Park Theatre Announces Series Of Masterclasses For 16-26 Year Olds

Park Theatre today announces a brand-new series of masterclasses for their Park Up members (a free membership for 16-26-year old patrons). The masterclasses are led by industry professionals to help develop skills and networks, all in a bid to give young people the confidence to succeed in the industry.

Classes cover a wealth of areas including casting, dramaturgy and writing, producing, networking and stage combat. Each masterclass is led by experts in the respective fields. Programmed as part of the Park Up scheme in conjunction with Park Theatre's youth board, who advised on the types of classes they'd be interested in, the masterclasses on offer are heavily subsidised at a cost of £5 each, thanks to the support of the Morris Trust.

The programme is as follows:

Casting for TV & Film with Faye Timby CDG (The Witcher, Netflix)

Tuesday 7th April - 7pm - 10pm

Actors will prepare and perform a short scene from a script. Faye will then discuss the scene with them and put them on tape in a mock audition format, providing direction and feedback where needed and working on the scene until both parties are happy. All participants will be encouraged to read in with one another. All of Faye's workshops are run in a relaxed, supportive and positive environment, allowing participants to share and learn from everyone within the group as well as from Faye's feedback. At the end, there will be a short Q&A where actors will be invited to ask any questions they might have about the casting process.

Faye worked as an agent for three years before moving into casting. She began working for Nadine Rennie, Laura Dickens and Annelie Powell. She then spent a year assisting Sophie Holland on the Netflix TV series The Witcher and then Rachel Freck on Series 3 of Tin Star. She is currently working for Sophie Holland on The Witcher S2, Pilot Season for NBC and Hamlet at the Young Vic. She is also the Casting Director for the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum.

Introduction to Stage Combat with Charlotte Price

Wednesday 8th April - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

This course is for anyone with no (or little) previous stage combat experience.

Charlotte will be guiding participants through the basic principles of unarmed stage combat, focusing particularly on telling the story through acting; combat is just as much about the acting as it is the technique!

Participants will work with Charlotte to learn a range of basic unarmed techniques, leading to a short piece of choreography. By the end of the session participants should have an understanding of the foundations of stage combat, with an awareness of safety principles combined with some knowledge of 'how to sell it' to a theatre audience. This 3-hour masterclass does not provide any official qualifications but should hopefully inspire participants to want to take their combat training further to achieve an industry-recognised qualification in a full-length examination course.

Charlotte is a London-based actor, graduated from drama school in 2016 (ArtsEd - BA hons Acting), who works professionally across multiple platforms in the industry. She is an Advanced Actor-Combatant with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, with experience of both stage and screen combat. Charlotte has trained with some of the biggest names in combat in both the U.K, Canada and USA. She has been able to combine her acting and combat experience to gain many fight-based performer credits, as well as building on fight directing and teaching.

Charlotte's actor credits include Common (National Theatre), Acceptable Damage (Cineworld, Sky, Amazon Prime), Strindberg's Women (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Three Musketeers (National Tour), Macbeth (YSC) and Fair Alien Jr (Bollywood Action Movie). Fight directing & teaching credits include: Coelacanth (Cockpit Theatre), Macbeth (Young Shakespeare Company), The Hankerbox (film), Stagecoach, PQA and TheatreTrain.

Hear Me Now: Creating your own network and producing your own work with Titilola Dawudu

Thursday 9 April 19.00 - 21.00

Everyone has a place in the arts, whether you see yourself as a maker, creator, producer, director - and regardless of background or education. Hear from the co-creator and editor of Hear Me Now Audition Monologues for Actors of Colour on how to create your own work, using your networks around you and empower yourself to have your voice heard.

Titilola Dawudu is a writer, producer and editor. She is a trustee for Theatre Centre and is an Associate Writer for Beyond Face, Plymouth. She was the Learning and Participation Manager at Ovalhouse and is currently Programme Manager for Young People and Youthfulness for Coventry City of Culture. Her work has been performed at Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Arojah, Nigeria, Soho, the Bush, the Arcola, and Theatre Peckham. Titilola is part of the Black Women in Theatre team behind the iconic #WeAreVisible photoshoot of over 250 black women at The Globe Theatre in July 2019.

She co-created and edited 'Hear Me Now' Audition Monologues for Actors of Colour' with Tamasha, published by Oberon Books with Volume Two in development. She curated a festival in February 2020 with Theatre503 based on 16 monologues from Hear Me Now, highlighting a need to diversify stories by black and south Asian women.

Agent Panel with Kristian Wall (42 Management) and Oliver Campbell (BWH)

Wednesday 15th April - 6:30pm - 9.30pm

The workshop will start with a Q&A and then each actor will be given a time slot with Ollie & Kristian where they can perform their chosen piece of text during which they will receive redirection and have the chance to ask any questions they may have.

Kristian Wall (42 Management): In 2017 Kristian graduated from ArtsEd. He swiftly moved to the other side of the industry, firstly working as an Assistant Agent at Olivia Bell Management, then working with Sue Needleman as a Casting Assistant on the following projects: Ugh (Disney), Danny And Mick (Tiger Aspect), Mama K's Team 4 (Netflix) & The Dumping Ground (CBBC). He now works as an Assistant at 42. Kristian also runs Just Add Milk (JAM) Theatre company, which strives to make the arts industry more accessible for people of all backgrounds.

Ollie Campbell (BWH): After graduating from East 15, Ollie interned and assisted at a number of agencies around London including ARG Talent, before becoming an agent at Byron's Management where he helped to build a thriving list for four years. Ollie took the opportunity to move to BWH a year ago, where he now works with Joe Hutton and Bill Petrie on a list of both high profile and up-and-coming talent.

Dramaturgy: Supercharging your story with RoughHewn

Monday 4th May - 6pm - 9pm

At its heart, playwriting is storytelling.

So, as a playwright, how can you make sure you're telling your story as powerfully as possible?

By interrogating the fundamentals of how, why, and when stories are told in the theatre, this workshop will explore the role of dramaturgy within the evolution of a new play. Participants will be given the tools to clarify, strengthen and supercharge their work, empowering them to make sure it reaches its first audience in the way they want it to.

Led by Tamar Saphra and Tommo Fowler, they will also share their extensive experience of working with theatre literary departments and prizes, demystifying the reading and programming process, and helping participants to see their own work through the eyes of theatres, directors and producers.

Tickets will be available to purchase at 10am Friday 20 March to anyone aged 16 - 26 years who is a member of Park Up. Full details of the masterclasses and how to become a member of Park Up are available on Park Theatre's website: https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/park-up

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