New Diorama Theatre is a brand new theatre in the heart of London dedicated to presenting the work of exciting established and emerging theatre companies. In our first 18 months we’ve won two Peter Brook Awards and welcomed over 15, 000 audience members to our small Central London home to a varitey of well-reviewed productions.

From January 2012 we have an opportunity for an individual who wants to start a career in the arts and is looking to gain some valuable experience, training, mentoring and references through a volunteer position. We have a 3-month position available for a minimum of 20 flexible hours per week, to suit your schedule. We need someone to help support and expand our marketing and publicity activity and are looking for some-one with marketing insight and an interest and understanding of theatre to work alongside our small, but pro-active theatre team.  You will be required to bring ideas to the table and initiate and co-ordinate projects.

In return, you will have the opportunity to develop new skills, gain contacts and references e.g. become familiar with Box Office software, Press Release writing, communication and organisation skills, flyer and poster distribution research and general Press, Marketing and Publicity skills. You will also have the opportunity to undertake Front of House duties.

We will pay the successful candidate travel expenses, per diems and provide them with materials to aid you in finding full time work (everything from stamps to CV printing).

Please email your CV and a covering letter to sophie@newdiorama.com explaining why you might be suitable for this post by:  Friday 16 December 5 pm  www.newdiorama.com

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Youth Music Theatre UK, the leading national company for training young people aged between 11 and 21 years old in Musical Theatre are offering a range of Internships and Opportunities throughout the year.

They have a rolling application process, and can offer 1 to 6 month placements for anyone interested in getting involved.

Every year, YMT commission and produce up to 15 new musicals, which are rehearsed and produced during our residential courses in July and August.

YMT’s head office, based in South West London, offers experiences in a variety of fields including production management, administration, fundraising, marketing, sales, finance and chaperoning.

2011 productions will include shows at the Aberdeen International Festival, the Rose Theatre Kingston, Greenwich Theatre, Barbican Theatre Plymouth and South Hill Park Bracknell. Along with our performing courses, we also offer courses in Backstage work, Musicians and Young Writers.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved with a vibrant, fast moving charity, who produces work of the highest quality. It will also give you a chance to work with leading practitioners from London’s West End.

All Interns will be given a free CRB check, join the YMT gang on regular show outings and be welcomed as a part of our busy team.

Current opportunities include :

* Production Management / Administration
* Fundraising / Hardship Fund co-ordination
* Wardrobe assistants / makers
* Sales and Marketing

To apply, please e-mail paulgriffiths@ymtuk.org with your CV, and letter of introduction plus a headshot. Interviews will be arranged in London to discuss your interests.

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Our friends over at StageWon, a relatively new company who will shortly be launching a ‘Back Stage Pass to the Industry’ for theatre professionals is seeking two interns to assist them in the crucial stages leading up to the launch of this project. A marketing and Events intern is required, along with a Production intern, both of which are voluntary positions.

Information on both positions are available below. Don’t forget to check out our Internship List which covers internships at most London venues.

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Marketing and events intern:

Online networking platform for the theatre industry looking for marketing and events intern for company launch.

Responsibilitites to include social media interaction and optimisation, research assistance, networking, minuting meetings, contacting media and industry celebrities, drafting copy for marketing, PR and online releases, content management of website, diary management, co-ordination of launch event and liasing with clients, directors and key stakeholders.

Must be an excellent communicator and relationship builder with strong copy-writing skills, a creative flare, keen attention to detail and comprehensive industry knowledge. Template-based web building skills essential (no need for coding knowledge).

For the right candidate, further opportunities may arise.

Dates: May-June-July.

Please note that this is an voluntary position. Reasonable expenses will be covered.

To Apply Contact: opportunities@stagewon.co.uk
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Pre and Post Production Intern:

Excellent opportunity for someone wanting to get into the entertainment side of the industry and access to a whole range of exciting and unique events.

The right candidate will have relevant education in the field (filming and editing). Pre and post production to include the set-up, shooting and editing of footage.

The right candidate will gain experience, build up contacts and portfolio and will obtain guidance and mentoring from one of the leading entertainment and red carpet reporters in the UK.

Responsibilities to include filming of events, charity drives, cast events, expert demonstration for student resource centre, industry talks and seminars and celebrity interview and editing of all raw material.

The right candidate should be able to work flexible hours, 1-2 days a week.

Reasonable expenses will be paid with potential future prospects for the right candidate.

A piece of previous work is required to apply. Access to a camera and editing software is an advantage.

To Apply Contact: opportunities@stagewon.co.uk

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• In Turn: Cast and Creative: An Introduction

I recently ran a workshop for a group of students during which they posed the question: “Do you think it’s best to go straight from school/college to drama school?” It’s a question that many of us will have pondered at one time or another and it’s not just specific to actor training. Obviously you can only do one or the other so it’s very difficult to give an objective answer. I went straight from sixth form to drama training and there I came into contact with people who had taken a variety of paths into university, so I am aware of the outcomes of some of those options.

In my opinion it’s a completely individual matter and there’s no definitive ‘best option’ or clear-cut answer, but there are a number of things which are important to consider. You need to ask yourself what level you’re at, how you would benefit from the advantages offered by both options, what the options are and the potential affect they will have on your chosen career.

I think there may be a tendency to be overly concerned with what industry professionals are ‘after’ and how they regard taking time out etc. While some of these concerns certainly need consideration when weighing up the options, I think it’s far more important to know what’s best for yourself first. It requires a certain amount of self-scrutiny rather than just what might look good on paper to a casting director.

I followed the latter train of thought, despite the fact I actually had no idea what these ‘industry professionals’ might be looking for. I assumed that I must do everything now, if not sooner, before actually considering the options available. I’ve recently begun to wonder if in my haste to get my education under my belt and get out into the big wide world I’ve actually missed some of the finer points and opportunities. I jumped straight into my training with little hesitation and it took me some time to realise that I was still very much in the school mentality of doing what was required to get the grades. From this perspective I do wonder if I would have taken a firmer hold of my own training had I taken some time out from being in the student role. For instance, now that I’m working for a living, I’m far more proactive and actually take greater interest in tasks required for the job and doing those extra little bits that make all the difference.

But it’s not just in terms of academic focus that I perhaps wasn’t as ready for university as I could have been. When looking at where to apply I didn’t ask the questions that I now think are necessary for making the best decisions. If you don’t ask questions you won’t really know what your options are and what’s going to suit you the best. This goes for Gap Year options too. I hadn’t even considered a Gap Year because to me it signified working my bottom off in a shop to save up to go travelling. I had no idea of the number of career-related options available, from year out drama organisations such as Stratford Year Out Drama Company to internship programmes and getting stuck in to the professional world itself. Perhaps if I’d realised these options existed I might have paused just long enough to consider them and actually ask what’s best for me. Having said all that, I didn’t let my education go to waste and I certainly wouldn’t be doing the things I’m doing now if I hadn’t taken that route, so to all intents and purposes it wasn’t a bad decision at all.

I did notice that many of those students who had taken time out before cracking on with further training often had a more proactive approach and seemed to have a much firmer idea of what they wanted to take away from the course. Of course I’m just generalising and in actual fact there were many students who had gone straight from school who were incredibly driven and focused while some others who had taken time out seemed as lost as the rest of us.

So in essence my advice to the students at my workshop and to anyone else out there who is set on drama training but wonders if now is right, is: ask questions; speak to people, whether they be degree students, teachers or industry professionals and so on; gather as many options as you can; ask yourself honestly whether or not you will utilise a year out to its potential (i.e. not just dedicating yourself to completing World of Warcraft or coming top in a quiz about soap storylines) or if you will really hold the reins in your training.

So if you’re on the brink of deciding what to do at the end of your A Levels, Diploma etc then use and abuse all the resources you have to find the best option for you. You never know what you’ll find if you don’t ask questions! And if you’ve followed one of the many routes into further training it would be great to hear about your experiences and any advice you have for others looking at similar options.

Image by Year Out Drama Company, see more of their work here.

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