A Theatre Design and Production Graduate secures his dream job at Wales Millennium Centre thanks to UWTSD
Aeron Jones is a graduate from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s BA Theatre Design & Production course. Since graduating last summer, he has been appointed as an Arts and Creative Project assistant at the Wales Millennium Centre (WMC) in Cardiff. For Aeron, this job wouldn’t have been possible without the skills and experience that he gained from his time as a student at UWTSD.
As part of his role, Aeron has had the opportunity to be involved with all kinds of productions ranging from Cabaret to installation theatre, both logistically and practically. He said:
“I cover areas from health and safety and finance all the way to being present in R&D sessions and rehearsals; we deal with the full life cycle of a production all the way from conception to the breakdown, and it’s a really rewarding role that consistently calls on the broad spectrum of skills and knowledge that I picked up from my three years at UWTSD.”
Aeron decided to come and study at UWTSD in Carmarthen as the practical element of the course appealed to him, and it meant that he could stay in Wales to pursue his studies. As Aeron suffers from hearing loss, the small course sizes made it more accessible to him, and by having a localised campus and dedicated workshop spaces for the course were also huge positives. He adds:
“When I enrolled on the course, my confidence wasn’t particularly high and I felt a bit fenced in by my hearing loss – it’s difficult to truly capture the isolation that comes with the disability that I have, but this course absolutely knocked all those barriers down for me. The support was there from day one and it was a constant, open conversation between myself and the tutors through all three years about how we can adapt our ways of working to ensure I was included throughout.”
Aeron enjoyed the experience that the course provided opportunities such as working on productions within an industry framework. He adds:
“It really gives you a sense of what’s expected of you if you pursue a career out of university, but it also shows you your strengths in that environment while allowing you to acknowledge the elements of the industry that aren’t really for you. Without a doubt, it’s an experience that challenges you, but it’s also been one of the most fun things I’ve ever done - if there ever was an industry where nothing goes to plan, it’s theatre production!
“The inclusion of industry professionals was also a massive draw to me because creative industries are based on networking as much as they are on skill and hard work, so knowing that the course was going to proactively tackle those three factors gave me a lot of confidence in the fact my degree would have a meaningful impact.”
The course also gave Aeron resilience, and he felt that it has helped him to discover that one of his best qualities was being able to adapt to situations quickly, which is a key part of his new role at WMC.
As the Theatre Design & Production course at UWTSD is vocationally driven, Aeron noticed that the practical experience of working on shows in an environment that reflects the industry values and expectations was one of the biggest points on his CV by the end of his three years as a student that caught the attention of WMC. He adds:
“The ability to try out different roles and areas of a production gives you a really nice working knowledge of what goes into it, and this is something that is really valuable to both small theatre companies and national organisations like WMC – your ability to understand not only your own role but the roles of the people you’re working with means you have a knack for teamwork from the start, and that’s really appealing.”
During his three years as a student, Aeron felt that his development as a creative individual hit in his final year where he had the opportunity to put together an exciting independent project based around the Mabinogion. Throughout this experience, he said that he had:
“Found a real passion in sharing stories that reflected my identity – as a Cymro, as a deaf creative, as a queer individual – that has now given me a real drive to participate in the industry and lend my voice to stories that shape my own Wales. This was one of the biggest plus points for WMC as I got to do a deep dive into Welsh culture and artistic expression, which lined up perfectly with the values of the centre and really helped me get my foot in the door. Don’t be afraid to have a niche!”
Aeron would encourage anyone to follow in his footsteps by studying Theatre Design & Production.
“All in all, I wouldn’t have gotten this far this quickly without the support I had at UWTSD and the three years of skill-building and learning to enjoy the fast-paced life of the industry are paying themselves off ten times over. You’ll also have connections for life which is another fantastic thing to walk away from within an industry that relies on networking to thrive. I have to say a big diolch yn fawr to UWTSD for what they’ve enabled me to achieve!”
Lecturer Dave Atkinson is extremely proud of Aeron’s achievement. He said:
“Aeron is a classic example of utilising the transferable skills within the degree, you don’t need to be touring, painting or designing to work in the industry. Producing, planning and enabling creative projects, be it film, TV or theatre are all viable vocations that the set design and production course gives preparation towards.”
Further Information
Lowri Thomas
Principal Communications and PR Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07449 998476