Theatre Futures

Enterprising students reap rewards!

Radica — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:33:45 +0000

Rose Bruford College’s newly minted graduates have taken on the dragons in their den, and won! Students at the Sidcup-based college specialising in vocational higher education and training for the theatre and performance-related industries entered a College competition to pitch ideas for theatrical ventures in front of a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style panel of industry experts, and have walked away with thousands of pounds in prizes. Shubra Rao, a third year student on the BA (Hons) Organising Live Arts course, won the top prize of £750 for a theatre project in conjunction with an Eltham-based women’s group, Mahila Sangha. “I am so shocked”, said the 22-year-old after winning, “this money will help realise Mahila’s Sangha’s dream of delivering Rokeya Hussain’s life and her stories to the stage. Rokeya wrote about the value of educating women in the nineteenth century, and this money makes it possible for my generation of Asian women to know about her.” Four other graduate students/start-ups won seed funding of £500:

· Alice Roskams and Suzannah Bryce, both students on BA (Hons) European Theatre Arts, will take their devised pieces of theatres to rural venues across the east of England

· Aidan Belizaire will be setting up a music video production company once he graduates from the BA (Hons) Music Technology · Grit Eckert will be taking the skills that she learned on the BA (Hons) Scenic Arts into workshops on Victorian theatre skills

· Sheer Lunacy, a graduate company from the BA (Hons) European Theatre Arts create bespoke ‘happenings’ for outdoor events. A A total of sixteen groups of students spent ten minutes each persuading the judges that their post-college business ideas were worth backing - with a potential maximum prize of £1250, and minimum of £500, there was a lot at stake. Chair of the judging panel, Ben Thomas, Governor of Rose Bruford College and theatre practitioner, said: “The standard of pitching and the creativity that the students exhibited was truly magnificent, and we were all really impressed with the ideas”. Thames Innovation Centre’s Chief Executive, Lesley Anne Rubenstein, said: “It was inspiring to spend a day at Rose Bruford College and the level of enthusiasm, creativity and innovation of all of the participants was infectious. All the winners will add value to society with their respective projects and I have no doubt that they will go far with the skills they have acquired. We are proud to offer such worthy individuals free business start-up training, as well as a 6 month free hotdesk to Shubra, worth over £2000. I’m already looking forward to coming back next year!” Rose Bruford College’s Director of Continuing Professional Development, Philip Wigley, commented: “We are delighted that so many of our graduating students elected to take part in this competition. The college is very keen to support students’ entrepreneurial instincts and this event is just one of the ways that we nurture the creative business leaders of tomorrow.” The competition took place during yesterday’s annual Creative Industries Fair held at the College to showcase the work of graduating students from the School of Design, Management and Technical Arts. The panel of judges consisted of:

· Ben Thomas, governor of Rose Bruford College and theatre practitioner (Chair)

· Susannah Buxton, costume designer · Mel Churcher, acting and voice coach

· Simon Dale, Stage Jobs Pro and Casting Call Pro· Stephen Guy, freelance arts project manager

· Peter Higgins, enrichment manager, Punch Drunk

· Jonathan Petherbridge, artistic director, London Bubble Theatre Company

· Lesley Anne Rubenstein, chief executive, Thames Innovation Centre

· Richard Wilson, managing director, White Light

Kala Kathakali Chethena Tour

Radica — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:16:43 +0000

Theatre Futures and Rose Bruford College are proud to announce that reknowned kathakali company, Kala Chethena, will be coming to Sidcup on October 14th. The masters of south Indian classical theatre will be holding a workshop and full production complete with costumes and musicians, to celebrate the opening of the David Bolland video collection. The actors and musicians are all associated with the Kerala Kalamandalam, the main training university. We look forward to wecloming Kalamandalam Gopi, India’s leading kathakali actor, and his company. Tickets for the masterclass and performance will be available from 14 September, contact the box office on 8308 2616.

Summer courses at Rose Bruford

Radica — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Theatre Futures is happy to announce a raft of short courses that will be taking place over the summer at Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, Kent.
These include the return of both the four day modelmaking sessions, with David Neat, and we will also be running other courses in photography for artists and designers; digital projection for theatre makers, and new writing for theatre. All of the tutors on our courses are practising theatre professionals, who will impart current and up-to-date knowledge of their field.

21 - 25 July Four day model making with David Neat
21 - 25 July Photography for artists and designers with Astrid Bärndal
NEW! Five day projection for theatremakers
NEW! Five day new writing for theatre
NEW! Ten week acting for camera course

More information will be published on this site and ArtsJobs over the next two months.

Performance passports

Julian — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:11:39 +0000

We’ve set up a new page for all those students who made videos during our roadshow. It can be found at http://www.theatrefutures.org.uk/performancepassport. This page should allow discussion between you all. In particular, I’m aware that Blackpool and Thanet students have a lot of experience of declinging seaside resorts; whereas Nottingham and Kidderminster are both suffering from a change from manufacturing industry. Norwich is interesting, as a city where performance is just on the verge of becoming very important.

You might want to chat between yourselves as to what studying Performing Arts / Technical theatre is like - you can use the discussion here to comment!

Great to meet you all
Julian

The Sidcup Papers

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:00:37 +0000

The Research Office at RBC is proud to announce the launch of new occasional scholarly writings called 'The Sidcup Papers'. The opening paper was written by visiting professor Chris Baldwin and offers an in-depth analysis of key socio-cultural changes in parts of Northern Spain; stemming from a three year body of work from Fiesta to festival, archeology and outdoor performance.

Stanislavski on stage

admin — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:20:19 +0000

NATIONAL THEATRE Olivier Theatre foyer
7th April to 10th May 2008 (admission free)

Stanislavski on stage
An exhibition of rarely seen photographs from the archive of The Stanislavski Centre, Rose Bruford College.

The exhibition has been made possible by the generosity of Evgeny Lebedev.

Curator: Robert McIndoe
Designer: Nigel Hook
Mounted in association with Routledge

The exhibition catalogue Stanislavski on Stage: (edited by Kathy Dacre and Paul Fryer) will be on sale at the NT bookshop.

For more information, including a selection of photos from the archive, an archive catalogue and access details visit the Stanislavski Centre website here.

Theatre Futures competition winners

Radica — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:28:56 +0000

The five excited winners of our play writing competition have been announced and their plays will be performed as a rehearsed reading at Soho Theatre on December 12th to an invited audience of theatre professionals.

Rita Gayle, a Lewisham based film-maker whose play, Towers in the Night, is one of the five said; “I entered the Theatres Futures competition after reading an ad in the local newspaper. I am a film-maker and had written before but never just a straight script for others to work with. I’m genuinely thrilled to have had my play selected.”

Eddie Coleman, a civil servant for the Justice Department, wrote Street Artists and said:” I’m absolutely thrilled and delighted that Rose Bruford are presenting my work at the Soho Theatre.”

The normally Bromley based Ken Wright, is currently on sabbatical in Bangladesh with his wife and family reported that: This will give my morale a massive boost, I’ve never had anything I’ve written performed on the London stage.” His ten minute play is the entertaining farce, Offlife.

Brockley’s Emily Hunka wrote One Year On and works for Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre and said:” I am so shocked, this is brilliant news.”

Copy writer Tim Guest is our final winner, for his play Mother’s Ruin told us: As a new writer I am delighted to have won - the Theatre Futures competition is one of very few openings for new writers to see their work live on stage, which I’m sure will be an invaluable experience. I’m very much looking forward to seeing my work performed - and I hope it’s the first of many performances to come.

Rita Gayle - Towers in the Night

Emily Hunka - One Year On

Eddie Coleman - Street Artists

Ken Wright - Offlife

Tim Guest - Mother’s Ruin

Training in Moscow

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:17:07 +0000

The Stanislavski Centre presents a seminar presentation by Tess Dignan (voice) and Peter Bramley (movement), two key members of RBC teaching staff, on their experiences of working at the Moscow Art Theatre. Monday 12th November 2007 in the Learning Resources Centre Study Room.

Spanish Playwrights Week

admin — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:02:52 +0000

Three Spanish Authors in London

For the third year running, the Euro Theatro Association, in collaboration with the Rose Bruford College in London, the Spanish Ministry for Culture (INAEM and the Department for the Promotion of Books, Reading and Spanish Arts), and Caos Editorial, proudly presents rehearsed readings in English translation of three plays by contemporary Spanish authors.

Programme

New Spanish Theatre / Nuevo Teatro Español
Lourdes Ortiz, Josep Pere Peyró and José María Rodríguez Méndez

Tuesday, 23 October 2007

16.30 Press launch.
With: Authors, translators and Rose Bruford College.
Theatre Royal Haymarket - Haymarket - London SW1Y 4HT.

Wednesday, 24 October 2007

18.30 Rehearsed reading of Autumn Flower (Flor de Otoño) by José María
Rodríguez Méndez.
Translation: Emilio Romero.
Cast: professional English actors.
Directors: Iain Reekie and Emilio Romero.
Rose Theatre - Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup - Kent DA15 9DF

20.00 Discussion with José María Rodríguez Méndez, Emilio Romero, Iain
Reekie and cast.
Rose Theatre.

Thursday, 25 October 2007

18.30 Rehearsed reading of The Seagulls (Les gavines) by Josep Pere Peyró.
Translation: Paul Rankin.
Cast: professional English actors.
Director: Kathy Dacre.
Rose Theatre.

20.00 Discussion with Josep Pere Peyró, Paul Rankin, Kathy Dacre and cast.
Rose Theatre.

Friday, 26 October 2007

18.30 Rehearsed reading of Mad King Ludwig (Rey loco) by Lourdes Ortiz.
Translation: Sarah Maitland.
Cast: professional English actors.
Director: Collin Ellwood.
Rose Theatre.

20.00 Discussion with Lourdes Ortiz, Sarah Maitland, Collin Ellwood and
cast.
Rose Theatre.

Fin Kennedy on Performance Prompt

admin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:44:55 +0000

Performance Prompt's latest article is by UK playwright Fin Kennedy and offers a rare insight into the research and writing processes of a working playwright.