Monday 20th June
Hi, I’m Molly, I’m 16 and I’ve just started two weeks of work experience at 20 Stories High. I heard about 20 Stories High through one of my dad’s work colleagues and I emailed them straight away about a placement.
After weeks of emails back and forth with Liz, I’m finally here and can’t wait to learn about everything there is to a theatre company, on and off stage. From admin to performance I want to know all about how much work goes into a production.
I’ve met Liz, Donna, Lucy and Tina who are really lovely and made me feel so welcome. The office is really cosy and informal so I fit in perfectly! Most of the time I’m going to be with Liz and Donna but on Thursday I’m going to spend more time with Lucy and Tina doing more administrative tasks. Hopefully my maths GCSE will come in handy! I’m also going to start my Bronze Arts Award.
This morning I’ve been watching videos of the early stages of the production of “The Elasticated Sound System” and tonight; I’m going to sit in on the rehearsal. I’m so excited for the next two weeks.
Wednesday 22nd June
Yesterday I met Leanne, who is just as lovely as everyone else and then went straight into a team meeting. It was so interesting to hear about what else is going on in the company like the “Broke ‘n’ Beat Collective” tour and the company’s 10th Birthday Party that’s coming up. I then spent the rest of the afternoon transferring paper registers onto a spreadsheet which may sound tedious to some but I found it strangely enjoyable?!
This morning, I’m continuing this blog post and then helping Lucy find props for “The Elasticated Sound System” in the store room. Then, this afternoon I will be starting my Arts Award.
Wednesday 29th June
Oh my goodness, that week went so quick! It was just Tina and I in the office on Thursday. I did some filing and out some expenses and bills on the system. I had no idea how many roles there were inside a theatre company! Then in the afternoon, Leanne and her baby daughter joined us and OH MY GOSH she is adorable!
On Friday, it was just Leanne and me. I spent the morning looking at possible decoration ideas for the 10th Birthday Party and then started to plan my skill share workshop for my Arts Award. That evening I went to see ‘Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme’ for Part B of my Arts Award. It was about Northern Irish soldiers and their time in France before the Battle of the Somme. Because I don’t do history in school, I found it a little difficult to understand what was going on but the acting was amazing as was the set and the lighting.
As soon as I came in on Monday, there was a meeting about ‘Elasticated Sound System’, which was exciting because it’s only three weeks away! I then spent the majority of the afternoon writing about the play as well as uploading the evidence that I was actually there!
On Tuesday morning, I met Leanne at the Bluecoat for a meeting with COoL. COoL is the leading cultural partnership model of its kind in the UK. It consists of lots of organisations like 20 Stories High that create exciting art in many forms, including visual arts, theatre, film, dance, comedy, music, literature, craft and design. It was fantasic to see what’s going on in Liverpool in the arts industry and how organisations are coming together to support eachother. Then in the afternoon I had my skill share workshop. I did a little warm up exercise and then gave the groups scenarios to improvise with. After about five minutes the groups performed their little scenes and they were SO funny!
This morning I sat in on a meeting with Tina, Leanne, Liz, Lucy and Laura about possible donors and patrons for the company in the future and this afternoon I’m going to look through an old hard drive to find some more people to invite to the 10th Birthday Party.
