What University were you at and which course were you studying when you completed a placement with Breathe?
I was studying at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama enrolled on the Drama, Applied Theatre and Education course.
What did you do on your placement with Breathe?
Well, I felt so fortunate to have so many work experiences during my time at Breathe. I predominantly worked on the performing arts side of the company. I was able to get fully invested within the ‘Melodies for Mums’ project, the Trust Harmonix staff choir and the Breathing Spaces performances across Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital, whilst also working on my administrative and management skills inside the office.
Why did this placement appeal to you?
I have such a strong passion for using the arts to help people. I am particularly interested in using Drama and Music to support individuals with mental health illnesses. Therefore, when I found out I could assist with the ‘Melodies for Mums’ project which uses singing to aid postnatal depression, I was really interested and excited to see how the project worked.
What were your highlights whilst working at Breathe?
There were a lot of highlights during my time at Breathe; moments that will stick with me forever include working with a young person on the waiting list for a heart and lung transplant in hospital. He absolutely loved magic so we would go into the hospital about once a week and share his passion for magic with him! Richard, one of the Breathe magicians, would teach him new magic tricks and I got to witness the joy he got from magic. It was special to see and made me feel fortunate to be a part of providing such a unique opportunity to a patient.
What are you doing now?
I have recently graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and started working as an Assistant Director at Explore Learning in Sydenham.
