Festival of performative films and theatre casts a spotlight at Waterside Campus

Last month saw the return of the University of Northampton’s Origin Arts Festival, a celebration of the devised performances crafted by final-year acting students.

Taking place from 23-25 May, Origin Arts Festival showcased the work of the graduating students from the University’s Acting for Contemporary and Devised Performance course.

Each of the four performances and five films which were on display at this year’s festival were original productions created by the students as part of their dissertation assessment.

The films and performances were then featured on the big screen in London, at Camden People’s Theatre and Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square.

Topics included a critical perspective on mental health support services, a comedy whirlwind of a woman’s race against her biological clock countdown, and a one-man murder mystery.

This final-year festival of creative talent offers a valuable opportunity for members of the public and industry professionals to scout out the University of Northampton’s actors of the future.

One of the performances on show was Breathe – devised by final-year students Abbie Rs and Emily Newman – which offered a powerful critique of mental health support systems as the piece follows Ellen and Amelia, who create a vlog to report on their experiences within a psychiatric ward.

“Me and Emily both relate to mental health on a personal level, and we feel it’s a topic which needs to be talked about,” explains Amelia.

“We created our final performance in six weeks, and the process was definitely a rollercoaster. It was stressful and tiresome, but we had each other to rely on, and we’re really pleased with the final outcome.”

Course Leader, brad high reflected on the importance of the festival: “It’s a commonly held belief that Acting is one of the easiest jobs around – but ask anyone who has trained as an actor and they will tell you that Acting, like any other craft, takes years of practice to master.

“The emerging professionals who performed in this festival have invested three years in a rigorously playful professional programme and have emerged as distinctly unique artists and actors.

“The breadth of creative talent and flair showcased across these two days have been breathtaking, and I’m confident we’re seeing the actors of the future on stage and in film here at the University.”

Find out more about studying Acting for Contemporary and Devised Performance at the University of Northampton.