OffStage Choices

Friday 15th October,

Today Francesca and I got the train into Leeds to meet Miss Woffinden, our creative and media team and some other year 10 and 11s for the long anticipated, Offstage choices workshop at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. When we arrived we Sat down in the cafe area with Emily and Abi to wait for the others. While we were waiting a man called John came up to us and asked Abi to join him on stage for the introduction at the start of the day. Once everybody was together we started making our own name badges and we were given a folder full of exciting things for the day ahead of us. We then made our way to the Quarry theatre for the introduction with John. He had selected a certain student from each school that was there (about 5/6 schools) and was asking them individual questions about the school and what they thought about the theatre. Then we were assigned a team leader between two schools and followed them for a tour of the theatre. We went all around backstage, to the dressing room/ costume designing room and we even went into the set design room. Because The Playhouse is a producing theatre they make all there own stuff, including props, the script, consumes, set design etc.. where as theatres like The Alhambra and The Grand are receiving theatres which means the touring productions come and perform there but they don't make the productions themselves.

After this each school split so we weren't joined with another anymore and then we went across the road to the Special effects Make Up session with Jules Greenan. Imogen volunteered to be a model and so Jules started to make a bruise on Imogen's face using only red, pink and purple face paints. She explained to us how she has to research the make up and hair of the certain time era needed for the production. It was amazing to find out the different colours needed for different time era's or depending on the style of show. Francesca made mine a new bruise and so she used purple and red where as I made Francesca's bruise old and healing using reds and greens. I never thought you could make a bruise with different coloured face paints. Jules also told us how to make the bruise look swollen or raised by adding more make up around the outside of the bruising area and less in the middle or slightly off centre to make it seem lighter and raised up/ swollen. I didn't know that the actors have to do their own make-up and Jules only teaches them what to do for the performance. Also depending on the actors hair style/ length/ cut she sometimes has to make wigs for the time era of the performance. She said her job isn't the best paid but it is a massive part of the performance because the actor might act brilliantly but it looks nowhere as realistic without the right make up and hair styles. You can just imagine a 1500's play and the actors have modern day make up eg- lots of foundation and bronzer, concealer on their lips and modern day hair styles like Katy Perry's, Cheryl Cole's or even as drastic as Lady Gaga's! That would be an epic fail! I really enjoyed meeting Jules and learning just how much there is to do being a makeup artist.

After this we went to workshop number 2 where we met Jodie Marshall the playwright. We learnt the two key play writing rules. Make it interesting and Drama is conflict. Then we a go at finishing a short script of conflict about passing a glass of water. After this we made our own short play about a complaint with the magic lamp form Aladdin. This was very funny and everybody was very good at this.

For workshop 3 we moved onto the Sound workshop with Mary, Richard, Olly and Students from Leeds City College. Firstly my group- Seb, Imogen, Olly and me went to see Mary up at the top of the theatre in the sound booth. This was really fun and I got to play with some of the buttons and mics. Then we split and me and Seb went to two girls who were messing about with Cd's and apparently that is where they get most of their sound effects from and then they change it to make it their own. Once we had done this, we joined up with Imogen and Olly again and moved onto the task with Richard and Olly. This was really cool because we all had our own parts to play in this and I cannot remember what the other 3 did but I was the director and had to cue the actors (Leeds City College students) in and whilst they improvised I gave them stage directions and told them when to 'cut'. I really enjoyed directing. Then my group met up with the college students and we had to improvise whilst another group directed and helped Olly with the sound. At the end Olly linked each groups Market Street sound improvisations and it sounded just like a real market scene. Pretty Cool. :)

Then we met Joanna Loveday who is the Audience Engagement Officer at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and we spoke about marketing a show and we made spider diagrams as a group of 4. Our spider diagram was about New Media and how we could target audiences with New Media for the upcoming production Aladdin. We came up with some good ideas, Abi, Tomas, Francesca and I but others were rather random like cloning an army of genies!

After lunch we had the set design workshop with Barney George. We had to create either a piece of fruit and veg or a lamp for the market street signs in Aladdin. I made a little strawberry but it was nowhere as good as Seb's Olive! This wasn't my favourite workshop as I'm not that keen on art and design but  I still enjoyed having a go.

Speed Dating, was really fun and I enjoyed meeting different people and asking them questions about anything I would wish to know with their jobs. I really liked the Assistant Director (I don't know his name), and I like the sound of his job.

Now it was the final session in the quarry theatre where three girls from Allerton Grangedid a short play and the College students did some improvisation and got us involved.  A lot of physical theatre was involved and so Abi played the door bell and Tomas played the door!

Thank you so much to Jess Farmer and Miss Wofinden for making this amazing day possible. It was brilliant.