My name's Carys Tavener.
I studied Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull
from September 2013 to 2016.
Now I am a Junior Production Manager of the UK City of Culture 2017.
When I chose to come to Hull University, I chose it completely based on the course.
It was just the best by miles, and what Hull University can give you is a complete
the widest option of possibilities that you didn't even expect
you were going to try.
And they just give you the space, give you the facilities,
give you the resources and their own guidance to be around
and to answer any questions.
But really it's just you in the space.
Once you've got those skills, you use them, you apply them all the time
and you're constantly supported by them and constantly given the guidance.
But at the end of the day, you're doing your own projects and that is great.
Yeah, it gives you that feeling of independence.
Hull got the City of Culture title in 2013,
so I just started at Hull university the first year. From that moment
I basically worked my entire university time to that goal,
but when I would come out of university, I would be ready for the City of Culture.
Soon as I saw an opportunity come up to be a Production Manager
with the City of Culture, there was no kind of,
It was a big jump.
It was absolutely a big jump.
But in terms of my
belief in my own abilities and my confidence to do that independently
and just walk into the offices and sit down and have that interview,
it was the practice I'd already been doing at Hull uni.
There's so many projects going on throughout the year, so we divide up
between the three Production Managers and our Head of Technical and Operations.
But the one that I was given, it was called the
Back to Ours Festival
and the complete production lead.
It's my job to talk to the artists beforehand,
get from them their
technical requirements, the hospitality riders, everything that they need
that they would expect if they were going to any professional receiving theatre.
I think I'm looking forward to future opportunities because
I think I can take them on now.