After a smooth tech rehearsal, I came to performance day relatively calm. The set, though a little tricky to get up, looked just how I wanted it to; the exception to this being that we couldn’t get the bookshelves to hang straight. However I actually preferred the affect the uneven look created, the slight distortion, to me, seemed to capture the idea that although I had tried my hardest to organise my thoughts and arrange them in this neat library, there were still peaks and troughs in my train of thought; uncertainties and imbalances picked up in the not-so-neat lines of my set. After some rehearsal time with Martin and alone in the space, I was still struggling last minute with lines and nerves so we went up five minutes late.

When my audience entered, I was pleased to find them responsive to my casual greetings and that the house was full. Although the performance started and went well overall, I lost my lines not long into the piece. However, I was able to recover them, and although some of the script was skipped, I kept to my cue lines and was able to run the Bertha section in its entirety, unintentionally skipping a portion of the final section, but finishing as planned. My audience was very supportive and I think engaged throughout, despite the issue with lines. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to deliver the piece as I had intended it; although not quite as eloquently or smoothly as I had hoped, I do however believe the general idea and themes I wanted to touch on were received successfully by my wonderful audience.

The process of creating this solo piece has been incredible; more than I ever thought it would be when we first embarked on this journey, as a little class of 6 at the start of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process and I think I explored the area thoroughly and successfully. Seeing a variety of shows at the LPAC and researching various artists in class opened my eyes and mind to the multifaceted multitude of solo performance and performers. I think my development throughout the module was progressive; I first thought I would create an introspective, entirely autobiographical piece but am pleased that, through class discussion, practical exploration and research in equal measures, I eventually created a more outward-facing piece that was, hopefully, relatable and intellectually stimulating. I was glad to have the opportunity to intertwine and build upon both the English and Drama sides of my degree and explore and inform the latter through the former.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to take solo as my final undergraduate module, I couldn’t have asked for a more lovely, supportive and inspirational class with which to work or indeed a similar teacher for us all.