History and Drama - BA (Hons)
I’m really pleased that I do two subjects. I can often use some of the political stuff that I learn in history in my drama performance and I never feel bored.
It was one of the only universities that offered Drama and History as a joint honours and I really wanted to study a mix of the two. Then I came to Kent for an Open Day and, even though it was raining, it still was really lovely when I was walking around campus.
I’d expected it to be scarier than it actually was – in your first year, you're in the same boat as everybody else. And for history, we had a compulsory module called Making History that taught all the basics.
Second year is when you need to put your head down and get working. You have to stay in a bit more! But it was good, because that sets you up for your final year. It’s still quite hard, but you’ve got a close group of friends by that time and you support each other.
I’m really pleased that I do two subjects. I can often use some of the political stuff that I learn in history in my drama performance and I never feel bored. I always have lots of choice. I’ve never had to do a module that I wasn’t interested in.
My favourite part of drama is the practical side of it. I’ve really enjoyed working in groups and putting on performances. And then in history –?well, I guess I like learning about the dark side of history. Marvels, Monster, and Freaks was about freak shows and serial killers and I’ve always been interested in crime shows. And I’m now doing a module called Surgery, Science, and Society and, again, I love that. We went on a trip to the Old Operating Theatre Museum and we got to touch original notebooks from doctors in the 1700s and hold all the incredible medical tools from that period.
One thing I really liked in my history course was using the library at Canterbury Cathedral. We looked in their archives for one of my modules and we got to see an original Bible from the Henrician Reformation. For Drama, we’ve got two student theatres with lights and sound desks that we can use. There’s a workshop as well, where you can go and make props and hire things like sofas for performances.
The uni has loads of really great social spaces. The Gulbenkian has a cinema and theatre and you get cheap tickets to loads of great shows. The library is brilliant; it’s 22 hours. And then, obviously, all of the bars; K-Bar, Woody's, Origins. The Venue nightclub was brilliant in my first year. I used to go about four times a week.
I'm part of an improv comedy society and we do shows every couple of weeks. We’re looking at going to Amsterdam and putting on a few shows there! I am also a student ambassador for the School of History. It gives me a bit of extra income and it’s always quite fun. You get to talk to people at the Open Days and get them excited about coming to Kent.
I’d like to get a stable job and then, alongside that, I’d like to teach applied theatre in schools. I hope to apply my knowledge of history by creating historical days for the children, so they can experience another era and I can teach them using theatre. I'm actually doing an applied theatre module this year. We’ve already started our own company and we’ve just done a performance in a local school for children with disabilities.
I’d say join as many societies as you can. And talk to your lecturers and advisers; it can really help you to understand what you need to work on in your assignments.
