The Product (or rather, person)
Daisy Elizabeth Roberta Hale, 21 years of age from Birmingham, UK.
My name is Daisy Hale and I am a student that has recently graduated from the University of York with a degree in Writing, Directing and Performance. While I was at York, there was very rarely a moment where I was not busy, having completed nearly 40 productions or performances over the 3 years there (36 to be exact). I also served for a year and a half as the Drama Society’s Treasurer (constitutional changes were made so I was kept on another 3 months!). I was also chair of the LGBTQ Society and sat on the University Senate as a student elected representative. Before I came to university I did not know producers existed, it is through my time at York that I discovered this role and my absolute passion for it. In my second year I gained a placement through my department as an assistant producer with Company of Angels where I was mentored by Tara Finney, after the placement she offered me a month long internship with Iris Theatre in Covent Garden working as an assistant producer. Since then I was chosen to assist my supervisor with a project at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London, which was featured on BBC Radio London, and I am currently working on another project in Crouch End with a small theatre company. However, there is still much to this profession that I do not know, and I recognise that I need to develop further skills in order to be able to really start my career and put my ideas into action, which has led me to seek further study.
My set design (and building) from Orpheus Descending 2015, York
The Course
MA Creative Producing at Mountview Academy of Theatre is in its first year, as such the intake is small and the criteria high. And I have been able to achieve, to be one of the six places available. I feel that we are lucky, because the course leaders have tailored the modules to exactly what we are interested in. For example one of my big interests is European theatre and working in Europe, therefore we have a whole module on the Ecology of Culture. We are all gaining a professional mentor and the school are committed to introducing us to members of the industry that are going to ensure our success, as long as we put the work in alongside of course!
Why I need this course
Before I came to university it was confirmed that I have Dyslexia, which was not spotted until my first year of 6th form when I started to struggle. It emerged that I had high coping mechanisms with a high IQ, but my ability to express this via written media was much lower than average. It was during my undergraduate studies I had the idea to form a theatre company that specifically made theatre for dyslexic students. It is proven that dyslexic students tend to be far more creative and respond better to a visual, dynamic way of being educated rather than through the perhaps more' traditional' methods of reading and writing. I researched, and there is no theatre company doing this as yet.
However, as time progressed my idea developed and became more diverse, it wasn't until I did my placement with Company of Angels on their theatre café (a festival in which artists from all over Europe come to watch and discuss newly translated theatre) that I realised that rather than having a touring company, a theatre festival would be an excellent way of reaching out to this group of young people who would then be in the company of young people in a similar position.
I decided that I wanted to create a theatre festival for delegations of dyslexic young people around the country. It would be a 3 day event in which teachers could attend with students experiencing dyslexia in order to learn key coping mechanisms and important parts of their curriculum such as key dates, facts, figures or methods of working things out. For example a piece of theatre can teach memory skills which would enable a young person to remember history dates, foreign vocabulary or difficult pieces of poetry or literature.
To begin with I would aim this at years 7-9, with the aim to expand with several festivals at different times of the year for different age groups. There would be also workshops for teachers so that they could learn core skills in helping their dyslexic students express themselves. I want to work with experts from charities such as Dyslexia Action, include the help of the Arts Council and hopefully eventually be able to approach Local Education Authorities for their endorsement and help in identifying candidates from their schools to attend the festival and help in subsidising the cost for the school and students. I have a true belief that this could benefit hundreds of young people across the country.
However, I am fully aware that something of this scale needs a huge amount of development work and research involving skills that I simply just don’t have yet. My MA at mountview gives me the first step on the ladder towards this. I know that I need to build myself as an established producer and learn how to handle bigger budgets than ever before, know how to make the best grant applications, where to find the right actors and a research and development process over a long period of time is needed. Not only is Mountview one of the world's leading theatre schools but it has tutors able to teach me this skillset and additionally have a huge range of contacts and networks to ensure I meet the right people to set this in motion. None of this will be readily available to me in any other place. As they say in this business, it isn’t WHAT you know but WHO you know.
Photo from Alice in Wonderland at the Cockpit Theatre for which I was Assistant producer, Nominated for Off West End Award: Best Show for young people.
The horrible money bit
Obviously the course comes with a hefty price tag, with my fees totalling £8081. And this is before you add in living costs and other expenses such as books. In true producer fashion I have come up with a detailed budget breakdown below.
Tuition Fees: 8081 for the year
Books: (20 key texts at approx £10 each) £200
Rent: 487.5 pcm = £5850 /year
Water: 10 pcm = £120 /year
Gas: 11.75 pcm = £141/ year
Electricity: 7.15 pcm= £85.8/year
Other Bills (internet etc): £96.36/year
Food: £1560/year
Travel: £600/year
TOTAL EXPENSES
£16,734.16
Unfortunately my parents are unable to help me in any way, while I was at York I always had a part time job to make ends meet, working 3-4 shifts a week- which I intend to do the same of when I make the move to London. There is of course the career development loan offered by banks, which I have applied for but am not guaranteed. However this still leaves me with almost nothing to live on beyond the sheer substance of the course! If only absorbing theatre was food aswell…
Below I have detailed my potential income if I were to receive a career development loan.
Income
Part time job (24hrs a week on £7): £8736
Career development loan application (have asked for the boundary 80% of fees): £6064
Planned Overdraft: £2000
TOTAL INCOME
£15000
DIFFERENCE
- £1,734
You see that even trying all my options it still leaves me without nearly £2000, which is the minimum I would like to raise. Add that to my existing debt from my BA and you see…
Debt
Career Development loan (before 9.9% interest): £6064
Student Loan: £27,000
Maintenance Loan: £10,000
Overdraft: £2000
TOTAL
£45,064
Of course someone might say “you should wait, work a bit and then go!” but I would hope that you know that when these opportunities arise, you cannot turn them down, they may not come round again, I may not be picked again. I believe in my heart of hearts that I can do great things for the arts, if I am just given that helping hand to get there.
That is why I am asking for you to help fund me in any way. Help me to avoid being in debt by giving me that helping hand toward my tuition. No matter how small or large it will make a difference to my career. A mere £10 will buy me one of my books! £200 would buy me all my books, £500 would cover my rent for a month, and £1000 would put me 1/8th into paying my tuition fee balance. I am asking you for anything from £10 to £100, my hope being that with a large amount of generosity from many people, I can raise the funds I need to complete this year.
Producer, Journey's End, York
What I can offer to you
Now I know that I can’t just take, take, take without offering anything in return. If you were able to help me with funding toward my MA, I pledge to keep in contact with you with regular reports on progress made and how your funding is benefitting me, I will write a personal thank you letter and be able to send you photos of my projects. For those who generously decide to give a big donation I will ensure you are fully credited as an executive producer of the festival that I will be forming and creating over the next few years and you will of course receive invites to my future productions free of charge, you will also be listed as my personal sponsor.
Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed reading this.
Daisy Hale
(hopeful producer)
Daisy Elizabeth Roberta Hale, 21 years of age from Birmingham, UK.
My name is Daisy Hale and I am a student that has recently graduated from the University of York with a degree in Writing, Directing and Performance. While I was at York, there was very rarely a moment where I was not busy, having completed nearly 40 productions or performances over the 3 years there (36 to be exact). I also served for a year and a half as the Drama Society’s Treasurer (constitutional changes were made so I was kept on another 3 months!). I was also chair of the LGBTQ Society and sat on the University Senate as a student elected representative. Before I came to university I did not know producers existed, it is through my time at York that I discovered this role and my absolute passion for it. In my second year I gained a placement through my department as an assistant producer with Company of Angels where I was mentored by Tara Finney, after the placement she offered me a month long internship with Iris Theatre in Covent Garden working as an assistant producer. Since then I was chosen to assist my supervisor with a project at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London, which was featured on BBC Radio London, and I am currently working on another project in Crouch End with a small theatre company. However, there is still much to this profession that I do not know, and I recognise that I need to develop further skills in order to be able to really start my career and put my ideas into action, which has led me to seek further study.
My set design (and building) from Orpheus Descending 2015, YorkThe Course
MA Creative Producing at Mountview Academy of Theatre is in its first year, as such the intake is small and the criteria high. And I have been able to achieve, to be one of the six places available. I feel that we are lucky, because the course leaders have tailored the modules to exactly what we are interested in. For example one of my big interests is European theatre and working in Europe, therefore we have a whole module on the Ecology of Culture. We are all gaining a professional mentor and the school are committed to introducing us to members of the industry that are going to ensure our success, as long as we put the work in alongside of course!
Why I need this course
Before I came to university it was confirmed that I have Dyslexia, which was not spotted until my first year of 6th form when I started to struggle. It emerged that I had high coping mechanisms with a high IQ, but my ability to express this via written media was much lower than average. It was during my undergraduate studies I had the idea to form a theatre company that specifically made theatre for dyslexic students. It is proven that dyslexic students tend to be far more creative and respond better to a visual, dynamic way of being educated rather than through the perhaps more' traditional' methods of reading and writing. I researched, and there is no theatre company doing this as yet.
However, as time progressed my idea developed and became more diverse, it wasn't until I did my placement with Company of Angels on their theatre café (a festival in which artists from all over Europe come to watch and discuss newly translated theatre) that I realised that rather than having a touring company, a theatre festival would be an excellent way of reaching out to this group of young people who would then be in the company of young people in a similar position.
I decided that I wanted to create a theatre festival for delegations of dyslexic young people around the country. It would be a 3 day event in which teachers could attend with students experiencing dyslexia in order to learn key coping mechanisms and important parts of their curriculum such as key dates, facts, figures or methods of working things out. For example a piece of theatre can teach memory skills which would enable a young person to remember history dates, foreign vocabulary or difficult pieces of poetry or literature.
To begin with I would aim this at years 7-9, with the aim to expand with several festivals at different times of the year for different age groups. There would be also workshops for teachers so that they could learn core skills in helping their dyslexic students express themselves. I want to work with experts from charities such as Dyslexia Action, include the help of the Arts Council and hopefully eventually be able to approach Local Education Authorities for their endorsement and help in identifying candidates from their schools to attend the festival and help in subsidising the cost for the school and students. I have a true belief that this could benefit hundreds of young people across the country.
However, I am fully aware that something of this scale needs a huge amount of development work and research involving skills that I simply just don’t have yet. My MA at mountview gives me the first step on the ladder towards this. I know that I need to build myself as an established producer and learn how to handle bigger budgets than ever before, know how to make the best grant applications, where to find the right actors and a research and development process over a long period of time is needed. Not only is Mountview one of the world's leading theatre schools but it has tutors able to teach me this skillset and additionally have a huge range of contacts and networks to ensure I meet the right people to set this in motion. None of this will be readily available to me in any other place. As they say in this business, it isn’t WHAT you know but WHO you know.
Photo from Alice in Wonderland at the Cockpit Theatre for which I was Assistant producer, Nominated for Off West End Award: Best Show for young people. The horrible money bit
Obviously the course comes with a hefty price tag, with my fees totalling £8081. And this is before you add in living costs and other expenses such as books. In true producer fashion I have come up with a detailed budget breakdown below.
Tuition Fees: 8081 for the year
Books: (20 key texts at approx £10 each) £200
Rent: 487.5 pcm = £5850 /year
Water: 10 pcm = £120 /year
Gas: 11.75 pcm = £141/ year
Electricity: 7.15 pcm= £85.8/year
Other Bills (internet etc): £96.36/year
Food: £1560/year
Travel: £600/year
TOTAL EXPENSES
£16,734.16
Unfortunately my parents are unable to help me in any way, while I was at York I always had a part time job to make ends meet, working 3-4 shifts a week- which I intend to do the same of when I make the move to London. There is of course the career development loan offered by banks, which I have applied for but am not guaranteed. However this still leaves me with almost nothing to live on beyond the sheer substance of the course! If only absorbing theatre was food aswell…
Below I have detailed my potential income if I were to receive a career development loan.
Income
Part time job (24hrs a week on £7): £8736
Career development loan application (have asked for the boundary 80% of fees): £6064
Planned Overdraft: £2000
TOTAL INCOME
£15000
DIFFERENCE
- £1,734
You see that even trying all my options it still leaves me without nearly £2000, which is the minimum I would like to raise. Add that to my existing debt from my BA and you see…
Debt
Career Development loan (before 9.9% interest): £6064
Student Loan: £27,000
Maintenance Loan: £10,000
Overdraft: £2000
TOTAL
£45,064
Of course someone might say “you should wait, work a bit and then go!” but I would hope that you know that when these opportunities arise, you cannot turn them down, they may not come round again, I may not be picked again. I believe in my heart of hearts that I can do great things for the arts, if I am just given that helping hand to get there.
That is why I am asking for you to help fund me in any way. Help me to avoid being in debt by giving me that helping hand toward my tuition. No matter how small or large it will make a difference to my career. A mere £10 will buy me one of my books! £200 would buy me all my books, £500 would cover my rent for a month, and £1000 would put me 1/8th into paying my tuition fee balance. I am asking you for anything from £10 to £100, my hope being that with a large amount of generosity from many people, I can raise the funds I need to complete this year.
Producer, Journey's End, YorkWhat I can offer to you
Now I know that I can’t just take, take, take without offering anything in return. If you were able to help me with funding toward my MA, I pledge to keep in contact with you with regular reports on progress made and how your funding is benefitting me, I will write a personal thank you letter and be able to send you photos of my projects. For those who generously decide to give a big donation I will ensure you are fully credited as an executive producer of the festival that I will be forming and creating over the next few years and you will of course receive invites to my future productions free of charge, you will also be listed as my personal sponsor.
Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed reading this.
Daisy Hale
(hopeful producer)
Organizer
Daisy Hale
Organizer