends from last year and checking out some of the new talent that has joined this year. As always, I was blown away with the squad routines, and after watching everyone I realised how much I miss dancing. I think I will probably try and take a couple of classes after the Easter break before exams begin and we end for summer.

Setting up before the show begins in the O2 Guildhall. 

This year the show was held at the O2 Guildhall in Southampton which was really exciting. In the past two years that I was in the show it has always been in the Turner Sims Concert Hall which is located on campus. My friends and I arrived a little bit early so we could wish some of our friends good luck before the performance began.

Now one week of the Easter break has already passed (I feel like I say this in every blog post but time is passing by far too quickly!). As I mentioned in my last blog post I’m staying in Southampton rather than going back to Sweden for Easter and have been working on my third year project. However, I have also found some fun things to do as a break from project work! Some of the people from the Kickboxing Society are also still around in Southampton so I’ve managed to fit in two kickboxing sessions which is a great dissertation break and a way to relieve stress!

I also went to an awesome get-together at a friend’s house (who I’ve known since first year). We also happen to be doing the same course, but because biology is quite a broad discipline we’ve chosen quite different modules so it’s actually been a while since I saw her last. She organised the night with a group of friends and they really put in a lot of effort. There was lots of food, a small fire people could sit around outside, and several of the guys brought guitars and were playing music outside. People were dancing and singing, and they also moved the sofas into the back garden and put up lanterns and lights. It was fantastic. I got to meet a lot of new people and had a lot of fun. Again, a great way to take a break from work for a night.

They went to a lot of effort so that everyone would have a great night! 

Many people left to go home on Sunday so my house is feeling rather empty. I’ll also be taking a short stay away from Southampton later in the week to visit my Auntie so I’ll be spoiled with some of her home cooking for a few days! Until then, it’s back to work on my third year project. While there is still a lot to do, it feels good when you can see parts coming together.

Kristin

A change of pace

I write on the eve of a train journey back to my home in the North of the country, in the midst of many last-minute preparations – there’s never a dull moment at the University of Southampton, it seems! Suitably surrounded by bags and suitcases, laundry, books, pens, paper and ‘to-do’ lists galore, before I return to the comforts of a warm fireplace, cats and an ever-stocked fridge, there’s probably more productive things to be doing than sitting at the computer, watching television and trying to cram all leftovers into portions which are vaguely justifiable as ‘meals’! However, after what’s been undeniably my busiest, most hectic and yet most rewarding term at the University yet, it’s quite representative of just how life has been recently:

Packing in being in two shows (including one in the amazing Nuffield Theatre on Highfield Campus!); directing another; rehearsing for a third; producing a couple; successfully organising and pitching another to go on tour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer and seeing out a term of Presidency of the musical theatre society (Showstoppers) there’ve been no shortage of productions and theatrical affairs to be involved with and keep things ticking along. It makes time seem to pass far quicker than it ought to!

A final committee picture at the Showstoppers Annual General Meeting last week – we’ve had a great spell, but it’s over to the next committee now!

On top of that, I’ve still been co-hosting a show on Surge Radio (the Students’ Union radio station), I’ve started reviewing shows for the Edge (the Union's official  entertainment magazine – as was on my start-of-final-year bucket list!) and Soton Tab (the independent student tabloid), and I’ve continued serving on the overall Performing Arts committee and as a volunteer student ambassador for the Nuffield Theatre. There have been plenty of other creative outlets for me to make use of too! Here’s hoping all the experiences will help me in the job market should I choose to go forward in those circles.

From a more academic perspective, there have been January examinations to study for, a whole new set of modules to contend with, lectures to attend, the deadline for the written Group Design Project report and codebase (including end-user trials!) to meet, the end-of-project presentations to deliver, and coursework and group projects galore to tackle. Well, it is fourth and final year, after all!

Yet, somehow, it’s all still balancing, with there being plenty of time every day to spend either at the well-stocked Hartley Library or wired-up Zepler Building computer labs on all things course-related, before heading off to elsewhere on campus in the evenings to take on that day’s theatrical challenge. As proof that it’s possible, just the other day our group from the Group Design Project were delighted the other day to be awarded a First overall, which, although we’d worked hard, still came as something of a surprise, given just how much of a challenge it seemed at the time!

Along the way, there have been the usual incredible experiences, memories and friendships made, collected and savoured, just as I’ve come to expect from daily life in an inspiring institution such as this one.

With only one term left here, I think it’s that aspect I’ll miss most about University life – you never know what to expect from the day when you wake up in the morning, with so much variation and so many obstacles to overcome and potential accomplishments to attain. Even if things don’t go your way, you tend to learn quite a lot the day after - it’s very true what they say about learning from your mistakes.

It’s been a great – if busy – term, during which I’ve met plenty of brilliant new people!

Having said that, I am quite looking forward to heading back up North soon, as doing all of the above has left me fairly exhausted! It’s been completely worth it and I wouldn’t give up the experiences for anything in the world, but it is a lifestyle from which you need a break from time to time. Surrounded by family, pets and old friends at home, I’ll be sure to take the necessary time to rest and recuperate – and maybe eat a decent meal or two (thank you in advance for the vegetables, Mum)!

It’s a curious feeling returning home as, even taking into account the complete change of pace, there is always a slightly strange aspect to it, with an entirely different setting, group of friends and lifestyle in general. At the same time, I know within a few days of being back I’ll be settled, having met up and shared stories (and maybe a drink!) with plenty of old friends, and will be very well-rested indeed, so I’m looking forward to seeing everybody again.

What a term, Southampton – thank you, and here’s to a great break before the final one!

Robin

Spreading the word

At the time of writing, performances of the latest show I’ve had the pleasure to be involved with, directing as part of SUSU Showstoppers (the musical theatre society), titled The Drowsy Chaperone, are well underway! In fact, almost as soon as they’ve begun, they’ll nearly be over, with our final shows on this Friday (10th) and Saturday (11th) at 7.30pm in the Annex Theatre on Highfield Campus before there’s a new show in there next week; no rest for the wicked!

(If you’re looking for an alternative light-hearted evening’s entertainment, please come along and say hello, as it’d be great to meet you there!)

Show week is always a curious feeling from the view of a production team member, particularly when you see members of your cast rushing around before every show to get ready while you’re safe in the knowledge you’re not going on stage that night! With the show fully prepared in terms of rehearsing, there’s very little the Directors can do every night except watch, enjoy and occasionally cross your fingers whenever you know a big production number is coming up!

Of course, there’s no need to be worried. For me, it’s the greatest sense of pride I think I can experience and why I love being part of the theatrical world as, when the lights go down on opening night to signal the start of the show, you get to appreciate the impact of every small task or piece of work leading up to that first moment, even when they seemed menial at the time. They all come together to form a fully-fledged production. It’s always a feeling that sends a shiver down my spine, seeing how far the show has come from its early days, and how much everyone involved has improved on the stage and developed their skills off it.

The Drowsy Chaperone has been no exception, with a shorter (and more intense!) rehearsal period than any show I’ve previously known due to everyone involved being so busy beforehand! As a result, the level of talent and commitment on display from the cast and production team has had to be outstanding, the creativity and endeavour of the technical crew incredible, and the band brilliant – and thankfully, all of the above has rung true, and we’ve got what we hope is a great show on our hands!

 The cast and production team of The Drowsy Chaperone! Credit: David Aggus

The really surreal element is how I get to watch every night and observe a show which, due to a previous project being unfortunately cancelled, I didn’t know anything about before the start of the year (and found just by browsing YouTube one November night!). Somehow only four months later it has morphed into a project involving over fifty people!

It’s strange to see how such a small idea has grown and grown over the time period. However, it’s because of the hard work of first the production team, then the cast in auditioning and rehearsing, and finally the technical crew and band in making it all happen, that it has somehow all come together on a huge scale beyond anything I and my co-Director Andy could ever have imagined at the start – and we can’t thank them enough!

Aside from sorting any loose ends props-wise (looking for rubber chickens on Amazon the other day probably demonstrated to my housemates that it’s a very unusual show!) our only job has been to try and sell the show to as many people as possible. This is a tougher task than usual, with it not being too well known, despite its previous success with Tony Award wins and the like in the United States.

Once again, the task of spreading the word and getting The Drowsy Chaperone out there has been facilitated by a hard-working cast (selling tickets to friends and families, and flyering outside in occasionally less-than-perfect conditions!), some wonderfully creative individuals (my Producer, David, has been working round the clock on some amazing material!), and engaging publications, all of whom have reached new potential audience members and pointed them in our direction.

From preview interviews in the Students’ Union entertainment magazine, The Edge, to working with SUSUtv (the Union’s television station) to film the trailer (see below!), and working with Surge Radio (the Union's radio station) to have it broadcast through their Culture department, there are loads of ways to get involved with spreading the news, so if media or marketing is your thing, there are opportunities aplenty here at the University of Southampton!

Our trailer for The Drowsy Chaperone, as created by SUSUtv

We’ve also been working to welcome in as many reviewers we can from The Edge and Surge, as well as independent bodies like the Daily Echo and the Soton Tab, including a visit from the National Student Drama Festival (NSDF). Hopefully by the end of the show we’ll have lots of feedback on how we can do better next time!

Thankfully, the reviews we’ve received so far have been very positive indeed – The Edge described the show as “impossible not to love” and gave it four stars out of five, whereas SceneOne, a local company, described it as “something special” and “highly recommended” – so here’s hoping for more of the same in the near future!

Regardless, I couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved in The Drowsy Chaperone. It’s been quite an experience from start to finish, working with a larger cast and team than I’ve ever done before, but somehow it’s all come together to form a production which everyone can take a huge amount of pride in. 

Best of all, though, it’s been an honour and a privilege to work with everyone so closely over the past four months, and their achievement in bringing the show to life cannot be emphasised enough – and for that, I can only thank them! Here’s hoping we can get the word out there, and give them the audience numbers they deserve! 

Robin

Stories to tell

It seems strange to say in the knowledge that there’s only a few weeks left of the Easter term, but there’s nothing better to remind you of how few days there are in February than a deadline or two creeping up on you at the beginning of March!

Such was the case in the past few days, when my first assignment of the term – preparing and delivering a short presentation on the principles of an IT-driven business investment within an organisation of our choice – suddenly arrived on my doorstep. I’d always known that this presentation was due to take place at the beginning of March, but somehow with fewer days in February, it came around a lot quicker than expected – if only it were a leap year!

As I wrote last time, my latest project as an amateur Director, The Drowsy Chaperone (with the musical theatre society, Showstoppers), goes on stage next week – so the appearance of an unexpected deadline caused a bit of panic amidst all the preparation being undertaken for that!

Nevertheless, after I’d realised, I was able to spend plenty of time in the ever-stocked and inspirational Hartley Library with my head in a book, making sure it was completed and delivered to the best of my ability, in between all the other intensive rehearsals and production-based activities last week!

Such an anecdote is just one example of the many stories I seem to have accrued during almost four academic years at the University of Southampton, many of which have formed the basis of my posts here on Life at Southampton. I was flattered recently to be invited to be interviewed about my time here (both from an academic and an extra-curricular perspective), just to chat about my experiences at the University.

As someone whose is always quite nervous during interviews, I of course went into it fearing that I would freeze and have nothing particularly interesting to say, and that I’d dry up completely. But once things got going, I found, much to my surprise, the exact opposite: I’d so many different answers, ideas and thoughts which the University has fostered through my course in Software Engineering, and through my time as a member of the Students’ Union, that I had to cut myself off lest we would talk for hours!

From the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to the programming laboratories, there were stories of interesting lectures and assignments (sometimes featuring relatively last-minute submissions) stories of plays and musicals, stories of trips and tours, stories of academic conferences and production activities and projects, and stories of learning experiences (I’ll never forget to boil the potatoes for long enough after my first-year attempt at sausage ‘n mash!).

There were stories yielded by friendship groups which fell completely outside all of the above. There’s nothing quite like just meeting someone new on the bus and getting chatting to them, or even just around the Union. It’s not a rare occurrence; the sense of community across campus makes it far less awkward than you might think! The majority of these seemingly unrelated stories were provided by my first-year flatmates, whom later went on to become my housemates for three years. We didn’t do much together in terms of shared academic courses or societies, but there are multitudes of memories, quotations and photographs which I don’t think I’ll ever forget!

 

My first year flatmates, and second and third year housemates, and I at last year’s astonishing Grad Ball event – it’s strange to not see them as often now, but we’re still in touch!

Having this myriad of experiences, anecdotes and even jokes to fall back on has already proven useful in terms of my job application efforts. Typical application and interview questions such as “Describe a time when…” and “What experience do you have in…” seem far easier to answer, even on the spot, when you’ve a number of scenarios in your head which you can apply to different situations and transferable skills.

In many ways, one of the best things I’ve found to do is to read this blog (and my 90 previous posts on it!) just to give myself a quick reminder of how much has actually gone on during my time here, and how much I’ll miss the University when it’s all over!

The stories continue to aggregate, with The Drowsy Chaperone now very much on the horizon and the associated challenges of directing a large-cast and large-scale musical fully in the forefront of my mind! It’s been a pleasure so far, and has provided plenty of new anecdotes (including ones regarding the difficulties of sourcing a revolving stage for the first time in the society’s history!). It looks like it will be a fantastic and hilarious spectacle of a show.

If you have any love of musicals at all – or even if you don’t, as it’s a parody of their tropes! – then Drowsy is the show for you, and we’d love to see you there! It promises to be a side-splitting feast of musical cheese, featuring a revolving stage, blindfolded dancing on roller-skates and even an aeroplane landing on stage, along with an incredibly hard-working cast, crew and production team to whom I couldn’t be more grateful.

So come along and catch the show! Who knows? It may even provide you with another story of your own!

The Drowsy Chaperone takes place in the Annex Theatre (Building 2a on Highfield Campus, by the Interchange) from Wednesday 11th - Saturday 14th March at 7.30pm every evening - we’d love to see you there!

Robin