Friday 30th October 2015 - Types Of Theatres

Receiving Theatres
These are theatres that do not produce their own original work, they host other people or companies' productions, these are usually commercial productions. The majority of the theatres situated in London's West End are receiving theatres, these are usually owned by commercial producers. A receiving theatre is usually run by a small management team that will hire additional staff to suit the productions that are running at that time.

Producing Theatres
These are theatres that mostly are theatre companies who make and produce their own original shows. They have a significant amount of staff that cover a range of production departments such as lighting, sound and costume. Producing theatres often set a lower ticket price compared to receiving theatres. The national theatre is an example of this type of theatre.

Thursday 22nd October 2015 - Act 1 Scene 9

In todays lesson we worked on the fight scene at the end of act 1, this is where Bernardo and Riff die. We start the scene by all standing at the side of the stage, we are all acting as if we are preparing for something big to happen, this means we have to be alert and ready for anything that may happen. We gradually all walk on stage crowding around Bernardo and Riff, I walk on after Jess, who nods at me as if a signal to come into the scene. When we are all standing around the guys, the atmosphere is tense and everybody is at a stance meaning they are focused on what is happening and ready to react.

When Tony enters in to the scene, him and Bernardo are arguing which results in Bernardo pushing hi to the floor. After this happens some of the Shark boys surround Tony, this is to intimidate him, this shows the audience who has the power at that present time. When Riff and Bernardo are getting ready to fight each other, we all have to keep moving around as the gang leaders do, this is to represent the atmosphere of the situation but also so the audience gets a good view of the scene.In this section we all have to be encouraging our gang leaders on. There is a lot of background sound that keeps the energy of the scene up, this is important so that the audience do not get bored and are engaged in what is happening.Tis is especially important so as our staging is a form of theatre in the round where the audience is all around us rather than having the audience front on. When Bernardo gets pushed to the floor, he loses his knife, I then have to kick it towards him which then allows him to get back up and kill Riff. When this happens the whole atmosphere of the scene changes, everything goes silent as if we have all hit reality, now it is more than just two gangs fighting and hatting each other, it has escalated so much that it has resulted in a death. Tony then bets built up with and anger and kills Bernardo, this is even more of a shock and we are all just looking at each other unable to move. We then hear police sirens this is when we run off, however, instead of just running in a linear pathway, we all change directions and run into each other and eventually find our way off stage. This suggests that we are in too much shock to know what is happening or where we are going.

Monday 19th October 2015 - Gym Mambo (4th Lesson)

In this lesson we worked on the transition between the main dance and the clicking motif, where Tony and Maria first meet. After Bernardo and Anita have their duet and we are cheering them on, I go off with Phoebe to dance and then we gradually move off to where we are standing with some of the other sharks at the side of the "gym". We then moved into the theatre where we could practice with spacing as we already have the set and audience marked out. When doing this I had to alter where I stood when I wasn't dancing, this is because otherwise I would be standing right in front of the audience and would be blocking their view. When running through this we had to make everything smaller, therefore reducing how far we travel so that everything can fit in the stage.

Monday 19th October 2015 - Donmar Warehouse Jobs

General Manager

The General Manger at the Donmar warehouse reports to the Executive producer and artistic director and is also the line manager of the following people...

• Deputy General Manager
• Deputy Production Manager
• Education Manager

This job is a full time permanent positions and therefore is 40+ hours per week with a competitive salary. Being a member of the senior management team which also includes the director of marketing and development, as well as this the casting director and the head of operations. The general manager is responsible for the management of all of the productions held at the Donmar.

The position requires someone to support the executive producer in many different planning aspects of the theatre. This includes how the productions are scheduled to work around all of the artistic and financial goals, managing any exploitations of Donmar productions including tours and any recordings. Also working alongside the director of marketing to ensure that other events can be held around productions, as well as the press representative to schedule press conferences. The general manager also has many financial responsibilities such as setting the annual budgets that are to be approved by the executive producer as well as authorising all invoices and overseeing payroll. It is important that this person reports to the executive producer on a monthly basis on budget and performance of the Donmar. They also have to communicate effectively with Arts council England ( public funders) and with the theatre staff regarding all productions. It is also important that the general manager attends run through, technical and dress rehearsals and previews of all Donmar shows. They must be present at all production meetings and events when required to.

To qualify for this job position you must have at least five years experience in theatre production, producing UK ns international tours and managing budgets and production accounts. As well as presentation, communication and computer skills, be a team player as well as being able to work independently, be motivated and enthusiastic and have a professional attitude. You must also have experience in fundraising, be educated to a degree level in theatre production as well as having a good knowledge of plays and musicals and a high level of enthusiasm of the work at Donmar.  

Reference

Accessed 19/10/15 http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/~/media/Files/Jobs/General%20Manager/Job%20Description%20-%20
General%20Manager%20June%202014.ashx

Resident Assistant Director

The resident assistant director reports to the casting director. This is a full time position and therefore Is 40+ hours per week, the job pays £22,000 per year.

This job position is part of a successful training programme that helps young directors into the industry. The role of this job provides a year of training for aspiring directors who get the opportunity to assist on Donmar productions and allows the person to gain an insight on casting, fundraising and education. Responsibilities include carrying out research prior to rehearsals, keeping all staff up to date with current productions, supporting the full cast, assisting the casting department and completing training plans.

To qualify for this position you must have experience of assisting directors on professional theatre productions, directing own work as well as running workshops and leading discussions working with young people. You must be flexible, have the ability to prioritise work, have good communication skills, have a passion for the work at Donmar and a desire to pursue a career as a theatre director.

Reference
Accessed 19/10/15
http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/~/media/Files/Jobs/RAD%202015/RAD%20job%20description%
202015.ashx

Monday 19th October 2015 - America

In this lesson me and Amber started to teach some of the other sharks the America dance that we had previously choreographed. We started with the boys section, as we only ad a short amount of time we didn't have enough time to teach the girl section. We started by going through each movement slowly so that they know what it is in the dance, we gradually put the movements together to make to into a short phrase rather than just movements. We started experimenting with choreographic devises for example in he bit where we jump and click, we split into two and just different ways so that it is mirrored. Once had taught the full phrase we gradually ran through it getting slightly faster each time, until it was fast enough to be able to fit with the music. Then we ran through with the music a few times to get used to the timing, we still need to go though this more times so that everyone gets used to it well enough to perform. In the next lesson the aim to is run through this more and then teach the girl bit. Me and Amber then need to choreograph some of the other parts to build up the scene more so that the audience sees the battle between the girls and the boys in this song.

Monday 19th October 2015 - Arts Council England

Arts Council Britain was set up in the 1940s, however in 1994 it was divided to make arts council England, Scottish arts council and arts council Wales. Arts council England develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that may influence the public's lives. They support activities including the arts, museums, theatre, digital arts, dance, music and literature. They invest money from the government and national lottery, between 2015 and 2018 they plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money and £700 million from the national lottery to help develop these experiences for as many people as possible.  

You can apply for funding through the official website, one example of this is to apply for a Ambition for excellence fund. This is a rolling programme that finishes in 2017, the total fund is £35.2 million and the maximum grant is between £100,000 and £750.000. The priority areas are developing talent and engaging audiences on a national scale.  The fund aims to realise the significant growth of international arts especially outside of London. It aims to develop talent and leadership in strong cultural places and create the highest quality of new work. It supported the creation of work for international event for example the 2012 London Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. Applicants can apply for a grant and applications will be received in two stages - (an expression of interest followed by an invitation to apply). Organisations that are eligible to submit an expression of interest are those who are national portfolio organisations, museums that wish to hold arts projects and those that are primarily focused on creating, producing and presenting the arts in England.

Thursday 15th October 2015 - Reseaching Student Finance

Uni Grants UK

Student banking -

Overdrafts - This is a part of student banking that can be useful for students as they are usually interest free which means that whilst at university students can live in their overdrafts and then pay them back at the holidays. They also have a repayment period of 2 years after finishing a degree therefore the student doesn't need to worry about paying it back quickly. It is important that when taking out a student bank account you check that it is interest free and has a long repayment period.

Incentives - To try and entice students to use a particular bank, banks will offer students incentives, it is important that you compare these incentives so that you choose the right bank for you. Some of these include 5-year railcards, ipods and food hampers. However the overdraft limit, interest free and repayment terms should be more important than small incentives when choosing a student bank account.

One source of student funding that is offered by individual universities is the national scholarship programme. This programme is aimed at students that come from low-income households and can include a bursary of £1000. You can access this funding by enquiring at the university student support office. Another source of funding that is funded by the government however is administrated by universities, this is the access to learning fund. This is available to all students no matter what their household income is. It is usually used if a student has lost their part-time job or their laptop has broken etc and they need a bit of extra money to cover to cost.


Reference
Accessed 21/10/15
http://www.unigrants.co.uk/student-funding


DaDas

A DaDa is a dance and drama award to help with the fees and living costs at a particular private dance and drama school. You can apply direct to the dance and drama school that you wish to attend, and inform them that you want a DaDa. To be eligible for this you must be aged 16-23 and show a talent and a likelihood to succeed in the performing arts industry. 

How much do you receive? - The amount that you receive depends on your household income and where you live and study.

DaDa National income bands-Student fee contribution

These tables show how much money a student can receive to help contribute to tuition fees and maintenance rates. This changes weather you are living inside or outside of London or living at home as well as your overall household income.

Eligibility - To be able to receive help with student fees you must be...

• An EU citizen and have been living in the EU for 3 continuous years right before the start of your course.
• Have a "settled course".
• Have "indefinite leave to remain" in the UK.

To get help with living costs you must also be from England, Scotland or Wales.

Qualifications - To be able to qualify for a DaDa you must be studying for one of these diplomas...

• Level 6 Diploma in Professional Acting (3 years)
• Level 5 Diploma in Professional Acting (1 year)
• Level 5 Diploma in Professional Dance (Classical Ballet or Contemporary Dance) (2 years)
• Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance (3 years)
• Level 6 Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre (3 years)

Age -

• You must be aged 16 to 23 for dance courses.
• You must be aged 18 to 23 for acting courses.

These are the following schools that offer DaDas for the 2015/2016 academic year -

• ALRA (academy of live and recorded arts)
• Arts Ed London
• Bird College
• Cambridge performing arts at Bodywork
• Elmhurst school for dance in association with Birmingham Royal Ballet
• English National Ballet School
• The Hammond School
• Italia Conti Academy if Theatre Arts
• Laine Theatre Arts
• Liverpool Theatre school and College
• Millennium Performing arts
• Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
• Northern Ballet school
• The Oxford school of Drama
• Performers College
• SLP College Leeds
• Tring Park school for the Performing Arts
• University of Surrey/GSA conservatoire
• Urdung Academy

Reference
Accessed 21/10/15
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dance-and-drama-awards-income-scales


Student Loans co

The student loans company is a non-profit government organisation that was set up in 1989 to provide loans and grants to students going on to further and higher education. in the UK.

Tuition Fee Loan - This is a non-income assessed loan that helps meet the cost of tuition fees. It is payable to the university or college in instalments. The amount of tuition charges is dependant on...

• The country of study
• The university or college

The maximum tuition fee loan that is available to a student will be the lesser to the two, Any costs which are in excess of this will need to be paid by the student. All tuition fee loans are repayable and have interest at the same rate as the maintence loan.

Tuition Fee Grant (Full-time) - This is a non repayable government grant paid to universities or colleges to cover parts of the costs of tuition. This is dependant of the government policies for higher education where you apply for support.

Fee Grant (Part-Time) - This is a government grant to cover all or some of the cost of tuition, the part time courses are one that lasts at least one year, leads to a HE qualification or take no longer than twice the time required to study the course on a full time basis. The amount of fee grant that is based on how intense the course of study is

Oxbridge College Fee Loan - This is a non-income assessed loan available to cover to cost of college fees. This is an additional cost to the tuition fees, it is available to students who already have an honours degree but are entering an Oxbridge course.

Reference
Accessed 21/10/15
http://www.slc.co.uk/services/higher-education/tuition-fees.aspx

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Lawrence Atwells Charity

This is a charity that offers grant to young people who would find it difficult to gain training without additional financial support. They help people between the ages of 16 and 26 to learn new skills in vocational higher education only.

To be eligible you must be... 

• Aged 16-26.
• Be living in the UK for 3 years immediately before the start of your course.
• Have a household income that is less that £26,000 per year.
• Be studying a vocational course.

You are encouraged to apply if you...

• have no or few qualifications after leaving secondary school
• have very limited or no support from your family, because of the loss of one or both parents, because you have been in local authority care, or because your  family relationships have broken down
• have a disability (physical or mental health issues)
• are a lone parent
• have fled persecution in your home country
• are an ex-offender or at risk of offending

These grants can range from £100 to £1, 500, these are considered for tuition, enrolment, examination fees, living costs and one off costs. These grants help people who's families have had low income for years, applicants who come from families with more than £26,000 per year will not be considered.  

Reference

Accessed 21/10/15 http://www.theskinnerscompany.org.uk/grants-and-trusts/lawrence-atwells-charity/

CDET

The council for dance education and training was started in 1979 to ensure high standards of training. It has become a point of information for people seeking education and training in musical theatre and dance.

Music and dance schemes - This scheme enables exceptionally talented people with talents in music and dance to access financial aid to help cover the costs of specialist training. You must be between the ages of 18-19 to be eligible for music schools and between the ages of 11-19 for dance schools.

These dance schools are...

• Elmhurt school of dance
• The Hammond school
• Royal Ballet school
• Tring Park for performing arts

Tuition Fee Loans - English or EU full time or part time students can apply for a tuition fee loan, this loan is played directly to the university, you have to pay it back.

Full-time student	Tuition Fee Loan
Full-time	Up to £9,000
Full-time at a private university or college	Up to £6,000

Part-time student	Tuition Fee Loan
Part-time	Up to £6,750
Part-time at a private university or college	Up to £4,500

Maintenance Loans - To be eligible for this loan you must be a full time English student, art time, EU and students over the age of 60 cannot apply. You will have to give details of your household income and the money is paid directly into your bank account at the start of term and you have to pay it back.

Full-time student	Loan for courses from September 2015
Living at home	Up to £4,565
Living away from home, outside London	Up to £5,740
Living away from home, in London	Up to £8,009
You spend a year of a UK course studying abroad	Up to £6,820

These figures are changing from the 1st of August 2016, you can get a loan of up to £8200 per year if you are studying outside of London.

Maintenance Grant for living costs - You must also be a full time English student, you also have to give details about your household income and your course start date. The grant is paid into your bank account and you don't have to pay it back, but any grant you get will reduce the maintence loan you can get.

Full-time student – household income	Grant for courses from September 2015
£25,000 or less	£3,387
£30,000	£2,441
£35,000	£1494
£40,000	£547
£42,620	£50
Over £42,620	No grant

Tuesday 13rd October 2015 - Dialouge before America

In this lesson we focused on the dialogue before the song America, this is supposed to be friendly but the comments can sometimes be rude to each other, for example "you came with your mouth open". I thought that I struggled quite a lot with my accent however I am going to further research Puerto Riccon accents so for the next rehearsal I will be able to say my lines better. When rehearsing this scene we had to work on the background acting rather than just the main dialogue, for example when Bernardo and Anita are talking we have to react to what they were saying, this is to add depth and interest to the scene and keep the audience engaged. At first I found this difficult but the more we ran the scene I found it easier, my character has established relationships with the other characters in the scene, for example I have a flirty relationship with Consuelo and close friendships the other shark boys, therefore my character does things like playing with Consuelo's hair and encourages Bernardo to continue to be flirty with Anita. I think this needs to be further developed to make the scene more interested, however when there are more people from the Rent clast and year 12 class involved in the scene this will naturally improve as there will be more people to build the scene up.

Monday 12th October 2015 - The Donmar Warehouse

The Donmar warehouse is situated in Covent garden, London. It has 251 seats and since 1992 productions performed here have received 43 Olivier awards, 26 Critics circle awards, 20 Tony awards and 28 evening standard awards. The theatre has a diverse artistic policy where it holds Shakespeare, contemporary plays, British, Irish and American drama. As well as performing in the Donmar warehouse, Donmar regularly perform elsewhere in the UK and internationally. It has two sites one is the actual theatre on Earlham street which has a 125 year lease and the rehearsal space in Covent Garden which has a 112 year lease.

This is a list of the people currently working at the Donmar Warehouse...

Artistic Director: JOSIE ROURKE

Executive Producer: KATE PAKENHAM  

General Manager: BAILEY LOCK
Deputy General Manager: MIRIAM GREEN
Deputy General Manager (Maternity Cover): BEN CANNING
Deputy Production Manager: TOM HORTON
Executive Assistant: LYDIA COTTON
Production Assistant: HANNAH HORSBURGH
General Assistant: KATE RAYNER
Apprentice: DAISY LINDSAY-GUNN

Casting Director: ALASTAIR COOMER CDG
Casting Associate: VICKY RICHARDSON

Director of Development: STEPHANIE DITTMER
Head of Corporate Development: VICKI GRACE
Head of Trusts and Foundations: SUE SANDLE
Development Manager: REED NYKIFORUK
Development Administrator: KAT OSBORN
Events Coordinator: KATHRYN BILYARD
Kitchen at Dryden Street: SARAH PILCHER

Director of Marketing: TOM ROBERTSON 
Marketing Assistant: LUCY GILHAM
Advertising, Graphics & Marketing: AKA
Press Representative: JO ALLAN PR
Head of Finance: JON CHARTRES
Finance Manager: BRIAN DORGAN
Assistant Finance Manager: LIZ ASPINALL
Assistant Finance Manager: HARMINDER CHANA
Education Manager: SAM MAYNARD
Education Assistant: KATHERINE IGOE-EWER
Trainee Artistic Director: CATHAL CLEARY
Resident Assistant Director: ZOÉ FORD
Resident Design Assistant: ROSIE ELNILE
This post is made possible by the Weston Jerwood Creative Bursaries.


Associate Director: ROBERT HASTIE
Associate Director: PHYLLIDA LLOYD
Associate Artist: JAMES GRAHAM
Dryden Street Writer in Residence: NICK PAYNE
Composer in Residence: MICHAEL BRUCE

Head of Wardrobe: NICOLA WEBLEY
Deputy Head of Wardrobe: SHARON PEARSON
Chief Electrician: GEORGE DIVES
Master Carpenter: DAVID SKELLY  
Deputy Master Carpenter: MATT DAY
Deputy Electrician: MIGUEL FIGUEIREDO

Theatre Manager: DAVID GRIFFITHS
Deputy Theatre Manager: EMILY REVELL
Senior Assistant/Duty Manager: EMILY KIRKPATRICK
Sales Manager: STEPHEN REYNOLDS
Ticketing Manager: CHRIS MILLAR
Box Office Assistants: ROB WATLING, MARCUS WOODCOCK  
FOH Staff: ESME BAYLEY-KNAGGS, ELEANOR BULL, RIANNA DAWKINS, ALEX HEAD,
EMMA HRYCAK, REECE MCMAHON, JOHN OVENDEN
Cleaner: JOSE FRIAS

Donmar Warehouse Projects Ltd Board of DirectorsTHE LORD BROWNE OF MADINGLEY (Chair)
SIMON MEADON (Secretary)
SUSAN BOSTER
THE LORD BROWNE OF MADINGLEY
WILLIAM ECCLESHARE
DAVID KOSSE
DIANE HENRY LEPART
SIMON MEADON
THE LADY LOWY MITCHELL
DAVID PARKHILL
ED RICHARDS
CHARLOTTE WESTON
PETER WILLIAMS
ROGER WINGATE
Board of Directors - American Friends of the Donmar
THE LORD BROWNE OF MADINGLEY
JILL SHAW RUDDOCK
KENNETH BURROWS

Donmar Warehouse Jobs

Funding  

Supported using public funding by

• Arts Council England
• Arts Council England Information

Principle Sponsor

• Barclays 

Associate Sponsor

• Simmonds&Simmonds

Shows Output

What's On at The Donmar Warehouse



This link shows what shows are coming up at the Donmar, as you can see there is a range of different shows playing over the course of the season. This is because their aim is to attract a wide range of audiences to reach different target markets. This is important so that they are able to sell lots of tickets, build up a brand name and turn a profit. They show 3 shows from September to February, some overlapping. For example from the 24th September - 12th November they are showing Coriolanus by William Shakespeare which is a National Theatre live screening, during this you can also download an audio commentary to be played alongside the screening. From 2nd October - 5th December they are showing Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn, this is very different form Coriolanus as it is set in a modern day university focusing around a LGBTQ group and current politics. These shows are very popular as many are sold out, suggesting that the Donmar is a well known theatre with a high reputation.


They also hold workshops for the public, these are at the Clore Studio at the Donmar rehearsal building in Covent Garden, as well as this they sometimes visit schools to deliver workshops. There are different types of workshops these include...

• Open workshops - These are alongside every Donmar production and the idea of this is to give members of the public a chance to see the process of putting on work at the Donmar.
• Workshops for groups - This is for schools, colleges, national and international universities, this can wither be done at the Clore studio or at the schools etc.
• Workshops for teachers - This is an opportunity for teachers to get involved with the work at the Donmar and improve their knowledge of contemporary theatre practice.

Tuesday 6th October 2015 - Gym Mambo (3rd Lesson)

In this lesson we continued to learn the gym mambo, we looked at the section when there are two circles formed, we have to walk round and when the music changes we are supposed to dance with the person opposite us, however we reach across and take our original partners and then separate from the other gang like we previously were.