Final-year BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen students from The Northern School of Art recently presented solo performances at ARC Stockton Arts Centre, as part of the prestigious annual ARC Solo Show Awards.
The winner, Arun Graves-Kochhar, impressed an industry panel with a powerful piece tackling racism and identity struggles that the judges described as “brilliantly written … honest and authentic.” They also praised his “excellent and engaging” performance.
Reflecting on his win, Arun said he was very proud to have won the ARC award: “The piece is something that is very personal to me as it focuses on issues of racism and struggles of identity, particularly the struggle of a mixed-race identity and never truly feeling a part of any part of your heritage.
“I also explored growing up in Britain and how exposure to racial abuse often starts at a young age and how that affects you, often leading to identity struggles as a result, growing up and losing love for a certain part of who you are after being targeted because of it.”
Arun plans to develop the piece further, with ambitions to perform it at the 2025 Newcastle Fringe Festival.
Fellow students Izzy Sander and Meg Dale also earned commendations for their performances.
Izzy’s work, Rich Pickings, explored the stigma mothers face when balancing family and ambition. “I wanted to highlight the importance of supporting mothers pursuing their dreams,” she said.
Izzy also hopes to adapt her piece for the Newcastle Fringe.
Senior Lecturer on the School’s Hartlepool university-level campus Acting degree programme Jonny Bussell praised the students’ efforts: “The students have complete autonomy of the pieces with regards to style and content which always means there is an eclectic mix of pieces.
“I was proud of all the pieces performed and Arun was a worthy recipient of the award. The piece was nuanced, well-crafted and excellently performed. The themes are extremely important and it is a story not often told on UK stages. It has lots of potential to be developed into a fuller piece.”
Jonny added: “Previous winners have gone on to be supported in the development of the work by ARC and Arts Council England. It is a great opportunity for our students as they progress into the industry.”
This marks the fourth year of the ARC Solo Show Award which is decided by an industry panel organised by the School’s education partner ARC Stockton Arts Centre. The winner is given support to refine their piece for future performances.
Further details of The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen degree programme at The Northern School of Art’s university-level campus in Hartlepool are available at www.northernart.ac.uk