Tees Valley Artists of the Year Umar Butt joined our BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen faculty at the beginning of the academic year, to teach Acting, Movement and Industry Theory across our first, second and third year classes for the term. Umar is an experienced actor, writer, director and theatre maker based in the North East “focused on socially engaged work and is committed to creating work that celebrates inclusive participatory practice.” He has worked with our students on a number of projects including helping graduate Arun Graves-Kochhar on his ARC Solo Show Award production development and as a guest lecturer providing industry talks and workshops on movement.

Speaking of teaching our students Acting, Movement and Industry he said, “The course is well balanced, combining practical learning and theory. Every semester, for each year group, is designed for the students to progress and have a better understanding of the industry they will be going into. This allowed me the flexibility to share my knowledge and understanding of different theatre practitioners, skills and techniques that I use in my rehearsal room as a theatre maker.”

“It was great to work with the first year students on movement and setting good foundations, it was brilliant to see second year students’ Shakespeare monologues and final year students’ audition prep as well as seeing the MAs directing.  I really admired the onus on care and compassion shown by the other lecturers.”

Umar said that the opportunity to work closely with the actors like this came about through years of working with students on productions and acting as an unofficial ambassador for the School. He commented: “As a theatre maker based in the Tees Valley I have been lucky to work professionally with many graduates from The Northern School of Art (NSOA). Unintentionally I have become an ambassador of NSOA. I know the School, I know the modules. It’s a good fit, the students get someone who has been working in the industry for the past 15 years, in the Tees Valley and I get to give students their first professional job when they graduate.  Over the last few years I’ve come into The Northern School of Art to do masterclasses in movement and talks about our industry. Also in my last 3 projects I have been able to work with the acting students for the planning, researching and developing phase. Hopefully, in a few year’s time when they are churning out great work, they can employ me!”

When asked how he found working with the acting students, Umar replied, “Short answer – brilliant! Longer answer, I feel really lucky to be able to teach the students about the wants and needs of our industry, especially in the North, and they have made a connection that they can use and refer to when they are applying for jobs after graduation, especially in theatre.”

Umar said he was “pleasantly surprised about how accessible the acting course is. This should be internal to any creative learning, creative institution, and creative space.  With the growing number of festivals in the North students can take their learning and stories to Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF), Durham, Newcastle fringe – there are many opportunities for students to gain experience, and many theatres and theatre companies in the North that can do with having talented students. We should also be proud of the fact that we are the only acting school in the area between Leeds and the Conservatoire in Glasgow.

When asked about the importance of creative education Umar said: “Creative education is massively important as talent alone can only get you so far. Creative education – especially the acting course – not only sets the foundation for being a good creative, but it also teaches you about being a decent human. It is integral to not only be a good artist but to be a good team player and person, in my experience.”

Umar’s advice for students starting out is to “embrace the learning. Enjoy the training. Respect your lecturers, be kind to your fellow students and research, research and more research. The more you put into it, the more you will get out. Be patient. Patience, perseverance and always be committed to what you are doing. Don’t just be happy with, ‘that will do’ – be inquisitive.”

Umar is one of this year’s Tees Valley Artists of the year. He said winning the title “gives me a platform to develop work for the Global Majority in the Tees Valley and beyond and the ability to tell global stories close to home.” Currently as part of the award he is working on developing a new production that will feature two former students. He said, “As I write this, I am in the midst of researching and developing my new show JOLT at ARC Stockton. JOLT is about riot, resilience, and helping neighbours understand each other. The show will open at ARC in September this year. I am working with two of the Northern School of Art’s incredibly talented graduates, Arun Graves-Kochhar and Luke Swainson. I am also developing a one person show. You can find more information on ARC’s website.”

Reflecting on working with the School he said: “I just want to say it has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work at The Northern School of Art, I’ve loved every minute of it and would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Final year Acting degree student Chloe Rattigan, from Scarborough, said: “I learned so much from Umar, he is an inspiration. Not only was he an incredible person to teach performance, but he was also someone who led by example when it came to being a humble and kind individual in the industry.”

MA Directing & Theatre Making student Shaun Wilson, from Leeds, commented: ““It has been a privilege to work with Umar, he’s a brilliant active creative with lots of insight into the performance industry. He’s also a fabulous person, a very talented individual and his work he has been extremely helpful as well as fun.”

Acting for Stage and Screen degree senior lecturer Jonny Bussell added: “It has been fantastic to have Umar as part of our team for the first semester.  His knowledge, skill and positivity have brought so much to the department and I am sure the students have learnt a great deal from him.

“Umar has been a big supporter of the course over the last eight years and I’m sure we’ll be getting him back in to work with our students again in the near future.  We are all excited to be taking our students to see his next show.”

If you are interested in a career in acting make sure you check out our BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen degree page here. If you are post degree and looking to further your research and skill-set in theatre making check out our MA Directing and Theatre Making programme here.