About Me

My name is Thomas 'Tommo' McCarthy, and I am a playwright and filmmaker based in Kent (and York). Over the years I have worked on a number of film and theatre projects, and here, in this portfolio, I have documented all of my work starting from January 2019 to the present day. This includes work experience, trailers, theatre productions, as well as short films.

I firmly believe that nothing makes for better entertainment than a strong story, and this is what I seek to provide first and foremost through my work. Over the last few years I have written and directed a number of amateur projects for stage and screen, and am now dipping my toes into professional work as well. I am a BFI Film Academy (2020/21) alumnus, with a Silver Arts Award from Trinity College London, and have more recently been accepted into the Old Vic Theatre Makers programme for 2024/25.

Outside of my written and directing work, I am also incredibly passionate about technical theatre, with a strong love for visual design, particularly through lighting, where I often aim to use film-noir and expressionistic effects to create a cinematic atmosphere on-stage. Currently I study at the University of York, where I am an active member of the Drama Society, and serve as one of their Technical Managers, in charge of maintaining and upgrading the venue's equipment. In my time working with them, I have developed and maintained a bespoke Casting system, CastingBot, which has been used to run auditions for over 100 shows in the society.

Alongside my University theatre, I'm also a founding member and current Creative Director of The Dark Slate Theatre Company, which specialises in design-heavy shows that draw on elements of immersive production.

The Dark Slate Theatre Company [2024-]

While continuing my work with the University of York Drama Society, I am also now looking into furthering my endeavours in the theatre space. I am a founding member and current Creative Director of The Dark Slate Theatre Company. Our debut production, a new version of my original play The Unspoken, was put on at York's leading fringe venue, Theatre@41, in June of 2024.

Beyond this, I am also currently a member of the 2024/25 Old Vic Theatre Makers programme.

University of York & DramaSoc [2021-2024]

Now studying Computer Science at the University of York, I have become an active member of the University of York Drama Society, DramaSoc. Here, I am the current longest-serving member of the society's committee, having first come in as a Technical Manager from 2022-23, followed by Internal Vice Chair from 2023-24, and I am now once again a Technical Manager. This puts me in charge of managing the lighting and sound equipment for their venue, the Drama Barn.

I have also worked on a variety of projects, mainly as producer or director, but I have also served as videographer, cinematographer, and lighting designer.

Some particular highlights from my time in DramaSoc so far have been my 2022 adaptation of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, which I directed, as well as two plays of my own creation, the 2023 productions of The Unspoken and The Last Masquerade.

The BFI Film Academy [2019-2021]

After the end of the Cappuccino Crew, I endeavoured to continue taking on more projects alone. This led to a number of opportunities, one of the greatest being given the opportunity to work as Assistant Director for my school's adaptation of Macbeth. This show also allowed me to create my own teaser trailer, which marked the first solo video production in several years. I also took this time to do a lot more research into the techniques involved in filmmaking, in the aim of expanding my horizons for future projects.

Following on from the eventual cancellation of The Macbeths (due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic), I turned my attention properly back to film. Using this new experience, I applied to the BFI Kent Film Academy and, in November 2020, was accepted into the course. Over the 10 weekends I spent at the academy (in a digital sense - the entire course had to take place online), I directed one short film, Unfiltered, and produced another.

With the cohort I met at the BFI Kent Film Academy, I then went on to write, direct, produce, and act in the short film Ashley - my first publicly-accessible solo short film. This film, shot in 2021, was released in 2022.

The Cappuccino Crew [2016-2019]

Over the years, I gradually began to pick up certain skills, purely from trial-and-error, and began to experiment more and more with film.  A lot of my experience prior to starting my portfolio came from my time with the Cappuccino Crew - a non-official production company created by myself and my friends. This was very amateurish affair, and I was often the only one really interested in making films, but ultimately it was a lot of fun and good experience. As part of the Cappuccino Crew, I created several short films and sketches, and learnt a lot about how to, and more importantly how not to make films. After just over 3 years of activity, the Cappuccino Crew disbanded in July 2019, as members of the crew moved away or prepared themselves for A-Levels.