During August 2023, I attended an intense course with The National Youth Theatre, directed by The Opia Collective.
Week 1 consisted of developing our relationship and unity as a company. We had participated in many ensemble games and activities that allowed us to build on those connections and to understand the best practices for our company of 29. We created a company contract that outlines how we wanted to create work as a company and what we wanted to get out of it. This week was an invaluable stage of the course as it allowed me to understand better how to work in an ensemble, lead in a large group setting, and express and give space for everyone's unique experiences and stories.
Week 2-3, we were straight to developing upon the skills we were introduced in week 1. Our directors, Masha Kevinovna and Chisara Agor, come from various art backgrounds, including directing, writing and acting and have created work for numerous theatres across London. They introduced me to multiple skills I've put into my toolkit, including Laban, Chekhov and Viewpoints. Being introduced to a wide variety of theories in practice gave me a crash course into various performancestyles, which I've already started to incorporate into my next project.
Our final performance was inspired by the group's feminist and pro-inclusion agenda and our desire to create work around social & cultural themes through a creative lens. Throughout this course, I developed my writing skills; I had two scenes where I was the assistant director and involved in the movement sequences and finally as an actor for four more scenes. The National Youth Theatre CEO and their alumni were present at our performance. I've also been able to access various networking opportunities.
Our final performance was inspired by the group's feminist and pro-inclusion agenda and our desire to create work around social & cultural themes through a creative lens. Throughout this course, I developed my writing skills; I had two scenes where I was the assistant director and involved in the movement sequences and finally as an actor for four more scenes. The National Youth Theatre CEO and their alumni were present at our performance. I've also been able to access various networking opportunities.
As a performer, this is the type of work I strive to create; I want to make work that reflects on the people within our society to give opportunities to those with less fortune and access. This experience allowed me to become a member of The National Youth theatre and have access to numerous options, including castings and skill-building techniques. I also could network with over 30+ individuals with multiple performance disciplinary expertise, which has already opened more doors for me going forward.
It's utterly apparent that without The Traver's Foundation's generous support, I wouldn't have been able to partake in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am wholly grateful for their support in making this whirlwind of a chance possible.
Thank You again, Meera Joshi.
It's utterly apparent that without The Traver's Foundation's generous support, I wouldn't have been able to partake in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am wholly grateful for their support in making this whirlwind of a chance possible.
Thank You again, Meera Joshi.