2014/15 Through performance, participation and learning, Dundee Rep’s pioneering Creative Learning team creates opportunities that enrich and develop the creative potential of schools, colleges, young people and members of the local community.
Technical Theatre Workshops Our Technical Theatre Workshops give pupils the opportunity to learn about theatre lighting, sound and stage management. Working alongside theatre professionals, this 2.5 hour hands-on practical workshop will culminate in a small performance on the Rep’s mainstage where participants will use their new skills to operate and run an extract from the play.
Workshop dates Tue 9 September Wed 10 September Fri 12 September Tue 16 September Wed 17 September Fri 19 September
This year the workshops will take place on the set of our production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, directed by Jemima Levick. Also, as the workshops are running during late afternoon, you could always look at combining your visit to the theatre with a trip to the performance in the evening. Each workshop can accommodate a maximum of 25 pupils. For further information or to request a booking form, please contact Heather Cassidy on hcassidy@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.
2pm – 4.30pm
To book tickets for your pupils to see the evening performance of The Glass Menagerie, please contact Box Office on 01382 223530. See page 5 for further information about the production.
Cost
Please note that there are no tickets included with the cost of the workshop.
Times
£120 (£100 Dundee City Council Schools)
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Onstage Onstage offers drama classes and groups the unique opportunity to devise their own piece of theatre and perform it on the Rep’s mainstage to an audience of family, friends and other young people from across the north-east of Scotland. Using Dundee Rep’s spring production as a thematic stimulus, each group will receive four in-school creative support sessions from a professional theatre practitioner, participate in a backstage tour and have their creative vision realised during a full technical rehearsal, supported by the Rep’s production team.
Closing date for applications Fri 28 November
Project dates Devising Mid January – May Technical rehearsals Tue 5 or Wed 6 May
This year’s spring production is Blood Wedding by Federico García Lorca, in a new version by David Ireland, and is a co-production between Dundee Rep Theatre, Derby Theatre and Graeae. For further information about Onstage or to request an application form, please contact Lisa Williamson on lwilliamson@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660. Please note that there are only 6 spaces available for this project.
Performance at Dundee Rep Wed 6 May at 7pm
Cost £160 (£140 Dundee City Council Schools)
Careers Day Interested in a career in theatre? Then come along to our Careers Day to find out more! Take part in workshops led by industry professionals, chat to college and university representatives from across Scotland and find out everything you need to know about routes into the industry. For further information about our Careers Day, please contact Lisa Williamson on lwilliamson@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.
Date Tue 11 November
Time 4pm – 7pm Dundee Rep Theatre Secondary Newsletter Page 2
Enterprise @ the Rep Delivered in partnership with Dundee City Council’s Education Development Service, this unique event involves 60 young people working alongside arts professionals across all departments of Dundee Rep for two whole days, supporting the young people in developing their skills for learning, life and work.
Project dates Assemblies Mon 1 – Fri 19 September Application deadline Mon 29 September Interviews Thu 30 – Fri 31 October Enterprise days Thu 4 – Fri 5 December Presentation and performance of work Fri 5 December at 5pm
Cost Free, following an interview process
In the first three weeks of September, we will visit each Dundee City Council school to promote the opportunity during assemblies for S4, S5 and S6 pupils. Interested pupils then go through a job application, shortlisting, interview and selection process, allowing them to develop vital skills which will support them in pursuing their educational goals and career aspirations. Those who are successful at the interview stage will then participate in the project at Dundee Rep under the mentorship of our professional staff. We have opportunities in the following departments: Acting, Directing, Dance, Costume Design, Creative Learning, Lighting Design, Sound Design, Scenic Design, Stage Management and Press, Media and Marketing. This year’s Enterprise @ the Rep will be inspired by our Christmas production of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. For further information about Enterprise, please contact Heather Cassidy on hcassidy@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660. Please note that this opportunity is only available to pupils who attend Dundee City Council secondary schools.
Work Experience “I enjoyed everything. My experience was just amazing and all the staff were so kind. Overall, this is a fantastic experience for anyone who is interested in working in theatre. I could not be more pleased!” - Thomas, 14, Harris Academy At Dundee Rep Theatre, our Work Experience programme operates on a carousel system providing each young person with the opportunity to spend a morning and afternoon in a different department of the theatre over the course of a week. This creates a diverse timetable of activities, giving a broad overview of the variety of jobs available in the theatre.
Dates
For further information about Work Experience, please contact Heather Cassidy on hcassidy@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.
Various, September – June Dundee Rep Theatre Secondary Newsletter Page 3
Backstage Tours Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the Rep? Why not bring your class on a Backstage Tour of the theatre and find out how the magic is created … For further information or to book a Backstage Tour, please contact Mary Sandeman on msandeman@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660.
Dates All year round
Times Various, lasts approximately one hour
Suitable for S1 – S6 pupils Maximum of 30 pupils per tour
Cost £2 per pupil, teachers go free
Teacher’s CPD Throughout the year we offer a number of opportunities for teachers to refresh and develop their skills. If you are a teacher within Dundee City Council, these opportunities will be circulated to you internally. If you teach outwith Dundee City Council, please contact Gemma Nicol on gnicol@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660 to find out about upcoming opportunities.
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AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS Dundee Rep Ensemble presents
The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams Directed by Jemima Levick Widely regarded as one of Tennessee Williams’ most powerful and haunting plays, The Glass Menagerie is a deeply personal, touching and profound tale of love and loss, illusion and escape, fragility and innocent hope. Tom Wingfield invites us to join him on a journey – looking back at his life with his mother Amanda and sister Laura and through the unrelenting memories that led to his final escape. As he looks back at his life in St Louis, we learn that Tom has the soul of a poet, but his job in a shoe warehouse leaves him longing for adventure and an escape from his mother’s suffocating embrace. As he finds himself under increasing pressure to find a gentleman caller and a future for Laura, he eventually arranges to bring someone home to meet his sister. And when the gentleman caller does finally appear, Laura and Amanda become more hopeful than they have ever been – what follows is one of the most compelling and heartbreaking stories ever told.
Performance dates Wed 3 Sep – Sat 20 Sep at 7.30pm Matinees: Thu 11, Sat 13, Thu 18 & Sat 20 Sep at 2.30pm
Ticket price Schools price £9 One teacher free per 10 pupils
Often cited as one of the world’s most popular plays, this American classic is considered to be a semi-autobiographical work of genius. One of Williams’ most sensitive and magical pieces, The Glass Menagerie is a sharp reminder of the importance of accepting reality, the power of memory and the true meaning of escape. “I didn’t go to the moon, I went much further – for time is the longest distance between two places”
Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530
Workshops We are offering pre-show workshops exploring our production of The Glass Menagerie. Workshops last for 90 minutes and cost £45 (£40 Dundee City Council Schools). For further information or to request a booking form, please contact Lisa Williamson on lwilliamson@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone 01382 342660 Dundee Rep Theatre Secondary Newsletter Page 5
National Theatre of Scotland presents
In Time O’ Strife By Joe Corrie Adapted, designed and directed by Graham McLaren On the 30th anniversary of the 1984 miners’ strike, the National Theatre of Scotland revives Joe Corrie's 1926 classic play about a Fife mining community buckling under the strain of a seven month lockout.
Performance dates Tue 7 Oct – Fri 10 Oct at 7.30pm Matinee: Thu 9 Oct at 2.30pm Running time: approx 90 minutes with no interval
Suitable for Age 12+
Ticket price Schools price £9 One teacher free per 10 pupils
Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530
Workshops There will be FREE school workshops running alongside this production, delivered by the National Theatre of Scotland. Further information will be available nearer the time
Resources
Driven by live, gutsy, folk-punk songs and intense, full-blooded choreography, this uncompromising production is a stark reminder that class conflict between those at the bottom of the social heap and those in power is perennial. “McLaren's production unleashes a memorably angry, vivid and theatrical retelling of a vital story in Scottish history. It's an exhilarating experience and not to be missed.” The Scotsman **** “Gut-wrenchingly emotional” “Vitally contemporary” The Herald ***** “Intensely powerful” “Brilliantly performed” The Times **** “Breathtaking” Sunday Mail **** Supported by ScottishPower Foundation
www.intimeostrife.com
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Comar presents a production from Mull Theatre
The Drawer Boy By Michael Healey Directed by Alasdair McCrone Designed by Alicia Hendrick A beautifully written, funny and bittersweet tale set in Canada. It is 1972, and an eager-eyed young actor, Miles, arrives on a small farm to do research for a role in a play about country life.
Performance date Tue 28 Oct at 7.30pm
Suitable for Age 11+
Ticket prices Standard price £16 Young person (ages 16-26) concession £14
Ticket bookings
He moves in with two middle-aged farmers: stoical Morgan who is not too thrilled with the self-absorbed city boy, and Angus, who lost his short-term memory after being bombed in the war. Miles soon finds himself embroiled in their complex and intricate personal histories as he uncovers a past riddled with secrecy and heartbreak. Warm-hearted, surprising and infinitely moving, The Drawer Boy is a multi-award winning tale that will live long in the memory.
Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530
Sell a Door Theatre Company presents
Sunset Song By Lewis Grassic Gibbon Adapted by Alastair Cording Chris Guthrie is bound to a harsh farming life by her intense love of the land. She dreams of the seductive yet distant world of books and learning, but when war breaks out, Chris suddenly finds herself facing a very different reality as a widowed, single mother in a land altered beyond recognition.
Performance dates Thu 6 Nov – Sat 8 Nov at 7.30pm Matinees: Thu 6 Nov & Sat 8 Nov at 2.30pm
Suitable for Age 11+
Ticket price Schools price £9 One teacher free per 10 pupils
Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530
Set in a farming community in the North East of Scotland, Sunset Song charts Chris’s struggle to adapt to her new world and hold together her fragile family. Her survival depends solely on her belief that beyond the sunset lies hope. Marking a hundred years since the start of the First World War, Sell a Door Theatre Company revives Alastair Cording’s faithful adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s classic Sunset Song, recently voted Scotland’s most popular novel of all time. Sell a Door provide free Education Packs for all their productions, available from their website www.selladoor.com
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Dundee Rep Ensemble presents
James and the Giant Peach By Roald Dahl Adapted by David Wood Following the success of The BFG, Dundee Rep Ensemble brings this GIGANTIC story to Dundee this Christmas. James Henry Trotter lives with his two horrid aunts. One day, as he saves the life of a spider, some magic crocodile tongues come into his possession – and it’s not long before a ginormous PEACH starts to grow in the garden!
Performance dates Thu 27 Nov – Wed 31 Dec, various times Schools performances 10am Tue 2, Wed 3, Wed 10, Thu 11, Fri 12 & Wed 17 Dec 1.30pm Mon 1, Tue 2, Wed 3, Tue 9 & Wed 10 Dec
Venturing inside the peach, not only does he meet the spider he rescued, but a number of new friends including an Old-GreenGrasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird and Earthworm. James and the insects set out on the adventure of a lifetime as they escape from his nasty aunts and plan a new life far, far away. James’ astonishing adventure will fulfill the fantasy of anyone who has ever dreamed of escape. Roald Dahl's story comes hilariously to life in this delightful tale of good, evil and – above all – friendship.
Suitable for All ages
Ticket price Schools price £9 One teacher free per 10 pupils
Ticket bookings Please contact Box Office on 01382 223530
You can find out about Roald Dahl’s real-life experiences and how they found their way into his stories at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire (the author’s home village). The Museum is a charity which aims to inspire excitement about reading, writing and creativity. There are three fun and fact-packed galleries, with lots to make, do and see (including Roald Dahl’s writing hut). Aimed at 6-12 year-olds, the Museum is open to the public and to school groups throughout the year. www.roalddahlmuseum.org Roald Dahl is famous for his stories and rhymes, but much less well known is how often he went out of his way to help seriously ill children. Today Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity helps children with the severest conditions and the greatest needs. The charity believes every child can have a more marvellous life, no matter how ill they are, or how short their life may be. Find out more at www.roalddahlcharity.org
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Please visit our website at www.dundeerep.co.uk For all general enquiries, please contact Mary Sandeman on msandeman@dundeereptheatre.co.uk or phone on 01382 342660
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