Arthur de Panafieu: Student in theatre

Arthur de Panafieu

BSc Management, 2019

Based in: France

Formerly from: Singapore

First job: A waiter.

Ambitions for the future: To share this love for theatre with others.

Theatre Student in Paris

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

I am right now following a training course in Paris to become an actor/comedian. It's something I've always loved, and after doing my masters at ESSEC Business School, I decided to give it a shot and am putting all my chances in making it.

What’s your favourite part of the role?

Working with such amazing texts. Shakespeare, AntonChekhov, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (Molière) etc bring such joy, such meaning, such depth to my life that I have developed a passion for situations in all domains around story telling : movies of course, poetry, paintings, and sports.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

Mostly the courses I had with Rachel Dickinson, working with people, talking truly about what matters to me.

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

Not acting, I thought I would do consulting probably.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

If you really want to do this, then go ahead, jump in.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Classes in the morning, rehearsal or learning texts in the afternoon, work at night in the theatre as an usher (until one day I'll play), watching movies and reading at night.

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

Accepting myself on stage; believing I could be of value to others and the play and I could be admired in a role.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in relation to your career?

Just say the words.

What should current students or recent alumni be doing to move their careers forward?

Work, and enjoy the work that you do.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?

You have to believe in yourself.