A Christmas Walking Tour of London

One of the best ways to explore a city is on foot. On foot a person can directly experience how the landmarks and neighborhoods connect. Now I do have some history with London having lived here before and prior to that, engaging in some long term visits to this fabulous city. However, I have never taken the time to walk through the heart of London in order to connect the dots that I view regularly on tube maps. So, with a clear schedule and a well rested mind and body, I started my own series of foot tours this past week. Armed with an iPod for soundtrack and a City Mapper app in case I got way off track, I hopped on the tube and emerged topside at Green Park.

Green Park is very close to Buckingham Palace and is just beautiful with lush stretches of, yes, green grass. I headed through the park toward Winter Wonderland. Winter Wonderland is a merchant market and fun fair that is erected seasonally in Hyde Park. Hyde Park sits caddy corner to Green Park. Green Park is home to many military memorials and the Wellington Arch. The Wellington Arch is one of my favorite landmarks in London. There is a majesty about it and the quadriga on top is the largest bronze statue in Europe. The statue depicts Nike, the Goddess of Victory being drawn in a chariot by four horses.

Once past the Wellington Arch, I arrived at Hyde Park. Winter Wonderland was a huge sprawl of rides, games, food, and vendor booths. And, of course, an ice skating rink. The fair was filled with families and fun finders of all ages. I had a quick poke around but didn't stay too long as I had more to see.

Off I went back through Green Park to exit on the Piccadilly side. As I strolled past the Ritz Hotel, I came upon one of my favorite stores, Fortnum and Mason. F and M feels like a snap shot in time. Their products are the most current available but the atmosphere makes one feel they are shopping in a posh department store at the turn of the last century. It being a couple of days before Christmas, they were swarmed with holiday shoppers.

After a quick detour through F and M, I carried on to Piccadilly Circus and then to Leicester Square. Leicester Square was complete insanity. It is not a place to go during the holiday season if you are in a hurry. As this adventure was my purpose, I wasn't bothered by the time it took to weave through the crowd. Leicester Square is a pedestrian area that is in the heart of the theatre district and is flanked by cinemas, restaurants and amusements. For the Christmas season they even have a mini-fair operating in the center of it all, complete with a ferris wheel and fake snow machines.

After the shuffle through Leicester Square, I was onward to Covent Garden. Covent Garden is always busy but it has a charm like no other place. It is home to a year round market with all kinds of unique treats. Here, I took a tea break at an outdoor cafe and listened to street musicians play holiday music. Then I was off again, working my way down to Strand, past Charing Cross to arrive at Trafalgar Square.

At Trafalgar, I paused and took in the light show that was infused into the fountains. After a song or two on the iPod, I carried on down Whitehall, passing a slew of government buildings and offices including the Prime Minister's 10 Downing Street.  And then, like a beacon in the night, there was one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, Big Ben. I took a moment to take in the glory of the Palace of Westminster and then walked down Bridge Street to the bank side. On the walkway, along the River Thames, I sat on a bench and took in the view of the river, South Bank and the London Eye while Ben chimed the time over my right shoulder.

I sat for a while on the bench and watched the light show on the Eye and surrounding buildings across the river and I thought how wonderful it is to be in this amazing city. I'm looking forward to more adventures on foot in London. In the meantime, I've posted a few photos below. Hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year Everybody!
Take care!
-m

Wellington Arch

Covent Garden Christmas Tree

Big Ben

The London Eye

Vacation Location: Off World

The first week of break has been very relaxing. Apart from a few meetings regarding up coming projects, there hasn't been a too much activity and that has been wonderful! I have taken the time to explore new worlds. There is a British phenomenon by the name of Dr. Who that I never really knew anything about so, I decided to educate myself. In my down time, I have been indulging in a binge watch of the television series. The verdict? New fan inducted. I started with the 2005 re-launch of the series. At some point I will need to watch the original episodes which began airing in 1963 and ran until 1989. In the meantime, I'm in the middle of season 4 of the re-launch and very impressed with the writing and the acting on the series. Let's face it, Sci-Fi/Fantasy can get really cheesy really fast if not crafted well but this team is winning. I admit, I may be a little partial because many of the actors are fellow alums of a couple of my schools. Christopher Eccleston, who plays The Doctor in season 1, trained at Central as did Catherine Tate who plays The Doctor's Assistant and leading lady in season 4. David Tennant, The Doctor starting in season 2, trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now called the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) which is where I did my last Master's. So, there might be a smidge of bias from me but, I am certainly not the only one who gives the series a thumbs up. Dr. Who has masses of fans all over the world.

If you don't know Dr. Who, here's a quick intro: The Doctor is a Time Lord from another planet and can travel through space and time. He most often travels with a companion that comes in the form a human female and assists him in all his crazy adventures. He spends time fighting alien invasions, solving mysteries, exploring other worlds, species and history and generally saving the universe. There was even an episode that took him to Shakespeare's world and was filmed at the Globe, another place with a special connection for me.

On Saturday I did manage to tear myself away and spend time with my friend Remi. We met for lunch and then went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Remi and I both grew up on the Star Wars films and going to see this new addition was a trip down memory lane. I promise, no spoilers, but it did spark conversations about our reactions to the films when we were kids, the toys we remember and the thrill of this iconic piece of pop culture. Oh and by the way, Carrie Fisher aka Princess Leia, also trained at Central.

Star Wars, Dr. Who. The popularity and endurance of these stories is a testament to our need for the fantastical. Before the space age, there were stories like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, Dracula, Grimm's Fairytales, Arthurian legends, Greek mythology and a slew of other epic tales involving wild adventures and bizarre creatures. As humans, we like our escapism from the everyday but we also need to hear of great feats of mankind over things we may not equal. It stirs us to confidence and imagination. So, to the creators of Sci-Fi/Fantasy, keep telling us your stories. Keep those creative wheels churning. We need your grand sagas to keep us from the "darkside" and help us slay our monsters. We need inspiration to take on heroic journeys to save the universe and, often, ourselves.

That's it from me this week.
Check out some of your favorite stories from other worlds, whether, on the screen, on stage or in a book. Let your mind go on an adventure and see what motivations can be gained. Going off world every now and then can be so refreshing.

Take care!
-m

Projects Presented and Break Begins

Ladies and gentlemen, the first term is now complete. Whew! What a race to the finish line. This past week we pitched a major business proposal to an industry panel in what has been our most complex project to date. I was partnered with my classmate Oran and together we developed a ten minute presentation and a twenty page business plan for assessment. We undertook the concept of opening a full service restaurant, cocktail bar and musical theatre cabaret called, A Chorus Wine. Our research included every aspect of the business, from real estate to a food and cocktail menu to the cabaret production. And our budget had to include everything needed for the entire venture as well. For those of you who run bars and restaurants, I now have a whole new level of appreciation for what you have to do just to get the doors open. Wow.

On Thursday, we had a ten minute verbal pitch to the panel. Armed with witty puns, a montage video of what the project may look like when complete and a Power Point presentation with the particulars, we addressed the panel as if they were potential investors in our business. We even brought each of them a mini bottle of wine to remember us by. It felt good to deliver the project. Many, many hours went into its creation and I am proud of what we accomplished.

Final papers were also due this week. Essays inspired by another project we delivered a week ago were submitted. I focused on the need for theatre to escalate productions that bring invisible illnesses and disabilities to light. The theatre has always been a way to educate the audience and explore topics important to our society and this is an area where we could use some additional support. With the rise of conditions like autism, PTSD, autoimmune diseases, bipolar disorders and many more, theatre could help us understand the needs and lifestyles of those suffering from these conditions and those that help care for them. With the recent successes of shows like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Next to Normal, there is clearly a demand for these topics to be examined on stage.

Now begins a much needed break during the holiday season. I am looking forward to doing some reading, catching up with friends and exploring London. Oh and getting some rest. Next term will be here before I know it and I am sure to need all my energy.

I think I'll get stared on the rest part.
Until next time...
And don't forget to make your end of the year donation to your favorite arts organizations. They like Christmas presents too!
Take care!
-m

Destination: Deadline

Five days to go until the end of the first term. We have one more group project to deliver and academic papers to submit. The time past is hard to gage. In some ways it feels like I just got off the plane yesterday and in other ways I feel we have been in it for years. It's natural with something this intense. Our head lecturer, Jessica, told us they load the first term with as much as they can in order to teach us the skills to help make the following terms successful. After all, next term we are sent out into the world on placements (or internships, if you're American). We will still have classes two days a week but three will be spent in the field. I am really looking forward to this experience and know that I will learn much just being in the environment.

Today I had a brief break from school focused work and had a pre-holiday meal with some of my hall-mates at the student accommodations. We went for dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant. One from our party is from Lebanon and guided us through the menu. Also at our dinner table was a student from Italy and another from Pakistan. One of the things I love the most about London is the number of international students I meet. Getting to know people from all over the world, from different cultures is an education and enlightenment unto itself.

Okay, back to the grindstone for me.
Lots of Holiday shows opened this past week. Go see one!
Take care!
-m

Pitches in Plural and Duel Delights on the West End

It's hard to believe there are only two weeks left in this term! But then, it is easy for time to sneak away when the schedule is this full. 'Intense' is the word for this past week. Two major presentations were due at the end of the week.

On Thursday, we traveled to Southbank Centre again and met up with the wonderful Sunita, one of our lecturers (that's British for professor or teacher). We met in a beautiful boardroom with the most amazing view of the London Eye and Big Ben. But sightseeing was not our mission. We were there to make our first independent business pitch to our classmates, Sunita and Jessica (our head lecturer). This was our first solo venture and we were required to support our verbal pitch with a homemade poster with visuals explaining our concept. We have been learning tools and methods for thinking through and planning our business ideas. I have included some evidence of my work in photos below. All those post-it notes are part of working through how the idea relates to the market. They were my wall decoration for a few days. Also below, is my poster as I was figuring where to place all my bits and pieces. I feel good about my work and my pitch. All of my classmates should feel good about their work as well. Everyone did a great job and we had some really clever business concepts come out of the exercise.

On Friday we had another assignment to deliver. This one was another group project that spanned two different Masters' courses. On Fridays this term, the Producers have a shared class with the Advanced Theatre Practice students. In the early part of the term we divided into groups of six with each group made up of students from both courses. In these groups we worked on a project that was finally presented on Friday. Or concept was to produce a micro-festival focusing on the subject of invisible disabilities. In a thirty minute, Power Point supported presentation, the six of us had to pitch our festival concept and detail all aspects of the festival planning and program including marketing strategies and budgets. It was a major undertaking that ended in a grand finale on Friday. We did well with our presentation and had no technical difficulties with the Power Point. Yay! So, check that one off the list.

To conclude the week, I saw two West End shows this weekend. On Friday evening, a group of us from the course went to Showstopper!, the improvised musical. One of our lecturers is a producer on the show and we wanted to see his work. Back in my New York days, I took a couple of musical improv classes so, I know how hard it is. Making up songs on the fly based on audience suggestions is no easy feat, but this team was fantastic! I oscillated between laughing out loud and being stunned silent in awe of what they were inventing right there in front of me. Showstopper! was a wonderful way to end the workweek.

On Saturday I saw Billy Elliot the Musical. Some of you may remember the film that came out in 2000. It is the story of a boy from a mining town in England who discovers he is a naturally gifted ballet dancer. This meets with turbulence in his small town where the arts are non existent and boys are supposed to learn to box and prepare for a career in the coal mine. It was an enjoyable show but no doubt, the main attraction was the boy who played Billy. He was an incredible dancer! The audience leapt to their feet in applause in the middle of the show after one of his phenomenal numbers. It was worth going just for him! But the whole show was very well done.

Next week brings more projects. It's not over yet! But, it will be Christmas before we know it. December is here! For now, however, back to work!

Tune in next week to see what pitches and projects this producer is preparing. In the meantime, see what special Holiday shows are coming up in you area and go see a couple!

Take care!
-m

Post-it Mania

Poster in Progress

Classroom View

Showstopper!

Billy Elliot

Retail Road and Return to the Roundhouse

I am thrilled to announce that my laptop is home safe and sound! After spending just over a week at Selfridges department store she's back in action. No, I did not run into Jeremy Piven but nonetheless, Selfridges is a fun place to visit. If you watch the television series Mr. Selfridge (ITV-UK, PBS-US), you may understand my reference to Mr. Piven. Piven stars as the store's founder Harry Gordon Selfridge in this docudrama that depicts the founding of the store in 1909 when a businessman from Chicago moved London and revolutionized the world of retail. Selfridges carries a huge assortment of high end goods and has several departments and vendors for everything a shopper could need. This includes the vendor Compu B, a certified Apple retailer and repair service who took excellent care of my most vital tool for modern day life.

Selfridges is on Oxford Street in London. Oxford Street is a shopaholics dream. It must be one of the busiest streets in London with tons of locals and tourists engaging in retail therapy. Nearly every major UK department store can be found on Oxford Street and of course, a large array of speciality shops. It being November, the strip was all gussied up for the Christmas season with thousands of lights twinkling bright. I took a couple of photos but if you get the chance to experience Oxford Street in person, check it out. But, make sure you rest up before you go because the intense energy, high volume atmosphere requires some stamina.

The group projects continue at school. Tuesday took our class to the Roundhouse, a performing arts venue and creative center. The producing course presented pitches of potential themes and programs for a festival that is scheduled for June. A shout out now to my classmates: the pitches were very well done! Go team CP! The Roundhouse staff chose one of the programs pitched from our presentations and will work in conjunction with our course to develop and produce the festival. If you are near London, come on over to the festival in June. As more details come in, I will keep you posted on the particulars.

In the coming week, we have more group project work to do with Friday being a major thirty minute presentation for one in particular. There is also some individual work coming up this week with our first solo pitch on the horizon. If all goes well, I may even try to catch a show. So, full steam ahead my friends!

Oh and just a suggestion, theatre tickets and season subscriptions make excellent Holiday gifts. Look into what your local theatres offer and stuff some stockings!

Until next week...
Take care.
-m

Selfridges Department Store - Oxford Street, London

Oxford Street shopping district dressed for Christmas

Caffeinated Collaboration and Heavy Hearts

It is hard to believe in less than a month first term will be but a memory. Many of our assignments focus on group projects and as a result this past week involved a lot of tea and coffee consumption at a slew of planning meetings. I have four group projects in various stages of progress. This certainly does shine the light on the skills of collaboration. With time at a premium and delivery deadlines looming, there is no time to be precious about one's own desires and agendas. Quality and efficiency are the name of the game. Not everyone is going to agree all the time but with every meeting we learn how to resolve issues fast and keep our focus on the goal. These are, of course, excellent skills to develop for anyone going into the fast paced, high stakes world of showbiz.

In other news, I am still short a computer. A part was ordered and I hope to see her home in the coming week. The challenge is working primarily off of my phone. I am writing this blog entry on my phone. It's amazing if you think about what we can do with these little devices. However, there are still many limitations and I am looking forward to using a laptop again.

The world news this weekend has been a major concern for us here in London. One of my hallmates is from Beirut, Lebanon and our proximity to Paris makes these tragedies very real and personal to us. Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones. The best we can do is keep living our lives and pursue the education and liberties we have available to us.

Until next week...
And in the meantime, make sure you tell those you care about how much they mean to you.
Take care.
-m

Mac Mayhem

Harken back dear readers. Some of you may remember a time before we were always attached to technology. For a short while I will need to return to the early 1990s, when computers were desktop devices in libraries and computer labs. My Mac is out of commission and is in for repair. She shouldn't be gone for more than a week. However, in the meantime, I have restricted access to my blog and this week's entry must be brief.  I will post an update as soon as I can.

Stay tuned!
-m

New Work and New Directions

It is Sunday evening and I am still trying to recover from the delights of this past week. The schedule was filled to the brim with happenings at school. Monday and Tuesday were all day workshops on focusing our desires and goals and the networking needed to achieve them. Our guest lecturer, John Webb, introduced us to some wonderful tools and new ways of thinking about how to make our way through the industry.

Monday and Tuesday evenings brought tech rehearsals for the Writers’ Night showcase of new works by students on Central’s script writing course. New writing has always been a passion of mine so when the opportunity came around to help with the showcase, I was excited to participate. My fellow producer classmate, Trish and I ran the tech elements of sound and lights for the show. Trish also took on the task of stage manager, and with her undergrad degree in the subject, she made a great one.

The Writers’ Night showcase opened Wednesday evening to a sold out crowd and continued on for another full house on Thursday. It was a thrill to see the evenings so well attended and received. Central has some mighty fine new writers and of course, many talented actors and directors.

Thursday, during the day, we had another session with the brilliant Sunita Pandya who took us through the nuts and bolts of the different types of company management matrices, budgets and other producing practicals.

Silvia Mercuriali spoke to us on Friday about her experiences creating directive theatre. Directive theatre is a new style to me and after hearing about it; I hope I get the chance to see a directive production. Directive theatre incorporates the use of a volunteer, usually pre-selected in advance of the show and most often, not a performer. They come on stage unrehearsed and are given a series of directions to follow during the course of the performance. The interest for those watching is to see how the volunteer interprets the directions. This can be done in conjunction with rehearsed actors, other volunteers or solo. I will keep a look out for shows in this genre and let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, if you find a directive production, go see it and let me know what you think!

Take care!

-m 

Who Do You Think You Are?

This past week we continued investigating our individual values, management strengths and areas of interest. We had fantastic sessions with an assortment of professionals who took us through the analysis process of evaluating ourselves and understanding the skill sets needed for success in the world of producing theatre.

We will continue more detailed study of these subjects in the coming days. All of this will help us in deciding the type of projects we wish to produce and targeting the theatre companies that may offer us the most beneficial placements in the New Year.

The search for clarity and reflection of this nature is often a luxury when you’re full speed ahead in a working environment. Therefore, I am thrilled it is included in the course curriculum. Taking the time to review and understand myself now will strengthen confidence and benefit the decision making process in the future.

Group projects are starting to take shape. The amount of brainstorming this past week has resulted in a monsoon of creative ideas. Collaborative projects are being assigned at every turn. It is no surprise as to why. Working in theatre demands constant collaboration and teamwork. Even if you are doing a one-man show, there are probably at least a couple of other people involved on some level. It can make one nervous at first, having one’s grade at least partially dependent on other people but how about a million dollar, 100 person plus production opening on Broadway? That puts it in prospective. Just a little.

Coming up this week we meet more industry professionals, finalize themes and theses in some of these group projects and take in some new scripts at the Writers’ Night performances.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Until then, check out what’s happening at your local arts council.

Cheers!

-m 

Producing Possibilities and Southbank Sensations

The Producers-in-Training had a full week of activities at Central since I last posted.

Monday we met with Tim Jones from an organization called Future Cities. Future Cities facilitates the coming together of business, art and communities by producing events tailored to the individuals and organizations involved. These can take the form of art installations, festivals, culture sharing events and really anything the imagination can render. I had never really thought of using producing skills in this way. I am keen to learn more about Future Cities and the work they do. Luckily, Mr. Jones will be back to visit us again in the near future.

We also had a day with West End Theatre producer Julius Green. Mr. Green is a highly regarded industry professional who takes the time to educate aspiring producers like us by offering classes and workshops. He has even written a book on the subject, which I find user friendly and very informative. Mr. Green will also have an encore session later this term.

On Thursday the class met at Southbank Centre for a tour of the Royal Festival Hall and the attached galleries and public spaces. Southbank Centre was established in 1951 for the Festival of Britain, a time when the UK was recovering from World War II and the government wanted to promote the arts and sciences in Britain. The site has been through a several redesigns and updates over the years but still remains a vibrant location that draws internationally renowned artists and enthusiastic amateurs alike to their facilities. The public can attended any number of concerts, exhibits and classes programmed by the Southbank Centre or they can make use of the public spaces, where people often gather for informal meetings or impromptu dances.

Here are a few photos taken inside the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre. This state of the art performance venue is one of the best in the world. Here it is set up for a concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra but the space can convert to many different configurations depending on the needs of the production. I am looking forward to coming back to Southbank and the Royal Festival Hall as a patron to see this amazing space in action.

We have another week of field trips and guest lectures ahead of us. Tune in next time for more Creative Producer adventures! Until then, take care and go see a show!

Cheers!

-m

The Stage of Royal Festival Hall

The Box Seats at Royal Festival Hall. Note the very special box with the crest above that is reserved for The Royal Family.

The view of the House from the Stage.

As you are coming and going from Southbank Centre, there is no doubt you are in London.

The Blog Is Back!

Well, I never thought there would be a sequel to Melanie’s Excellent Artistic Adventure but here we are starting a new adventure in London.

I just completed the first week of my new course at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. This world-renowned institution has offered me a place on their MFA Creative Producing course. Naturally, I accepted the challenge.

And what a challenge it will be. The schedule is jam packed with fantastic classes on the business part of show business. We will learn all about marketing, fundraising, legal obligations, contracts, hiring (sometimes firing), managing personnel, selecting material, booking venues and about a zillion other subjects and skills that go into creating, managing and selling a theatrical product.

Wait, what? Melanie, I thought you were an actor? Well, I am. That’s a chronic condition that never goes away. But, I have always been fascinated by and enjoyed working in other areas of the theatre industry. My history includes working in casting, front of house, play performance licensing, new play development, directing/coaching and production management. These past five years I have been doing more of those aspects and I really love it. I discovered this program at Central, which has always been a dream school of mine, and I jumped right out of my seat and applied.

So what is a Creative Producer? A producer by default has to be creative but in terms of the course, it means we will be exploring a large variety of production styles. We will cover the more “traditional” big theatre, big show styles like Broadway and the West End offer but, we will also look at festivals, guerilla theatre, immersive theatre and site specific, just to name a few. In regards to content, the course will cover new plays, revivals, performance art, musicals and more. Creativity is a must when considering all these variables.

But what does a producer do? A producer is the lead organizer of a show or event. She is responsible for finding and hiring all the team members needed to pull off the production, fundraising and budgeting and coordinating the logistics and legalities. Big job! You betcha. But a good producer is also a master delegator. She assembles a company to ensure all the jobs get done. Depending on the size of the show, the company can incorporate any number of people including production managers, accountants, designers, running crews, actors, marketing directors and everyone in between.

So what did I learn in my first week? I am going to need to buckle up and buckle down. There is a lot to do and all in a short amount of time. Lesson number one: Learn to manage your time so you can get it all done and stay sane. A very good lesson for any producer.

It’s going to be amazing…again! I’m ready! You coming?

See ya next week!
-m