Harry Nicholson | TrinityTalent 2021

TrinityTalent celebrates Arts Award achiever Harry for his Progress. 

Harry Nicholson | TrinityTalent 2021

18-year-old Harry was nominated for TrinityTalent Class of 2021 for Progress. He achieved Gold Arts Award with Formby High School. Harry explored theatre practice and immersed himself in directing and filming, even creating a music video with one of his  fellow peers.

He was nominated by his teacher and Community Arts Coordinator, Victoria Harrocks, who said: "Harry pursued many opportunities to engage in learning new skills, he relentlessly banged on doors to ask for help and offered his assistance in return. This culminated in him being given responsibility for filming several school events, refining his skills and working long hours to perfect his work."

The TrinityTalent panel said: "Harry has used his Arts Award as a springboard to other creative opportunities and we are excited to see what he does next."


How do you feel about being selected to be part of TrinityTalent Class of 2021 and being recognised in this way?
It's a wonderful privilege to be recognised by TrinityTalent and I truly feel two years of hard work have paid off. I finished my Gold Arts Award and am very proud of what I achieved and this acknowledgement has made my journey all the more rewarding.

How do you feel you have developed creatively and artistically in 2021?
Despite the limitations of the pandemic, I feel I have creatively flourished in the past year. I've recognised that these limitations, especially in terms of access to resources and Covid-19 restrictions, have actually helped me adapt and find even more interesting and enriching ways to progress with my Gold Arts Award. Having spent most of 2020 confined to home learning, I was eager to expand my creative range as soon as I reclaimed some normality back in my life.

What impact did your Arts Award achievement have on your artistic development?
The reason I chose to focus my Gold Arts Award on film-making was because I had no prior experience in it, yet it was a useful connection to my core passion of acting. Apart from boosting my UCAS points, the skills I have developed have expanded my artistic range across several areas such as acting, directing and editing. Many of my new skills will definitely be put into practice in the future.

Has taking part in an Arts Award helped you to develop wider skills, such as communication skills, creativity or confidence?
Throughout the experience I had to maintain a strong flow of communication with others, whether it be with my cohort when planning our showcase or with my peer who wrote and performed the song I created my music video for. This was especially the case when our weekly meetings became virtual in lockdown and apart from contributing to a group, I learnt listening to others and trusting them was necessary to enable good teamwork. At certain points I would assume a leadership role, especially with my own project. That might be when allocating areas of responsibility to my cohort for the showcase or taking creative control of the music video when directing. Aside from my creative development, Gold Arts Award was an excellent chance for me to amplify essential qualities such as these.

What are the next steps for you artistically and creativity in 2022?
I am currently on a gap year and one reason I am doing this is so that I can experiment with many art forms the way I want to. Being a member of the National Youth Theatre has been my most rewarding resource this year and I've been participating in some of their masterclasses, such as audition technique and acting for screen. I intend to use what I have learnt from them to understand what type of projects I'd like to do in the future and find messages I am passionate about that I would like to spread through my range of art forms. When I gain more free time I would also like to start doing more art again at home and put into practice my new skills in filmmaking.

What are your longer term aims, for example for your future studies or work?
My main aspiration is to become an actor, hopefully through a drama degree. From that point on I am going to become more enveloped in the industry, taking on more auditions and pursuing acting as my main job to build up experience. I want to continue to participate with the National Youth Theatre as much as possible and continue to become enriched by other young creatives. Since my Gold Arts Award journey, I also hope to have the chance to direct through my work as an actor (as many have). There have been many times where I have conceived a creative idea and taken note of it and nothing excites me more than the possibility that one day I can elevate it using an art form into something special.

Have you got any advice for other young people working towards an Arts Award?
Arts Award is an opportunity to entirely unleash your creativity and talent: the sky's your limit! I learnt my most valuable resource was my fellow peers and we had a lot we creatively shared with each other. The more we worked well together, the more we gained useful skills in organisation, leadership, communication, time management and more. Your Arts Award is controlled by you so understand that there are no limits to what you can learn. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy it.

Is there anything creative you’re currently working on you’d like to tell us about?
I am currently going through drama school auditions and contemplating starting a YouTube channel so I can explore film more, even if it's just for fun. I'm also travelling to London to participate in a National Youth Theatre masterclass and I can't wait!


Read more about the talented young people selected to be featured as part of the TrinityTalent Class of 2021.

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Trinity Talent

Trinity Talent

TrinityTalent celebrates talented young people achieving Trinity’s music, drama and Arts Award qualifications in the UK.

Teachers and students can nominate young artists aged 13-25 who have shown excellence in one of the following categories during 2021: CREATIVE FLAIR | PROGRESS | LEADERSHIP

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