Morven H.
About me
| Morven H. | |
| Theatre, Film and Television | |
| Playwriting Studies | |
| Research Postgraduate | |
| 2014 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Writer-in-Residence | |
| Bootham School | |
| United Kingdom | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 |
Like this profile?
Add this profile to your favourites so you can return to it later from your account.
A day in the life of a Writer-in-Residence in the United Kingdom
My career history
Shop Assistant at Lush Cosmetics, October 2009 to March 2011;
Marketing Intern at the Paper Birds Theatre Company, January 2011-August 2011, working with them on two national tours, including working at London's National Theatre Studio, and at the Pleasance during a month's run at the Edinburgh Fringe;
PR and Marketing Trustee at Upstage Youth Theatre Centre - February 2011 to present - working in a youth theatre charity with its own studio theatre at 41 Monkgate, York;
Marketing Intern at Otley Courthouse, an arts and theatre venue - August 2011 to March 2012
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I plan on playwriting as a profession, but also enjoy teaching others to write both in university and in school, so in all likelihood, I aim to balance the two to find a career in creative writing.
My advice to students considering work
if you're looking to make yourself more employable, the best thing you can do is make sure that you don't end up thinking your coursework is the be all and end all - try to get some work experience in the holidays, and absolutely make sure you get involved in one or two societies on campus, because the social and professional skills you'll learn there are as invaluable as the degree you get at the end.
What I do
As Writer-in-Residence in an independent secondary school, my role is to work with students between the ages of 11 and 18, improving their creative writing skills in a variety of contexts, including playwriting, novel-writing and poetry, but also extending into the skills involved in copywriting and journalism. I regularly teach classes of around 15 children, as well as running after school extracurricular activities with various age groups, helping the students to write comedy sketches, plays, and set up their own newspaper.
Skills I use and how I developed them
I studied at York throughout my undergraduate BA, MA and now my PhD, and I think the standard of York's degrees, and the classifications I gained through excellent teaching - a 1st in my BA in Politics, and Distinction in my MA in Theatre - really helped me to get the job I have now. They specified that a postgraduate qualification in creative writing would be particularly useful, and I felt ideally placed to apply for the position because of the support and skills provided in my time at York.
Degree skills:
The PhD in Playwriting and my MA in Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance really opened my mind to the idea that I could be a writer, and helped to nurture the skills I would need to do that. The teaching itself has been really beneficial to me now, as I've been able to remember the activities that first helped me begin to write, and use them to help the young people in my school to do the same.
Extracurricular skills:
Outside my studies, I've gone out of my way to find as many theatre placements as I possibly could, so that I could get a handle on the way the industry works in terms of programming, marketing and financing theatrical productions. That's really helped me in terms of finding a job where I can help guide young people who are looking to go down similar career paths.
What I like most
My favourite thing about being Writer-in-Residence is the chance to improve my own writing experience through interaction with the students - teaching them to write strengthens my own grasp of the skills involved.
What I like least
What would I change? Anyone who wants to be a writer would definitely benefit from a job like this, where time for your own writing is encouraged as an important part of the role. Equally, anyone who wants to become a teacher would benefit - the job fully immerses you in the life of the school, and provides excellent experience if you plan to apply for a PGCE.