Unique portrayals of dementia, manliness and terrorism are among the performances being staged by De Montfort University Drama students at an end of year showcase.
Exit Souls is the annual showcase performance held by DMU’s Drama department, offering a selection of the finest new work created by students across all three years.
The show – open to the public – takes place throughout the university’s PACE building, with students not only under the spotlights, but working backstage on all technical aspects including stage management, lighting and sound.
Throughout the year teaching staff and students nominate performances for the event, with around 20 pieces being showcased in this year’s Exit Souls.
First year Drama students Lewis Wolverson, 19, and Rebecca Chiltern, 19, took early-onset dementia as a theme for their work.
Rebecca said: “It’s about a woman who has lost her memories of her life, getting married, having children and so on.
“We decided to have her watch a video of her memories, and it’s like she is watching someone else’s life.
“Going through this with her is her husband, who takes her, on stage, through a tour of her memories and it’s hard for him because she can’t recall things which meant so much to them both.”
Performing Arts student Ross Thomson, in his second year, explores masculinity in a solo piece which features him on stage, at a desk, reading aloud letters in which he talks about moments of his life.
He said: “It’s unpicking what masculinity is. These are moments from the past – my own past, it’s quite autobiographical – in which I felt I was expected to act like a man, to shake hands instead of hug and so on. It’s about how this idea of a man is created.”
He said he hoped his work would get the audience thinking and that he enjoyed the challenge of performance.
He said: “I’ve liked working out the technical aspects, the lighting and so on. And Exit Souls is really a good introduction to the atmosphere and pressure of a live performance.”
Kelly Jordan, Senior Lecturer in Drama and the Event Coordinator, said: “Exit Souls provides an opportunity to showcase some of the most outstanding performance work from throughout the year. It is a celebration of student achievement and a chance to give the public and potential future employers the chance to experience what the next generation of talent has to offer.
“We have seen many students featured in previous Exit Souls events go on to perform in a professional context – it provides a useful bridge between creating performance as a student and working in the profession.”
Posted on Friday 3 June 2016