Meet Sascha Putri, BA (Hons) Contemporary Theatre and Performance student

We recently spoke with Sascha Putri, student on BA (Hons) Contemporary Theatre and Performance at Wimbledon College of Arts. Sascha reflects on the highlights of the course so far and her experience of life in London.

Hello Sascha! Please introduce yourself and your course.

Hello hello! I’m Sascha, and I am currently a second year, BA Contemporary Theatre and Performance student at UAL’s Wimbledon College of Arts.

What motivated you to pursue Contemporary Theatre and Performance at UAL, and how does the creative environment here differ from what you’ve experienced before?

I originally started off my first year at UAL as a BA Acting and Performance student, however, due to my flourishing interest in wanting to work with more theatrical mediums instead of just acting, I made the move to transfer to the Contemporary Theatre course in second year – which was the best choice I had ever made!

Before starting university, my background in storytelling through multi-disciplinary art has paved my way towards the Contemporary Theatre and Performance course at Wimbledon.

My passion towards the innovative ways I can merge together different artistic elements in order to tell a meaningful story and provoke emotion is what I love to do. Luckily, this course is very supportive of each students’ creative freedom and how we choose to bring our visions to life.

Alongside that, the emphasis and encouragement on collaboration between peers throughout our many projects has been helpful in developing my own craft as a theatre-maker, actress and overall hyphenate in the arts.

I feel seen, heard and trusted in the Contemporary Theatre and Performance course. However, there is also the sense of adrenaline and pressure of challenging oneself throughout my studies – and having both of these perspectives come into play has been a positive factor filled with many learning curves along the way.

The creative environment between London and what I have experienced thus far in Indonesia is vastly different, especially for the theatre-scene. I feel very much exposed to a diverse range of all sorts of art in London. From the museums, galleries, the West End, film and music communities – there is somuch to unpack!

Back in Indonesia, I especially felt there was a lack of theatre being exposed to the general public eye. Growing up, I was only exposed to the performing arts through the internet or those extra-curricular drama club activities after school. To be frank, as much as it has grown in the past 10 years, theatre isn’t as relevant as it is in London – so coming here and seeing a diverse range of theatre shows from cabaret nights to immersive pieces, is very refreshing!

Could you share an example of how your background has influenced your creative process or perspective through your studies?

Having been brought up in an artistic household, I was exposed to various forms of art whilst growing up. My first love was illustration and my obsession of designing characters, giving them names, personalities, and connections with each other paved the way towards my interest in storytelling. I was influenced by many of the cartoons I had watched on TV as a child, the comics I would read in the bookstore, and the paintings my mom owned at home.

I love how it feels to be able to dream of something and bring it to life somehow – and it’s freeing to know that there are so many artistic mediums I can take influences from in order to bring my work to life which hopefully provokes something in those that get to experience or observe it.

UAL is known for its emphasis on experimentation and pushing boundaries in creative work. How has your experience of Contemporary Theatre and Performance so far encouraged you to take risks and explore new ideas?

The move from Acting to the Contemporary Theatre course has been nothing but liberating for me. Ultimately, I feel a larger sense of responsibility and discipline for my work and craft as a maker because it’s 100% in my own hands to bring my vision to reality.

Trust is given to us, students by the tutors to lead each project the way that works for each of us. Whether some of us want to be writers, directors, designers, performers or all of it at once – Contemporary Theatre and Performance encourages this. We are given the chance to have full authority over our work but with that comes great responsibility.

Contemporary Theatre and Performance has encouraged me to delve into skill sets that also sit outside that ‘creative zone’ such as assistant directing, being a runner for a peer’s theatre performance, stage managing and more! It’s these skills that not only improve my professionalism for the industry but also gain a better sense on how to be a better collaborator.

Artistically, Contemporary Theatre and Performance has further pushed me to be more innovative and experimental in my work. Instead of sticking to the basics within the world of theatre, the course has constantly encouraged me to explore the unknown and see what I can make of it. “Who cares if an idea or exploration doesn’t resonate at the end, at least I tried, took a lesson from it and onto the next project we go!”

Can you share a project from your studies so far that you are particularly proud to have worked on?

My most recent project was a solo, one-to-one show called ‘The Soothsayer’ which was a part of my Unit 8 project of my BA Contemporary Theatre and Performance course.

‘The Soothsayer’ was put-together in 8 weeks from scratch! I had the best time having a lot of hands-on time for this show, especially when it came to constructing my set piece, which was a life-sized fortune teller box/machine that I could step into and play my character of a ‘Soothsayer’/psychic.

A one-to-one performance also meant that this play was interactive for one lucky audience member to experience. The audience member would insert a token coin into a slot on the machine to be able to ‘activate’ the Soothsayer. From then, it was a sequence of myself as the performer, doing a tarot card reading for said audience member until unfortunate events take place in the story I had written for the piece (which I won’t spoil now!)

This project was the perfect way for me to showcase my skills amongst a range of artistic mediums from directing, acting, set design, wood-working, illustration plus sound and lighting design. It was super fun and an incredible experience!

Since beginning your studies, has there been any opportunities through UAL that have helped you to explore new areas of your creative practice and meet likeminded students?

Being a part of a branch of many other UAL campuses in London has allowed me to network with other students from said locations. I’ve had the honour of collaborating on fashion films, short films and even connected with other Indonesian UAL students through the UAL Indonesian Society.

Networking with many UAL peers throughout London in first year has eventually led me to meeting individuals outside of uni that have given me part-time work and way more creative experiences that I had never expected to gain. From being an odd extra in a music video to learning how to colour grade for screen – younger me wouldn’t have expected that.

Thinking ahead to post-university life, how have your studies and experiences in London so far helped to develop your goals and future career pathway?

Thinking about it, UAL has definitely taught me the most about collaboration. This skill is important to me because it will be an asset to my future work with other creatives in the arts industry.

My studies at UAL have shown the best and worst sides of myself which helped me reflect on how I can best improve to become a better scene partner, director, production manager, designer and overall – collaborator.

What advice would you give to new students moving to study at UAL from a different country, or outside of London in the UK?

While it may be a daunting decision to move to a new location that’s far from home for your studies, I think it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

I’m a firm believer in the fact that it’s within each of us to make the university experience the way we want it to be and how everything is all in your control. So, make these three years count and fill your time up with all sorts of activities that can serve as inspiration to fuel more of your own work!

Always saying, “Yes” to new experiences is also one of the biggest bits of advice I like to give others – especially in the creative field. You may never know where you might end up if you push yourself to experience all that you can outside of your comfort zone. It’s scary at first, but you’ll get used to it in no time! Know that you’re coming into a new country or city with something worth it to offer. Believe in your work and it will get you somewhere good!

If you're considering pursuing a creative career, an undergraduate course might be for you - Explore our course listings and learn more about undergraduate study at UAL.

Join us at one of our Discovery Webinars or Open Events. You can also access recordings of our past online events.

See more from Sascha through her socials:

• Instagram (Personal @tartarsoup / Portfolio @tartarsoos)
• LinkedIn