Punchdrunk launches Learning Collective project for schools
A new three year project launched by Punchdrunk entitled the ‘Learning Collective’ will see the theatre company working directly with 16 schools from deprived areas to help teachers better understand the concept of immersive teaching and how it can be used to enrich student's learning experiences and help them to achieve.
The project will be developed in partnership with Dr Angela Colvert, senior lecturer in English Education at the University of Roehampton, who is currently exploring and researching the role of teacher as creative practitioner. At the end of the three years the findings will be published by Punchdrunk, who then plan to expand the project to include more schools.
To find out more and keep up to date with Punkdrunk's upcoming CPD and training sessions, email enrichment@punchdrunk.org.uk. Alternatively, you can visit: www.punchdrunk.org.uk/project/punchdrunk-learning-collective/
New rehearsal and performance space to open in Islington
Theatre company Tall Stories are opening a new storytelling hub in an unused section of Islington Library in order to create more opportunity for arts engagement within the community.
Acting as an administrative base for the company, the new space will also contain a large studio which will be used for rehearsals as well as performances of up to 80 audience members. The studio will then be available to hire for other companies as a rehearsal or preview space.
Lucy Wood, executive director of Tall Stories says that she is ‘thrilled to have found a permanent home for Tall Stories at Central Library, Islington, and [looks] forward to embedding [the company] within the Islington community.’
The work created in the hub will include free performances for Islington school groups, residencies, workshops for actors and theatre creatives and previews of upcoming performances. This news follows on from Tall Stories’ involvement in the Islington Council's ‘11 by 11’ scheme in which eleven cultural experiences are delivered to children in Islington schools before they reach Year 11.
To find out more visit: www.tallstories.org.uk
Orange Tree Theatre plans to screen plays free of charge
Providing quality theatre experiences for those who are unable to catch live shows, the Orange Tree theatre in Richmond have now launched their own streaming service, ‘OT on Screen.’
The theatre company broadcast a pre-recorded version of Maya Arad Yasur's play Amsterdam on 27 January, which was filmed at the Orange Tree last year, commissioned by the Space and captured by the Roundhouse. The film will be available for a limited time on the Orange Tree website.
Orange Tree executive director Hanna Streeter has said that they are ‘delighted to launch OT on Screen and present what we hope will be the first of many digital broadcast productions from the Orange Tree.’
Amsterdam, a co-production between the Orange Tree, Actors Touring Company and Theatre Royal Plymouth, originally ran at the Orange Tree in 2019 and will tour the UK from late this month.
To find out more about online productions, visit: www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk/ot-on-screen
© HELEN MURRAY
Michal Horowicz and Daniel Abselson in the Orange Tree, Actors Touring Company and Theatre Royal Plymouth co-production of Amsterdam
Nick Hern Books launches play text subscription service
Including new plays by popular writers, updated classics and works by up and coming talents, the new play script subscription by Nick Hern Books will see subscribers being sent one newly published play every month. Matt Applewhite, managing director of Nick Hern Books has explained how the company wants to ‘shorten the length of time before readers [can] get their hands’ on ‘the best new plays.’
Subscriptions are available as either a 6- or 12-month package, costing £50 and £90 respectively. Playscripts will be dispatched on the 7th of each month, or the next working day, and sent by Royal Mail 1st Class post.
To find out more and sign up, visit: www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/subscriptions
© MANUEL HARLAN
David Morrisey as Mark Antony in the Bridge Theatre production of Julius Caesar, which will be available to stream via the National Theatre Collection
National Theatre Collection now available for free for UK state schools
The National Theatre's online steaming service National Theatre Collection is now available free of charge to all UK state schools and state-funded further education colleges. Alice King-Farlow, director of learning at the National Theatre, believes that this decision will offer an ‘insight into all aspects of theatre-making’, since ‘all young people in the UK should have the opportunity to watch, make and explore theatre as part of a broad and balanced education, and the National Theatre Collection is an essential part of our commitment to schools nationwide.’
Recorded performances available include Macbeth; Othello; Frankenstein; Treasure Island and One Man, Two Guv’nors among others, as well as adaptations of Romeo and Juliet and The Winter's Tale suitable for primary school students. The recorded performances will be accompanied by learning resources such as rehearsal insights and short videos, with further resources for exploring backstage and technical aspects to be added later this year.
The collection will increase to thirty titles by March 2020.
UK based teachers have already been able to use the streaming service as a way of enriching students’ classroom learning. For Alex Harris, head of drama at Spires College in Torquay, ‘Being able to watch the very best of British theatre allows me to share with my students what is possible on stage. Being based in Torquay means that access to a wide range of styles of theatre can be limited and so streaming National Theatre productions in the classroom means that my students can experience different styles and genres that will hopefully ignite a life-long passion for the arts. I have had great success using the Collection to teach students about the technical elements of theatre and showing them what can be achieved through lighting, sound, media and stage design has opened their eyes to the potential of these production elements and their impact on a performance.’
Teachers can sign up now by visiting: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntcollection
National Youth Theatre awarded multi-million-pound funding
The National Youth Theatre (NYT) has been awarded £2,000,000 from the Mayor of London's Good Growth Fund to renovate their Holloway Road building in North London. The expansion will see a 200-seat theatre being built, alongside three new rehearsal spaces and a coworking space. A new pocket park to be situated at the south side of the building's entrance, planned in partnership with the London Borough of Islington, will also help to improve air quality within the building itself.
Staging performances from many of NYT's companies, the 200-seat theatre will allow the REP company, Playing Up and Stepping Up, and other new work by NYT associate companies and emerging creatives to take to the stage, while the co-working space will provide opportunities for emerging playwrights, producers and theatre companies.
Paul Roseby OBE, National Youth Theatre CEO and artistic director hopes that the development will enable the company to ‘double the number of young creatives we work with in the building and make us more sustainable to the benefit of future generations of talent who will come through our doors.’ He believes it will make for ‘an exciting new chapter in our history as we continue to grow new audiences by telling new and relevant stories of our time. Whilst 70% of our membership and work will continue to be outside of London, we can't be a truly national organisation without an aspirational local presence in our home borough, where, as child poverty rates show, the need is great. We're grateful to all of our supporters for making possible this vital work with those who need it the most.’
If your students would like to join NYT as a performer or technician, auditions and interviews are now open for the 2020 intake. Acting auditions will take place across the country throughout February and March, including dates in Belfast, Bexhillon-Sea, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Chichester, Chelmsford, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guildford, Hull, Kendal, Keswick, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford Plymouth, Reading, Sheffield, Swansea and York. Backstage interviews will take place across London, Birmingham and Manchester with a skype option available. Those successful in audition and interview will be invited onto one of NYT's summer courses. www.nyt.org.uk
LAMDA announces plans to abolish all audition fees
Following last year's cost reduction, director Sarah Frankcom has revealed that she plans to cut all auditions fees for entry into the drama school.
Making initial cuts to audition fees back in September, Frankcom reduced the first round of audition costs by 75%, meaning LAMDA hopefuls now only pay £12.
Frankcom has now confirmed that even more cuts are in the works. Discussing this on BBC's the next Episode podcast, she said: ‘That's what I am working towards’, although she believed it would have been a ‘big ask’ to abolish cuts in one go.
She added, ‘It's a very expensive process [for schools] to audition, and that's why schools have charged. There is maybe a slight misconception that schools are making a lot of money from people auditioning, but invariably they are not…we've done something here because it's something I believe passionately about. It's the most visible way of saying you're open.’
To find out more, visit: www.lamda.ac.uk
Touring theatre announcements: 2020 tour dates announced for Bring It On: the musical
Loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name, Bring It On: the musical focuses on the world of competitive cheerleading. Combining an original score by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and Pulitzer Prize winning Tom Kitt, with impressive street dance routines, the musical has been enjoying a successful run on Broadway and will now embark on its first ever UK tour. Opening at Birmingham Hippodrome on 22 June, the show's run will include dates at Sunderland Empire (9 – 13 June), Milton Keynes Theatre (16 – 20 June), Wales Millennium Centre (23 – 27 June), Stoke Regent Theatre (30 June – 4 July), Hull New Theatre (7 – 11 July), Bradford Alhambra Theatre (14 – 18 July), Manchester Opera House (21 – 25 July), Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (4 – 8 August), New Theatre Peterborough (18 – 22 August), Malvern Festival Theatre (17 – 21 November) and Edinburgh Festival Theatre (24 – 28 November), with more dates to be announced this year.
For more information and to book tickets visit the website of the respective venue.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to embark on 2020 UK and Ireland tour
A London Theatre Company, Elliott & Harper and Catherine Schreiber for Leeds Plyahouse production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is set to tour the UK and Ireland in Autumn 2020, beginning with a run at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on 20 November 2020.
Including dates in Cardiff, Salford, Dublin, Edinburgh, Canterbury, Glasgow and Nottingham, the team behind the production includes director Sally Cookson, designer Rae Smith and writer Adam Peck, who originally brought the tale to Leeds Playhouse for a successful run in 2017.
Having just finished a further run at the Bridge Theatre in London starring Femi Akinfolarin as Peter, Kezia Joseph as Lucy and Wil Johnson as Aslan, full casting for the UK and Ireland tour is still to be announced. The production will act as the Lowry's 2020 Christmas show. Tickets for Aylesbury and Glasgow are now on sale with the rest to be released soon.
To find out more and book tickets, visit: www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/.
RADA are now holding auditions in Scotland
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) will now be holding auditions in Scotland. This announcement follows criticism from union, Equity, who have commented on the drama school's lack of auditioning opportunities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The first Scotland based auditions were held in Glasgow in January and early February this year, with Acting (BA) hopefuls attending auditions at the Scottish Youth Theatre on 27 and 28 January, and technical theatre and stage management interviews being held at the same location on 3 February.
© CHEMICAL ENGINEER
RADA's home in Bloomsbury, London
RADA hopes to continue to audition talent in Scotland in future years, with the organisation stating that it aims to ‘to cover as many locations as is practically possible, to reach the best talent from across the UK and beyond.’
RADA director Edward Kemp has explained that the school ‘[receives] thousands of applications for our courses each year, but we are always striving to make sure that these come from students from across the country, from all kinds of backgrounds. That's why for many years we have been committed to travelling beyond our local area, to places where we know there is exciting young talent, who may not know about RADA or be able to travel to us. Applications to all London drama schools remain weighted towards students from London and the South East for many reasons, partly due to the financial impact of travelling to open days, auditions and interviews – especially if you're applying to several schools.’
To find out more, visit: www.rada.ac.uk
Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation awards new grants to support theatre training
© PATRICK BALDWIN
Graeae's production of Reasons to be Cheerful
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has awarded £225,000 worth of grants to theatres across the UK who are currently running training programmes for young people and those with additional needs.
Among those awarded were Bristol Old Vic which received £20,000 to aid its work with young performers from disadvantaged backgrounds, Brighton Dome who were given £15,000 to help fund a young musicians Bursary scheme, and Arts Insight's ‘Production Week’, a scheme which offers performing arts experiences to secondary school students, who were awarded a grant of £25,000.
Andrew Lloyd Webber has stated that he is ‘thrilled’ that his foundation ‘is able to support projects that widen access, inspire creativity and deliver opportunities.’ He added that ‘Around the country, across the arts, many people are doing brilliant things to unlock talent and empower the next generation to succeed. We are proud to work with them… engagement in the arts changes lives. The positive impact of the arts on health, social mobility and well-being is now irrefutable. I passionately believe that everyone in this country, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, should be able to participate.’
The National Student Drama Festival, Southwark Playhouse, Chichester Festival and the Graeae Ensemble training programme for D/deaf and disabled people were also awarded grants.
To find out more about the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, visit: http://andrewlloydwebberfoundation.com/
Online stage management courses launched
A new series of online stage management training courses has been launched with a view to making backstage theatre training more accessible.
Launched in January by Bamboo Manager Project – a company run by stage manager and educator Antonia Collins – the first course to be made available to budding stage managers will be ‘Stage Management 101’ which is equivalent to a first year drama school course and will cost £800. A more advanced course, building on the knowledge gained during ‘Stage Management 101’ will be launched in due course.
The company has also released a range of short courses, costing £20, which include, ‘What is Stage Management?’, an introductory overview of stage management work, ‘Introduction to the Production Process’ which details how to put on a show and ‘Management 101 – Being the Manager you want to be’ which will help those already working in stage management to develop their existing skills. All courses are available online with the option of Skype group calls.
To find out more visit: www.thebamboomanagerproject.org/
Government confirms £85 million funding to help young people engage with the arts
The government has confirmed its funding for arts education between 2020 – 2021, including a total of £85 million that will be spent across music, dance and theatre.
£81 million of this sum will however be channelled to fund music education, with £80 million being spent on music hubs and £1 million on charities that help young people to learn about different musical styles, leaving only the remaining £4 million to be spent on cultural education programmes run by organisations such as the BFI Film Academy and the National Youth Dance Company.
School Standards Minister Nick Gibb has commented that ‘Music, arts and culture play an essential role in enriching pupils’ education, and we want to give as many young people as possible the opportunity to learn an instrument or perform in a choir or a band.’
To find out more, visit: https://tinyurl.com/GOVUK85mill
Dance company, Jasmin Vardimon to open pop-up space in Kent
Based in Ashford, Kent, the Jasmin Vardimon dance company is now opening a new pop-up in the town's shopping centre in order to share its work with the community. The temporary space will be used for masterclasses, workshops, exhibitions, talks and screenings, with a capacity of 45 (or 25 for classes).
The company's artistic director, Jasmin Vardimon hopes the pop-up will ‘provide an opportunity to share our experience and knowledge with the wider community of Ashford and Kent…’ and adds that they ‘welcome visitors to experience all that we have to offer and be involved in shaping our participation programme ahead of the move into our new building’
Running until the end of June, the pop-up will focus on helping people from Ashford to build their own creative skills, with the classes and events being run on a pay as you go basis. The pop-up will be situated inside the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet.
To find out more, visit: https://jasminvardimon.com/