The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is currently in the process of talking to leadership figures from across the nation in an attempt to understand this universal trait and what it means in Britain and Northern Ireland today.
Laura from The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company was invited onto an episode of the podcast, which also included an interview with Geoff Hurst. Host Matthew O'Neill asked both guests a series of questions about leadership and the role it has played in their careers to date. Matthew O'Neill commented, ‘Hosting a show like this, where you speak to genuine leaders who have been there and done it, either on a national stage or within a crucial industry sector, is an absolute honour.’ Lord Blunkett, chairman of The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said, ‘I think the most informative element of each episode is the first part, where Matthew O'Neill is able to sit down with someone who really gets how their industry works and knows how to make their organisation tick. Someone who’s there day in day out working hard and inspiring others. That’s what leadership is all about.’ You can listen to the podcast in full here: https://youtu.be/LIZ9du16ot0 You can also discover more about both Laura Jury and Geoff Hurst here: http://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/laura-jay Before our rehearsals for A Midsummer Night's Dream today, a whole bunch of our team, those who were interested, were auditioned by a visiting filmmaker, for a new external production. While no major detaiils will be announced yet, we look forward to working with this filmmaker on his project over the spring. An absolutely excellent morning.
Another (new) good thing aboout being an Equity member for anyone who is eligible. Lots of creatives wrestle with stress or depression at times, especially in a tough industry like ours. So this could be very handy for a lot of people. Equity has launched a groundbreaking support system for members dealing with mental health problems. This will include a new dedicated 24/7 helpline, an individual assessment and up to six professional counselling sessions available across the UK.
www.equity.org.uk/news/2020/february/equity-launches-new-mental-health-support-scheme Midsummer Night's Dream castings. Roles marked TBC are still in discussion with people being auditioned for those roles over the final part of this week. Well done to EVERYONE :) First main rehearsal takes place on Sunday.
Tara MacGowran (Lysander) Charlotte Slade (Robin Starveling, Mustardseed) TBC (Snout) Victoria Balster (Titania & Hippolyta) Keanna Mabin(Hermia) TBC (Bottom) Daniel McCarthy (Flute) Joe Staton (Quince & Egeus) Laura Jury (Puck) Rich Sandford (Oberon) Peter Carey (Demetrius) Gemma Burford (Philostrate & Peaseblossom) Alex Slade (Moth) Joe Tresize (Snug) Sarah Rutty (Helena) Carl Reynolds (Theseus)
Yesterday, we received a message on an advert for our upcoming auditions for A Midsummer Nights Dream, that was absolutely heartbreaking.
"I would like to audition, but I'm black" Obviously we (Laura as representative) replied immediately to let the person know that skin colour or ethnicity, is no barrier to working with us, but this warranted a bigger clarification. In South Devon, where we are based, the local demographic is less "diverse" than in other parts of the country, but that does not mean any kind of discrimination in our cast or crewing. There is no issue about skin colour, religion, ethnicity, LGBT orientation, or anything else like that. In face we have quite a diverse team, who all produce incredible, world-class work together. Selection in castings is based entirely upon auditions and professionalism, as stated in our audition page , and there are no other criteria, either overt or covert. No other details have any relevance to the selection process. On a wider scale, discrimination on such grounds is not only unethical, it is also illegal, and should be reported to Equity or a similar authority. In these times, with budgets stretched, and marketing of shows always being a challenge for any theatre company, we are proposing this new initiative, where theatre companies exchange advertising. A text page of line adverts in a programme, where we list each others productions in the same region, means that we all reach more audiences, encourage theatre-going, and grow together. This isn't intended to exchange money, just help one another with a few lines of text.
Since it is based on an exchange, (just with the provision of a checking copy to the companies involved, to prove openly that agreements are honoured), it should hopefully be something that is accessible to all companies. We are based in the Southwest (Southwest UK), and that is the area that we would cover, but if people in other areas of the country want to initiate the same kind of idea - that would be awesome :) Please get in touch if you would like to exchange with us, and get involved in this new idea. Laura (company director) - email [email protected] So, the last few days have been spent at Brixham theatre, setting up for, and performing, our production about the 1866 Great Gale of Brixham with an amazing cast. We now break for Christmas, although we are back in January for another performance at Ivybridge! (Box office details here) Our retiring collection raised approximately £95 for Brixham Fishermans Mission. Show photos by Laura Jury and Gemma Burford.
Some of our team have been working with a multi-agency team led by Childrens Services at Torbay Council, at St Cuthbert Mayne School in Torquay, as part of the 16 Days of Action, raising awareness of coercive and abusive behavior, and how to seek help.
Our contribution at the school was for two of our team, to work with the students, through drama workshops, to create a play based on students experiences. This will be performed back to the school during 2020. |
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