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Unit One Induction (three weeks)
The Induction period began in late September with several classes led by Andrew McKinnon about the MA and its various contexts in UK theatre and performance. He also began a series of sessions on ‘Reading (and Learning from) a Budget’. Dr Fleur Rothschild also took classes introducing academic environments and requirements, covering techniques and strategies for study at this advanced level.
Students attended their first performance as a group at the Barbican – a striking production of THE TEMPEST by Jericho House. This complex and stimulating piece of music-theatre was produced by Leo Wood (MACP Class of 2009) who came later to meet the group, discuss the show in detail and examine budgets and strategies.
Students also embarked on a series of intensive weekly classes taken throughout this term by Julius Green (Senior Producer, Bill Kenwright Limited; Birkbeck Honorary Research Fellow). In these classes Julius leads students through many core issues central to the work of professional producing; and he analyses in considerable detail relevant contracts, budgets, deals, negotiation, scheduling etc.
Units One and Two (four weeks)
This began with a lively and passionate introduction to the work and methodologies of Theatre Royal Stratford East led by Jan Sharkey-Dodds, Head of Youth Arts and Education for TRSE.
Julius Green’s regular classes continued; and Andrew McKinnon took a series of sessions on ‘Contracts and Creative Teams’, analysing the relationship between creative producers and artists and looking particularly at a series of practical issues that regularly arise for producers.
In these weeks students also attended WICKED at the Apollo Victoria (with grateful thanks to Michael McCabe and Neil Laidlaw); and SHALOM BABY, Rikki Beadle-Blair’s brave and powerful epic of prejudice and passion, at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Further classes were given by Rob Swain (on scheduling and planning programmes and seasons) and by Neil Laidlaw (on large-scale planning and on surviving as a commercial producer).
Students also experienced in practice some elements of presentation and assessment with the help of a ‘dry-run’ assessment session.
Units One and Three (five weeks)
Julius Green’s regular classes continued during this period, theough he took a short break to rehearse the Theatre Royal Windsor pantomime.
The title of Unit Three is ‘Production Finance’. An important focus is the UK funding / fundraising context, launched in an interactive session led by Charlotte Jones, ITC’s Executive Director.
Andrew McKinnon then took a series of detailed classes on funding, going carefully through application processes and forms for ACE / GfA as a representative example of governmental and local authority funding; and also looking at some relevant aspects of funding from trusts and foundations, including aspects of ‘the funded journey’ relating to one of his own projects.
Students also began to look at possible projects that they might like to produce in these funding contexts, starting small with perhaps a Research and Development (‘R&D’) idea or a 'tryout’ reading or workshop production, for example.
Again several guest tutors – all experienced producers – spoke about their work in freely interactive sessions.
These included an inspiring interactive analysis of issues about audiences led by Charlotte Handel (head of the Stratford East ‘Open Stage’ project).
Other guest practitioners included
Laura Kriefman, Clore Leadership Fellow, on presenting and preparing to pitch projects;
Katie Harper, Administrator 'Stage One’ (SOLT’s training arm)
Melanie Abrahams of Renaissance and Tilt; and
Chris Mellor, producer, formerly Camden’s senior arts development officer (MACP Class of 2011), on local authority funding.
Looking forward to Unit Four next term, Chris Hill, director and writer, led students through his ‘Creative Beginnings’ workshop, conducting exercises about initiating creative projects.
Students also delivered their first formal Assessment Exercise, which consisted of completing and delivering
• two Practical Exercises (one set by Andrew McKinnon on actors’ remuneration, the other set by Julius Green on theatre deals);
• an oral Presentation on their personal view of the role of the creative producer; and
• an Essay (1500 words) on this subject with additional Supporting Material.
In the last week of term, the final session at Stratford East was another interactive session with Jan Sharkey-Dodds; an inspiring analysis of TRSE’s work with many diverse communities, including in particular their seminal 'verbatim project' MAD BLUD.
The following day the afternoon class culminated in a rather giggly THEATRE QUIZ, set by Andrew McKinnon; and a summarising final class with Julius Green (and apparently some after-class celebrations .....) completed a busy term.
Classes resume on 11 January 2012.
