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As a second-year student on the BA (Hons) Arts and Event Management course at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth, Sarah Andrews has discovered that organising an event is no easy task.
Sarah gave us some time from her busy schedule to talk about how the skills she is learning are already proving invaluable in her chosen area of the performing arts, and what her ambitions are once she has completed it.
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How did you first become interested in the management side of the performing arts?
"I've always had a keen interest in the arts from a young age, particularly the theatre. I studied performing arts at college, specialising in technical theatre. I then worked at the Theatre Royal Lincoln for two and a half years, mainly in the costume department. By the time I was seventeen I was Head of Wardrobe on the national tour of Annie. I really enjoyed my time working in costume but it was not something that I imagined doing for ever. After touring I had become really interested in the organisational side of the business and I'd also developed a keen interest in music, working briefly for a music venue doing administration and looking after the touring bands that came to the venue. I was lucky enough to work with two band tours while I was there. This experience really fuelled my passion for the organisational side of the arts. It was then that I decided that I wanted to go to university to study arts management."
How did you go about deciding on the best course for you?
"On leaving school I chose to do the BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts at Lincoln College, purely because of the practical experiences it offered. The College worked in partnership with Lincoln Theatre Royal where I was already working, so I was lucky enough to do my technical theatre studies in a real working theatre.
Then, when I was looking at universities to study arts management, I spoke to my college lecturers for advice and used the UCAS website to find universities that offered courses in that field. I then did further research into each university. I'm a very hands-on person and a lot of courses only offered theory based learning which was going to be no good for me. In the end the Arts Institute at Bournemouth was the only higher education institution I applied to. It was the high level of hands-on experience you get doing events, as well as the preparation for employment it offers, that really swayed me."
What areas does the Arts and Events Management course cover?
"The course covers everything a competent arts manager needs to know - from funding to the legal framework. It also covers topics like marketing, computer skills and critical theory behind the arts. We also get to put all we have learnt into practice within our project work where we get to put on our own arts events. I have worked on a kids' art festival and an unusual music event where we showcased the talent of buskers in the Dorset area. All the skills we learn on this course are practical and can be applied in the employment world."
The second year of the course includes a work placement - tell us what you have been doing on this.
"For my placement I have been working with the Alumni Officer within the Marketing Department at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth, organising the Graduation Ceremony. I chose to undertake this placement because I had become interested in arts events within education since my first-year project work on an event for children called Get into Arts. I was also keen to further my marketing knowledge. Marketing was an area that was a real challenge for me as it is an area I had no experience in when I started the course. Now, at the end of the second year, I feel it is one of my strengths.
Organising the Graduation Ceremony has been one of the most difficult events I have ever worked on. It is strategically difficult to organise purely because of the number of people who are involved with the organisation of the event. I have really learnt that communication is key."
What personal qualities do you think are useful to have in the arts management world?
"You have to be an organised person, have good time-keeping skills and be prepared to work with all kinds of people. Attention to detail is really important as it could be the smallest thing that changes your whole event. Most importantly you need to be willing to work hard - organising an arts event is nowhere near as easy as you might think it would be!"
What do you hope to do once you have finished the course?
"I am currently looking into doing an 18-month internship at an American arts university, working with students and helping them organise their own events and fundraisers. I like the idea of being able to pass on to others what I have learnt at the Institute. I have a few options in where to go within the USA as most universities run intern programmes for international graduates."
What are your ultimate career ambitions?
"I would like to stay within education and set up an organisation that helps graduates in all fields of the arts to further their careers by taking part in events (award/prize givings/talent exhibitions and showcases), designed to promote new talent to clients. I think it would be extremely rewarding to give talented young people the chance to show the world what they can do."
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