Acting skills on display at Edinburgh Fringe and beyond

Ever since she saw her uncle perform in pantomime when she was young, Kathryn Marper has been bitten by the acting bug. Her journey has taken her from her home city of Edinburgh to Leicester College, back to the Edinburgh Fringe and now, on to other opportunities to work as an actor.

Kathryn originally studied a musical theatre HND course and after Covid, decided she wanted to further train focusing on acting. In particular, she wanted to learn more about Shakespeare, Acting for Screen and developing her own work.

The ideal course to meet Kathryn’s needs

After moving to Leicester with her husband, she applied for a number of acting courses across the Midlands – including Birmingham and Coventry – before choosing an Acting & Creative Practice BA Course at Leicester College.

Kathryn explains: “I was keen to do a course that focused on acting and was particularly interested in the Leicester College course as although it was at a further education college, it was still in a ‘conservatoire style’, traditionally more aligned with specialist institutions which train students in music and performing arts. This means that it is potentially easier to get funding afterwards.

“Also, as a mature student, the option to take a two-year, more intensive course, was appealing to me.

“I had a meeting with the founder of course (Ian McKeand) who had so much passion and persuaded me that it would enable me to further develop my acting skills and may help me to create my own work.”

Taking her show to Edinburgh

For Kathryn, highlights of the course included the Creative Practice module which allows students to devise their own creative work both individually and as a group. She also loved getting to explore Shakespeare Texts and has found the Audition Preparation Module to have been a great help since graduating. 

“It was a very intense course, so you have to be ready to make a commitment. Parts of the course can be challenging but it was just what I was looking for,” adds Kathryn.

“I’m now keen to produce my own writing. As part of the Creative Practice Module, I wrote a solo show which I have since developed and taken to the Edinburgh Fringe for a five-day run and that went well. It’s a mix of drama and comedy, focusing on a woman's journey through therapy, following a traumatic incident, and deals with issues such as sexual assault, revenge, motherhood, and pregnancy.

“I feel that there is potential to develop this show further and having recently moved to Cumbria, I have been discussing options on how best to do this with creatives in the area such as Mark Macey, Resident Assistant Director at Theatre by the Lake."

Moving forward with acting career

“In terms of my acting career, since graduating I have been lucky to land a few jobs. I have performed in a World War Two play for schools and a small-scale pantomime tour of Oliver. Currently, I am focusing on building a showreel in collaboration with my agent."

 When she is not performing, Kathryn enjoys her work teaching drama and singing to kids. “It’s great for kids and everyone to get involved in acting; to be able to immerse yourself in a role. It helps you to build confidence, teamwork, and empathy,” concludes Kathryn.