Issue 2 Winter 2017 Let’s Prepare Some Festive Folly The season of good will is upon us and it leads me to reflect on what makes this time of year so very special. Making moments where people put aside their daily concerns, prioritise togetherness and share memorable experiences is what makes Christmas special. It’s also what The REP aims to do all year round through our programme of productions and events. In this Yuletide edition of The REPort, you’ll learn about the huge variety of ways in which we aim to contribute towards the warm community spirit of the festive season and discover ways in which you can join us. From sharing our knowledge and experience with a group of eager young apprentices who we hope will transfer the skills they learn with us into theatre careers for the future - to making a contribution towards training eager young pups to become Hearing
In this issue: 101 Businesses
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In Conversation With Jason Donovan
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REP In The Community
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Engineering 3 Talent To Sparkle and Shine Fun facts about Nativity!
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REP First updates
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Dogs for deaf people – these are gifts that keep on giving. We’ve also invited audiences and visitors, artists and staff, friends and family to use their creative flair and express their charitable side simultaneously by helping us to dress our foyer in preparation for the festive season. To get involved, simply collect one of our seasonally themed cardboard shapes from our Box Office counter and personalise it with a jolly design on one side and single wish for the future on the other. For each completed shape returned, The REP will offer a ticket to see our seasonal spectacular, The Hundred And One Dalmatians, to someone who might not otherwise be able to attend as a gift from you!
I’ll leave you now to read though The REPort and I hope you find something that inspires you to get involved with us in new and different ways. In the meantime, enjoy the festive season and remember, we have a theatrical ‘hamper’ of fabulous Christmas entertainment available to put you in the mood. Paul Reece Head of Marketing & Communications
First Foot On The Backstage Ladder As one of the big twelve producing theatres in England, The REP is committed to training emerging talent in its backstage technical departments as well as its more established artist development programmes. So in September, three new apprentices joined The REP, based in our workshop, our sound department, and our stage management team. All are working towards their Level 3 Technical Theatre Apprenticeship qualification. Their 12-month contracts began with a fourweek induction which covered the basics, including external theatre and workshop visits, as well as the theory of set and costume design. Each apprentice is also being supported by an internal mentor. In addition the lighting department has also
Jessica in the workshop
recruited a work experience student for one day a week for an initial period of three months. Tomas Wright, Head of Production at The REP said, “We are delighted to offer these young people a step up on the rung of their theatrical careers. In the future we hope to secure an external funder so that we can sustain and grow these extremely important technical training opportunities.”