Rory Jeffrey

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musical theatre student rory

What were you doing before you came to college?

Before I came to college, I was studying at Perth High School, and I was in my fifth year. I was going to do my sixth year but then I decided it wasn't really for me. I wasn't really excited for it, so I just decided to move on to this course and do what I love.

Why did you decide to pick this course?

Well, throughout my life, performing has been my favourite thing to do. I'm most happy when I'm performing through acting, singing and dancing. Before I came here, I wasn't really a confident dancer. I'd done a wee bit with other groups, like Ad-Lib Theatre Arts, but that was definitely my weakest skill. However, with this course, they're not expecting you to be the perfect ‘triple threat’ musical theatre student, they want you to develop all these other skills. I was a lot more confident with my singing and acting, but my dancing has definitely come a long way since being here.

What is your favourite thing about the course?  

My favourite thing about the course is definitely the people on it. We have all seen each other grow over the past two years and that's made it really rewarding. I get to watch all these people that I see as really good friends of mine grow their performance skills. It's just a pleasure to watch them all and we all have great respect for each other - it's such a good atmosphere.

Has there been any stand out or memorable moments from your course?

I'd say probably our two auditions that we've done. We had one in the first year, where we auditioned for our showcase and it was great to just see us all performing, giving our best performances for the part we want. Our second one was for ‘Chicago’, that was just amazing because we've all seen each other grow and we can all see these different variations of people's characters that they're auditioning for.

What do you like about the campus?

There’s lots of different facilities and it's all really accessible. A couple of steps and you're at the theatre, and a couple steps you're at the canteen - so it's all within easy reach. There's a lot of extra space so, as a musical theatre student, there's a lot of practice rooms that I can easily go to and just practice on my own, so I don't have to worry about anything.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of college?

A lot of my hobbies and interests are to do with the course I'm currently studying, so before lockdown I was with a local Choir called Jambouree Choir and we're currently doing a summer concert which is going to be recorded online. Also, Ad-Lib Arts - which is a musical theatre drama group.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at UHI Perth?

I would say use the facilities, as they're all very useful. There's the gym, library, and all the practice rooms. Also, what's worked really well for me, is getting to know the people on your course, because when you know them, it makes it a lot easier. It makes it a lot more enjoyable to do the course you're on and you can ask them questions if you're struggling with a particular assignment or anything and you can all grow together.

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