Youngsters get sessions from professionals who have links to Oscar winner Jordan Peele and Phillipe Gaulier, who taught the likes of Emma Thompson and David Schwimmer
Some of the Oscar winners of the future got fresh insights into acting thanks to a collaboration aimed at opening doors to creative careers.
The partnership was a collaboration between Sizewell Creative, Suffolk New College, DanceEast and New Wolsey Theatre, who joined forces to provide three workshops for around 50 performing arts students.
During the sessions, the youngsters got to work with professionals working in the arts industry and gained skills relating to greenscreen technology, fight scenes, and they also took part in a clown workshop.
The event was entitled The Future is Now, and it was the second year running that this occasion had taken place.
Rosalind Parker is the Creative Director of Sizewell Creative. She said: “One of our missions is to support the next generation coming through into the arts. So, this project was set up to give young people the chance to look at different career options.
“We want to equip young people with skills and get them to take part in different initiatives and make them feel inspired about their futures. The feedback has been tremendous, and we are planning to do something again next year.”
(Sizewell Creative is an initiative delivered by Sizewell C, the new nuclear power station being built on the Suffolk Coast. It supports local communities, young people and the workforce through creative arts).
Kelly Fletcher is a lecturer in performing arts at Suffolk New College. Kelly said: “Our students got to work with three practitioners who showed them different opportunities that they may not have thought of, and different careers they may want to go into. Thanks to Sizewell Creative, DanceEast and the New Wolsey Theatre for their amazing support.”
One of the practitioners involved was DJ Johnson, a stunt coordinator who recently worked on a Monkeypaw Production with Oscar winner Jordan Peele. He has also been involved with Channel 5 productions starring Nigel Havers, Anita Dobson and Alan Davis.
He said, “We taught some of the basic moves that performers get to do on stage. The students were brilliant and brought great energy (to the sessions).”
Mark Curtis is a creative artist who was taught by Phillipe Gaulier, who also worked with the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) and David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends).
Mark said: “They (students) took to the sessions very well. My top tip to young people is to invest in the idea of trusting yourself.”
Sophie O’Connor is the Producer for Creative Health and Communities at DanceEast. She said: “We have worked in collaboration with these partners before and we are really passionate about making sure young people aren’t discouraged by creative careers. Sometimes you need to step outside of the college and open up your world and get inspired and be encouraged to see all of the different possibilities – so days like today are about showcasing other careers that people had not previously considered.”
Tony Casement is the Head of Creative Communities at the New Wolsey Theatre. Tony said: “It’s great to be able to work with the amazing young people of Suffolk New College and to be able to give them an insight into the exciting career paths that are available in the modern, creative sector, and we always enjoy collaborating with our friends at
Dance East and Sizewell Creative and the Suffolk New College staff, to put together something that none of us could pull off on our own.”
Akorede Odelabu, 17, from Ipswich, is on a level two performing arts course. He said: “We learnt new skills in different areas of performance. I want to be an actor – but this has made me think more about directing as well. I want to create my own showreel using greenscreen. It (the event) has absolutely been useful.”
Jazzy Abel, 17, from Ipswich, is on a level 3 performing arts course. She said: “It’s been fun, educational and mind opening.”
The public can get to see some of the skills that students learnt via these workshops at Suffolk New College’s next production of a dance show based on the hit TV show called Stranger Things in April: Suffolk New College Performing Arts event tickets from TicketSource.