Summer Theatre School Online Workshops

Over STSo you’ll get to attend three workshops from the list below. This really is a brilliant line-up of topics and an incredible wealth of experience and talent.  The range of contributors is something we haven’t been able to include in the STS ever before.

There’s something every day for everyone… acting, devising, writing, improv, music, film-making, storytelling and more in these very practical, lots of fun, fascinatingly insightful workshops angled to make the most of the online theatre world we are entering.

Have a read and then fill in this form with your preferences by 27 July. We will email you with your workshop confirmations in advance of the sessions.

If you miss out on one you’d like to see, don’t worry! We will record and offer some of the workshops on a catch-up service, so you might be able to see it after STSo.

SATURDAY 1 AUG – 4pm

TWELVE STEPS FOR WRITERS
Murray Watts

This is a workshop for anyone seriously interested in writing and it outlines twelve fundamental principles which are relevant to all forms of writing. There will be an emphasis on plays and screenplays, but poetry, novels, spirituality and non-fiction will all be included in the discussion and interactive Q&A.

Murray was one of the founders of Riding Lights Theatre Company.  He has written for theatre, radio, TV and film for more than 40 years.  His plays have been produced by the Bush Theatre and the Kings Head in London and in many places throughout the UK and the US. Probably best known as the screenwriter of the film The Miracle Maker (2000), he is currently involved in a new play for a theatre in New York and creating a one-man version of his play premiered by  Riding Lights, African Snow (2007).  Although now living in the far north of Scotland, Murray is delighted to still share in the vision and the journey of Riding Lights.

DEVISE AND CONQUER
Erin Burbridge, Andrew McCracken and Jared More – the Riding Lights Kaleidoscope Team

How do you make something familiar feel fresh? Join us as we use everyday props and ridiculous prompts to create memorable characters. Come channel your creativity and take up the challenge of telling classic stories in new and unexpected ways, as we devise new sketches to conquer the ordinary.

On the Company’s recent Kaleidoscope Tour, Andrew, Erin and Jared toured extensively across the UK, taking a variety of vibrant sketches to prisons, schools, churches and everything in between.

FAIRY TALES – DISCOVERING MAGIC
Dare Emmanuel

This is a fun action-packed workshop crammed full of opportunities to act, be silly and most of all, to discover just how easy it is to create the magic of a fairytale but with twists of your own. You’ll leave able to wow your friends with your new story-telling skills or thrill your family members with personalised stories they’ll adore.

Dare is a passionate actor who is led by faith.  Recently he toured in two productions of GOSPELSTREET with RLTC.   Between acting jobs, he manages large events for younger audiences, teaches anti-bullying workshops and creates content for charity work aimed at supporting children and young people. He is exuberant, ridiculous or serious as the moment demands … and so are his workshops!  Today’s one will offer a safe space where participants can enjoy the freedom to create as the story demands.

CHOICES FOR YOUR VOICES- ways to transform your voice for character work
Yvonne Morley-Chisholm

Think ‘cooking with voice’ – we get into the pantry and learn to mix and blend the potential ingredients. A practical approach to transforming your voice safely.

Yvonne is a freelance voice teacher, working with actors on stage, screen and in the studio. She is an associate with Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. She co-authored More Care for your Voice. Currently she is researching with some of the team who found the real Richard III under that car park to give him literal voice. Yvonne is on the Board of RLTC and has been able to coach and support a number of RL productions over the years.

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE…  that’s the problem
Online design
Sean Cavanagh

Design for theatre, when there’s no theatre to design for.  Ideas about how theatre design might work in the world of virtual drama using Zoom, Green Screens, 3D modelling and unexpected objects. Is it possible to surprise your audience from the comfort of your living room and yet stay true to the script?

Sean Cavanagh has designed many shows for Riding Lights over the past 30 years.  He’s also had an extensive career designing over 500 productions for theatres throughout the UK and abroad, ranging from low budget fringe shows to major West End musicals.  He counts the wonderful Riding Lights/ York Theatre Royal production of the 2012 York Mystery Plays as the high point of his career.

 

 

SUNDAY 2 Aug – 4pm

IMPROVISING ONTO THE PAGE – AND OFF AGAIN
Jonathan Bidgood

Think Improvisation is just for comedy games? Think again. In this workshop we will apply the tools and techniques of live improvisation to a range of less seat-of-the-pants creative endeavours, including creative writing, performing scripted work and maybe even song! Bring a pen, paper and yourself.

Jonathan is an actor, director, writer, and musician. He has worked with Riding Lights for over a decade in all of those capacities. These days he resides on a hillside in Catalunya in a large tent.

HUNTED
Jon Boustead

You’re on the run – where do you go? What do you do? Who is after you? Making use of your immediate surroundings, this workshop will explore character, motivation, conflict and specific theatre, enabling you to begin your own exciting dramas from the comfort of your own home.

Jon is a Director of Drama for St Paul’s Juniors. Beginning his career with Riding Lights in On Christmas Night, Jon went on to join Roughshod 2010 before joining the company as Youth Theatre Director (2011-2013). Since then he has settled into teaching and writing for young actors/audiences. Recent work includes The Selfish Giant (Riding Lights), Pangolin (Ships in the Night) and Al is in Wonderland (St Paul’s Juniors).

RESOUNDING SOUND
Ollie Brown

Using sound we can create rich, immersive atmospheres and help set the scene. In this workshop we will be learning how to use simple sound editing software to create exciting soundscapes.

Ollie is the Head of Production and Technical for Hull Truck and has been involved with RLTC for almost 20 years! He has worked as a Stage Manager, touring with a number of productions and of course supporting the Summer Theatre School as a technician and running the Technical Theatre course.

PITCHING A FILM MASTERCLASS
Luke Walton

Join Luke, director of The Pitch, to discover how to pitch a film concept. We will cover use of genre and character, how to develop the craft, how to avoid some pitfalls, and how to learn from feedback. There will also be the opportunity for a few people to try giving a two minute film pitch live and then receive feedback.

If you would like to pitch live then take a little time to prepare.

Look at some examples of pitches that have been made “direct to camera”. Effectively this will be how the live pitching will work – 2 minutes to tell your story.

  • Try these for starters:
  • or try some that have “storyboards” but essentially a simply dialogue to go with them. No need to make any storyboards for this event, but this might give you some ideas:

If none of these quite float your boat, then there are 350 other great ideas to look at here!

  • Find some inspiration from a story, character, theme or verse in the Bible.
  • Prepare your adaptation to tell in two minutes and put in some practice now!

Luke is founder and director of The Pitch Film fund, which nurtures and develops emerging talent. Luke is also director of Reel Issues Films, who support the annual winner of The Pitch and produce the winning concept as a completed film. He has exec produced 2 short films and produced 15 other short films. Luke acted with RLTC, joining the second Roughshod company and says that without that opportunity he would not be in his current post. His first experience of film production was also with RLTC for Paul Burbridge’s award-winning short Unscripted, written by Nigel Forde and awash with RLTC talent.

DIRECT ACTION
Joe Harmston

Lively interaction and expert tuition on the opportunities and challenges of directing a piece of theatre.  The workshop will consider some key principles for the director’s own preparation before staging a play.  There will also be lots of practical advice on ways to help actors create the characters and deliver ‘the drama’.  If you sign up, you will be sent a short scene as a focus for drawing out the creative issues.

Joe has been directing plays and musicals in the West End, across the UK and in the USA, Europe and the Far East for thirty years. He has had the opportunity to work with some of the most influential voices in British theatre, including Harold Pinter, Alan Ayckbourn, David Hare, Trevor Nunn and Peter Hall as well as actors ranging from Hollywood stars to community players. His passion has always been new writing and he has worked closely with numerous writers on first productions of their work. He is a Creative Associate at The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry and was Associate Director at Chichester Festival Theatre. His connection with RLTC is as a friend of the Artistic Director and through a close working relationship with designer Sean Cavanagh.

 

 

MONDAY 3 Aug – 4pm

WRITE ON!
Bridget Foreman

Just getting going with writing is tough whether you’re a total beginner or a Pulitzer prize-winner. This workshop will give you irresistible ideas to get you off the starting blocks and writing freely. No rights and wrongs, no rules, and no fronted adverbials: all you need is pen, paper, and a little imagination.

Bridget is a playwright with over 20 years’ experience of writing for a range of theatres and companies. She’s an Associate Director of Riding Lights, and has worked with the Company as an actor, director and playwright, most recently writing Surprise Ending and My Place (work in progress!). Bridget is also a lecturer in scriptwriting at the University of York. www.bridgetforeman.co.uk

ACTING! Putting theory into practice
Rich Hasnip

In this highly practical acting workshop, we will take a single text and attempt to bring it to life using a variety of different techniques. From the logical and systematic, to the physical and intuitive, we will apply a whole host of methods and find out which one works best for you.

Rich is a writer and acting teacher who is fascinated by many forms of creativity and performance. He is the Course Director for Applied Theology and Performing Arts at Regents Theological College where he teaches undergraduates. He also writes regularly for Saltmine Theatre Company. Rich has loved Riding Lights for as long as he can remember having first seen them when they performed at his Primary School! He joined Riding Lights Roughshod in 1999 and has taught for Riding Lights at their Summer Schools for the last few years.

AUDIENCE ONLINE
Abigail Oscroft

Create a mini piece of participatory theatre from the comfort of your living room. In this workshop you will learn some basic theory and techniques of audience participation, before practically exploring how these might be used in online performance.

Abigail joined Riding Lights as the Youth Theatre Director in 2017, after graduating from Royal Holloway with an MA in Contemporary Performance Practice. She is passionate about arts education and creative ways to engage theatre audiences. Abigail is thoroughly looking forward to her fourth time at Summer Theatre School… this time from the comfort of her own home!

STORYTELLING FOR SCREEN
Var Smallwood

How to develop your play for an online audience, even with a micro budget and avoiding endless ‘talking head’ monologues. Technical questions are welcome but this workshop will be a beginner’s guide on how to adapt your storytelling when moving from a word-centred to an image-centred medium.

Var produces videos, primarily for performing arts and social enterprises, with his company, Telling Video (www.telling.video). Based in Bristol, he has a background in acting, writing and community organising. Over the years, Var has been associated with RLTC in projects from the very first Roughshod company, to a 2-hander tour of York Libraries in 2018 with Surprise Ending by Bridget Foreman.

SINGING A NEW SONG- the art of songwriting made easy
Jonathan Bidgood

Always wanted to write a song but convinced it’s a dark art known only to the masters? Or maybe you already write music but want some tips to focus your craft? In this workshop we will explore song, its structures and strictures, inspirations and fixtures. We’ll learn about making your melodies interesting, telling a story in one of the most concise forms known to man, and examine the underlying structural elements that occur over and over again in the work of all of the greats.

Jonathan is an actor, director, writer, and musician. He has worked with Riding Lights for over a decade in all of those capacities. These days he resides on a hillside in Catalunya in a large tent.

 

 

That’s all the options! Time to fill in this form with your preferences by 27 July. We will email you with your workshop confirmations in advance of the sessions. Please note this is only for registered participants of STSo.