Tech Run

During the tech run, I performed in fourpieces. Rooster (my A level dance quartet), Khan duet (my A level dance solo),Guernica and Payday!  I think the tech run went quite well overall. In Rooster, there are some bits I need to work on and practice ,which I will do through out the day. The Khan duet went better than I expected and me and Lois need to run through it a few times to work on timings.
WWW: Our musicality was good, we hit the jump back on the right beat. Overall the piece went pretty good we just need to run it a few times through the day.
EBI: At the beginning, I turn on the wrong foot so I need to remember to go on the other foot. Theres one part I always get stuck on (30 seconds in) and its just remember the way we get up because I always go to just roll up but its a side step up. So whenever I do it wrong it throws me for the next part. We also need to work on our spacing as we went too far into the curtain.

For Guernica, I just need to work on my performance skills like facial expressions.

Made in Dagenham

During Fridays rehearsal, Kim put us in charge and let us independently block Everybody Out. To start with it was me, Charlotte, Fran and Jennah and we had a discussion about how it should start and talked about what we wanted to happen throughout the song. We worked really well together to do this blocking and all listened to each others suggestions and took on board what others said. We spent the whole rehearsal blocking this song because we wanted it to be good as it closes act 1. The number isn't very 'dancy' we went for more of a physical theatre piece. During this I put in the idea of at the first chorus, we stand on the chair ready for the chorus and then on the second 'Everybody Out' everyone takes off their ford jacket and throws them on the floor. We used this idea and it was liked by the group as it's good characterisation for the song and matches the tone of the song.

In Tuesdays lesson, we spent the first part of the lesson blocking solos. For my solo, I wrote down all my blocking on my script.

In the second part of the lesson we started brain storming ideas for Viva Eastbourne. We discussed as a group what things you would do at the beach and then got into pairs and created a small motif based on one of these things. Me and Jennah decided to do building sand castles and playing in the sand. We started by running on, waving our bucket and spade and then we build sand castles next to each other, competing and fighting with each other. After we discussed ways we could develop the first section. As a group we decided that the piece will start with everyone running on and then in small groups they'll do one activity you do on the beach. As each group will do something different after you finish the motif you do it somewhere else so the audience sees it. I suggested that in the middle of the stage should be one of the face in the wall picture stands you see on the beach. It should be double sided so people could run into and the audience get a good view from both sides. The group liked this ide but we're not sure on the spacing and where it's going to placed.

Dance

In lesson we developed and finished our trio and had created all the moevement. We used movements from our solos, our previous duet movements and from the phrases Kat taught us. During this we used a number of choreographic divices and motif developments to create or trio.

WWW: We createated our ending and used contact. Our movements are quite effective and portray the theme quite well, for example, there's one part where me and Megan shield Charlotte - like we're protecting her from the bombings and blasts. This is also shown just before this when Carlotte pulls us, like she's pulling us out of the way.

EBI: We need to practice more to get the movements smooth, flowing easier and executed correctly. We can also try working on a few of the transitions between certain moevemnts as they dont go well together. Also, I need to work on my performance skills and use my focus, eyeline and facial expression.

Later in the week, we worked on the piece again and linked all of them together. To link all of them, we decided that everyone starts on stage and holds a freeze while the other pieces happen.

WWW; Like we said we'd do, we developed and worked on our ta#ransitions. This is evident near the begging of our piece. Before, after i kicked Megan off me we went straight into a pose. Whereas now, we added in a small phrase to make it flow better together.

EBI; We still need more practice to get the timing write and have the unision parts in unison. I still need to work on my performance skills however, I think it will be easier when we actually perform the piece to do facial expressions and characterisation.

Cortina Dance

During our own time, Charlotte and I started devisng and choreographing the Cortina dance. Our idea was to have four show girls - one in each corner - perform this dance facing away from the centre and looking at the audience. In the centre would be the Cortina man and Sandra. We started creating sixties based movements and then also took some movements from other versions of Made in Dagenham. We also decided we'd have the girls switch places during the song aswell.

Dance

During lesson we ran the piece in theatre.

After running the piece through in the theatre, we had a discussion about what we did well and what we need to improve and work on. In this i said how I need to work on my strength in certain movements - especially in my arms when performing jumps and the positions we hold. This will allow me to fully extend my movements making them bigger and more effective. I can also work on my balance so I'm not wobbly and will make certain movements (like getting up from the floor) easier. In our piece you can see a contrast in dynamics however, we need to work on that to make it clearer. We need to practice the piece in the theatre more so we get the spacing right. We've also discussed working on our ending when we collapse to make it neater.

CV

Valencia Alex Witmore close, Shoreham-by-Sea· 07835223731 Email  · Twitter/Blog/Portfolio

PERSONAL SUMMARY I am self-motivated and a pro-active Stage Manager who is able to direct and supervise a crew. As an ambitious, driven and hardworking individual, who strives to achieve the best in all I do, I have a passionate interest in theatre. I am also able to establish and maintain goals, calendars, and timelines for all aspects of stage production.  Through my education at Worthing College, I want to progress to University and become a part of a successful stage management team. I have gained experience both on and off stage, alongside front of house. I believe this has given me vital skills and the desire and drive to work in this challenging industry. I am proactive and like to take on new challenges - which I approach optimistically.

Experience

Our House The Musical, WORTHING COLLEGE Helped create and design set, performed in a supporting lead role, created a prop and set change cue sheet, worked as assistant choreographer.

Made in dagenham Musical, worthing college Working as assistant choreographer, designing and building props, performing in the show, helping with the lighting design. Connections, worthing college Working as assistant stage manager and lighting technician.

Education

As   Level Media, Worthing college, D BTEC Musical theatre, Worthing college, DISTINCTION A Level Dance, Worthing college, PENDING

Skills

·         Familiar with, audio setup, lighting focus, dressing rooms, scripting and music production. ·         Experience of live and taped programming.

·         Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously. ·         Managing live performances. ·         Good organization and people skills.

Made in Dagenham

Today we started the two week plan we made in last lesson. For the first 40 minutes me fran and charlotte went through our solos giving each other feedback.

Izzy filmed our solos and our discussions and also gave us some tips and advice.

I think I still need to work on my confidence to be comfortable performing. However, when we actual perform and go through scenes properly I will be more in character and will find it less awkward.

When we finished, we can and joined everyone in the dance studio to start devising and choreographing for the America song. We went through what we already had and re done the formations and facings. Then we done some research into the colour guards and marching bands in American colleges. We looked at a few different ones to see the formations and the movements they do. After watching this we decided that we're not going to have everyone using flags only a few people on the blocks behind the audience otherwise it will be too much in the space and will block the audience view. We're also going to make it more dynamic so there's constant movement. We then went into the other class and began developing and working on This is America.





In Tuesday lesson, were going to start devising viva Eastbourne. We'll go through the song singing it in the classroom then we'll go into the theatre and try to start blocking the scene and decide what staging, props and costumes we'll need.

Personal Statement

I have always aspired to pursue a career related to theatre design and stage management. I am interested in the production side of Performing Arts and wish to study this at university to enable me to progress into the field.
Through my work experience, I was given an incredible opportunity to work in television. I have helped behind the scenes, mainly as a runner for the live television event 'House Party' in 2012 and the New Year's Eve special in 2013. I was also able to assist on the BBC documentary Hip Hop World News. It was an amazing experience and great opportunity to have. Part of my job role was to take minutes during various production meetings and set up equipment such as the lights, sound and ensure the set is organized.
I have been dancing since I was four and have trained in a number of styles. As a result, I chose Dance GCSE and Arts Award in secondary school. For my group choreography based on the theme of video games, I handmade and stitched my dancers costumes, this involved making skirt-dungarees and creating the designs on their tops.
 At college, I have performed in 'Our House'. I played a number of characters including Reecey, Mr Pressman, and performed in every ensemble number. I helped choreograph movement numbers such as, Baggy trousers and Wings of a Dove. Furthermore, I assisted the choreographer and helped produce most of the pieces. This involved pre-planning possible movement material and considering the cast involved in each scene and their Dance ability, in order to create successful Dance numbers. In addition, I had a production meeting with the director, where we discussed what the set should look like, what staging we should use, how it should be decorated and if using one set could be used to portray every scene if different areas are used. I made the signs, drew, painted and decorated them, this involved working independently outside of lesson hours, taking initiative and demonstrated my dedication to the show. I also created a cue sheet to be kept backstage that listed all the entrances and exits for characters, and an additional one for when props and set should be taken on and off and who would do it. During this, I also got my first experience doing lighting design and helped the director in the tech run by creating clear cue marks on a script.
 In my first year of college, I took AS level Media and had to produce a film opening.  I was placed in the position where I had to organise multiple people and the equipment, and with hard work and commitment, successfully managed to produce a creative and effective horror movie opening.
 Last year I took part in Rock Challenge for the first time. During this I helped design and make costume and set and also choreographed sections of the performance. This year I am designing the costumes, taking up the role as assistant choreographer - as the piece is street dance and hip hop - and helping with set design. I am currently partaking in a National Theatre Connections project, where I will be designing set and helping with music and lighting as well as partaking in the actual performance.
For my college work experience, I am helping Worthing Youth Theatre Company with their next production of Seussical. I will be helping to create set and props. In addition, I will be acting as an assistant stage manager, and assistant lighting technician for this production.
 I would love to study stage management because it covers such a wide range of skills and a number of areas. Every aspect of the course looks fun and exciting. However, I am really looking forward to being creative and creating costume, scenic construction and learning the technical side of lighting and sound. I enjoy learning new things and challenging myself to achieve my full potential.

Cover Letters

Audience Development Co-Ordinator

Magdalen College School, Oxford

The Role

We are seeking to appoint an Oxford Festival of the Arts Audience Development Co-Ordinator as a fixed term appointment from January 15 2018 – July 15 2018. The duties of the role will include, but not be restricted to:

Perform a range of marketing tasks, including:

• Managing content for the Festival website, Facebook and Twitter pages.
• Booking advertising space.
• Researching new ideas for marketing.
• Identifying, planning and managing distribution opportunities.
• Sourcing and managing marketing resources.
• Producing marketing materials.
• Meeting marketing deadlines.
• Helping to maintain accurate records for measuring impacts of events for evaluation.

• To help raise the presence of the Festival at a local, regional and national level.
• To communicate with cultural organisations and the general public as required and deal with event enquiries.
• To maintain the security and confidentiality of information of a sensitive nature.
• To present a positive and welcoming external face for the Festival.
• To lead and/or assist with other Arts Festival activities or events as required.
• Design and/or photography skills are not essential but would be an advantage

This role within the school will be a full-time appointment (normal working hours of 8.15 am to 5.00 pm) Monday to Friday. There will be occasional responsibilities at weekends/evenings. During the Arts Festival period (one week prior and two weeks of festival) the role will involve significant additional hours.
The salary will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience, but it is envisaged that it will be in the region of £20,000 per annum pro rata. 

My Cover Letter

Dear Mrs Hunter,

Please accept my resume for consideration of your Audience Development Co-Ordinator. I am currently studying to get my BTEC Diploma in Musical Theatre and my A level in Dance. I have also done an AS level in Media where I developed my skills and abilities on different aspects of marketing. Through Media and Musical Theatre, I have created online/social media advertisements, produced marketing materials, met all deadlines and kept accurate and detailed documentation and records. Thank you for considering my application, and I am available for contact if further information is needed. Please find my CV attached.

Yours Sincerely,
Valencia Alex

 

Made in Dagenham

In this lesson we carried on blocking the show from the start of scene 3. We Started from the end of the song This is What We Want. At the end of the scene all the women sit down and carry on working. We decided that the women will stay on stage in silence, pretending to work and very dimly lit. We stay down there while the office scene happens on the blocks behind the audience, so they're now lit up there. After that the main floor where we at is relit. As we're meant to be machinist, the movement at first was very static so Kim said we should try having half standing and half sitting. When we tried this the scene became so much more dynamic. So we all had to be aware of everyone else so if one person decided to stand or sit someone else would have to react. Going through the scenes, I've taken on a few extra roles; Mr Buxton, a backing singer for Sorry I Love You and a Cortina show girl.

Made in Dagenham

1.In what ways are you rehearsing the play and the songs? e.g personal practice, group rehearsal, one-to-one etc.
2.What are you using to help you rehearse the music and the scenes? e.g watching youtube scenes, singing along to pre...-recorded music, acapella, helping each other learn lines/sing solos/learn harmonies etc How is that going?
3. What are you doing in your own time to help your development and how is it going? e.g watching videos of performances, cast meetings, practice diaries, rehearsal logs, peer feedback, script reads, song rehearsals etc...
4. What are you taking leadership/organisation of? Is it effective? If you're not being a leader of anything then you might want to consider organising a rehearsal, teaching harmony lines, drawing up a singing schedule, arranging with a peer to help each other with solo songs, making suggestions in song rehearsals about character work/harmonies/dynamics/mood and how to go about develop them.

Since half term rehearsal, I've started learning my lines. I know most of my lines now but I'm still learning my cues. The part I'm most worried about is my song. To be able to perform this I'm going to need to practice and rehearse it a lot to have the confidence to do it for the show. I am going to rehearse this on my own and Luke has said he'll go through it with me as well. I think this is more about me having confidence in myself and hopefully with practice this will improve and I will feel more comfortable performing this. During gaps I've been rehearsing quite a lot. Me and Charlotte choreographed the dance to Cortina during a 2 hour gap and have taught it to the other girls. I'm trying to be more organised and trying to give myself enough time to get everything done. During last lesson we got the other class in and went through adding them in to scenes. We didn't get through a lot we only got to the third scene but what we did was really helpful and productive. During my gap at the end of the day, I also helped Kat choreograph the dance to This is What We Want with some of the other class. I need to start developing my character more and start to think what she would act like, her body language etc. She is the oldest one out of the girls but when I looked into her for my audition prep I noticed she isn't one of the frail old women she is still abit 'sassy' however I have to remember that she is in her 50's.

Made in Dagenham

During half term, we came in for a day and had our first blocking session. We walked through the whole script - except for songs - and made it all the way through the show. We set almost everything with our class however, we have had to change and adapt some of it for more people to be included. To get ideas for blocking, beforehand, I watched some clips online for the show and other versions different schools and colleges have done. One scene that I like is Storm Clouds. During the scene we've made it so everyone stays on stage looking out to the audience to sing, while the scenes during the song take place around the space. During the song the last scene to take place is Beryl running in to tell Rita that Connie has fainted and is in hospital. As I'm on stage we decided that I would faint on stage just before this happens.

Cover Letters

Assistant Stage Manager - Royal Shakespeare Company

Reference Number
RSC1048

Location
London

Department
Stage Management

PURPOSE

To work as a member of the stage management team on Matilda The Musical in the West End.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• To support the Stage Manager in ensuring the smooth running of performances and rehearsals to the highest possible standard.
• To work in a co-operative and collaborative manner with the creative team, company manager and general manager to facilitate the needs of the production in rehearsals and performances.
• To ensure that the technical standards of the production are maintained, consulting the relevant departments as appropriate.
• To be conversant with the RSC health and safety policy, current legislation and show-specific risk assessments in order to ensure a safe working environment for performers and staff members working on the stage.
• To ensure that the artistic integrity of the production is continuously delivered throughout the production’s life.
• To generate and maintain all necessary paper work relating to the production.
• To keep all plot and cue sheets up to date and backed up, and generate and maintain all paperwork necessary for the smooth running of the production
• In conjunction with the production office, to deliver the RSC’s programme of assisted performances; including facilitating touch tours and managing necessary changes for relaxed performances, if scheduled.
• To assist with live publicity appearances inside or outside the venues
• To support on props and set maintenance
• To maintain adequate stocks of consumables
• To facilitate the needs of the development, publicity and marketing departments as appropriate, including post-show tours and talks.
• To attend any training that may be mutually beneficial for the development of the post.
• To comply will all RSC’s polices, including (by way of example only) its health and safety policy, its policy in relation to use of drugs and alcohol and its policy in relation to safeguarding at all times.

ATTRIBUTES

ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES:

Professional stage management experience

• The ability to take initiative

• The ability to work under pressure
• An understanding and practical knowledge of the principles and safe working practices of all areas of theatre and stage management.
• Excellent people management and communication skills:
• Tact
• Diplomacy
• Discretion
• Sense of humour
• Patience

DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES:

• West End stage management experience
• Experience of working with children.
• Experience in prop maintenance.

My Cover Letter

To Whom It May Concern,

Please accept my resume for consideration of your productions Stage Manager role. I am currently studying to get my BTEC Diploma in Musical Theatre and my A level in Dance. The nature of my studies has prepared me well for a position like this. With a strong interest for stage production and coordination, my communication and organisation skills position me to thrive in this challenging and creative role. I am very keen to work for an ambitious company such as yours as I know what managing a production to success entails.  I feel I am suitable for this role as I have good experience as an Assistant Stage Manager. I have had experience doing lighting design, set and prop design and doing costume design. Thank you for considering my application.

Yours faithfully,
Valencia Alex