Making it happen

The bad news is that when theatres reopen there will be more backstage gaps and skills shortages than ever. Before the pandemic, the industry had too few stage managers, lighting technicians, costume makers and other behind-the-scenes essential workers.

The situation will be worse now, because some of these people have, while their workplaces were closed, taken their readily transferrable skills elsewhere and might not come back. Imagine a stage electrician who has spent the last year happily and lucratively rewiring houses, for example.

The good news is that this means there will be plenty of backstage job opportunities for the next generation. And even better news is that the Birmingham Ormiston Academy Group is opening BOA Stage and Screen this autumn to provide training opportunities in these skills for 16- to 19-year-olds.

Future talent

Steve Ball, former associate director at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and a qualified teacher with a wealth of experience has been appointed principal of BOA Stage and Screen. ‘We want to equip the next generation of creative talent with the knowledge and practical experience they need to excel in the technical and production aspects of the stage and screen industries,’ he says.

‘We have 200 places in the first instance and that will rise to 400,’ says BOA's CEO, Gaynor Cheshire, speaking to me from her home. ‘And recruitment is completely open. Most of our students will probably come from the wider area across the West Midlands, but we're also expecting applications from further afield.

‘When we opened BOA, one student came from the Channel Islands. We're not residential and students have to make their own arrangements, but we're surrounded by good university student accommodation and that is available from age 16.’

Flexible curriculum

BOA Stage and Screen will be based in a refurbished building in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter where it is in the process of creating production studios. ‘In Ofsted terms, we're a school not an FE college,’ says Cheshire. ‘We cannot, therefore, take anyone who will be older than 19 when they leave.’

So, what will the curriculum consist of? ‘BTEC courses,’ replies Cheshire. ‘We're offering two – Performing Arts Practice and Creative Media Practice – with some interchangeable modules so it's very flexible. There will also be an industry qualification in a specific area such as wig making, electrical work, construction and so on.’

The emphasis is firmly on partnerships and industry involvement and experience. There are over 40 theatres in Birmingham as well as arenas and events. BOA, which runs the The Old Rep Theatre, is also partnered with the BBC and Production Resource Group, so it plans to provide students with access to high quality teaching in real-world settings.

Supporting core subjects

Because this is a school, there is also a core curriculum covering areas such as personal development and citizenship, as well as how to manage yourself as a freelance business because that's what many of these students will eventually become.

‘And if they come to us without a level 4 grade in Maths and English, we help them to achieve that because they are still at school and need these leaving qualifications.’

The overall idea – and it's the first school of its type in the West Midlands – is to give students a deep and practical understanding of the stage and screen industry, including events, festivals and the processes involved in both creative production and delivery. The stress is on real productions and work placements.

Extended deadline

BOA Stage and Screen is a sister school to Birmingham Ormiston Academy, the 14–19 academy specialising in creative, digital and performing arts which opened in 2011. The group is also planning a third academy specialising in digital media to open in 2023.

‘We now have to make contact with those “hard-to-reach” young people,’ says Cheshire. ‘If they see theatre or film, they often can't get beyond what is immediately before them. But for every performer there are probably another eight people out of sight making it happen and that's what we need to get across.’

It must be quite a challenge at the moment, I suggest. ‘Yes,’ says Cheshire, ‘It isn't easy. Normally we'd be going into schools, attending careers fairs and inviting prospective applicants to our building and we can't do any of that at the moment.’

The deadline for applications is 31 March but that will be extended if they haven't attracted the numbers they need by then. There will also be a further 200 places next year to bring the school up to the full Year 12 and Year 13 cohort.

www.boa-stageandscreen.co.uk