Jonny Rowden - BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance; MA Performance Practice. Credit:  Benjamin J. Borley: http://benjaminjborley.tumblr.com/

Current employer: Self-employed; Plymouth University

Current job title: Co-artistic Director of AMINAL; Freelance performance maker and collaborator; Associate Lecturer

Current location: Exeter

“The course at Plymouth University taught me to be inquisitive and critical and to push myself, yet be patient and reflective. The University now also supports my career in education and, being in the city, it has really opened up a vibrant and distinct community to me.”

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

I have worked on performance projects with several companies and practitioners including Kaleider, The Bike Shed Theatre, Alice Tatton-Brown, Blind Ditch, and Bizarre Rituals. I have been producing my own work as a solo artist and, since 2014, with my performance company AMINAL. I have travelled to Alice Springs, Australia, to work with Melbourne-based dance company 2ND TOE coordinating a dance project with all of the publicly funded primary schools in the town.

Has your career path changed since graduation?

I was running a cafe for the first year after graduation before travelling a little in Brazil. After returning, I finally committed to pursuing more artistic endeavours.

What is the most difficult thing which you have faced in your career?

The most difficult thing I face is constantly wrestling with maintaining self-confidence in my work and establishing a stable and consistent income from the arts, which is an ongoing consideration.

What is the best, most exciting or fun thing that you have done in your career?

Completing an exhausting run of 15 performances in five days of a show I co-wrote that involved getting up to 30 kids to help cook and eat a three-course meal in under 90 minutes; then dancing in my underwear to the Jurassic Park theme tune (after the audience left, obviously.)

How did studying at Plymouth help you?

The course at Plymouth University taught me to be inquisitive and critical and to push myself, yet be patient and reflective. The University now also supports my career in education and, being in the city, it has really opened up a vibrant and distinct community to me.

What is your favourite memory of studying at Plymouth?

My favourite memory has to be having a slow motion gun fight with my lecturer down the length of a corridor in the very early days of our acquaintance.

Performance Training hero image