BGT Winner helps kick off 2024 DMU Made Creative Industries programme

This year’s DMU Made Creative Industries programme has launched with an exclusive workshop exploring self-employment and freelancing in performing arts and events.

The workshop took place at Leicester’s innovative Curve Theatre, located in the heart of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter.  Here, some of the UK’s biggest touring productions including Blood Brothers and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will play in 2024, whilst Made at Curve productions including Kinky Boots and Evita are created and launched here before they tour the UK.

Students and recent graduates from a range of DMU courses came together to participate in the DMU Workshop, which took place in one of the rehearsal rooms where these huge productions are choreographed.

Each DMU Made Creative Industries workshop is co-led by the DMU Made Team (the part of Careers Team that helps students and recent graduates to learn the benefits of self-employment and freelancing) and an industry professional.  In this instance, Michael Auger from the world’s most successful musical theatre group Collabro, previous winners of Britain’s Got Talent shared his insights.

Michael spoke about his own experience in the sector, from managing his parents’ expectations of his future based on his degree in accountancy, to the reality of being dropped from a record-label and having to learn how to self-produce his own albums and shows.

Our audience of students and graduates worked in groups to develop insightful questions to put to Michael, which in-turn saw him share a breadth of insights and knowledge. 

Before the workshop, Angel a second year Performing Arts student said: “Well how could I turn down a free workshop with someone who has come from the industry himself? I am mainly here to meet new people and I can’t wait to learn more about the industry.”

Alizah Ditta studying Drama Theatre Arts said: “I’m looking forward to getting any tips and ideas of how to get into the industry.”

After the workshop, Aryana Gains, a student who is on the Contour Fashion Masters Programme at DMU said: “I found this workshop very useful, as it had aspects of both a business point of view as well as being a performer.”

Student Rosie Nook told us: “I had the best time! I felt for the past year I as going down the wrong path, as health is my backup plan incase i don’t make it in theatre. Michael gave me some great advice and mentioned that i can always apply for a one year course for musical theatre! I felt so inspired and am very happy that I went, thank you so much!”

Michael said “The questions from the audience were fantastic!  They enabled me to reflect on my own experiences and I hope, to share useful information and moreso, practical tips that they can now take forward on their journeys towards self-employment and freelancing in performing arts and events”.

Simon Baines, Enterprise Manager said: “Our students and graduates were so impressive, deliberating and devising excellent questions for Michael. Afterwards, they told us they were thrilled to have had the opportunity to learn someone who lives and breathes the industry, which is exactly why we created this programme”.

Now in its third year, the 2024 DMU Made Creative Industries programme will include in-person and online workshops on how to create content for YouTube, self-employment in the music industry and how to create a website on a budget.

Special guest facilitators include James Mobbs, who creates on-screen graphics for Netflix’s The Circle, The BRIT Awards and MOTDx.   Calum Leslie from Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James will share his insights on journalism and DMU graduate Lee Wheeler-Tomes from Orange Fox Studios will help students explore videography and animation. Register now, via dmumade.com/take-part