Evaluation

Evaluation

I knew from the start of level 4 that I wanted my business to be focused around improvisation. I felt like this was the best option for me, as I have had a lot of experience doing improvisation [improv].  By this, I mean that I’ve had training in this field of acting, and I’ve taken part in several improvisation shows. I had always aimed to continue this when I attend university in September. This led to my initial idea of a theatre company that would perform long form improv shows. The differences between long form improv and short form improv can be found in my research section. I wanted to create a theatre company inspired by Showstoppers (research on them can also be found in my research section).
I wanted to do this because I want to show that improvisation isn’t just about games but can be made into an actual show/play, with plot points and characters. I also really enjoy improv.
As I’ve spoken about in my presentation, I adapted my idea because I felt that it was difficult to follow, and because I have more experience in short form improv. I also really enjoy teaching and I wanted that to be a part of my business. I also know I would have more fun performing/presenting a short form styled show, and I would be more comfortable with that.

My current business idea is based on providing workshops that help develop improvisation as a skill. I originally wanted to focus on providing this service to people that aren’t already performers, but after reflecting on my idea and business, I thought it was better to focus on those who are already in the performing world. This means that I can start by creating a following of actors/performers, and then branch out to those that don’t consider themselves performers.

At the start of the course I think I focused too much on watching how other companies perform in short form shows. I think I used this as a distraction and a way to procrastinate doing more helpful work. I do think watching those videos has helped me become more certain about my idea, though I wish I had been more organised from the start.

During the start of the year – and occasionally throughout the year – we had guests come in to teach us about several different subjects. These included the legal aspect of business, accounting, and marketing. I found that I was very attentive during these lectures, and I wrote helpful notes during them. Taking these notes has meant I can reflect on those lessons and remember what I was taught. I think I found the accounting lessons the most interesting and the most helpful, because I’ve always had a love for maths.
Though I found the lectures generally helpful, I do think they could have been revisited during the year, or changed to later in the year. I think this because, at the start of the year, it was hard to apply the lessons that we learnt to our businesses because they were still new concepts. I do understand why they were at the start of the year, but I do think that it made me feel like there wasn’t a lot of help during the rest of the year.

During the year I encountered several problems that I needed to solve. Most of these came down to my lack of organisation at the start of the year. In April, I started a new job which meant I had less time to do college work. Had I have organised my time better in the start of the year, I would have slightly less work to do at the latter points of the year. However, starting my new job meant I had more resources available to me, such as printers and time to focus. This meant I also took more pride in the work I produced, because I wanted to reflect my new resources properly.

At the start of the year we were able to have several one-to-ones with Hannah, our tutor. I found these really helpful as it meant I knew I had to produce work quickly and properly. However, during the progression of the year, these stopped. This made me slightly unsupported as I felt I didn’t really know what I was supposed to be doing or how I was progressing. Also, as the year progressed, I noticed that my work had stopped being marked. After February I hadn’t had my work looked at. This meant that I felt slightly abandoned, which made me start to loss motivation and focus on the course. I started to find it harder to find a point in doing work because I knew it wasn’t getting marked until I asked for specific pieces of work to be looked at. I do take some responsibility for this as I should’ve asked for help when I needed it, however I felt uncomfortable with doing this. I didn’t know how to ask for help without feeling like I was bothering the tutor.
I feel like the course content was worded very vaguely and I don’t think it was very helpful. A part of me understands that the course is very research based, but I felt that the courses specifications were unhelpful to me as a student. Alongside this, I found the lack of deadlines incredibly frustrating. I understand that we were supposed to create action plans to give ourselves deadlines, but because of the lack of structure it was really difficult to understand what the priorities were. This concedes with not being given the brief for the presentation until quite late (in my opinion). This meant that I found it really stressful to create the presentation.
I usually enjoy creating and presenting presentations; it’s something that I’m quite comfortable with. If I had had more time on the final presentation I feel that I would be able to create a more detailed presentation.

During the year I think I’ve learnt a lot about how I organise myself and what my faults are in organising myself. This is something I’ll definitely improve for university. I feel that I’ve also rediscovered my love for maths and for teaching. I will be keeping the skills I’ve learnt this year, but overall I feel that the lectures could have been more useful towards the end of the year. I think I’ve improved on discussing ideas and becoming more open to changes and developments of ideas. I think this is evidenced in my changing and adapting of my idea.

My business, currently, isn’t something I will be doing until after university. This is because I want to focus on studying more than anything. Also, I’m not in a financial position to start the business properly. I do feel that this year has equipped me with the knowledge that I would need to start my business. If I were to continue to pursue this business, I would focus on creating a full and finished business plan and I would try and apply for a grant from the arts council.