spex299 Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Hey there! I am at the time where I need to start looking for Universities. Does anyone have any suggestions for someone wishing to study either stage management, or Lighting Design. I have looked into RADA, Bristol Old Vic, and Glamorgan Universities, but are there any more that anyone could reccomend looking at? Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Have you looked here:Training_FAQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theatrcymraeglampy Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Another week, another question on courses.... Have you tried the usual suspects? RWCMD, LIPA, Rose Bruford, Central, Guildhall, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spex299 Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Have you looked here:http://www.blue-room.org.uk/wiki/Training_FAQ hadn't found that =]cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Why would anyone wanting to do lighting design want to do a stage management course ? (Or vice versa). KC (It is possible, I suppose, that you might be asking about a second course on behalf of a friend) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frag_Me Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Perhaps they like doing both of them? Back when I was looking at courses I looked at Lighting Design and at the same time Computer Science but it doesn't mean I wasn't suitable for one of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Perhaps they like doing both of them? Back when I was looking at courses I looked at Lighting Design and at the same time Computer Science but it doesn't mean I wasn't suitable for one of them... But perhaps the two subjects are as different as pharmacology and radiography? They both can happen in the same building, a hospital in this case, but require a very different approach from the practicioner.(Possibly not a good comparison, but you get the idea....) KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 While Lighting Designer and Stage Manager do very different jobs - it pays for both to have a good understanding of what the other is doing and how they are doing it. While there are many courses which train students in only a very narrow specialism, the best RADA, LAMDA, BOVTS and the like, try to give a more rounded education including both Stage Management and Lighting and even some of the other varied theatre skills. It's all very well having a Degree, or even a PhD, in some fancy lighting subject but if you've no idea how to rig a light or understand how the staging elements work you're going to find it hard to find work, particularly early in your career. Ditto, those Stage Managers with an understanding for things technical will also find a greater variety of work available to them - remember the days when the CSM did the relights, some still do. Or perhaps the OP knows that they want to work in theatre but doesn't yet know what exactly it has to offer and would like to keep their options open. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 While Lighting Designer and Stage Manager do very different jobs - it pays for both to have a good understanding of what the other is doing and how they are doing it. So I'll be able to present my version of "Hamlet" better because I know how to set a box of matches? The problem with theatre - or at least one of them - is that the phrase "practical man of the theatre" is seen as a compliment. What theatre needs is a few more "impractical" men (and women) - like Lepage or Wilson. Carrying on with the rather moribund system of theatre education we have merely continues the dead hand of traditional theatre. The paradigms are wrong - any number of companies still treat the lighting designer as a jumped up electrician rather than part of a scenographic team with an important "visual" contribution to make. Sadly, people confuse "re-arranging the lights where the director wants them " with "lighting design". My next business cards will be A5 in order to accomodate the former. KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tab Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 So I'll be able to present my version of "Hamlet" better because I know how to set a box of matches? No, but may be I'll be able to say 'Go' in the right place if I understand what you're trying to achieve? My heart was in lighting until I realised that Stage management was the route for me I have continued to do a bit of lighting and stay in touch with what's new. The options for me to study lighting were limited. It was Paddington to do the 181 or sneak in to a Stage management course, has this changed? I've never had a complaint yet from an LD as a caller. I have also found that when an LD says 'go' to his programmer it's when he would press the button himself and then the Q is late. So yes, maybe understanding a bit more about each others jobs isn't such a bad thing, be it setting a box of matches, a mark where you want them to stand, or a getting a poignant Q in the right place. Sorry if this is off topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzidido4 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Hey there! I am at the time where I need to start looking for Universities. Does anyone have any suggestions for someone wishing to study either stage management, or Lighting Design. I have looked into RADA, Bristol Old Vic, and Glamorgan Universities, but are there any more that anyone could reccomend looking at? Cheers Dave Hi im at rose bruford studying lighting design and I give it 100% thumbs up. Biased I know ** laughs out loud **.However there is also a lighting programming course so make sure you know which one it is you actually want to do.The programming course is a lot more hands on with the equipment however you still get to learn similar stuff on the LD course its just a lot more design based. The tutors are excellent and are quick to pass on any work info. that becomes available to them so you can get hands on work too. The college isnt far from london itself so you're on the doorstep of theatre.As for the stage management course.... I have friends on it who really enjoy it but I know a fair few people dropped out. Go visit the place ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolgal01 Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I would agree with the above post, the Tutors at Rose Bruford are fantastic. Im at Royal Holloway and so can only speak from my experience here, but our Stage Lighting course is led by guest tutor from there and he and the course is excellent. In answer to your question, I think it depends how much you want to focus on one or the other. I was unsure of which area of theatre I wanted to go in to (Directing, lighting or stage management) so I went to a Uni that could offer me training in all three, and more. Royal Holloway does a bit of everything in the first year, and then by the second year you can narrow it down further. However, from your post it sounds like your thinking about drama schools rather than uni, in which case Royal Holloway won't be right for you. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 But perhaps the two subjects are as different as pharmacology and radiography? They both can happen in the same building, a hospital in this case, but require a very different approach from the practicioner.(Possibly not a good comparison, but you get the idea....) We should maybe split this into a new thread.. Lighting Design has always been my main interest, however I opted to do the combined Stage Management and Technical Theatre course at LAMDA and don't regret it. I feel that in order to light a show you need a good understanding of how the other departments work, how a set is constructed, how blacks are rigged, how costumes are made, how a DSM calls a show. This knowlege allows you to ask the right questions and to spot where problems are going to occur. Doing the SM&TT course has also allowed me to diversify my career, while Lighting Design is still my favourite part of my job, it doesn't always pay brilliantly, so I am able to work as a Production Manager and Technical Manager to pay the bills, something I also enjoy and wouldn't have been able to do without the extra experience. Many thanks Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leejones37 Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Ooo, the fun of picking a degree. Where you should go definately will depend on what you want to do later in life.Again, being as unbiased as possible, I also attend Rose Bruford College and am about to complete my Stage Management Degree there. Ther course for me was great, but the training is focused specifically on Stage Managment. Thats not to say you don't learn about other elements within the course and there is ample opportunity to experiment with the other elements, but the course itself is mainly quite specific, as is the case with the Lighting Design Course. On the other hand, at RADA for example, you do a little of everything including Lighting, Audio and Stage Management, then in your second year you choose which you would like to specialise in, which may be the kind of course you should choose if you don't know exactly what you want to specialise in yet. You should think about what you would like to do (or if indeed you aren't sure) and see what each of the Drama Schools / Universities can offer you. Get prospectus's but also make sure you go to open days and chat to the course tutors and current students of the colleges / universities. Whatever you choose, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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