Alumni Guest Lecture

20/11/2013

Performing Arts Alumni Kay-Jay Simmons returns to give a guest lecture to East Kent College current students

“My time on the performing arts course was exciting and emotional”

– Kay-Jay

Kay-Jay took some time out of his busy schedule to give a guest lecture and Q and A session to current East Kent Performing Arts students.

He shared his experiences from the hard graft he put in at Drama school, to meeting David Cameron and having a drink with Kevin Spacy.

Here’s some pics of the lecture…

Kay-Jays Top audition tips

#1. Leave plenty of time to apply to the ones you would like to go to, make sure you are fully prepared.

#2. Be as real and sincere in your performance as possible, play a character close to your age and play to your strengths.

#3. There will be lots of rejections. I have been rejected many times but you have to have the strength to get up and continue on.

Kay-Jays Top career tips

#1. Stay humble and be aware at any moment everything can come crashing down, so remain focused on your goals and ambitions.

#2. Remember that the people around you are your future competition. You need to always strive to be better than your colleagues otherwise you will never be noticed.

#3. It is really important to develop your talent, so doing amateur dramatics and local shows gets you a little fan base and makes you a more complete performer.

#4. Being tenacious and resilient is important too. Getting an agent is not the be all or end all but it really helps with your credibility.

So, what was the feedback?

We asked the students what they thought of the session and the feedback was really

positive. 100 % of the class said they found the talk interesting and useful.

“Fantastic!”

“Inspirational”

“Related directly to my

career choice”

And the East Kent College Lecturer?

“It was very worthwhile and really gave

the students an insight into what it might be like working in the industry. I thought Kyle was very easy to talk to and he answered the students questions with ease. I think the Q and A session gave the students ownership of the session which was a major benefit.

 Overall a great experience.”  - Lee McQueen

You can get involved too

• 94% of the students said they would like more talks from former students.

• Would you like to inspire the next generation of students, like Kay-Jay has?

• We are always keen for our alumni to get involved with the college in anyway they can, from guest lectures to work experience offers.

• Drop us a line at admin@ekcalumni.co.uk to find out more.