Backstage Reading Festival experience for creative History student
21 August 2019
A History student at the University of Reading will get a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s Reading Festival after being selected to be part of a unique initiative.
Thom Robin will get a backstage pass as they take on a photography internship with organisers Festival Republic, thanks to a partnership with the university.
He will also be tasked with producing an artistic or creative response to the festival using skills from their degree. The chosen students will tell their experience any way they want to, from artwork to a piece of creative writing. Thom plans to explore the history of the festival and how the style of music has evolved over the decades.
Their projects, produced using the skills they have learnt on their course, will be submitted after the festival and exhibited a future date at the University of Reading.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of capturing the energy of the festival and it’s brilliant line up, whilst working within a team to meet deadlines and produce exciting content" - Thom Robin
Thom, a second-year student at the University of Reading, said: “I’m delighted to have been chosen to work with the University and Festival Republic at this year’s Reading Festival. This will be my fourth year at the festival but my first working as a photographer.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of capturing the energy of the festival and it’s brilliant line up, whilst working within a team to meet deadlines and produce exciting content.”
Reading Festival hosts huge music and comedy acts from 23-25 August. The internship will allow Thom to get up close to the stages to snap the headline acts alongside professional photographers, as well as access to the exclusive backstage area where he can mingle with the bands and VIP guests.
The University of Reading has taken a team of students to Reading Festival every year for the last five years. In 2015 the University partnered with Kerrang magazine to allow students the chance to interview bands and write reviews, following this up with a similar initiative with NME magazine the following year.
Since 2017, a partnership with Festival Republic has allowed a team of students to work backstage and produce their own original content on all aspects of festival life, from festival fashion trends to food stall reviews.
Professor Roberta Gilchrist, Research Dean for Heritage & Creativity at the University of Reading, said: “Reading Festival is a major part of Reading’s cultural identity, so it’s a major coup to be able to offer our students a unique experience of this iconic event. Arts & Humanities degrees teach students to think critically and to articulate and communicate their thoughts creatively. This is a valuable opportunity for our students to demonstrate skills that will equip them for the rapidly changing workplace.
“We have been impressed with the range of creative ideas submitted in applications by our students, and it will be exciting to see how they apply what they have learned on their courses to their internships and projects.”