Page 68 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

Increasingly, performances are taking place outside traditional theatre spaces,
whether that be disused factories or warehouses, train stations or shopping centres.
Many traditional abilities can still be applied to these spaces, but students also need
new skills and knowledge to work effectively in them: event planning and
understanding licensing being just two examples.”

Ian Evans, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s head of stage management,
says the sheer variety of theatrical spaces across Britain will keep traditional ways of
working alive while the industry constantly investigates and adopts new ones.

“We train students in hemp, counterweight and automated fly systems. Training in
analogue sound gives students understanding of audio paths that enables easy
transition to digital systems. Manual lighting operation allows students to
understand the ‘feel’ of a lighting crossfade. All this gives our students the skill set to
work anywhere from the oldest theatres to the most modern theatre environments.”

No matter how innovative and forward- looking the training students receive in their
respective specialisations, adequate preparation and support in finding employment
once they leave education will always be a key factor in deciding whether they carry
those skills forward into a long-term future in the industry.

“Our course at Falmouth University is an accelerated degree that completes in two
years, so career preparation and employability has always featured strongly,” says
Terrie Fender, director of the university’s Academy of Music and Theatre Arts. “The
career-preparation journey starts from the first year in ‘professional development’,
where students explore topics including reflective practice, emotional intelligence,
time management and problem-solving. Students remain on campus during the
summer study block, giving them enhanced access to technical facilities and enabling
them to undertake professional placements in Cornwall and beyond.”

Michael Vale, theatre designer and course leader for Wimbledon College of Arts’ MA
in Theatre and Production Design, feels that encouraging ongoing connection with
peers after they have finished training offers an important advantage in the current
employment market. “Our network of postgraduate support includes the potential for
groups of students who may come from different courses to build companies together
and develop work they are interested in. It is important to suggest to students that
they can create their own opportunities rather than just relying on the usual industry
paths to obtain work.”

“Something that goes hand in hand with technology is the students’ resilience for the
industry,” agrees Evans. “At RWCMD, we have developed systems of engagement
that cover areas such as coping strategies for working on shows with triggering
subject matter, working unsocial hours and caring for your own and others’ mental
well-being.”

Helping students develop the most effective combination of artistic, social and up-to-
the minute technological skills to best navigate today’s fast-paced and ever-changing
industry was a key goal expressed by every course leader. That ethos is perhaps best
summed up in a quote provided jointly by course leader Lucy Algar and theatre
design lecturer James Perkins at Wimbledon College of Arts.