Youth and Education
The Torch Theatre continues its commitment to the County’s young people, and with the sponsorship and support of Pembrokeshire County Council, we have a dedicated Youth Theatre and Education Officer. The new Studio Theatre, sponsored by Milford Haven Port Authority, gives us more opportunities to share the magic of theatre with young people.
Have a look at the article below, which was submitted by three young people who came to visit us on Work Experience in early June 2008 - it even reminded the staff of what a special place it is to work in! Hope, Bethan and Laura have even taken some photographs to accompany their article, all of which will be posted on the site very shortly. To find out more about our work, click on the following links : Summer Schools , Youth Theatre or Education.
"So...we're year 10 pupils from Preseli School who are here on work experience this week. Here are some comments we've made on our time here, to hopefully inspire you to visit the Torch Theatre in the future...."
Day 1
We sat in the auditorium anticipating the day ahead.
It was big and spacious with a presence of past performers and past performances.
The room was oddly quiet but with a feeling of excitement in the air.
It reminded us of childhood memories watching pantomimes, though it remained deadly quiet unlike the chaotic opposite, when in action.
It was as if the auditorium was alseep.
Buzzing feeling.
It was a different buzz compared to being on the stage performing, it was quiet, and yet left you feeling as though you're in a special place.
No audience, just you and the stage.
Then a tour around the building with Mel for safety and to show off the impressive refurbishment.
In the studio we started work on The Writers Squad's script.
Honoured were we to be the first budding actors to try out a new script written by the talented youth of the Writers Squad.
Empty stage, no audience. Just Dave.
Tour around the technical side of theatre, showing the unknown and unsung heroes of the Torch Theatre :)
A different view of the theatre from the withering heights of the fly tower, which was a bit scary for height haters, but what an experience!
We were then shown how films reach the big screen!
This difficult process was explained to us by a very friendly member of the technical team, Andy.
Lunch. YUM.
Back to more improvising and improving on the script, performing on stage as if all 102 seats were filled.
Reflecting on the train home, we decided this was definitely a good place to be for work experience.
Not only are there actors, but a whole team supporting them, behind the scenes.
We now fully appreciate the company and hard work that goes into entertainment.
Day 2
Costumes!
Today we got to play dress up!
A very exciting prospect, and perhaps a child-like satisfaction to be able to do this.
Went through the costume wardrobe, and received a challenge from our very own David Ainsworth to sport some very fetching yellow bowler hats through the theatre...WITHOUT laughing.
Sorting through old costumes we reminisced past plays such as the Snow Queen ... costumes ranging from ice queen costumes, gigantic polar bears outfits and fisherwomen's clothing to full sized flower costumes and the goolie gang's striped robber outfits.
We then got taken across the road to a huge warehouse.
This is where the breathtaking scenery for each show is made.
This is where the magic happens!
Again we were met by a friendly face who was willing to let us wander through and explore all the
different props and various scenery that is left.
We also learnt the process which is undergone when designing a set, which can take up to 4 weeks!
Dave then took us to the prop room under the stage.
It's surprising how small the room was compared to the amount of props some shows have!
More script work and some playful improvisation to end an all in all fun yet enlightening day.
Day 3
Well it's only half way through the day, but so much work has been done already.
We've been working in an efficient yet friendly office environment, alongside a few members of the hard working team.
Today's been a case of completing numerous tasks, such as sorting out mailing lists, changing and moving film posters and writing this for the website.
All in all, the experience so far has been fantastic, and it's great to do work experience in somewhere we'll be welcome at in the future.
We'd like to thank all members of the friendly Torch Team, especially Dave Ainsworth, the Youth Theatre Director for making this possible for us!
by Hope Dowsett, Bethan Davies and Laura Price
11 June 2008
Work Experience and Work Placements
The Torch Theatre is a popular choice for young people who want to broaden their experience of the world of work with a longer term placement, or enhance their learning as part of prescribed work experience for their school or college course.
We will always try to help you if we can. However, we do have to be realistic about our own workloads and responsibilities, and how this might affect the time we have available for you which could affect the quality of your work experience. Sometimes we may just be too busy to help you out, at other times there may not be much to do in that area of activity at the time you wish to come to us. We receive dozens of requests each year, and it’s not possible to accommodate all of them.
So, if we’re receiving lots of work experience and placement requests, what’s the best way for you to apply?
• We need information in writing, well in advance of your chosen dates
• We need details of the dates and times you would like to be with us
• We need home and school addresses, contact numbers and email addresses
• We’d like to know something about you, what you enjoy doing, what relevant course you’re studying, why you’ve chosen the Torch, what you’d hope to do with your life in the long run
• We need specific information about what you need to learn from the placement or work experience you’re requesting
• It may help if you can give us a couple of options if you’re interested in more than one thing
• We really want you to demonstrate that you want to come to the Torch for all the right reasons, and not just because you have to do something to keep your school or parents happy
It’s always a good idea to check availability with us before you spend time writing in response to the bullet points above. You should contact Christine O’Reilly on 01646 694192 (Monday to Saturday) or chris@torchtheatre.co.uk and we can tell you what’s what.
