GSA Production 2019

BACKSTAGE Q&A! 1. Please send us a direct message with your question 2. We will then tweet your question with our answer/s! 3. Share the Q&A with friends! We’ve all done a huge variety of things since graduating and we can’t wait to share some of our experiences with you!

We are hoping everyone is doing okay through these tough times 🌟 #SaveTheArts 👊🏼 #MoreThanViable 👊🏼 #notlowskilled 👊🏼

“I have applied many jobs through job sites such as @TheMandyNetwork, @SMAssoc or Facebook groups. This is then commonly followed by an interview or informal chat. However, word of mouth and recommendations are still how I’ve got most of my jobs!” (Stage Management Graduate)

“...long before anyone else on the production team. As a result, they play a large role in who is hired, and generally they’ll like getting the same team back show after show. Being part of a PMs core team can be hugely beneficial.” (Part 4 - Lighting Graduate)

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS YOU GO THROUGH BEFORE GETTING A JOB WITH A NEW SHOW? DO YOU NEED TO ‘AUDITION’? This can hugely vary from job to job so follow through this thread to see a few different opinions from different departments!

“Generally new work comes from people you know and getting into professional “circles” is really important. Networking and cultivating the ‘Who you know’ whilst maintaining ‘What you know’ is basically what it means to be Freelance in the industry....”(Part 1 - Lighting Graduate)

(Stage Management Graduate)

WHAT ARE THE MAIN BACKSTAGE DISCIPLINES/DEPARTMENTS? At GSA we had the choice of 4 disciplines: Stage Management, Lighting, Sound or Scenic. But there are many more departments backstage and it varies from show to show! A few include: Automation, Wardrobe, Carpentry...

@luciana_amati Our work was split between practical and written assessments. We didn’t have any exams as such. We would have written work (portfolios, essays, journals) usually related to a practical assessment we had done! 😊

@GSAProduction19 Tnak you. Do you have to take regular exams during each academic year?

AT GSA, WHAT DO YOU STUDY IN EACH YEAR AND DO YOU SPECIALISE IN A SUBJECT? During our 1st year at GSA we got an overview of: Stage Management, Lighting, Sound & Scenic We then chose our specialism for our 2nd & 3rd years where we undertook show roles in this discipline (eg ASM)

@luciana_amati Absolutely! We can do that as our next question!👍🏻

@GSAProduction19 If you have a moment, can you please describe what subjects you cover in yr 1,2 &3? Do you start in year 1 be covering everything? At which point do you then specialize in.. say, Sound or Lighting etc. Thank you.... I hope it's ok to ask this 🤗😀

WHILE YOU ARE STUDYING DO YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO INTERNSHIPS IN LIVE THEATRE? Whilst at GSA we had 2 opportunities to gain experience in the industry as part of our course. During our second year we undertook a 2 week placement, in our third year a 6-8 week placement. 1/3

@luciana_amati Yes, university/drama school courses are usually 3 years😃

@GSAProduction19 Thank you for your reply! 😀 So on average courses span over 3 years then?

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE THAT’S ABOUT TO GRADUATE? Don’t compare yourself to other people! Some people will get jobs straight away, some people won’t. But that’s ok! Stay in contact with the people you studied/worked with, so often jobs are through recommendations!

These were great opportunities for us to not only gain experience but to start networking preparing us for graduating. However, there was nothing stopping us from gaining further experience in our own time, as a lot of us did! 3/3

Every placement is different, varying from West End theatre, to touring theatre, warehouses, international theatre, live events, hire companies, fringe theatre...the list goes on! 2/3

@GSAProduction20 @GSAMASPM20 @The_GSA @SMAssoc @AudioCartelLtd @lsionline @EquityUK @TheStage @GSABAActors2019 @GSABAMT2019 #QandA #backstage #technicaltheatre #stagemanagement #sound #scenic #lighting

BACKSTAGE Q&A! 1. Please send us a direct message with your question 2. We will then tweet your question with our answer/s! 3. Share the Q&A with friends! We’ve all done a huge variety of things since graduating and we can’t wait to share some of our experiences with you!

@luciana_amati @Jasongolbourn @The_GSA Check out our latest/pinned tweet to get involved in our Twitter Q&A😃

@Jasongolbourn @GSAProduction19 @The_GSA Finally 👏👏👏👏 I was wandering if this was ever going to happen. A Large number of theatre goers are VERY interested in all productions aspects. ❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍😀😀😀

Make sure you keep an eye out for this years graduates! We know they have worked super hard and can’t wait for their virtual showcase!