Could You Help Me?

[rohanmcdermott]

Hi, I've just found this forum and it looks awesome! I am currently studying AS Technical Drama with the intention of getting a job in theatre. Does anyone have any tips to help me get a good grounding in theatre?

I enjoy all technical aspect of theatre (sound, lighting and management) but I prefer stage management. About a month ago, I took part in the National Theatre's Introduction to Stage Management course and found it all really interesting. What a lot of people were saying on the course is I should be working in lots of local theatres (Surrey) to build my experience and a portfolio for job applications. Could you give me any examples of how to approach local theatres and ask for work placements?

Once I have completed my A levels, I am hoping to apply for the Technical course at RADA or GSA. Out of interest, does anyone have any tips for applying for GSA or RADA?

 

Thanks for your help,

Rohan

[vinntec]

It is not clear if you have done any technical theatre? You say you like stage management, but have you done time as a stagehand, ASM, DSM, or SM - away from college I mean? Have you helped rigged lighting, ideally in a limited time slot? Have you designed sound or lighting for a performance? If not, how do you know this is the life for you? Low pay, long and unsocial hours, relatively dangerous working environment but one some people love - but probably most others would hate. The only way to know is experience away from the cosy world of college to find out if doing this full time, on a larger scale, is for you.

 

Very many professionals have started with first steps in amateur theatre, I have helped several on their first steps over the years. Cold evenings helping to build a set, a day rigging lighting, sitting through countless rehearsals for the same show as SM marking out the stage and set and paid nothing. If you are still enthusiastic then - and only then - can you consider a future in technical theatre. Also when you are looking for your first post one of the things they might be looking for will be experience you have gained off your own back which shows you are one of the chosen ones.

 

If you live in Surrey then first stop might be a community theatre like the Rhoda McGaw Theatre in Woking - looks at what's on and the societies which use it and check their websites to see if any of them look appropriate for gaining experience. Alternatively search for "Rhoda McGaw". Look the societies up and phone them and see what they can offer you and you can offer them. It might just be a pair of hands at the next get-in or an offer to look after the props table during performances but you have to start somewhere. If you don't wake up on get-in day desperately looking forward to it, then you probably need to seriously consider doing something else for a career.

 

However, why haven't you done these searches yourself already? Have you contacted the technical teams at your local theatres - of which there are several in Surrey - to even have a look round backstage? A search "theatre surrey" gives six theatres. There are also 3 "little theatres" in your area (owned and operated by amateurs) and that's before I start on amateur companies who rent spaces and schools which have serious performance spaces and others which haven't come up in these simple searches. What about your home town - does it have any local societies you can get experience with?

 

Most amateur companies are desperate for younger people - of the right sort - interested in getting involved backstage and provided you became 16 last school year (or earlier), you can join these effectively as an adult (but usually at a reduced rate while still a student). Companies who rent performances spaces might only do a few productions a year, others especially the little theatres a lot more so you probably need to be in more than one while gaining experience. Nowadays nearly all of those which are any good are also "the chosen ones" so go off to RADA and other specialist colleges and universities to make it their careers or get a job at a theatre as a resident tech or a rental company and start working their way up so pass through the amateur ranks quite briefly.

 

That's my tuppence worth!

[alistermorton]

You don't say which part of Surrey you're in (I'm in Caterham, East Surrey) but as Peter (Vinntec) suggests, get out and about into the local theatres, whether amateur or professional and make enquiries and try to get contacts, try to get some involvement on shows (some of the pro theatres will take on helpers on zero hours contracts) and the amateur theatres are always in need of helpers (mine is one of the Little Theatres in Surrey).

 

The old stigma of "am-dram" is constantly being eroded, so don't be put off by the lack of a "pro" theatre. At an RSC open stages day I attended one of the key statements was that these days often the only difference between amateur theatre and professional theatre is the pro's are doing it for a wage, the amateurs are doing it for the love of it; everything else, production values, commitment to excellence etc is the same (in some cases he reckoned some amateur theatres trump the professionals) and amateur theatre gives you the chance to get involved with many backstage activities.

 

EDIT: Spelling

[paulears]

AS Technical Drama? Not heard of this one. The advice so far is pretty well how it is. If you are doing the 'technical' option bolted onto AS/A2 Drama, then you need to remember the technical element is very small, marks wise, so being a real whizz in sound or lighting really has very little impact, and you don't need to actually know very much to access the top grades. So educationally, you need to look at the mark scheme and make sure anything you do can hit those marking areas. It's especially important if your own teacher is a drama specialist and leaves you to all things technical. Does this person mark what you do and then it's externally moderated, or is your component totally up to somebody outside? This is very important, because an industry specialist may well not see what you have done in real terms - worth checking out. The advice to get outside experience of ANY kind is 100% right. The AS itself doesn't impress any of the people up the chain. RADA and GSA, for example know how little the technical options have in them, so need a good selection of outside activities that show you can do it properly on your CV. If your school activities don't give you complete shows to work on, with realistic timescales and budgets, plus real audiences to impress - they count sadly for very little. Doing sound, lights, stage or other activities for the local am-drams nowadays means serious budgets, clever kit, and the need for competent performance from the crew. This is so different from your school stuff where you could be playing in a few sound effects or pressing a button for a blackout - not at all the same. Also maybe look at doing music stuff - local bands, that kind of thing. Jobs where there is real pressure and what you do matters! AS has to be able to cope with a complete troll working the lights because they can't act, move or memorise their words - so are therefore 'technical'. That's kind of the expected scenario. promote the useless ones to technical to stop them spoiling the acting. This happens far too often. Not everywhere of course, but it is very common. If the teacher has little appreciation or understanding of technical then they get impressed far too easily!

[rohanmcdermott]

@vinntec Thanks a lot for your help!

Just to answer some of your questions:

- Our school does 2 in-house productions each year which I have either ASM'd or DSM'd on in the past two years. On top of this, we do two talent shows which are both student run. I have been either ASM or SM in the past two years of the talent shows. I also helped backstage at the Royal Festival Hall when our school was putting on a concert there. As far as work outside of school goes, I have done a 1 day lighting rig with a local theatre group and the National Theatre Stage Management Course. In July, I did a weeks work experience with a technical manager.

 

@alistermorton Thanks for your response!

I live in Walton on Thames, in Surrey. My school is in Cobham.

Does your theatre have a webpage?

 

@paulears Thanks for your comments!

My AS practical will be internally marked and externally moderated.

 

Thank you for everyone who replied. From what I have read, I will begin looking at several local theatres to work on upcoming shows. Hopefully I will be able to build a big portfolio of shows showing many areas of technical theatre in the next couple of years!

 

 

Thanks,

Rohan

[Jivemaster]

Two shows in a year is almost worthless as "experience" anyway it's not real world it's school. You MUST have some real world experience of the work, ANY experience. Try your local theatres and the like for backstage work, try any local equipment hire companies. Try you local am dram companies to work on a show or two with them.

 

It's likely that you could FAIL your exams and still get a good job if you were up to standard and good to work with. Professional theatre doesn't worship academic bits of paper, they DO worship real current and relevant experience. A frequent starting point is working in the stores prepping kit to go out on hire -being sure that everything is there in the right cases with the right labels etc so that a show can go on in a few hours.

 

Don't hope that anyone will trust you on a proper show for a start, you may get some non critical bits to do, then later when they find how you work, you may get some real on cue show work.

[alistermorton]

Not exactly on your doorstep, then, Rohan. Our theatre site is here - The Miller Centre Theatre Company. It's currently being rebuilt, so the past productions pages aren't completely populated with casts, reviews and photos, but they're slowly getting there.

[vinntec]

I live in Walton on Thames, in Surrey. My school is in Cobham.

In terms of little theatres nearby, checkout Teddington Theatre Club, Richmond Shakespeare Society, and The Nomad Theatre. On the professional side The Leatherhead Theatre is not far away (the tech used to be Paul Ashcroft, but not sure if he is still there as I last did a show there in 2010). There is also Dorking Halls to the south of Leatherhead that is worth investigating. In Walton itself you have the Riverhouse Barn and the Walton Playhouse possibly others. Get on Google and do some digging there are plenty of places to pester not too far away and there are probably others I haven't come across.

[Jivemaster]

If you struggle for theatre experience then also look in the Events sector, Likely you have missed the Christmas party season recruitment, but find the suppliers near you and contact them for the wedding season (think of it as theatre in the round or mingled with the audience).

[alistermorton]

It's currently being rebuilt,

 

The website, that is, not the theatre http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

 

 

 

[Robin D]

Can I hold the OP up as a good example to others who happen by here. Too many time people are criticised for insufficient information, wanting people here to do the work for them. This time, the questions were good.

 

The response from the forum has been all positive and the OP is clearly ready to take the comments and advice on board.

 

So... well done Rohan.

[David Ripley]

Rohan

 

Rather than Teddington Theatre Club, go for YAT, the youth branch, based in Teddington but performing at TTC's Hampton Hill Playouse.

 

As well as many actors, YAT/TTC was where a lot of us started our backstage careers, so it has a pretty good pedigree. Patrons include Martin Freeman and Rufus Sewell.

 

Because of this the Hampton Hill Playhouse is a pretty well equipped theatre with hight performance standards.

 

Youth Action Theatre

 

BTW YAT's ability to offer membership and productions at no cost is under threat because of the council withdrawing funding of their use of Collis School for their meetings/workshops/rehearsals. It has always been free since it started in the early 70's making it accessible to anyone with an interest and commitment.If you live in Richmond upon Thames you can sign the petition, more info on the YAT site

 

David

[Junior8]

The technical courses at Central are well worth a look in addition to the places you mention.

[andy_s]

The technical courses at Central are well worth a look in addition to the places you mention.

 

they certainly are. As are those run by LAMDA, Mountview, Rose Bruford, GSA, and others.

 

When the time comes for you to look at tertiary / vocational training, make sure you examine all the options rather than limit yourself to RADA and Guildhall, good though they may be.