My Plans for the Summer

Over this long summer period I wish to gain as much experience and practise as possible on the techniques I have learnt over the last year. Because of money restrictions getting work experience in London would be nearly impossible but I will look for any experience that I can commute to. I have contacted the head of FAOS (Farnham Amateur Operatic Society) which is based only a 40 minute drive from my home. I am now taking part in the backstage preperation for their June show of 'Jack the Ripper'. As I came home from University just after they had finished set painting I was unfortunatly un able to help build and paint their set but my duties involve organisation of props during the performances, make up and also help in the preperation and set up of the Maltings Theare for their performance week.

I attended their first full run through on the 6th of June I aquired the props list and the scenes in which all the props were required. I was able to also sit down and follow the performance with the script to gain a last minute knowlege of the running order. I became aquainted with both Claire and Alison, Claire was incharge of props, who I was assisting (and taking over duties of on the performance nights she is not attending). Alison was the hair and makeup designer so later I will have to recreate her ideas on the faces of the cast members.

Other projects I am undertaking over the summer as well as my starting research for the 'Blood sweat and Tears' module in September. I will create myself a project for a cosyume design and construction around a fictional character from a novel I will read. This will hopefully help me in my least confident area, textiles and will give me a chance to practise the art of aging fabrics and decaying them in preperation for 'Blood Sweat and Tears'

I will also continue to develop my puppet designs. Though I have developed my own technique of puppet construction out of plywood rings and metal mesh and fibreglass I wish to see if I can take this further by finding stronger materials, joints with a broader flexibilty and meterials that generally more lightweight. The external appearence of the creature is also important, many of my past pieces have had an animated cartoon like appearance. As I am fasinated by the work of anamatronic designers I want to look into how more realistic surfaces and textures are achieved to create a creature that is as realistic to the eye as possible.

I will use my free time to also travel upto london see some shows, visit exhibitions and museums, historic, reconstructions, anything that centres around the work that I want to achieve in the course I am on. I have already booked tickets to see The Lion King in June and Evita in September before I return.