Final year students on our BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen degree are preparing to present their final year showcase. Taking place on 21 & 22 May, 7pm at ARC, Stockton Arts Centre ‘Cupid’ was written by award -winning graduate and playwright Connor Dorrian and is directed by lecturer Katy Weir.

The show is a  play about love, self acceptance and what Valentine’s Day is for or can be. It is set on Valentine’s Day and the local postie has run off with all the letters to try and understand what love is and why they can’t find it, in turn causing Valentine’s havoc amongst the town.

Speaking of the play, writer Connor, pictured below, commented: “The stimulus was pretty open and I had a lot of creative control which is great. I knew I had to write a seventy minute play with a cast of sixteen. Which can be a monumental task, so finding the right story was important.

“I think during the current climate of the world I really wanted something hopeful, and therefore arrived at love. Furthermore, this play is for the actors more than anything. It is a showcase of their amazing talent, and I wanted something I knew they would take to well and be able to show off their great abilities.”

Jonny Bussell Senior Lecturer Acting said: “We are all really proud of what Connor has achieved since graduating and it is exciting to have him working with our third years on their final showcase.”

Ruby Allen current third year Acting for Stage & Screen degree student said: “My final year, although stressful at times, has been an accumulation of dedication, hard work, and tireless support from my lecturers. I will be leaving the course with a newfound confidence in my abilities, the techniques, and skills to continue to produce excellent work, and the ability to just play and enjoy acting as an art.”

Connor added: “Since graduating I’ve worked across a number of projects in the region. I became a trainee facilitator for Live theatre at the Fire Station Sunderland, where I teach acting to youth. I finished the Live playwriting course recently which has helped push my writing to the next level. With that, I was successful in winning the response piece for Disco Pigs at Alphabetti with my play ‘Neon Brown’. Along with my company ‘BrainSoup’ we also participated in a residency sharing at Alphabetti with our play ‘Thresholds’ which I wrote and performed in. Finally, I won the 16-25 North East Playwright award, for my play ‘A Moving Still’, where my piece will be developed at Live Theatre.”

This new work is a co-commission between ARC and The Northern School of Art as part of the two organisations’ ongoing partnership.  The piece is created collaboratively by playwright Connor Dorrian and third year BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen students supported by students from BA (Hons) Film, TV & Theatre Production.  The evening will be an opportunity for the students to showcase their work ahead of graduation in an innovative and dynamic piece of new writing.

The third years are really enjoying working on the project alongside director Katy Weir who recently directed the Northern Stage Christmas show Cinderella.  Katy described the show as “fun and gets to heart what love truly is.”

Ruby added: “Working on Cupid has been a whirlwind of comedy, love, and craziness. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my final show, and getting to work as an ensemble for our last module is a lovely way to end our 3-year journey. Seeing how everyone, including myself, has grown as actors is incredible. We have truly worked as a creative professional team, bringing joy, playfulness, and many ideas.”

Connor is delighted to be back working at The Northern School of Art commenting: “It’s an amazing honour. I know how much the final show means to the actors before they take on the industry, having done one myself, which is a great full-circle moment. It shows not only how far I’ve come in a few years, but how much the School is creating its own network and looking after alumni.

“The fact I get to follow in the footsteps of professional writers I look up to is also a fantastic feeling. The talent of the third year actors is immense and who better than to perform and premiere my new play Cupid.”

Tickets are Pay What You Decide and can be booked at Cupid – ARC | Stockton Arts Centre (arconline.co.uk). The show is 90 minutes long.

If you are interested in studying Acting at degree level make sure you check out our dynamic and well established degree programme here. You can also book on our next open day taking place on June 1st 2024, book your space!