The first act in a far-reaching Blackheath Theatre Company community initiative opened earlier this month at the Blackheath Area Community Centre (BANC).
It was the first in a series of workshops that will cover aspects of theatre from stage management, acting, direction, production, original script development, sound, lighting and make-up.
The inaugural workshop was on stage management, conducted by experienced performer and teacher, Deborah Wells. Wells’s performance career has ranged through cabaret, theatre and opera. She subsequently spent 18 years teaching stage management and direction at a number of performing arts colleges. Many of her students have since moved into professional stage management roles.
The stage management workshop was the first stake in the ground of Blackheath Theatre Company’s recently unveiled three-year plan to establish a widely recognised centre of excellence for community theatre, based in Blackheath, and to provide a centre for personal growth in the primary theatrical arts.
The plan was driven by the idea of providing a platform that could foster and unleash a range of dormant, untapped or unrealised theatrical talents within the community. The BTC is implementing a season of public performances and a program of professional development for its members.
BTC member Chris Watts is co-ordinating the professional development series.
The next workshop, scheduled for April 13, is entitled The Actor's Toolkit: the body, movement, voice and timing.
See blackheaththeatrecompany.com.
The next workshop is entitled The Actor's Toolkit.