Preparing your portfolio
If you are not sure what to include in your portfolio for the Bachelor (Hons) Stage Management and Technical Theatre course, this page is for you!
Your aim with this portfolio is to showcase your skills, interests and how training with us at The Lir Academy will help you achieve your goals.
Watch a video with our Director of Technical Training & Faciltiies, Eve D'Alton on how to prepare your portfolio here.
Here are some further tips:
Be strategic and concise: think about what story each of the elements you are including tells, and how it contributes to the overall picture.
- You do not need to include everything you have ever done! It is best to be specific and highlight the experiences you feel showcase your interests and abilities best, and those where you feel you learned the most.
If you do not have previous theatre experience, do not let this discourage you! There are plenty of other materials you can include, and abilities you can demonstrate through your portfolio.
Structuring your portfolio
Start with an About section that shows us your profile at a glance - an introductory statement, a birds-eye view of your interests and existing technical skills, and why you want to train with us. For example, you may format this page as a resume, or a table of contents of what is to follow, or another format you feel is best suited to introduce your work.
Examples of your Work should follow this, and take up the most of the content of your portfolio. Select the most relevant projects to highlight the skills and interests introduced in the previous section, and include specific visual references. The visual references can include photos from productions you have worked on, along with the technical work you did on that specific production - depending on your role on any given production, you are encouraged to include materials that showcase your understanding of the steps involved in bringing an idea to life from the design process through the materialisation of the same on stage.
- We encourage you to include sketches of concepts; technical paperwork, drawings, plans or plots; and pictures of the accomplished product. These should be accordingly labeled and credited.
- If you have specific experience using specific software for your area of interest demonstrate this as clearly as possible.
- If you have never worked on a theatre production, that is no problem! Show us where your creativity has shone through instead - we want to see it! Do you draw, paint, build models, do photography? Or maybe you have an interest in fashion, or design, or you have an interest in a specific craft? The possibilities are endless. Ask yourself:
- What draws you to this craft and what skills have you acquired from this practice?
- What materials have you worked with, and what techniques have you employed?
- What are the best examples of this work, and what resources can you use to showcase them.
Wrap up your portfolio with a recall to your name and contact details, and a final statement to thank the panel for their time.