A former Performing Arts student from Stratford-upon-Avon College is set to start a career in helping Special Educational Needs (SEN) adults after overcoming several barriers during his journey.
Mark Smith began studying at the College in 2018 on the Level 2 Performing and Production Arts course, before progressing to the L3 Acting course.
Mark became homeless in 2020, which turned his life upside down. He had to work in warehouses, a dessert shop and retail just to get by. He comments: “I just wanted to be acting, but these were jobs I had to do. To get by, I wasn’t focused on the present, I was thinking about the future.”
In 2022, after being encouraged by his partner, Mark decided to apply for an Acting for Stage and Screen course at Staffordshire University. After 2 years he moved on to Birmingham Conservatoire to study Applied Theatre. He comments: “When I moved onto university, I was much more prepared than the other students. The teaching style at the College was similar to university. I felt really confident in my abilities and Stratford are a credit for this.”
Additional Support Tutor, Mehjabin Ulfat, worked closely with Mark during his time at the College and is proud of his achievements, commenting: “Mark overcame particularly challenging barriers that many young people often do not face. He persevered and stayed focused. It was a pleasure to attend Mark’s final performance last month. His play, ‘What Lies’, was very inspiring to see Mark as a playwright, acting out his own work with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. I wish Mark the absolute best!”
When he finishes his course Mark wants to work with SEN Adults. He adds: “I’m in the process currently of getting my application sorted to work with Open Theatre. It’s proving harder than anticipated but I am just grateful I have the opportunity to even apply for these jobs.”
