#takingpart

Participants clearly enjoyed last night’s first So You Want to Be.... masterclass.  Here’s what one NhT member had to say about his experience:

“This was a very enjoyable and effective workshop which took us from very general conversations and exercises around gender to some extraordinary transformations within a remarkably short space of time. We all had great fun dressing up and trying on different clothes.It was like being a kid again!

But it was not only a question of creating characters but complete scenarios, along with our own individual soundtracks! In fact, it was a bit sad when it all came to an end and we had to wipe off the make-up and put the characters we'd created back into their boxes! They certainly took on a life of their own!

Many thanks to Luke and Lucy for all their skill and encouragement in enabling us to achieve all this.

Tonight was the first of a new series of one-off masterclasses for NhT members, launched in response to feedback in meetings asking for more workshops focused on different areas of the theatre industry.

So You Want to Be....A Drag Artist or Cabaret Performer was run by director Leo Skilbeck, and spaces for the workshop filled up quickly.  Participants took part in discussions around gender, and had the opportunity to experiment with costume and make-up, creating characters and developing scenarios for them.  Participants were also treated to food from Nando’s, delivered directly to the workshop.

So you want to be… is a new series of one-off masterclasses for NhT members, launching in response to feedback in meetings asking for more workshops to develop skills and experience in different areas of the theatre industry.  In these workshops members will be able to explore theatre and performance in all forms, both off and on stage. 

Have you ever wondered how to become a Stage Manager, Theatre Director, Producer? This is your how to guide.  The masterclasses will provide an opportunity to explore an introduction to a different career path, and, led by the industry’s top professionals, these 2 hour workshops will attempt to demystify it.

The first masterclass will be So you want to be…a cabaret or drag performer and is being run by theatre maker and director Leo Skilbeck. This will be on Tuesday 11 December, 7-9pm in the Club Room.

Leo is part of award-winning theatre company Milk Presents and directed The Bear / The Proposal at the Young Vic last year. Leo was the Assistant Director on Fun Home this summer.

There was a good turn-out for the first meeting of NhT’s third year, and lots to update members on, including meeting new Head of Neighbourhood Theatre, Shereen Jasmin Phillips.  

Firstly, Imogen talked about some of Taking Part’s recent projects which NhT members have participated in and/or advocated for.  Carnation for a Song, which was performed at the end of August (see previous posts), included NhT members Seamus and Val, who shared some of their thoughts about the experience at the meeting.  Both were very positive, and proud to have been a part of a show giving voice to LGBTQ people aged fifty and over.  These are voices of people who were often “on the front line of the fight for cultural acceptance and equal rights”, but who are not often heard.  The show featured original songs by composer Joseph Atkins (who also composed the songs for Sing Before You Speak Again, an earlier NhT show), and was a response to the Young Vic’s Main House show, Fun Home.

Many of the NhT members have already seen Kwame’s inaugural production as Artistic Director of the Young Vic, a musical version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.  The company of Twelfth Night includes a 60-strong community chorus (some of whom are NhT members), a clear signal from new Artistic Director Kwame that community will remain right at the heart of what the Young Vic does under his leadership.  As is always the case with the Young Vic’s work with the community, the chorus have been treated throughout as professionals, and this is clearly reflected in their performance - NhT member Mathilde said that, as an audience member, she “had to remind myself the chorus was made up of community”. Several of the NhT members present at tonight’s meeting are in the Twelfth Night company, and shared their thoughts on the experience, including Jennifer, who said that, “for me its been an extraordinary experience.  Once in a lifetime.  I’ve learnt so much”.  She also talked about how the experience “really bonds you as a group as well”.  Not all 60 members of the chorus perform every night - smaller groups rotate throughout the run - but on press night, all were invited, and those not performing watched the performance together on relay in the Maria.

Imogen also spoke about the release of films for the My England project.  There will be a private viewing at the Young Vic on 20th November, as part of a night of celebration of the project.  My England is a celebration of playwrights from across regions of England, hosted by the Young Vic.  It will explore what it means to be English through video monologues, released in January 2019, that will be shown on the Young Vic social media channels.  Half the monologues are performed by professional actors, and half by young people and members of Neighbourhood Theatre.  Although these monologues are written by professional writers, another strand of the project - Our England - involves nine writers selected from the community, who have written monologues to the same brief as the professional writers, and each been mentored by one of those writers.  These writers will come back together in January for their plays to be rehearsed and given a reading by actors.  Our England is, in part, a response to the request from many NhT members for more opportunities to write, and develop their writing.  It is the first step towards hopefully hearing more voices from the Young Vic’s immediate neighbourhood on the stage there; and something that will be further developed under Shereen, who has a particular interest in new writing.  

There was also a discussion around work experience, which many NhT members are interested in doing in order to gain more insight into various areas of the theatre profession, alongside performing.  There will be an opportunity for someone to shadow the Stage Manager of Twelfth Night - more such opportunities will now become available, and members were invited to get in touch if interested in a specific area. 

In the latter part of the meeting, Shereen introduced herself to the company in more detail (you can read more about Shereen in a profile above), and talked about her ideas and aspirations for Neighbourhood Theatre going forward; and there was the opportunity for members to ask her questions and make suggestions.  Lots of the members are keen to continue their work with refugees through Neighbourhood Theatre’s Kitchen Conversations, and there was positive feedback about the event with Migrateful earlier in the year.  Taking Part are closely in touch with the Southwark Welcomes Refugees project, and members have been invited via email in September to a meeting in October on this subject, as well as given more details on how to become involved in social events to welcome refugees into the community.

Other suggestions and ideas included working with older people through intergenerational projects; giving opportunity for audiences to interact with the cast after community shows; making a piece about the Windrush Scandal; an African drumming session; combining with other community theatres; learning different acting techniques, such as Meisner; and finding ways of responding quickly to events and other communities - this latter being linked to the kind of civic building that Kwame is passionate about developing.

Members were keen to know more about The Jumper Factory, which was made and performed at HMP Wandsworth in May - Taking Part have been back to Wandsworth with Young Vic Unpacked, and The Jumper Factory has been performed by young men outside of prison at risk of offending.  NhT member Mathilde has just completed training with the Youth Offender Panel, and raised the idea that she might be able to connect this with the production in some way.

There was also a discussion about the need to continue to keep some community work off the Main Stage - to continue to make work that will only be performed to invited audiences.  NhT member Joyce talked of how, if people are always rehearsing for shows performed to the public, they “could get trapped into people feeling they have to bring their ‘A-Game’ - and not everyone can”.  Joyce’s views on this are already reflected in Taking Part’s policy, but it was good to have the discussion played out amongst NhT members and Young Vic staff.  NhT member Carol also raised the point that it would be great to take community shows out into the community more, to extend the (usual) current run of two or three days.

For tonight’s Kitchen Conversations, we were joined by Elahe and Parastoo, Iranian mother and daughter chefs from Migrateful.  Against a backdrop of Iranian music, the air smelling of mint and spices, guests help to prepare - from scratch - a delicious meal that included meatballs, rice and aubergine.

Migrateful seeks to address the lack of support provided to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.  It is a cookery and language initiative where asylum seekers, refugees and migrants struggling to access employment due to legal and linguistic barriers teach their traditional cuisines to the public. This project aids their integration process by addressing obstacles of destitution, unemployment, isolation and language barriers.  The public can book on one of the regular classes Migrateful runs in different international cuisines (as well as Iranian cooking, you can also choose from others, including Cuban, Nigerian or Eritrean); or book private or corporate classes.