Panel Talks: Archive
LiPA x BN: 4th July 2023
We are back with LIPA with our Backstage Niche Zoom Panel Talk about Backstage and Technical Careers!
LIPA’s Widening Participation Team have teamed up with the brilliant Backstage Niche for two exciting online panel talks in early July focusing on design and technical careers within the performing arts.
Careers for designers in the performing arts: Tuesday 4th July, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
All panellists in these sessions will be backstage industry professionals from global majority backgrounds. This is one of our collaborative outreach initiatives to try to inform and encourage more Black, Asian, and other ethnically diverse learners around progression routes within making performance possible subject areas, though the sessions are open to anybody who wishes to attend.
Students can sign up to the session using the QR code on the flyer or via: bit.ly/lipabn2
We will also be running a workshop day at LIPA with Backstage Niche at LIPA for on 16th July, which I’ll send more information about next week.
Any further questions about these panel talks or other activities, please do not hesitate to contact wp@lipa.ac.uk / 0151 330 3010.
LiPA x BN: 6th July 2023
We are back with LIPA with our Backstage Niche Zoom Panel Talk about Backstage and Technical Careers!
LIPA’s Widening Participation Team have teamed up with the brilliant Backstage Niche for two exciting online panel talks in early July focusing on design and technical careers within the performing arts.
Careers for technicians in the performing arts: Thursday 6th July, 5.30pm to 6.30pm
All panellists in these sessions will be backstage industry professionals from global majority backgrounds. This is one of our collaborative outreach initiatives to try to inform and encourage more Black, Asian, and other ethnically diverse learners around progression routes within making performance possible subject areas, though the sessions are open to anybody who wishes to attend.
Students can sign up to the session using the QR code on the flyer or via: bit.ly/lipabn2
We will also be running a workshop day at LIPA with Backstage Niche at LIPA for on 16th July, which I’ll send more information about next week.
Any further questions about these panel talks or other activities, please do not hesitate to contact wp@lipa.ac.uk / 0151 330 3010.
Kiln Theatre x BN:
Presents Life Behind The Curtain
The Kiln theatre gave us a platform for our panel talk about offstage careers in the theatre industry.
This was aimed for the under 30’s and was a discussion about the speakers’ journey within their career and to also discuss what various ways we can encourage and inform young glabal majorities into life behind the curtain.
Young Vic Theatre: Taking Part Panel Talk about backstage roles
Do you live/study in the Southwark and Lambeth area and are interested in technical and backstage roles in theatre?
We had the opportunity to discuss what the offstage roles were and what they entailed.
The young participants had a chance to ask questions to the panel and hear about their career journeys in stage management, costume design, sound design/composing, set design and lighting design.
This was an internal advertisement to the young participants of Southwark and Lambeth.
NYT X BN: Panel Talk
As part of our partnership with the National Youth Theatre GB, we provided a panel talk to their members and non-members about our roles and how we discovered them.
This was a chance for young participants to ask questions about a field they were interested in but also ask about how to pursue these careers in further education.
This was mainly targeted to those from a global majority background but it was open for all.
Careers Week: Chestnut Grove Academy
Backstage Niche were asked to take part in Chestnut Grove Academy’s Careers Week. This was aimed at their pupils aged 15-18 years old.
So our lovely freelancers volunteered their time to discuss their separate journeys within the theatre industry in stage management, lighting/video design and theatre design. They also shared some advice and answered inquisitive questions from the pupils.
We also provided career videos to their students about sound design/composing, fight directing, stage management and lighting design, which were played around the school.
Backstage Niche:
Networking event
Backstage Niche hosted their very first networking event on Zoom with students studying Production Arts courses.
We partnered up with eight schools/drama schools: LAMDA, RADA, BRIT School, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Rose Bruford, Mountview, LIPA and Guildhall.
This event allowed young participants to talk to freelance professionals that looked like them in the theatre industry. They were able to ask questions and/or ask for advice and our network gave honest, open answers, which the participants appreciated.
Some of the participants are now being mentored or will shadow some of our freelancers at work. We hope to curate more events like this for future generations.
LIPA Panel Talk
We partnered up with LIPA to provide online talks about careers backstage within theatre.
This allowed anyone interested in these career roles to come along and ask questions to those who are already in the industry or those who have just entered the industry.
Hearing the various pathways of our freelancers, gives the young audience confidence in how they can enter the theatre world, be it through drama schools, work experience or apprenticeships.
Theatre Craft 2021
Careers Fair/Super Panel
We were asked to join the careers event of Theatre Craft and not only that but to host the Super Panel: Build Back Fairer!
Afua Anuamah (new to the industry Stage Management) and Ella Saunders (Stage Manager) hosted the event.
TheatreCraft invited four theatre professionals to discuss how theatre has been affected by the pandemic and what lessons we could take forward.
Hear Kerry Kyriacos Michael, Kelsie Acton, Daniel York Loh and Athena Stevens share their opinions on the challenges we face and how we may overcome them.
Freelancers Make Theatre Work x Backstage Niche at the ABTT Networking Event 2022
Josie from FTW asked us to join her at her stand at the ABTT Networking Event to spread the word about the work we do and how invaluable freelancers are to the industry.
Sadeysa Greenway-Bailey (left), Josie Underwood (centre) and Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng (right)
Thanks for having us Josie!
Freelancers Make Theatre Work
WHO WE ARE
An inclusive, independent community for the 200,000+ self-employed and freelance workers from all areas of theatre, opera, dance and live performance, who make up 70% of the UK theatre workforce.
AIMS
We aim to support each other as fellow freelancers in every way we can.
We aim to encourage more transparent and inclusive conversations within the performing arts industry by listening to and articulating theatre freelancers’ needs to theatre managements, production companies, industry bodies and government.
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Careers Panel Talk 2023
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland had our freelancers talking to their students about their backstage careers, how they got into it, what unions to join and what it’s like in the industry.
The Production Arts students also had the chance to ask them questions and advice about how they can get work in the industry.