Performers: e.g. Actor

The work involved in the job:

·      job seeking and networking;

·      liaising with an agent;

·      preparing for and attending auditions

·      learning lines and rehearsing;

·      researching or undertaking activities to help prepare for a part

·      performing for a live audience

·      performing in a studio or 'on location' for film, television, internet and radio broadcast;

·      doing voice-overs for advertisements or recording audiobooks;

·      managing the performance area, costumes and props;

·      undertaking activities associated with touring, such as driving a van, ‘get-ins’ and ‘get-outs’ at theatres (i.e. setting up and dismantling the performance area);

·      liaising with venue managers and accommodation providers;

·      keeping records for company managers;

·      working as a walk-on or extra for television or film.

The qualities, skills and qualifications/training the job holder might need:

·      Memorise lines quickly and accurately

·      Posses vocal skills such as good projection

·      Good communication skills

·      Versatile

·      Adaptable

·      Willing to accept and learn from direction

·      Be able to take risks

·      Confident

·      Committed

Although specific training may not be a formal requirement, a very large and increasing number of actors have undertaken formal training in acting or the performing arts.

Any organisations or people they will have to work with or have contact with as part of their job:

·      Agents  -Every actor has their own individual agent. Agents find them auditions that are not open to the general public. Without an agent, actors will find it hard to find many auditions meaning that it is crucial for the agent and actor to have a good, communicative relationship.  An agent would work with the casting director by approaching them with the actor they are representing and pitch why they would be good for the part.

·      Directors – Working actors will most likely have a director in each project they perform in. Actors might meet directors at auditions or after they have been cast. Actors will work incredibly closely with the director to ensure their part is perfected during the rehearsal period. The director has complete control over what the actor does which results in the actor having to take direction and feedback as well as attempt to make offers.

·      Producers – Actors would meet the producer as the audition and would have to make an impact because he would need to be confident enough to invest in the actor financially.

·      Costume fitters – Actors work with costume designers when they have been cast in a project. What a character wears can really help with characterisation and define a characters personality.

·      Sound engineers – Actors would work with sound engineers when rehearsing. If it was in a theatre, they would check that the sound was not too loud over the actor’s voice as well as check the microphone was working effectively. The sound engineer and light engineer would work very closely to find out how the light and sound can both be used effectively.

·      Lighting engineers – Actors would also work with lighting engineers when rehearsing. They would have to communicate weather the light was the right amount of brightness and discover how lighting could make a scene more effective.

·      Make-up artists – Make-up Artists often work with actors to make sure they do not look ‘washed out’ on stage by adding more colour and brightening their faces. They can also be used for special affects make-up e.g. bruises and wrinkles.

·      Casting Directors – Every actor faces casting directors when going into an audition. They have to impress casting agents with their acting skills as well as their memorable personality.  The casting directors would work very closely with the Producer and Director, telling them their opinions but in the end the Director and Producer can make the final call.

Arts Administration: e.g Box Office Staff

The work carried out by box office staff is often centred on a range of short administrative tasks. This can include:

• Taking telephone bookings and ticket purchases
• Advising enquirers about seating and ticket prices
• Issuing tickets on the night of a performance
• Selling programmes and other promotional materials  
• Issuing tickets to ticket agents are supplied with a suitable allocation of tickets and that these are recorded accurately 
• Ensuring the security of the box office and any monies taken, and ensuring that the Box Office takings accurately balance at the end of a shift.

Qualifications/Skills:

• Capability of communicating positively with guests to establish their needs efficiently and courteously.
• Skill to handle cash responsibly and accurately
• Ability to develop a growing knowledge of Ticketmaster
• Computer literate ( full training will be given) Basic understanding of maths to calculate ticket sales
• Presentable to the public and be well spoken and polite both in person and on the phone
• Be confident in handling money and processing card payments
• Be computer literate - although training will be given, volunteers must have a good understanding of computers

Any organisations or people they will have to work with or have contact with as part of their job (in a bulleted point list) –

·      The Public

·      Other members of staff

·      People that are dispatching goods

Production roles: Sound Engineer 

The work involved in the job:

·      Makes sure that any audio or sound that is picked up by microphones, amplifiers, etc. is processed properly.

·      Handles the mixing board and adjusts volume levels of the microphone and the sound coming from various musical instruments used in a performance. 

·      Makes sure the singer can be heard above the instruments while assuring that the whole listening experience is pleasant and well-balanced.

The qualities, skills and qualifications/training the job holder might need:

·      Punctual

·      Flexible

·      Works well with others

·      Willing to travel

·      Can thoroughly conducts mic and sound checks before a performance

·      Surveys the venue to determine the best placement of mics, amps, speakers, etc.

·      Makes sure that the audio/sound can be heard by the whole audience, even those in the back

·      Makes sure the audio/sound, whether live or taped comes out clearly without any disturbances such as mic feedback

·      Knows how to install and repair his/her equipment

Any organisations or people they will have to work with or have contact with as part of their job (in a bulleted point list):

·      Musicians

·      Actors

·      Producers

M2 – Performance Job – Actor

An actor has to possess many skills and qualities in order to have an on-going and successful career. It is crucial to have good communication skills. This includes having a good vocabulary and articulate speech. This is important because it is key to impress casting agents and without good communication, it is easy to not make an impression and to be forgotten instantly. A good memory is also important for memorizing lines. It is common for actors to have to learn lines in a very short amount of time, so having a good memory is a great help. A good physical ability is important as well, as long hours are often required. Timing is also important, this helps to sound natural when speaking lines. Key things such as dedication and 

THE RAIN DANCE FILM FESTIVAL

One of the worlds most successful film festivals! 

Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates throughout major cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels. The festival itself was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove to be the voice of British Filmmaking.

Since 1993 the Raindance Film Festival has annually uncovered the hottest new filmmakers to hit the cinematic scene. Some Raindance-premiered hits are Pulp Fiction, Memento, the Blair Witch Project, Ghost World and Love Exposure.

The company intend on creating young directing stars it is a way to get your name into the film making business, the way it works is you enter your short film or screen play and they choose from a great selections the ones rain-dance believes and the best and put them into the festival. 

Raindance is spent training thousands of new and established filmmakers in all aspects of film. Among high profile alumni are Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins), David Yates (Harry Potter), Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn – who actually met at a Raindance course. Raindance training is one of the world’s largest catering for over 3000 students per year.

Raindance has become a staple in the film community.

theatre company poster 

Rohna Croker - Notes

Rohna Croker - Notes

• Keeping it fresh each performance - don't be tired look after yourself interesting things in the day eating well.
•  Good to have nerves - keeps the spark
• PBJ - comedy agency
• Look for agents that represent people that want do to the same style
• Keeping agent happy - communication, build relationship,
• Voice over and adverts are good !
• Be prepared !
• Cast net & Spotlight are agencies
• Take any job you can get to earn money
• Be proactive and get out there as young as possible so you can gain experience

• Started as a stage manager - good thing to start as because you are able to see what is going on behind the scenes
• Appreciate the other roles because without all the people behind the scenes the quality would not be good because they make you look good!
• Learnt many different skills while working on TV - such as rock climbing, shooting, stunts, abseiling
• Most rewarding feeling - being given a check for doing something you love and are passionate about
• Not working can affect your confidence, self esteem, have to work harder to keep going. You start to doubt yourself and ask questions such as - why didn't they want me? Did I not look right? Was I too funny? Should I get a hair cut? You over analyse.
• As an actor you need to be confident and work hard as well as be organised and disciplined - you need these attributes when you are out of work as well as when you are working
• Working on a TV soap - 5am - 8pm, 52 episodes a year, 12 pages to learn, 16 pages a day.
• When not working you need to have a backup plan - have to be proactive! Try and stay creative some how - write scripts or work behind the scenes 
• You are only as good as your last programme
• Even when you are watching TV - Think about the actors, the scenes, the plot in more detail.
• Use everything that you know and be disciplined - it is in your control
• Auditioning - no what your job is - don't go in trying to get the job, an actor is supposed to create a compelling and interesting character that serves the text and then they walk away. everything else is out of your control. don't go there to get the job go there to present what you do.

Plays this autumn to check out at the bussey building

1)Endgame

From Samuel Beckett, Presented by Rye Mummers

Ran June 25th- 13th

"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order.” This is not at all the picture most people have of a Beckett play but in ENDGAME, two characters engage in round after round of
verbal sparring as they prepare for the inevitable. The black humour that emerges is sometimes as frightening as it is funny.

Directed by Chris Haydon and starring Ricci Harnett, Peter Benedict, Fiona Watson and Billy Colvill. Endgame is Beckett's most acclaimed play written in a Theatre of the Absurd style.

2)The Inferno

A Velvet Loop Production

Ran July 16th- 27th 2013

Abandon hope all ye who enter here' are the infamous words carved into the entrance of Dante Alighieri's vision of eternal damnation. In presenting a dark journey through the complex world of catholic dogma, Dante tries to elucidate the very nature of humanity. This is the inspiration for a new theatrical production that will be consuming the CLF arts cafe this July.

This promenade performance will incorporate the full spectrum of senses to immerse the audience in the poetic scenes created by Dante. The audience itself will take the role of Dante and they will be led by Virgil, a narrator who will guide them through hell and, hopefully to spiritual salvation. Each of the nine acts will represent the nine levels of hell. A combination of live action and multimedia will be used to explore both the themes of the original text and what relevance, if any, Dante’s idea of hell has today.

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3)CITY LOVE

Ran Sep 09 - 28 2013

Lucy and Jim are on their own.

To the rest of the world they seem to be doing OK: they have jobs, friends, ambitions (well sort of).

Until their chance meeting on the number 12 night bus causes them to spiral into a world of love, pain and (mis)communication.

Award-winning writer Simon Vinnicombe takes a funny and unflinching look at how trivial insecurities can send us crashing into self-destruction. Sharp observations transform the mundane into the epic, and Vinnicombe’s slick, witty and agonizingly accurate text will pierce the heart of anyone who has ever been in love.

4)TAKE A DEEP BREATH & BREATHE

A Play by Olivier Award Winning Playwrite Bola Agbaje, Directed by Toby Clarke

Ran Aug 13 - 31 2013

Inspired by the Greek mythology Lysistrata, this honest, humorous and moving new play by Bola Agbaje explores the power struggles, choices and determinations of young men and women wrapped up in a life where rules are made and broken and relationships are tested to their limits.

“Guys think the way to solve problems is by fighting and killing.”

“If all women round here stopped having sex with their mans, they’d start respecting us because we call the shots!”

How much does a chocolate brownie cost in the Royal Court cafe?
£5

The royal courts wine merchant is Bibendum.