Contributors; Becky Trayhorn, Cheyenne Brown, Rosie Milton, Laura Hewlett., Emily Porter With special thanks to Lucy Felton.
Contents Pg 3-5 History of Theatre Pg 6-7 Celebrity Special Pg 9-11 Bedford’s Brightest Pg 12-13 Get Dancing Pg 14-15 Racism and Modelling. Pg 16-17 Ron Returns! Pg 18-19 Student Services Update
The art of performance began in dance. In many ancient tribes, ritualistic dancing was popular as people would imitate spirits in their dance, with the accompaniment of music such of sticks beating out a rhythm. The people often dressed up as spirits, maybe wearing masks, so the art of acting came through in these early stages. A more structured form of drama, though, began in Ancient Greece. At first, the worshipers of the Greek God of fertility and wine, Dionysus, hosted cult ceremonies in which they danced in a state of frenzy whilst eating the flesh of raw animals as a ‘sacrifice’. This is where the performance in Greece began, although it wasn’t long before a more structured form of acting evolved. The Dionysians would sing and dance, in choral form, stories of Greek myth. This became known as a Greek Chorus. However, in 6th century BC a priest by the name of Thespis engages in a dialogue with one of the chorus- becoming, in effect, the first actor ever. Actors in the west have since called themselves ‘Thespians’. The Greeks also held a four-day long theatrical competition in the annual festival held in honour of Dionysus. This would involve 4 contestants, who had to write 4 plays- 3 tragedies and a Satyr (a ‘tragic comedy’ which included stories of the mythical half man, half beast ‘Satyr’) and perform these plays over a day. They performed it on a circular stage with a wooden structure at the back, giving potential for scenery, whilst large numbers of citizens watched from their seats on the Athenian hillside slopes. At the end of the festival a winner is chosen, and Thespian is said to be the first winner of this festival. Greek culture laid the foundations for drama around the world. In 5th century BC, a competition for comic acting was set up as part of Lenaea, a 3-day festival in January. This saw the genres of acting expand. Many famous playwrights are known from this culture in Greece, such as Aristophanes, Aeschylus and Euripides.
The Romans took inspiration from Greek drama, and bred good playwrights such as Terence although the plays he produced were all based on Greek drama, and were all
set in Athens. After the Romans, theatre died down and was not much part of life until the 10th century, where the church started to use drama to emphasise the theme of resurrection at Easter time. On one occasion, in the Easter morning service in Winchester 3 monks portrayed the scene where 3 women find the tomb of Jesus empty. There is singing in Latin and a joyous atmosphere. From then on, Christian Drama saw the church reliving many famous scenes from the Bible. In the 12th century, priests in France decided to move out to the steps of their church and give a performance in French as opposed to Latin so people could understand it! This allowed them to be more creative; for example, on one instance, they acted out the Mystère d'Adam, which saw the devil pulling Adam and Eve into the mouth of hell. This was allowed, as they were not in the church building. From then on, Mystery Plays became popular, which saw the church acting out stories in the Bible from the Creation to the Last Judgement, and also the gruesome stories of the saints. Theatre soon expanded over the world. Processional plays saw plays acted out as the characters performed on carts moving throughout towns, especially in Spain. Noh theatre in Japan is an all-male, slow-moving enactment of old legends, done in a way which is solemn yet passionate. This breeds Kabuki, a mainstream form of Japanese theatre. In the 16th century Italian Renaissance, elaborate drama is performed to Italian princes. These are quite lavish, with spectacular intervals- ‘intermezzi’ - of special effects, dancing, and singing and elaborate costume. This leads onto many elaborate ‘intermezzi’ performances. These performances prove to be the foundation of the classic Opera.
In 1567, James Burbage, an actor, builds a theatre just outside of the City of London named ‘the Theatre’- the first permanent place where plays could be acted. Soon, 3 more theatres are built, ‘The Curtain’, ‘The Rose’ and ‘The Swan’. When James Burbage died in 1597, his two sons dismantled the Theatre and built with its debris ‘The Globe’. This famous, open theatre is where many of Shakespeare’s plays are held and is a central part of London culture. Rich and poor, 21,000 people in a city of 160,000 visited the theatre in a week. Ordinary Londoners paid a penny to stand in the pit and watch the play. A second penny would allow you to have a hard seat in the upper gallery, and a third would give you access to the two lower galleries in a seat with a cushion. A few seats in the first gallery, to the left and right of the stage, are reserved for the gentlemen who can afford 12 pennies, or a shilling. Shakespearean drama laid the foundations for theatre in Britain, and to this day the culture survives. The West End is the hub of the theatre scene in the UK, and famous throughout the world for hosting a wide range of different plays. Joining this, Hollywood, New York and Bollywood are also drama capitals, to name a few. Although centuries have passed since theatre was founded, it certainly hasn’t died, and lives on as one of the world’s most popular pastimes.
Miley Cyrus as most of you will already be aware of has had a lot of bad press over the last few months. First because of her song ‘We can’t stop’ that had things like her kissing a doll and jumping on people, then when she launched her new song ‘Wrecking Ball’ in which she was unclothed. However the real question is: Why is everyone judging her? Katy Perry, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears and many more have done the exact same thing and they haven’t got half as much hate as the 20 year old has received. Everyone judges her more in my opinion mainly because of the reason of ‘Hannah Montana’ a character she played for most of her teenage years, she was perceived as this innocent country girl from Tennessee who had a secret identity as a pop sensation, but in reality she did have a secret, her real identity, an identity which she had to conceal from the world. Her secret? She was young and wanted to experiment with her image and music, she wanted to feel the experience of being able to express herself and spread he personality through her songs. She couldn’t stay in that part forever and having to keep her hair long must have been hard anyway so she decided it was time for a change and got it cut short. Emma Watson once finishing the Harry Potter Sequel got her hair cut shorter than Miley and people understood why. Why can’t people accept Miley is her own person and has the right to do whatever she wants with her own body? Miley over the last couple of weeks has had nothing but disappointment from everyone around her, her father who got her into the business by having the idea of Hannah Montana has turned against her saying she’s thrown it back into his face, however to Mileys defence getting the part of Hannah Montana actually got her dads name back, Billy Ray Cyrus was big back in the day but he hadn’t been that big for a while and this got him back into the industry and so therefore Miley helped him.
and her dad refused so no wonder when it’s finished she comes back with a bang because all her ideas were one big idea if he had let her do a little bit of exploring within herself, she wouldn’t have been so drastic. Also her soon to be husband, Liam Hemsworth broke of their engagement, Hunger games star Liam broke it after a VMA awards where Miley ‘twerked/grinded’ against Robin Thicke and he was ‘Mortified’ by her, he stated he wants to be a serious actor and Miley humiliated him and that Miley is not what he signed up for. She’s made mistakes but this is a contributing factor towards her personality change. Miley has even found friends turning against her, friends she has known her entire life now not even picking up their phones. Back to the wrecking ball video, everyone is calling her outrageous names for appearing unclothed in her music video but has anyone actually listened to the reason behind the song? Has anyone bothered to even think there may be a valid reason? In an interview Miley said that she kisses a hammer to show that she secretly loves the pain, she is naked to show she’s been stripped down of her feelings and feels emotionally as though she has nothing left. She sits on a wrecking ball to show she was partly to blame for the destruction of her engagement and finally the walls are all crushing to show her world is falling apart and everything in life is falling on her and making her feel weak. When you think of her video like that, in a way it has a sense of innocence and beauty to it. I agree that she’s changed and that she may have been drastic but maybe she was deprived of what she wanted and when she broke free, she grabbed the opportunity with arms open, but wouldn’t you do the same if you were in her position?
£ Bedford College is offering £450 a year towards travel costs for full-time students who want to join the award-winning educational enterprise. Unusually the bursary is NOT dependent on a low household income - which means as long as the 16-18 year-old lives more than three miles from The Bedford Sixth Form, they can apply. “That £450 is real incentive to working parents whose children are not eligible for any financial help with their education,” explained Principal and CEO of Bedford College Ian Pryce CBE, “We recognise that the cost of travelling in from rural areas to Bedford and Kempston, or from anywhere to Old Warden, is a considerable slice from a household budget. “We do not want to penalise parents who are working as we want everyone to have the chance to send their child to take up our wide range of employmentorientated courses, or join our expanding sixth form college in Bromham Road." People can assess whether they are eligible by clicking here and entering their home postcode. Ian added: “If this bursary means students can travel on public transport rather than relying on a lift from parents then so much the better - it reduces parental taxi runs and traffic congestion in the town centre. A win, win.”
http://www.bedfordsixthform.ac.uk/Student-support/Financial-support-andbursaries/Travel-Bursary.aspx
When someone mentions Bedford people don’t tend to think ‘celebrity’ or ‘Olympian’ or ‘world famous comedian’. Here are six examples of celebrities which Bedford should be known for and proud of, which say that people from Bedford can go far, no matter what your background may be, if you aspire to be something you always have a chance.
Don Broco
Gurpareet Bain
Don Broco is an alternative-rock band consisting of Rob Damiani – vocals, Tom Doyle – bass guitar, Matt Donnelly – drums, and Simon Delaney – Guitar. The band are known mainly for the singles Dreamboy, Hold On, Priorities and more recently You wanna know. This year they were seen on the main stage at Reading and Leeds festival just two years after headlining the introducing stage.
Gurpareet Bains is a celebrity chef and Nutritionist. Having released a recipe book – ‘Indian superfood’, he won the 2011 “Chef of the year award”. He now hosts his own cooking show on sky called “chefs Special”.
The original band members (Tom, Matt, Simon and Luke Rayner) formed the band in 2008 after years of being friends at Bedford Modern School, their debut album Priorities was released 4 years later.
Bains originated from Bedford and got his interest in cooking when he was young whilst attending Stratton Upper School. He then went on to getting A levels in Politics and Sociology at Bedford College.
Jeremy Irvine
Jeremy Irvine is a well know actor, making his debut in BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated “War Horse” directed by Steven Spielberg. Since then you could have seen him in Now Is Good, Great Expectations or The Railway Man with world famous co-stars such as Helena Bonham-Carter, Dakota Fanning, Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.
Ronnie Barker
Irvine was brought up in Gamlingay and developed his love of acting whilst attending Bedford Modern School, playing parts in school plays such as Romeo and Juliet.
Ronnie Barker was a BAFTA winning comedian and actor, known mainly for his sketches in the Two Ronnies sketchbook and open all hours, his most famous sketches such as “four candles” (placed sixth most memorable television moment of all time in a survey) still makes regular reappearances on Christmas Daytime TV 36 years of its first broadcast. Ronnie Barker was born in Bedford in 1929; a plaque can be seen marking his birthplace on Garfield Street after permission was given by Barker himself. Ronnie Barker unfortunately passed away on the 3rd October 2005 after long term suffering of heart troubles.
Etienne Scott
Paula Radcliffe Gold Medallist, Etienne Scott, is a Slalom Canoeist and Olympic Champion winning the C-2 event with his partner Timothy Baillie in the London 2012 Olympic Games. His well earned Golden post box can be seen in St Pauls square in his home town of Bedford.
Paula Radcliffe is a successful long-distance runner, holding the woman’s record for the London marathon with a time of 2:15:25 hours despite suffering from asthma, she has also represented England four times in the Olympic games between 1996 and 2008. Radcliffe moved to Oakley at the age of 11 and started attending Lincroft Middle School. At 13 she went on to Sharnbrook Upper School and during sixth form she started entering and winning high level running competitions, winning the world Junior Cross Country title, and whilst studying for her exams she was training 6 days a week to compete in the world Juniors in Seoul, North Korea, yet she still managed to get four A levels at grade A in Maths, German, French and General Studies.
Etienne grew up in Bedford and went to Biddenham Upper School. He learned to canoe on the River Great Ouse and learned to slalom with the Viking Kayak Club – which he remains to be vice president of.
Dance is a major part of the world today, and has been for a long time. The art of performance began in dance- tribal performers would dance to portray stories, as entertainment- and this is an art which has sustained throughout the years. However, dance cannot be defined in just one style. Dance styles are like ice-cream flavours; there are so many different types to try, and if you don’t like one, there will always be something else for you! This includes styles from the technical ballet to more relaxed contemporary dance, from the urban-based street dance to country-based line-dance, from jazz and hip-hop to ballroom dance and tap. Plus there are so much more! If you want to start dance and don’t know what you want to try, you should ask yourself a few key questions to get an idea of the style you’re suited to: ∙Would you prefer something fast paced, or slow paced? Styles such as hip-hop and jazz are traditionally quick and upbeat, whereas ballroom dance can be more slow and gentle. If you like energetic, fast-paced dance and music, it would be worth looking into styles that would match that. ∙What music do you like? Street and hip-hop are based heavily on current pop music, so if you’re a fan of quick beats and urban tunes, this would suit you. However, if you prefer something more deep and meaningful, contemporary and lyrical dance could be your thing. This style matches the dance with the song to portray a story with a mixture of gestures and movements, fast and slow. ∙What is your dance experience? More technical styles of dance, like ballet, are preferable with some dance experience as it is key to be able to perform movements and pick up a routine to a high standard. This is why starting young is so common in ballet, especially with the flexible movements that are performed. However, don’t be put off by the technical nature of the dance, or any dance, if you want to start you can at any age, and there are always adult dance classes that teach adults as beginners. ∙Where would you like to go with dance? Is your objective to pick up dance as a hobby, or would you actually like to become a professional? If you are serious about dance, picking a dance style that has a lot of career options available to it,
such as commercial jazz or contemporary, would help. However, if street is your passion, don’t be put off! Do whatever you want if that’s what you enjoy, as there are always opportunities. It is also beneficial to research dance styles you’re interested in and watch different YouTube videos to get an idea of what you would be doing. Once you are set on a style, researching dance schools and companies in the area specializing in that style will help you begin your hobby. You may also need to invest in some clothing and materials-go prepared! It would be a mistake to turn up to class without a water bottle. For ballet, leotards and tights are standard uniforms, but for street dance tracksuits and loose tops would be suiting- so make sure you know what to bring before you go, although your dance teacher will be able to tell you the best things to buy if you’re not sure. Most dance companies also offer a free taster session for you to try out the dance and the environment the class takes place in, as well as giving you a chance to ask questions about what you’re getting. Make sure to use this time to good use! Overall, though, have fun! Dance is great fun and great exercise as well as being an opportunity to make new friends, and well worth having a go at. Be careful, though…it can be really addictive! Good luck!
If you fancy giving contemporary dance a go, dance club is held on Tuesday lunch from 12:30-1pm, in the multifunction room in Trinity Leisure Centre. Already routines are being put together for a dance show later in the year. Dancers of all abilities welcome!
Try and name as many models that aren’t white as you can in thirty seconds. Done? Okay so you probably got Tyra Banks, Joan Smalls, Naomi Campbell, perhaps Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn, if you really like reading vogue you possibly named Lui Wen, Fei Fei Sun, Sui He, however of models.com’s top 50 women only 11 were BME– or Black and/or Minority Ethnicities. A lot of people who talk about the modelling profession seem to think that ‘oh there’s no BME models because there’s not that many BME people that could do it/ not many BME people etc’. An opinion I grew sick of hearing after viewing this post on a popular blog with a following of over 20,000, mainly composed of young impressionable girls. Initially you need to decide what you mean by ‘Black’ models, because to generalize with one skin color is beyond ignorant, a huge number of ethnicities identify as black or can identify as black, some unexpectedly for example those of Lebanese descent who can identify as black but will generally be referred to as white given the colour of their skin. But ignoring that, if we simply look at the population of the USA; Here we can see that 30% (give or take) of the population does not identify as White or European American, so that’s roughly 92623661 people that are not white. Potential models don’t seem exactly sparse?
Estimate that 60% are women that only 10% of them have the height, weight measurements to model. 5557419 women left. that’s not exactly ‘too few’ Ignoring just America, given that models are found from all over the world, if we are going to generalize and say ‘oh there is X number of this ethnicity in the world so “mathematically” it isn’t racism it’s just fact’ then please explain that 18% of the world population is Chinese and yet they account for how much of the global modelling market? Admittedly, yes, on average the Han Chinese ethnicity tends to be shorter, but given the pious ‘oh but Twiggy and Kate were short’ attitudes of most fashion fans then why do they not get the same level of chance opportunities? Given the huge boom in Chinese economic growth then you would think that modern fashion markets would cater to that. Hell, British Vogue recently ran an article specifically on the increase in trends catering to the growing Arab market. But yet there are still no Arab and no Asian and no Black models. There are hundreds of thousands of thousands of women all across the globe that could be models but wont be, because of where they live and the colour of their skin. The population of Africa alone is 1,032,532,974 that’s over three times the population of America. However the issues over racism in modelling lies in the racism that stands institutionally in America. Comparably, the net worth of non-white families compared to white families is pictured to the below¹. In 2010 non-white families earnt only 65% of their white counterparts. While in the UK the Fawcett Society published the ‘(BME) women in Britain Powerless, Poor and Passed Over‘ report, revealing that babies born to immigrant Pakistani mothers are over two times as likely to die in their first week as the babies of British-born mothers, and that two-fifths of Asian and black women live in poverty, twice the number of white women. The problem is not a lack of black models, it’s a lack of recognition of black models, and by extension the recognition of BME women in general. 1; Data from the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances; dollar amounts in 2010 (inflation adjusted) “financial assets” include bank accounts, saving bonds, retirement accounts, cash value of life insurance and stocks etc, “non-financial” assets to include vehicles, real estate, and business equity. Figures and chart compiled by Colin Gordon, September 2012.
It’s always nerve-racking when a beloved hit comedy comes out with a sequel and Anchorman 2; The Legend Continues was definitely no exception. Set several years after the first Anchorman film, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is sacked from his nightly news anchor job in New York while his wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) is promoted to become the first female nightly news anchor in history. Full of jealousy and self-pride, Ron leaves Veronica and their son, Walter, when Veronica refuses to decline the job offer. Jobless and family–less, Ron is on the brink of self-destruction when he’s approached by GNN (The Global News Network) asking Ron to take part in their brand new 24 hour news channel. Doubting the idea would work, but with no other choice, Burgundy accepts the job on the terms that he can provide his own news team. Champ Kind (David Koecher), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) are all re-recruited by Burgundy to join him in New York City to become news stars once again, little do they know, the competition is fierce and they have to create a whole new approach to the way the news is presented. But can they pull it off?
Expectations were high as I entered the cinema, and I’m happy to say that those expectations were met and exceeded. Ridiculously hilarious, as usual, Will Ferrall and his team did not disappoint and knocked it out of the park. With a roar of laughter every other minute, the film was fast, funny and just downright silly in a way that only the Anchorman cast can pull off with style. But along with its testosterone fuelled humour, the film also showed the characters more sensitive sides. Ron bonded with his son, Walter with the assistance of a stray shark called Doby, and Brick found the woman of his dreams. The film contained those classic Ferrell moments that just make you cringe with pure embarrassment and then make you question whether it’s okay to be laughing as hard as you are. But the ultimate highlight for me, and for most of the people I’ve talked to about the film, was Brick. The weird weather man finds his soul mate and we see another side to him, which brings out even more hilarity from the character. Brick, a socially awkward enough character as it is, is confronted with his biggest challenge yet, love. Luckily this woman is as strange as Brick himself, which makes the task of ‘wooing her’ a lot less difficult than it might have been if she was in the least bit normal. I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves a good laugh, it contains everything you want and more from one of those ridiculous comedies that Will Ferrell is known for. I may even go so far as to say that it was even better than the first film.
Rating: ****
What did students get involved with last term?
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