A Midsummer Night’s Dream Fit Up

So we’re back from the increasingly distant Christmas break and we are already well into pre-production for two Shakespeare plays due to open in February – Twelfth Night (opens Monday 16th February in the Milton Court Theatre) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (opens Monday 9th February in the Milton Court Studio Theatre). Fit up for AMND started last Friday so we’re now well into the rig. Check out the photos below to get an idea of the activities our students experience here at Guildhall on the Theatre Technology pathway…

Rosie (Sound Op) is rigging speakers above the tension-wire grid…

…and plugging them in!

Mike (Production Sound Engineer) rigging D&B E0 speakers.

A happy sound team!

A panorama of the studio space above the tension-wire grid.

Erin and Tom above and below the grid.

Another panorama but this time below the grid after the floor has been painted by the Design Realisation students.

Dan (Lighting Op) programming the lighting desk in the Studio Control Room.

Louise and Mat painting…something…guys?

Production Management fixing the ladder to the uni-strut for the actors to use during the play.

All our Theatre Technology students get ipaf training on the mobile ‘genie’ (elevated platform).

Rory (left, year 2 student lighting designer for the production) and his tutor Nick Peel – another happy team…

And so the set up continues…

Tickets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be bought here.

‘Be Man Kind’ at Guildhall School

Be Man Kind, Jessica Richardson and Neville Billimoria’s graduation project, was a charity gala event in aid of Prostate Cancer UK held in the Silk Street Auditorium in December last year. Transforming the theatre into a cabaret space with the ample use of star cloth and 20 banqueting tables seating ten audience members each, the event boasted well known cabaret and fringe acts such as Lili La Scala, Fay Presto and Frisky and Mannish.

The various technical, design realisation and stage management departments for the event were comprised of members of the BA Technical Theatre course and success of the event is a testament to the almost 50 member team (more than half of the entire BA course!) assisted by various staff members: teaching, performance venues and administrative. The event raised in equal measure the profile of the course amongst cabaret and fringe performers (Fay Presto, a table magician who has performed numerous times for the Queen called the team ‘The best, most helpful team she has ever worked with’ amongst other gushing praise), the knowledge and skill of students involved in the event of producing a high quality gala in a very limited timeframe and more than £5,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

Many thanks to Neville for the text and photos.

‘Bending Light’ @ Guildhall School

The Guildhall School is now accepting applications for the new BA (Hons) in Video Design for Live Performance. Check out the promo video below for some examples of the Video department’s recent work…

and click here for more info on our web site.