Having submitted most of my assessed work for teaching block 1 last week, I only have my assessed choreography performance and the choreography workfile left to hand in. We have hit the ground running with Choreography since coming back, with no timetabled lessons we have been in the department from 9-5 most week days, rehearsing and polishing our piece. I didn’t get as far ahead as I would have liked to over christmas with my coursework, however returned to Bristol early (around the 3rd February) and so used the time to catch up and finish off all my work. As I’ve mentioned in my previous post our department does not have written exams, and so the preparation for our exam period is more about organisation than revision. Most of the time you will have some form of practical assessment, and if not that will be made up by essays and coursework. This can seem a big load to bear however with the right preparation and organisation , the work can easily be broken down into small chunks and be tackled individually. Pacing yourself is an important skill, especially in the theatre department as there are so many opportunities to get involved, I have ended up being responsible for the lighting and set design for our choreography piece, which means often once we finish rehearsal I have to stay in the department to meet with staff to discuss how things will work or organise timings to meet up again to complete a task. The technical elements of our performance (lighting, sound, set design, costume etc) are not assessed for this unit, and so I had to be careful of investing too much time into making them happen.

Production weeks (known as intensive weeks) for assessed shows are always (as the name suggests) intense. I am required to be in the department from 9 to 5 most days for various things including lighting plots, sound plots, technical and dress rehearsals, and alongside all of this our group will still be rehearsing for the final piece. This is why it is very important to get work done early if deadlines for other modules are during an intensive week, as chances are it’s hard to find time to finish that work off, whilst also finding time to relax (as you need this too!)

Overall however I am on top of my work at the moment, and more importantly there are people I know I can contact if I feel overwhelmed, such as my personal tutor, my subject tutor, and (specifically first years) can always talk to senior residents or hall staff for support, it’s important to remember the support is always there, but it doesn’t necessarily find you unless you try to find it.

Jamie  

The pace of this last term definitely picked up for me in the last couple of weeks. My assessment for Interpreting Plays is happening at the end of this week, and rehearsals for Choreography (for which the assessed show is next term) are fully underway. This is quite often the way with the Theatre and Performance course as any assessment which requires practical group work requires you to fit rehearsals in during the day, unlike an essay that you may work on at any time by yourself. This is where I believe the hard work of Bristol’s Theatre and Performance course comes in, as juggling two different sets of rehearsals can be challenging, especially when members of your group (including most likely yourself) have other commitments to maintain (such as people studying joint-honours courses and extracurricular activities). This for many people is an important reminder that your studies must come first, as at the end of they day we are at university to get the best degree we can, and although there is huge merit to getting involved with societies, you must be careful with the balance.

Because of this workload, I’m planning on going home for the Christmas break and taking some time off just to take a bit of a breather from university work. It is very important (to me at least) to get some rest and take the time to ‘calm down’ after the rush of a term of university. Luckily our department does not have any exams, however I have an essay, two work files (effectively a written log and reflections of your practical work) and a show to perform that are all due in the exam period after the holidays. This term I do believe I have maintained my target of keeping my extracurricular engagement down slightly, and focused on my academic studies, but still had fun in the process. I’ve really enjoyed my modules this term and sometimes it’s easy to forget that you should be enjoying your studies at university; we are all here because we love our subject and want to specialise in it, and there may be some work that doesn’t interest you, but it’s worth getting through it so you have time to focus on what you really want to do and achieve through the university experience.

Jamie

Just over one month into the academic year and Studiospace has already hosted it’s first show: DAT. DAT (Directors, Actors, Technicians) is traditionally how Studiospace kicks off the year and the format is specifically aimed at getting first years involved with the society. The idea is that anyone can propose a short fifteen minute theatre piece of any nature, and the current committee (made up of second years) will oversee first years with their technical elements, so that people can learn on the job and not have too much pressure whilst doing it. (I said first year was a good time to pursue extracurricular activities!) Course wise, my modules are Choreography for Theatre, Performance Histories and Interpreting Plays. Performance Histories is our only compulsory unit for this term in second year, and both the other units I chose at the end of last year are practical, meaning part of the end assessment is a performance. Choreography is definitely focused on the practical work, with classes consisting of two three hour workshops a week during which we explore choreographic techniques. We also got the opportunity to watch the English National Ballet take class in the Hippodrome for their performance of Giselle as part of the unit which was a great experience. Quite often the university will suggest you attend shows in Bristol, typically at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre as part of your course. If these shows are a requirement for the module, tickets will be provided however most of the time it is strongly suggested you attend and tickets are (usually) relatively cheap. Interpreting Plays is my other chosen unit, for which class consists of a two hour seminar and a three hour workshop per week. We use the seminar to discuss readings and play texts, before putting our discussions into practice in the workshops. The workshops for both units are often led by the unit director, however we are often visited by people working in industry, who give us an insight into their practice for us to take forward and experiment with.

Outside of theatre I have been taking classes in British Sign Language (BSL) with one of the Bristol Students Union (BSU) societies. I took this as I’d never done it before and thought it would be an interesting way to meet some new people and learn something completely new because after all, that’s what university is all about!

Jamie  

After an extremely restful summer, moving back into Bristol was a very busy time for me. This year I have started my role as a senior resident in university accommodation, meaning I live in halls and am tasked with welcoming and ensuring new students are having the best university experience they can in their first year. Normally Senior Residents are in their third year or studies or above, and although I am only in my second year of study it is my third year at the university (after switching courses from Computer Science to Theatre and Performance studies). Living in halls can feel somewhat overwhelming at first, meeting hundreds of new people over a period of a few days is for some people a scary idea. The main piece of advice I was given on this when coming to university for the first time was once I’d moved in and settled down, to open my bedroom door and just welcome people in as they passed. Within about twenty minutes I had about ten people crammed into my room chatting about everything from where they had travelled from to which bank people have accounts with (overseas students can find that information really helpful!)

I’m starting this year with a target towards focusing on my academic work. Your first year at university is formative and so does not contribute to your degree classification when you graduate, and arts students (particularly theatre students) are well known for getting stuck in with extracurricular activities! I have always filled my time with performance based extracurricular activities such as being president of Music Theatre Bristol (MTB), directing West Side Story (MTB’s main show 2016) and I am currently the social secretary for Studiospace (our departmental society). Having done so much over my (two) first years, I have decided to take a step back this year to focus on my academic study. I believe this is the best way round to do things if you’re someone who will get heavily involved with societies as you need to know your limits and be able to manage your time. I almost pushed myself too far last year with commitments which is why I’ve decided to take a slight step back this year, and perhaps go to see some amazing student theatre rather than try to be in it all!

Jamie