Alumni Case Studies

“What I loved about training at the RCS was how much emphasis was placed on personal and artistic exploration, making your own work, interdisciplinary creation and drawing upon an international network.”

Alumna Isobel McArthur is an actor, playwright and theatre-maker who graduated from the MACCT Acting in 2014.

Isobel wrote and directed Pride and Prejudice* (sort of) which was awarded an Olivier in 2022 for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.

Tori Burgess (MACCT Acting, 2015), Christina Gordon (BA Musical Theatre, 2015) and Meghan Tyler (BA Acting, 2014) are also in the cast.

“Without a doubt, the RCS prepares young players for life in the profession. On the Music Performance course there we so many repertoire classes, orchestras, and masterclasses apart from individual tutoring.

There were numerous opportunities to learn orchestral works inside out, not just standard repertoire, and contemporary pieces, but music by Scottish composers and student composers too. There was always a group to play in or an orchestra to perform with daily which allowed us to learn the art of performing.”

“My course covered a lot of bases including theatre, television, film, and radio. We were also given the opportunity to devise a new play with Vanishing Point, which we took to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – it also became our London showcase at the end of the year. […] RCS provided a safe environment in which to experiment and to make and learn from mistakes.”

“Aside from the practical and historical study of drama, I think the greatest gift from that period was developing the ability to think creatively and constructively.

My first teaching appointment was in Glasgow, following placements in the east end and a List D school for girls. Unfortunately, at that time there was no syllabus for drama in schools. I had a timetable of predominantly challenging classes which was, at once, exhausting, enlightening and enjoyable.

After working in Glasgow for several years, I moved to Shetland. At that time, Shetland Islands Council did not employ drama teachers. I became a member of the Shetland Folk Festival Committee, played with local traditional musicians and taught in Additional Support Needs and project-related drama productions.”

“The rigorous training served me well. When I returned home years later in 1971, I was immediately put in charge of music and drama for the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service, a department that had almost been non-existent before I arrived.

I was also made a Senior Producer with responsibility for seven programmes a week. I developed what I called Development Oriented Drama, to open the eyes of the Government and community to what could make for the betterment of Sierra Leone.”

“I came to be the youngest Greek judge in the history of Dancing with the Stars on TV and the first Greek person on the cover of the UK’s best-selling LGBTQI+ magazine, Attitude, in 2019. Whilst my TedX speech, I am not just a dancer has reached over 100k views. I feel incredibly grateful.

[…]

It was so educative to be able to explore the different types of people, cultures, backgrounds and talents, especially through studying in RCS. I had my bad moments as I was living far from home at 18 but Glasgow and its people were so welcoming and warm.”

“Never stop learning. Keep your mind and ears open. Always perform to the very best of your ability and don’t let personal likes and dislikes interfere. Keep them to yourself, it is your ability your employer pays you for and remember that getting your diploma or degree is not the end it’s only the beginning.”

“After studying at RCS, I started writing TV themes and music for theatre from a room at CaVa Studios in Glasgow. I would then get phone calls from the bands recording at CaVa asking me to do string arrangements for their songs. The music scene was thriving, and I got to work with bands like Simple Minds, Texas, Mogwai, Isobel Campbell, Belle and Sebastian and Snow Patrol.

The film guys loved the fact that I worked with bands, so I started getting asked to compose for film scores. I got a BAFTA for my first film score, which helped me get on the composing scene for TV, doing programmes like Silent Witness and Spooks.”

“When I got into the RSAMD, I really enjoyed being part of the buzz, but the backstage side of it. The excitement and enjoyment were the same, but there was a shift in perspective. I enjoy being one of those little ninjas in the background that nobody really sees but makes the magic happen.”

“There weren’t lots of kids playing instruments at my school, so I had to go elsewhere to join ensembles, I started in the Aberdeen City Youth Wind Band first and then joined the Aberdeen City Youth Symphony Orchestra. I absolutely loved both and it was then I decided this is what I wanted to pursue. I moved to Glasgow in September 2000 to study at RSAMD, and 23 years later, I’m still here!

[…] I also love working in the Artistic Planning Team. I think we’re a hardworking and passionate team that will go out of our way to help anyone who asks for it. The team are also the funniest bunch of people you’ll ever meet and working with them all every day is a total joy. That’s what makes me love my job.”

“I studied in the BEd (Music) programme at RSAMD from 1990-1994. I loved the intensity and breadth of study – one day learning about music history and harmony, the next child development and educational psychology, and then putting everything together in the music classroom. Highlights of the course were our 3^rd year recording project (I arranged ‘Smoke gets in your eyes’), our 3^rd year external concert, and my Honours piano recital (Poulenc’s Les soirées de Nazelles).”

“I was very active performing worldwide and was delighted to be asked to come in and teach students. I was 23 years old, so not that much older than the cohort, and we had a lot of things in common – principally the love of playing guitar.

[…]

There have been many [memorable moments], to be honest; performing at Tartan Week in Grand Central Station, NYC was pretty cool, being escorted to the stage in Venezuela with an armed guard (didn’t think I was that bad!?), playing to Hans Werner Henze in El Cimarron at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Maybe playing the Aranjuez Concerto with the RSNO at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is up there as well.”

“I’ve worked on movies including Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Kung Fu Panda 3. I also orchestrated BBC’s Blue Planet II, Big Cat, and National Geographic’s Princess Diana documentary, Diana: in Her Own Words. ”

“RCS gave me confidence so that I could recognise myself as a musician. I found an incredibly supportive and positive environment there. […] I liked that there was a drama department, with so many plays performed by student actors. I believe that the different artistic disciplines should inspire each other. […] We can’t isolate music, bury our heads in the sand and ignore the environment. Music is part of human culture and is therefore intrinsically linked to everything else in life.”

“All my spare time was spent in youth theatres, in particular Scottish Youth Theatre, and when a couple of my friends got into other drama schools, I decided to put in a speculative application to the RSAMD and they called my bluff!”

“I’ve always tried to keep my hand in the arts, working on short films, theatre, and radio. I was the producer of the feature film, Fast Romance, which I made with three friends. Fast Romance made it onto the big screen, and we won a BAFTA. It was a major achievement, everyone working on the film worked full-time, making the film on evenings and weekends.”

“Having never been to Glasgow before enrolling, I didn’t know what to expect. Luckily, I absolutely LOVED living and studying in Glasgow. It’s a vibrant city with amazing people. My first impression of the building on Renfrew Street was that of a bustling hub of creativity.

On any given day, I would walk down the corridor as I made my way to class and hear a xylophonist practising, an actor reciting Shakespeare, or opera singers perfecting a Mozart love duet. The atmosphere alone stimulated an amazing amount of development in my year group, both personal and artistic, and though we’re now all spread around the world, it’s always inspiring to see their diverse achievements and the varied work they’re all doing in their respective countries, cities and communities.”

“We’ve been in the current lineup for the past ten years, which has been a wonderful adventure. We tour around the world and have visited some very beautiful and interesting places along the way.”

“Whilst I was a student at RCS there were lots of performance opportunities which I think helped me gain experience and feel comfortable being in front of an audience. Having a weekly lesson from both of my wonderful teachers was also hugely helpful and inspiring. I was given the chance to perform in several masterclasses with world-class musicians.” (George)

“I’d felt a bit lost when I first moved to RCS, but the close-knit nature of the student community, as well as the breadth of courses and teaching, offered me a space that felt at once like ‘home’, but also allowed me the chance to realise that there were more options open to me as a cellist than I had previously considered.” (Duncan)

“My time at RCS was invaluable in preparing me for the professional music world. The rigorous training and exposure to a wide range of musical styles and techniques helped me develop a versatile skill set. Numerous performance opportunities and collaborations with talented musicians built my confidence and experience.”

“By the very nature of RCS being a conservatoire, it meant I experienced live performance in many forms. By the time I graduated, I’d designed multiple types of theatre including, opera, dance, musical theatre and contemporary performance. Not only was there diversity in the types of work but also the venues, equipment, and people. The whole experience taught me that the more you put into something, the more you get out.”

“I remember my time at RCS was full of hard work, because let’s be real: ballet is really hard. I have many wonderful memories shared with some very talented artists from all departments across RCS. I can assure you that every person you meet on this course will inspire you to do more. The years at RCS completely flew by, always being a treasured chapter of my life to look back on.”

“I was part of the inaugural class of the Classical and Contemporary Text program. When you’re the first, you’re the experiment, in many ways, so, my classmates and I used this as an opportunity to advocate what we needed, as students. This advocation has served me well post-graduation when I entered professional environments, in the UK and back home, and applied that advocacy for myself and others.”