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Step On Stage Productions - Being in the youth theatre

4/17/2020

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Youth Theatre - A Christmas Carol 2019-2020
​By Jessica Jenner

​Being in a Christmas Carol was exciting, fun and just a great experience. This was my second production with Step on stage and every year they get better and better.  

We started rehearsals back in September when we found out our parts and received the script. I got the part of Mrs Cratchit and a narrator and I was so excited to start. 

During October, November and December, we were rehearsing and learning our lines. I loved rehearsals because we would start with a warmup game to get our energy up. After, we would sing around the piano and then start blocking and going over and over scenes! It was very tiring and a lot of hard work but by the end of December the difference from October when we started was amazing. By December, I was getting more and more excited and all I wanted to do was get up onto the stage and perform! During the Christmas break, all I could think about was the shows. I was ecstatic!
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It was now show week in January and the shows were in about a week. This was my 2nd production with Step On Stage so I had experienced show week before and, believe me, it’s amazing. The whole experience of, not just performing, but also behind the scenes and looking after the younger kids in the cast and building the set - everything is just incredible. We had full days of rehearsals and I loved it!

The first couple of days of show week, we weren’t allowed in the actual theatre because the parents and teachers were building the set. Mine and my friends parents were helping build the set which meant that after rehearsals we went and helped. It was a lot of hard work but the set looked brilliant once it was finished. I think that was the point that we all realised that the shows were about to happen! ​

The next days were the technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals. By this point we were so excited but we knew that we had to concentrate because the tech was very important as it was all the sound and lights. The costumes were also amazing! My mum and my friends mum were helping to do the costumes and they turned out really good! There were LOTS of costumes and costume changes during the show for some people as they were playing many parts and they were getting quite worried and stressed but it was fine in the end. It was quite stressful for our teachers as they had lots of work to do but, in the end, it was worth all the stress. The first time we did a run through of the whole show with lights,  sounds and costumes it was amazing because we could really see the difference between December and now. The whole cast and teachers were just so happy with the outcome and were so excited to start the shows!
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The shows were amazing. The first show was on Thursday and during the school day all I could think about was finishing school and going to the theatre for the shows. As soon as I arrived at the theatre it was kicking in that the shows were starting. When everyone arrived, we played a few warmup games and then went and put on our costumes and did our hair and makeup. We were all really nervous but excited at the same time. We still couldn’t believe we were about to do the show. We had a smaller audience on the Thursday so we were slightly less nervous but still really excited! We could hear the audience coming in and we just wanted to start the show. 
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After we finished the first show we were so happy and just couldn’t wait for the next shows! 

The Friday and Saturday shows were even better! We had a sold out show on Friday and two shows on Saturday. 
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We were all just like a big family and working together to put on the best shows we could. I’m just so happy that I have had the opportunity to do things like this with my best friends and I am so excited for the next years because this is what I love doing and it makes it even better when you have the best teachers and friends doing it with you. I made the best memories that will stay with me forever and I am excited for the future!
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Goodnight Mr Tom - Youth Theatre

10/4/2018

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After an 18 month break from big productions, Step On Stage Productions is back with Michelle Magorian’s classic, Goodnight Mr Tom.  Set against the backdrop of world war two, the play tells the story of Mr Tom, a slightly grumpy old man who finds himself taking in a young evacuee called William Beech.  Mr Tom, has led a quiet life, keeping himself to himself since his wife Rachel died, over 40 years ago.  He begrudgingly takes in William, but soon grows very fond of the boy and realises that he’s had a tough life back in London.  Mr Tom goes about trying to help him read and write and make friends.  But when William is called back to London by his mother, things take a rather more sinister turn.

We have a very enthusiastic and talented cast of young actors who were auditioned for the production earlier this term.  We also have a super keen group of young actors who have set up a marketing company to learn new skills marketing the show and getting involved with radio, adverts, flyers, blogs and social media. 
The production is being directed by experienced theatre practitioner, writer, director and examiner Emma Louise Tinniswood.  She studied at Royal Holloway and The Central School of Speech and Drama.  Co director is actor and producer, Maria Austen who studied at Royal Holloway and the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York.   They are assisted by an experienced team of industry professionals, many of whom have worked with the company for a number of years.  Past students have also returned to help with the production.  Past students Millie Beazley is Assistant director and she is currently in her first year at Arts Educational studying Acting.  Meanwhile Maddie Taylor is taking on the role of Assistant Stage Manager while she studies at Kingston College for Theatre Production. 

​Emma founded Step On Stage back in 2005 and the theatre company in 2008 with a view to creating a youth theatre where young people could work with industry professionals and explore a wide range of plays, classics, new writing, musicals and Shakespeare in local and professional venues.  The philosophy for the company is not just to put on plays, but to teach young people about the theatre and the industry and to provide them with a wide range of skills, experiences and memories. A professional company for professional young performers.  

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Many students have continued onto Drama school including the Arts Educational School, Italia Conti, The Brit School, Central School of Speech and Drama and have also gained scholarships to local schools including St Catherine’s, LEH, Surbiton High School and Priorsfield.  Many students have also worked in theatre, Film, TV, Commercials and Dance performances with students performing at Sadlers Wells, Richmond Theatre and the Royal opera House.  A number of cast members were also involved in the recent film 'Patrick'. 
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As well as rehearsing the play the cast member are exploring about life in world war two, looking at themes that are portrayed in the play such as friendship, loss, death, fear, bravery and love.  The cast members are also learning new skills such as puppetry, marketing, blog writing and research.   Some of our older students are also using these skills as part of their GCSE Drama and Media studies work. 

25 young actors aged 10 to 17 are busy rehearsing this wonderful play, being performed at the Hampton Hill Theatre from 10th-12th January 2019. 

Tickets are on sale now from
 www.ticketsource.co.uk.steponstageproductions

January 10th - 12th evening performances at 7.30pm.

January 12th Matinee at 2.30pm.

Specials Schools discounts available for block bookings so please email is for further information info@steponstageacademy.co.uk 
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Being An Actor - The Edelweiss Pirates

4/25/2015

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Being Part of Edelweiss Pirates by Sean Warren (Juergan)
My name is Sean Warren, and I am a keen Actor and would like this to become my profession. In late October 2014, at the age of 14, I was cast to play the role of 17 year old Juergan Bauer, a member of the Edelweiss Pirates. This was my biggest acting break in a lead role, and I was surrounded by amazing acting talents including Hani Hussein (Rutger and Oberkamerashaftsfuere/Oberman), Fayed Mahmoud (Benjamin/Benji Dressler), Mo Samuels (Dieter Ackerman), Anna English (Klaus Becker), Anastaisa Drew (Petra Gleissner) and Dominique (Dom) Thomas (Narrator). We spent around 5 months in weekend rehearsals pulling the show together, sharing experiences, techniques and having many laughs along the way.

I was very nervous entering into the auditions, especially as I only knew Charlie Pepperell form my local church. I really liked the script and the concept of the play – the more I got into the audition, the more I wanted to be a part of this show and experience. I worked with Hani, Mo and Dominque for the audition scene, where I read the role of Juergan. It was here we nicknamed one of the characters ‘Oberman’ as none of us could say the full name at this point. Two weeks later, I was shocked to receive a call back, where again I read the role of Juergan and met up with some familiar faces.

Then early one Friday morning I received the email I had been dreaming about – I had been cast as one of the lead roles for the production, playing the gritty character I had through the auditions of Juergan – the ‘angry teenager’. It was great to see so many familiar names on the cast list as well.

And so the hard work began. Initial rehearsals were set for October half term. Despite being away my time was well spent reading books and internet stories on the real Edelweiss Pirates group and understanding what they went through and why. This was time well spent for me on a sun lounger….

From then onwards we spent every Thursday and Sunday up to Christmas rehearsing scenes, and building bonds, both on and off stage. I had to miss a weekend as I was due to Auschwitz on a school trip, but Emma and Charlie were ok with that as it got treated as ‘research’ for the whole group as none of us had ever been and it formed a critical part of the show emotionally.  By the time we broke for Christmas, all the scenes had been set, the plot understood the only issue was everyone learning their lines – I think everyone was a little concerned by this point as we only had the first 6 weeks of the New Year before showtime!

As they say in show business – it will be alright on the night – and so it was. We opened on Monday afternoon to a theatre half full which really helped with the nerves. The performance ran like clockwork and gave us all confidence that we could nail this in the evening when the National Theatre rep was in the house. However, we were not so lucky in the evening performance in front of a sold out audience– the supporting PowerPoint show refused to work, and despite Dom and the rest of us carrying on as nothing was wrong, Emma eventually conceded and informed the audience we would re-start the show. For those of us who had performed already, we all agreed to give the audience a fresh show so said our lines in a different way and Mo even found a new dance.

In front of lots of friends and family, I and the rest of the cast put on the performance of our lives, one that will live with me forever as my first major acting achievement. The audience and most importantly the National Theatre rep loved it and the feedback we got was very positive and complimentary, especially to Emma and the team for all their hard work. 

After a few weeks break, we restarted rehearsals ready for our one night in London. It was amazing getting together with the cast again, almost like a big family reunion. The night in the Bush Theatre was huge for all of us. No one had ever performed on a London stage before and I get goose bumps just thinking about it. 

The Bush theatre is a converted library so there is no raised stage and the audience is in the round. This meant we needed to completely restage the stage, weaving in the elements that had worked so well at Hampton into a new environment.  This was good practice for us as actors because it showed us the skills we would need to adapt a show to the circumstances that the theatre that was holding it was in. this was good for me because it showed me different elements that I would have to perform in because I had only been use to front of stage audiences before and it gave me an opportunity to change and try out.

Reviews we got from the show at the Bush theatre was that it was the best time we had ever performed the show and that it should be worthy of the National Theatre. The main thing I remember from the Bush theatre was how the men actors had to us a little green space as our changing room whilst the girls got the long and massive changing room which had all the stuff and actor would need such as mirrors and stage lighting around them. It was so unfair but we all laughed and joked about it.

Unfortunately we didn’t win the competition but I don’t think anyone of us feels we could have done anymore with that show. Emma and the team should be very proud of the amazing show they directed with a group of people who didn’t know each other 5 months earlier. It was an emotional story that was brilliantly bought to life by young people. I congratulate the group that got to the National Theatre with this show and I thank all the people I have worked with for the past 6 months in creating this show and making it become a huge spectacular that it is now for the actors and the audience that have seen the performances.


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    Author

    Emma is a freelance theatre practitioner, director, actor, writer and facilitator. Founder and Artistic Director of Step On Stage.  

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