Drama Society: Welfare Officer

Hello, I'm Chiara! I’ve been involved with drama across UCL throughout these past two terms and it has been an extremely supportive and welcoming community. I’m standing as welfare officer because I want other people to have the same experience. Drama can be an intense extracurricular. As welfare officer I would want to ensure that everyone involved in production is treated fairly and supported throughout the process. I would like to be there to support people no matter how big or small their problems are. 

More than anything else I want to ensure that people are being creative in a safe, fair environment. A crucial aspect of this is, making sure that bidding applications and auditions processes are fair and equitable and that the projects that are chosen provide equal opportunities for everyone. Furthermore, If an issue is raised, I believe it is essential to view it from an unbiased perspective and we should endeavour to resolve conflict as much as possible. However, there are instances where that is not possible, and it is important to step in where required to keep people safe.

Finally, supporting student’s mental health outside of Drama is really important to me. If elected I would continue to hold a welfare hour to make sure people have time to destress and concentrate on something that can take their mind off University, Drama or whatever other issues they may be facing.

Hello! As just another average student who joined the society to make friends (and feed my soul, of course), Drama Society has become a huge part of my university experience - it's where I've made some incredible bonds and had some of the most memorable experiences, be it closing a show alongside friends, picking up new and highly useful skills at workshops, or just chatting to other society members when we bump into each other around campus. From my first foray into the society, I have felt nothing less than warmth and acceptance and hope to share this experience with others. Ideally, I'd achieve this through having more opportunities to meet and connect with fellow thespians, while making Drama Society more accessible and open to all by providing more chances to get involved. 

Furthermore, having been a cast member of Machinal, King Charles III and A Midsummer Night's Dream, I know that being involved in productions or events can be extremely stressful (especially when audition season or prod week rolls around), and will strive to create a supportive environment for everyone by checking in regularly and being an available point of contact throughout rehearsals. Therefore, as welfare officer, I hope to become someone approachable who people can come to for encouragement, advice or just a nice chat over a cup of hot chocolate whenever they need it - with mini marshmallows, of course :)