Year 10 Careers Visit to Wolsey Theatre
On Wednesday 4 June, fourteen of our talented performing arts GCSE students travelled to the Wolsey Theatre to participate in a behind the scenes tour and workshop.
Students were treated to an extensive look at the inner workings of the theatre, offering an insight into the plethora of career opportunities available in the world of live performance; from front of house and office roles, to sound, lighting and costume.
The tour took them from the heady heights of the rafters of flying lights and scenery to the depths of ‘sub-stage’ to see the workings of trap doors and quick changes.
Inspired from the tour, students were then taken to the theatre’s impressive new NW2 building, where they were treated to a masterclass in the world of prosthetic make-up. Using professional products, the group were led through the process of creating scars and wounds on themselves to bring some realism to their performances. The workshop also gave them lessons in the use of everyday items to create some gory trompe-l’oeil in their own home.
Students thoroughly enjoyed the day, with one student commenting; “I learnt so much on the tour! I hadn’t realised how many people are involved in putting on one performance!” Another year 10 drama student said “I’d never thought of a career in make-up before! I think it would be a really exiting job”.
Thank you to the staff at the theatre for hosting us and also to the team at ‘Thomas Wolsey 550’, an innovative educational project funded by Suffolk County Council’s Ipswich Investment Fund. The project offers a multi-faceted educational programme for children aged 5-16 to benefit from hands-on, confidence boosting activities giving ‘real life’ insights into career paths into organisations across Ipswich.
Mr T Perry
Team Leader for Music