Y
OU ONLY HAVE to meet student
Harry Jackson once and you’ll
never forget him. His striking
image is indeed memorable and his
energy infectious.
At just 21 years of age, Harry is a force
to be reckoned with. He’s not reached
his graduation date yet, but he’s already
established his own business, which he’s
running from QMU’s Business Innovation
Zone.
Passionate and entrepreneurial, this Acting
student from Northumberland secured
funding from QMU’s Student Development
Fund to launch Amplify Time Productions.
As Artistic Director, Harry helps to provide
talented acting and performance students
with opportunities for personal development
in different professional settings. Students
get the chance to develop their personal
skills, gain hands on industry experience
and showcase their talents to the market.
It builds their CV and helps them develop
industry connections for the future.
This year, funding from QMU’s Student
Development Fund helped Harry’s company
place 30 students in a classic production in
a major theatre venue in Edinburgh.
Discussing his choice of course and
career, Harry said: “I chose QMU, as both
the University and the BA (Hons) Acting
for Stage and Screen have a reputation for
providing quality, intensive actor training
which is realised practically through
performances in assessment and end of
year shows. The course allows you, as a
creative, to develop practical and academic
knowledge across the subject. There is
also the opportunity to collaborate with
a wide variety of students across QMU’s
creative industries, potentially leading to
great opportunities which may help to shape
future careers.”
Harry continued: “On an academic level,
being able to develop many skills and
knowledge across the duration of the course
has been the most rewarding part of my
learning experience. It has given me so
much more to play with as a professional
actor and director. I really cannot emphasise
enough how this course helps improve you
as a performer and ensures you are ready
for entering professional industry!”
Harry is the first QMU Acting for Stage
and Screen student to have created a
production company of this type and
scale. The benefits go far beyond Harry
supporting other students and creating
opportunities for them to develop beyond
the course curriculum. He believes Amplify
can be sustainable and he plans to extend
its reach across the different courses and
year groups, as well as performing in the
Fringe and cities outside Edinburgh.
Securing the Student Development Fund
award has helped Harry use the Amplify
project to test his ideas and put them
into practice both academically and as a
director. He said: “I’m delighted that over
the last year, we placed 16 QMU actors in
our production of ‘Doctor Faustus’, with
three QMU students taking on crew roles.
I’m now looking forward to the challenges of
growing the business and developing more
opportunities for creative students.”
Harry concluded: “Investment in new
initiatives like this is essential to get a new
student company off the ground. I’m grateful
to QMU’s Student Development Fund for
helping me begin to realise my ambitions.”
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In October, Harry shared his experiences
with donors and supporters at QMU’s
Scholarships and Awards Reception,
an annual event held at Edinburgh’s
Dovecot Studios, which celebrates the
achievements of QMU students who have
been supported by awards, scholarships,
grants and internships. Importantly, the
reception allows Q MU supporters to meet
students face-to-face and gain a better
understanding of the impact that these
types of opportunities are having on their
student experience and career ambitions.
It also helps supporters realise the value
of their contribution to QMU and assists in
developing a culture of giving amongst a
wider audience. ❒
IMAGE CREDIT: Michael Brady
Follow Amplify on Twitter @amplifytheatre
QMYOU / Development / Student Feature
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