Bangor Fund supports drama students with industry insight and experience
Thanks to support from the Bangor fund, drama students gained valuable access to the UK’s creative industries through a series of hands-on experiences and professional networking opportunities.
Over the past month, students have been networking with industry professionals across drama television, screenwriting and technical theatre production. These experiences were designed to strengthen employability and develop multi-platform skill-based training in performance, directing, storytelling, and technical skills – areas that reflect current industry demand.
Industry professional drama staff collaborated with Wales Screen Academy, Red Planet Pictures, Theatre Company Fran Wen, and renowned screenwriter, Tony Jordan (Eastenders, Life on Mars, Death in Paradise, Hustle) to provide skill-based training to future graduates.
Daf Palfrey, lecturer in screenwriting, said, “It was exciting to have the master of screenwriting, Tony Jordan give feedback, advice and wisdom to students on the Writers’ Room module at 18ҹ. The salient points amongst a million brilliant ones were to keep the idea simple, compelling and “crank it up!”.”
Ffion Haf Evans, senior lecturer in performance, collaborated with Screen Academy Manager, Carol Jones, to organise a half-day masterclass in directing and acting for camera. Held in partnership Aria Film Studios and Rondo Media, the masterclass took place on the purpose-built sets of , and featured contributions from the show’s directors and actors.
These opportunities form part of a wider effort to align teaching with industry practice. We’re not just taking students into professional spaces, we’re embedding real-world insight into our curriculum.
Fion Haf Evans, Senior Lecturer in Performance
These valuable opportunities allow us to gain an insight into how the industry works and the requirements expected post-graduation.
Owen Roberts, Third-year Media and Drama student
These are fantastic, high-quality opportunities that we are proud of offering our students to prepare them for a future in the creative arts. We would like to thank the our alumni for their support to enrich students experience this term.
Professor Ruth McElroy, Head of the School of Arts, Culture and Language