Miss Chew works in the costume department at BRIT, she has been here for just over 2 years. She started off working in magazines and helping with styling when she was young. She then went on to work in a theatre, voluntarily. Washing jock straps! She then did an art foundation at Wimbledon School Of Art, then went on to complete a 3 year degree in costume interpretation, so looking at historical costume and the 'interpretation' of costume more than designing. Whilst doing her degree, she had finished her project and her teacher at the time took her to his work, for work experience, on the Disney Warner Brother film 'TROY'. Enjoying it so much she carried on working for Warner Brothers, travelling all around the world working as a costume director. When she came back to England, she would do little bits and bobs on unit 2 films, so second bits of filming, for continuity sake. She then went back to teach at Wimbledon School of art, and wanted more out of costume. She then returned to her university 'Goldsmiths' and achieved a PGC & MA in Costume. Between this and BRIT she worked at EastEnders as a costume supervisor/director for just over 10 years. She came to BRIT, and is now head of costume, and works with costume for around 40-50 shows a year. The costume can be bought, made or even hired depending on the show, the budget and if making the clothes would be beneficial to students to learn how to make. There are only 2 people making costumes at the moment in the costume department at BRIT, excluding a wardrobe supervisor. But in 'real-life', there can be a costume designer, a costume supervisor, 4 underneath, watching and helping out and then 3 people dressing the actors/tresses. they can rotate in groups of 4.
1 group-Preparing
2 Groups- Filming
1 Group- Off
She also said that Theatre is a lot more heavy than TV, because of all the hair, make up and costume needed to be seen from far away. Whereas TV can be seen close up. She also recommended 'Charles Fox Make Up' as a particularly good company.
Monday, 9 December 2013
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
British Arts Council
British Arts Council 'Achieving
Great Art for Everyone'
The British arts council is a government funded body
which help promote the arts in all shapes and forms. The arts council is also
funded by the national lottery. Funding is evenly distributed, supporting a
range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries- from theatre to
digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. It
is also distributed across many regional offices. Recently there was a scheme
launched called National Portfolio Organisation (NPO). In April of 2013, there were cuts to the art
council, making some companies, organisations and associations had to be cut,
so there would be no more funding for them, or their business. So now I will go
on to the topic of ‘Fundraising’. There are different streams of fundraising,
and when you haven’t got guaranteed funding coming in, you need to do anything
and everything to keep the arts going. There are three different, main, types
of fundraising:
·
Individual
Individual
funding is funding from certain people, for example, the Jack Petchy awards,
different trusts etc.
- Co-operate
Co-operate
funding is funding from companies and businesses. They would target CSR (co-operate
social responsibility) departments, who would fund because, not only is the money
tax deductable but also it gives them good PR (Public Relations) and
advertising for their company. Finally:
- Public
Public
funding is funding such as ‘Bridge Organisations’ , which are art related companies,
that have most probably had funding before are invested in to show to the youth
of today the richness of theatre and the arts. There are many Bridge
Organisations across England, but one of them is the Lyric Hammersmith. They
were selected because they mainly had a picture of the current cultural
education offer, including the context demand for relevant arts and cultural opportunities
for children and young people.
There are
also many other up and coming companies that are being noticed for their unique
ideas and shows. One is called ‘Punch-drunk’ which is a physical theatre
company, who started going on tour, and getting noticed. They became pioneering
and got noticed by the Arts council, making the company, yet another NPO.
There are
many different things that a good project has to have in order to be funded:
- A proven track record of good work (similar good outcomes)
- Clear and strategic ideas
- Know about funding and finance
- Be specific about regions and target audiences
- Have a fresh and original idea
Theatre companies, after applying for a grant or funding, are allowed to
keep any profits of ticket sales. And companies can also re-apply whenever they
need too. Discussion did turn to free shows, and both the negative and positive
effects of them:
·
Adding value to the show, more people might
come and see because there is no price.
·
It might put people off the show, because it’s
free, and not as good for value as something you would have to pay for.
·
It may also lower the value of other shows,
and people may feel they don’t need to pay for shows, if some are free.
After funding
and shows or events, people need to not only think about the main aims in the
arts, but also re generation in theatre and how it can develop after.
- Quality of activity
- Public engagement (Long term and immediate)
- Quality of effect of activity
- How activity will be managed (Ongoing effect)
- How realistic activity is financially
- Involving youth
Grants can be between £1,000 to £30,000 for individuals and up to
£100,000 for organisations. The British
Arts Council is not only an amazing organisation but also champions, develops
and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives.
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Rhona Croker
Rhona is currently performing in the play One Man, Two Guvnors at the The National Theatre. She talked to us in detail about her career, and what she was saying was quite similar to Kims. I found it very interesting when Rhona talked to us about starting out with community projects/pieces. I believe they would be a good stepping stone just to help you gain skills. She also talked to us a
lot about charactisation. she said that when you get a role, you have to have some instinct about the characters and the parts that you are comfortable playing. She said that from experience, she has learnt that it is also very important how the character is written and if its easily relatable, if not you try and find any similarities that you can and draw on them. She said that the theatre aspect of it, when your doing a show, you have to make it different every night, and if that is making it bigger, or finding a different objective for the character you do it, to switch it up a bit. The most interesting thing i learnt from the workshop, was how to look after yourself as an actress:
lot about charactisation. she said that when you get a role, you have to have some instinct about the characters and the parts that you are comfortable playing. She said that from experience, she has learnt that it is also very important how the character is written and if its easily relatable, if not you try and find any similarities that you can and draw on them. She said that the theatre aspect of it, when your doing a show, you have to make it different every night, and if that is making it bigger, or finding a different objective for the character you do it, to switch it up a bit. The most interesting thing i learnt from the workshop, was how to look after yourself as an actress:
- Sleeping Well
- Eating well
- Having interesting hobbies
- Not being too disappointed after auditions
Finally, she told us that her Agent was Janey Jenkins and that having a good relationship with your agent is key, and chasing them up if its quiet.
Kim Vithana
When Kim came to talk to us all, it was a very useful experience. Kim has played parts in a range of TV, from Doctors to Coronation Street, and lots more. When she came in, she had brilliant pronunciation and knew how to portray herself. Kim told us that she had done a degree in Theatre and Art at Rosebury Theatre? She then went on to say that she had started off in theatres, seeing how stage managment worked out. She then went on to say she had later gone to birmingham to do a show there, which really helped her grasp the concept of acting as a young adult. She told us that you learn all sorts of things and get to go to so many types of places, the award shows are great, and your getting paid for something you love doing, so its a bonus! But she also said that it is not full time, and that when you dont have work or auditions constantly coming in, its hard. You have to have a back up plan, or something else you can do in the meantime. Which got me thinking about what i would do. I'd always have to stay within 'The Arts' as its the only thing i can imagine myself doing. I've always been very interested in Casting & Script-writing, so maybe something within that. She also said that when you get into acting, you can sometimes be type-casted. So you need to make a decision what sort of roles you want to go for. And when you do have auditions for things, dont over analyse them! Once your done, there is nothing you can do. Lastly, she said to pay attention! Keep an eye on the current affairs in tv, theatre and film, because
it will help you out.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Universities/Drama schools
RADA ( Royal Academy of Dramatic Art):
THE PROGRAMME
The programme includes the
development of individual skills in the areas of acting, voice, singing and
movement; and their application in a variety of projects and productions across
the three years. Work is continuously assessed: and students have regular
feedback sessions and one-to-one tutorials with teachers. The aim is to train
actors with a high degree of technical facility and flexibility, but also, to
develop individuality and imagination. The course includes work on contemporary
plays and styles; and classes in camera and microphone technique.
The training is
classically based because we believe this provides the best possible foundation
for acting in any form or media
THE TRAINING INCLUDES:
·
Stanislavsky-based rehearsal exercises and project work
·
improvisation
·
contemporary and classical text
·
performance projects on Greek Tragedy, Shakespeare and the
Jacobeans, Restoration Comedy and contemporary writing
·
acting for camera and microphone technique
·
voice training, including dialect training, individual and choral
singing
·
movement training, including mask, dance and stage combat
I think that i would enjoy this course, as
the training looks really professional and as if it covers the majority of things
that you need to learn. RADA was always somewhere that i would love to attend
and learn, not only because of the amazing people that have come out of the
university but the amazing courses they teach.
Central School of Speech & Drama:
Professional training for actors has been a
vital part of Central since its foundation in 1906, when Elsie Fogerty founded
The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art at the Royal Albert
Hall.
The international reputation of the Acting
course is based upon the consistent excellence of its students as evidenced by
the number of alumni continually undertaking high quality work. Award-winning
graduates of the course are many and include Joss Ackland, Nonso Anozie, Peggy
Ashcroft, Claire Bloom, Judi Dench, Lindsay Duncan, Rupert Everett, Martin
Freeman, Gael Garcia Bernal, Andrew Garfield, Cush Jumbo, Laurence Olivier,
Harold Pinter, James Purefoy, Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson, Zoë
Wanamaker and Alexis Zegerman.
Historically, Central actors have always
adopted a pragmatic approach to their training, drawing upon multiple
performance theories rather than subscribing to a particular doctrine or
method. It is hoped that students will continue to celebrate this breadth of
vision.
The course is divided into three specialist
pathways. Students are required to audition (held nationally and
internationally) and then, if successful, will be chosen for one pathway. It
will not be possible to transfer between pathways once accepted.
During the course you will be taught by
resident and visiting professional staff how to draw on a wide range of acting
processes. The course will help you learn how to become self-determined
creative actors eminently capable of working in theatre, television, film and
radio and will constantly challenge your understanding of acting. Intensive
conservatoire training also requires utter dedication and will demand your
courage, intelligence, wit and generosity. The pathways exist within a thriving
university/conservatoire environment - home to a dynamic range of related
performance disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The training will be contextualised alongside
relevant professional advice and is structured in such a way as to gradually
equip you with a thorough understanding of the industry. Professional
preparation including meetings with agents, casting directors, producers,
directors etc., as well as mock auditions/castings and a West End showcase,
have meant that in recent years most of the BA (Hons) Acting students – across
all three pathways – have secured agent representation by the time they have
completed the course.
I'd really like this course as i think it
would help me immensely by the set out of the units and the amount of time you
would have to complete it. It is also an amazing school, with great facilities
and brilliant teachers and coaches.
FE Colleges..
Guildhall School of Music & Drama:
'The Guildhall School is a lively, friendly
community of actors, theatre technicians and musicians; the Drama Department
itself is intimate and supportive. Our programmes are highly regarded in the
acting profession for the thoroughness of their audition processes, the
passion, quality and rigour of the teaching, the emphasis on the integration of
craft training, the care and attention for the individual development of each
student and the strong ensemble ethic shared by our staff and students.'
I think this programme/course would be really
helpful in the career that i would like to pursue as an actress. Its programme
is really interesting and i think that also, the facilities at Guildhall are
amazing. Such as their 223-seat proscenium theatre and an intimate studio
theatre. The only thing that I don’t really like about the course is that there
are only 26 people in each course/year. This could be a positive as you would
have a more intimate relationship with your company and teachers but I think,
having more people, you can pick up more skills and work with a different style
of actor, which I think is key.
The BRIT School Post 16:
'The Type of Student
The theatre course is looking for dedicated students who are reliable,
mature, creative and passionate about working in theatre. They need to be
independent but good at working in teams. They need to be able to research,
rehearse and focus at a high standard.
An 18 Unit Course
This course has been created for any young person who is excited about
the world of theatre. It is designed for the actors, directors, playwrights and
theatre producers of tomorrow. On this 16 hours a week course students study
both the theory and practice of a wide range of theatre styles. In Year 12 all
students take part in theatre workshop productions of a number of important
theatre genres. In eight-week blocks students study some of the important
movements in theatre development.
These range from creating truthful characters on stage in our first term
to devising powerful new plays that explore social issues in our political
theatre term. Students explore and push the boundaries of theatre in our
experimental term and will perform in a major Shakespeare play in term 4. They
will finish their first year by forming a theatre company that will work with
the community. In the past we have toured primary schools, worked with children
who have disabilities, run workshops with young offenders and produced cabaret
for outdoor festivals.
In Year 12 students also study theatre history, voice, scriptwriting and
physical theatre. The lessons in these subjects broaden the students’
experience, range and potential. Students get to improve their voice and
speaking skills, write their own plays and produce exciting movement-based
work. Students also a have a regular tutor session each week, which helps them
focus on their skills development and careers.
Year 13 is dedicated to focusing on the future. Students form their own
professional theatre companies and perform work in our main theatre. Students
take on major acting roles in these productions but also have the opportunity
for a production role in marketing, budgeting and management.
We have always selected from a diverse range of writers for our
productions. In recent years our work has included plays by Robert Le Page,
Ariel Dorfman, Christopher Marlowe, Bertolt Brecht, Debbie Tucker Green,
Timberlake Wertenbaker, Sophocles and Stephen Jeffreys.
All students are also given the opportunity to work as young directors
in which they work with actors, study scripts and run workshops and to learn
skills in how to prepare for auditions, interviews and castings.'
I think that this course would be the most useful and best suited to me,
as, i have already attended the school and now know the school and the
curriculum well. I have just got to know the theatre teachers and think the
style of teaching at BRIT is one i thoroughly enjoy and learn from. The
only thing that I don’t agree with in the prospectus is how many units we have
to complete in the amount of time that we have to do it. I think this because i
feel we should delve into it a bit deeper to understand all 18/21 units.
Monday, 30 September 2013
The Royal Court
The Royal
Court.
1)
Using
public transport how would you get from Selhurst to the Royal Court?
You would take the train to London Victoria, change
to the tube from London Victoria and get the district and circle line to Sloane
Square.
2)
What
plays are on at the Royal Court at the moment?
The Ritual slaughter of Gorge
Mastromas – Dennis Kelly (artistic director- Vicky Featherstone)
Routes- Rachel De-Lahay
3) What are the reviews like for these
plays?
The ritual slaughter of Gorge
Mastromas- http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/15/ritual-slaughter-mastromas-hysteria-boy-soul
Routes-
Overall
very good reviews with a lot of comments about the theatre (Royal Court)
Itself.
3)
What play
that started at the Royal Court and stars Mark Rylance is now an international
success?
Jerusalem
4)
Who is
Dominic Cooke?
Dominic cook is an English theatre director and play
write. He won the 2007 Laurence Olivier award for best director for his revival
of ‘the crucible’ while working at the RSC. He has also worked on Malorie
Blackmans ‘noughts and crosses’ and ‘Arabian nights’.
6) How
old do you have to be to start the young writers programme?
’17-and
under’?
8) Which
wine merchant supplies their restaurant with wine?
Bibendum
10) What
plays can you see at The Bussey Building this Autumn?
Professional Development Plan
|
Time span-
Where do I want to be in...
|
Objective- What do I want
to achieve in this period of time? Why do I want this? What part of your
current work is relevant to this?
|
Method- What do I need
to do to achieve this? What resources will I need? Who/what can assist me?
|
Target date
|
Date achieved
|
|
6 months
|
- To Get back in for Post 16 at The
Brit School
- To Get A*-C’s in my GCSE’s
- Trying to meet as many new
directors and casting agents as I can.
- Seeing as many performances in and
out of school.
|
-
To just revise as much as I can
and asking teachers about things I am not sure on (including theatre)
-
Go and see theatre shows and network with more people in that
industry.
|
30/09/13
|
|
|
1 year
|
- Starting my post 16 course for
theatre.
- Writing more and more plays and scripts.
- Have a part-time job whilst I am
studying.
-
Maybe have moved out?
|
-
Being focused and concentrating on theatre and shows.
-
Inspiration for my writing.
-
Motivation.
|
30/09/13
|
|
|
Time span-
Where do I want to be in...
|
Objective- What do I want
to achieve in this period of time? Why do I want this? What part of your
current work is relevant to this?
|
Method- What do I need
to do to achieve this? What resources will I need? Who/what can assist me?
|
Target date
|
Date achieved
|
|
2 years
|
- Finishing my course at BRIT and hopefully
looking to apply at universities such as RADA or CSSD?
- Still pursuing a part time job
whilst I am studying.
- Looking into different acting
agencies?
|
-
Good grades and a good application for uni.
-
Finding the time to work as well as study.
-
Putting together a show reel to send around to different agencies?
|
30/09/13
|
|
|
5 years
|
-
Having a part/full time acting career in TV/Film
-
Also performing on stage as well sometimes.
-
Publishing some of my plays and scripts?
-
Working with other directors and producers.
-
Doing things like touring shows around the world and working with
children as well.
|
-
Getting out there and meeting different directors and producers.
-
Finding theatres that would take on young people’s plays.
-
Hopefully having the flexibility of working both on stage and behind
camera.
|
30/09/13
|
|
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