4 Responses to “What did you think about the open house day?”

1. Tristan Darby says:

   I attended the BOV open day on Sunday with a mind that something major needs to be done and soon, to keep both the young and older ‘professional’ passion, talent and creativity in the area. I left the day on an extreme high, and with an even firmer belief that this is something we really need to be tackling.
   It is a sad, sad fact that nearly all of the potential talent within our community that we witnessed over the day on sunday will either move away to London never to return, or just plain loose their way with the arts once they reach an adult age and give up altogether.
   There is all the potential you could possibly need in Bristol (with a popuation of 600,000 within a 20min drive of the city centre)and the south west in general but actors have little or no reason to stick around here as there is so little paid work, also casting directors and agents very very rarely are willing to travel outside of london.
   I feel that a lot of the problem is that there is no real network in place where actors, directors, designers, composers can come together regularly and meet face to face to talk and discuss the state of play get inspired to work together. Also a big point is that it is very difficult to get ongoing proffesional training without travelling up to london which is bot expensive and not always possible for those of us who have ‘day jobs’ while resting. and I am a firm believer that Bristol would really benefit, indeed so would our whole area of the south west, from an ongoing training centre utilising all of the different creative disciplines in one, well marketed, balanced programmed centre.
   It’s bad enough when you start out on your professional career to know where to turn for further training, and help and assistance, least of all if you’re not in London.
   Finally Just a quick question for the BOV Theatre School also.. how many BOV students are actually Bristol/westcountry born and bred?? this is not in any way a dig at those not from the area who train here, but how do we expect local potential to stay around the area if they are forced to re-locate (often to london-again ‘where he work is’)at the very first stage of their career in order to recieve ‘accredited’ professional training???? i am more than happy to carry on this discussion with anyone from BOV or anyone else who feels this is an important subject as this is something I feel very strongly about, and as a young locally born locally based actor, facilitator, and overall theatre bug, i would like to instigate more discussion on what needs to be done to improve the potentially bleak current situation we are facing…!!!

   April 16th, 2008 at 3:47 pm

2. Corina Bona says:

   Tristan,
   I am from Argentina, I move here in 2000 to go to uni at UWE and stayed on and did a postgraduate in Set and Costume Design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The year that I attended many of the actors where from Bristol and indeed the south west in general. Although your right with the state of theatre here they all end up moving to london when they graduate.These days its mostly the Stagemanagement students that are local because they can get work in theatre and television here in the south west more easily.
   I have stuck it out and stayed but most of the work that has paid me has come from working in TIE abroad. I am currently working with a company that is related to what you saw at the open day event at BOV. They are called Fairground Theatre company, their artistic directors are Tid who is the director of the youth theatre and Adam Peck writer for may of the youth theatre productions. Thanks to all that has happened in Bristol over the past year many new companies are emerging. We need to be more self supporting and help one another out because funding isn’t there to back you up. We are hosting a Fundraising event on the 5th of May that will have a workshop opportunity and also an open rehearsal for people to observe the work we are foing in preperation for the production we are putting on at the Tobacco Factory in June called The Red Man. If you would like to help us spread the word and get as many people involved we would welcome your support.

   April 21st, 2008 at 10:36 am

3. Tristan Darby says:

   Corina, I will certainly do as much as I can to promote the fundraiser and the show, and will be along on the night. Best of luck and see you there

   April 21st, 2008 at 1:50 pm

4. Ella Comrie says:

   well what can i say? thic open day was AMAZING!
   both playes were really well coreographed they were so amazing to watch. i thought all the actors and actresses performed the playes so well and the producers of the plays made them both really grippng so i always wanted to know what happened next.
   there were also all the people rapping and showing everyone their songs which i loved to

   i also found reall amusing the new shakespear show. i think the 5 actors did really well

   these open days should definatley be done again as i think it was a very special day for the old vic and for everyone who went.

   April 27th, 2008 at 7:51 am

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