bodens - irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com · of 19th-century france, les misérables tells an...

BODENSTHEATRE ROYAL STRATFORD EASTOur NTConnections performance of The Monstrum

takes us all the way to the stage of one of London's most

beautiful Victorian Theatres. Assistant Director Izzy talks to

us about the rehearsal process and performances.

THE PLACE FOR PERFORMING ARTS

w w w.bodens.co.uk SUMMER 2017

SUMMER COURSESAWARDS NIGHTANTIGONESCHOOL OF ROCK

ONE DAY MOREOver 500 young people took part in fantastic

performances of Les Miserables. Year 7 student Erin

talks about being a part of the company.

BEINGELECTRAGap year college student Malini talks

to us about playing the lead part in

Sophocles Classic Greek Tragedy, Electra.

written by our Ass istant Direc tor I zz y Kel ly

As with every Connections

p r o j e c t , t h e r e i s a s c r i p t

s e l e c t i o n p r o c e s s t h a t

t a k e s p l a c e b e f o r e w e

a r e d e s i g n a t e d o u r f i n a l

scr ipt . This year , we were

h a n d e d T h e M o n s t r u m

by Kel l ie Smith . A gothic

ta le of a v i l lage of adults

with small-town mentality

f a c i n g a n i n f e c t i o n i n

their young. This infection

i n v o l v e s g a i n i n g s p o t s ,

s t r a n g e h a i r a n d e v e n

s l e e p i n g m o r e t h a n

u s u a l . A t a l e o f g r o w i n g

u p a n d a c c e p t a n c e , t h e

Monstrum disease served

as a metaphor for puberty

and the fears parents face

as their chi ldren grow and

b e c o m e i n d e p e n d e n t .

‘ T h a t s i c k n e s s i s c a l l e d

The Monstrum’

Our process with the cast

r e a l l y b e g a n o n a c o l d

w i n t e r ' s n i g h t i n m i d -

D e c e m b e r. O u r f i r s t j o b

a f t e r re a d i n g t h e s c r i p t s

w a s d i s c o v e r i n g a n d

e x p l o r i n g t h e w o r l d o f

t h e p l a y. A f t e r o u r f i r s t

Sunday rehearsal together

w e a s k e d t h e c o m p a n y

t o b r i n g i n p i c t u r e s o f

h o w t h e y i m a g i n e d t h e

e nv i r o n m e n t o f t h e p l a y

t o b e . M a n y i m a g e s o f

a s n o w y t u n d r a , o r v a s t

b a r r e n l a n d s c a p e s w e r e

b r o u g h t i n . T h e i d e a o f

the cold was introduced in

the scr ipt and developed

a s t h e p r o c e s s w e n t o n .

I n i t i a l l y t h e c o m p a n y

devised shor t scenes and

images displaying the f ive

m a j o r a g e s o f c h a r a c t e r ;

chi ldren, teens before the

M o n s t r u m , t h e i n f e c t e d ,

a f t e r t h e M o n s t r u m

h a d l e f t t h e s y s t e m a n d

adult . These inspired our

s t a gi n g a n d we d e c i d e d

t h a t a n a n i m a l i s t i c

s t y l e o f m o v e m e n t b e s t

represented the changes in

the teenagers physical i t y

once the v i rus hi t .

Photos by L idia Cr isaful l i

MESSAGE FROM

THE PRINCIPAL

THE MONSTRUMTHE MONSTRUMI zz y Kel ly

LES MISERABLESEr in Boden

AFTER ANTIGONEOl iv ia Lawrence

SCHOOL OF ROCKI mogen Bowden

THE FAMILYHarr y Cur ley

BEING ELEC TRAM al ini Murphy

EXAMINATION CLASSESIsabel , L ibby & Anastas ia

AWARDS NIGHTTara Munnel ly

BODENS PAR T TIME SCHOOL

BODENS DANCE

BODENS FULL T IME COLLEGE

BODENS PERFORMING AR TS

99 East Barnet Road

Barnet , Her ts . EN4 8RF

020 8447 0909

07545 696 888

[email protected]

w w w.bodens.co.uk

w w w.per formingar tscol lege.co.uk

We h o p e y o u e n j o y o u r S u m m e r Te r m

i s s u e o f B o d e n s M a g a z i n e . E v e r y t h i n g

h e r e i s w r i t t e n b y y o u n g p e o p l e a t

Bodens Per forming Ar ts , a l l about their

experiences on and off the stage. This issue

features productions of Electra, Antigone,

T h e M o n s t r u m a n d Le s M i s e r a b l e s . We

l o o k b a c k t o o u r s u m m e r c o u r s e s , a n d

for ward to the term ahead.

Adam Boden

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7

B O D E N S P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

W W W . B O D E N S . C O . U K

T H E P L A C E F O R P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

The casting stage began within the f i rst week of the process. We wanted to g i ve e ve r y m e m b e r o f t h e c o m p a n y t h e oppor tunity to explore t h e c h a r a c t e r s t h e y w e r e i n t r i g u e d b y i n m o r e d e p t h . T h e t a l e n t a n d m a t u r i t y l e v e l s o f t h e y o u n g c a s t i m m e d i a t e l y b l e w m e a w a y. E v e r y s i n g l e m e m b e r o f t h e c o m p a ny w a s c a p a b l e of playing any role they could have been given. Th e c a s t o f 2 2 q u i c k l y became a ver y s t rong

example of an ensemble. S o m e e l e m e n t s t h a t h a d m a j o r e f fe c t s o n t h e a e s t h e t i c o f t h e per formance were the set, costume and music. These things needed to ref lec t the harsh cold o f t h e wo r l d t h at t h e c h a r a c t e r s a r e l i v i n g i n . W e s p o k e a b o u t costume for a long time as it would be a deciding f a c t o r i n t h e s e t t i n g. I d e a s s u c h a s a T i m B u r t o n - e s q u e g o t h i c t o w n w e r e d e b a t e d , h o w e v e r w e d e c i d e d that modern T V shows

s u c h a s Fo r t i t u d e a n d Fargo would inf luence our decisions. Therefore thick woollen jumpers, hats and long coats were the key to unlocking the wo r l d o f t h e p l ay. Fo r the music, Adam found the soundtrack of Fargo matched the setting and the transitions between s c e n e s p e r f e c t l y . J u s t o v e r a f o r t n i g h t b e f o r e o p e n i n g , R o d n e y c r e a t e d t h e most spectacular large barr icade style set out of a wardrobe, ladders a n d a d r e s s e r . T h e theme of childhood and growing up was cleverly woven into the set by R o d n e y i n s y m b o l s s u c h a s a d o l l s h o u s e a n d a c o t . P a i n t i n g t h e s e t a n d p r o p s a l l w h i t e w i t h t h e c a s t was an adventure and a l thou gh we pro bably got more paint on each o t h e r t h a n t h e s e t , i t certainly paid off to see the snow l ike backdrop in the per formance.

O u r h o u s e o p e n e d o n Fr i d a y 2 4 t h Fe b r u a r y a n d w e p e r f o r m e d 3 c o n s e c u t i v e n i g h t s . I g o t t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o w a t c h f r o m t h e a u d i e n c e , a n d s e e i n g a l l o f t h e i n t r i c a t e d e t a i l s t h a t w e r e p u t i n t o t h e s e t , m u s i c , costume and character re l a t i o n s h i p s f ro m a n a u d i e n c e p e r s p e c t i v e was stunning. The way the set gl istened under t h e l i g h t s r e f l e c t e d t h e s n ow y s e t t i n g we wanted to achieve and t h e l a y e r e d c o s t u m e s made me feel cold just watching! A b i g p a r t o f t h e C o n n e c t i o n s p r o g r a m m e i n v o l v e s h a v i n g w r i t e r s a n d directors come to watch t h e s h o w, p i c k u p o n a ny t h i n g t h a t n e e d e d

a d j u s t i n g a b o u t t h e performance and giving n e c e s s a r y f e e d b a c k . A v is i t f rom a di rec tor f r o m t h e N a t i o n a l T h e a t r e C o n n e c t i o n s p r o j e c t a d d e d l a y e r s of ner vous energy and e x c i t e m e n t o n t h e Saturday per formance. Th e p o s i t i ve fe e d b a c k r e f l e c t e d t h e a m o u n t of hours of hard wor k and concentrat ion the cast had donated to the p r o j e c t . O u r b i g g e s t a c h i e v e m e n t w a s t h e move from our familiar

space here at B odens, t o t h e T h e a t r e R o y a l Stratford East. We were given the oppor tunit y t o p e r f o r m a t t h e p a r t n e r e d t h e a t r e o n t h e 3 1 s t M a r c h . T h e 446 seated theatre was

in 1884 and is a grade 2 l i s t e d b u i l d i n g w i t h l a v i s h r e d v e l v e t s e a t s a n d i n t r i c a t e g o l d d é c o r ( i n c l u d i n g a c h a n d e l i e r ! ) . T h e c o l d , w h i t e s e t o f Th e M o n s t r u m c o n t r a s t e d p e r f e c t l y w i t h t h e w a r m c o l o u r s o f t h e t h e a t r e . J u s t w a l k i n g i n t o t h e a u d i t o r i u m g a v e a n i m m e d i a t e i m p r e s s i o n o f h o w much bigger the space i s f r o m T h e S c a f f o l d T h e a t r e . D u r i n g t h e d r e s s r e h e a r s a l A d a m r a n t h r o u g h t h e n o t e s a g a i n a n d w e p l a y e d a r o u n d w i t h e x p l o r i n g t h e b i g g e r s t a g e . T h e n c a m e t h e p e r f o r m a n c e … T h e b u z z i n g t h e a t r e w a s packed with people. I n t h e a u d i e n c e w e h a d t h e c a s t o f T h e a t r e R o y a l S t r a t f o r d E a s t ’s o w n y o u t h c o m p a n y s u p p o r t i n g u s . Wa t c h i n g i n t h e n e w

' I t ' s a terr ib le thing when you're afra id of you're chi ldren'.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7




theatre gave the play a brand new s e n s e o f l i f e , a n d o p e n e d u p t h e w o r l d o f t h e p l a y. T h e c a s t d i d a br i l l iant job of per forming the piece o n e f i n a l t i m e , a n d w e r e g r e e t e d with the loudest round of applause a n d s t a n d i n g o v a t i o n s f r o m t h e a u d i e n c e . T h e c o m p a n y m a d e a per fect example of just how power ful and profess ional youth theatre can be when ta lent and dedicat ion are u s e d t o t h e f u l l p o t e n t i a l . I t w a s a n a b s o l u t e p l e a s u r e w o r k i n g a s a s s i s t a n t d i r e c t o r fo r t h i s p r o j e c t and I am so exc i te d to se e what i s to come for the future of th is group of ta lented young per formers.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7




Les M iserables

and thank

you to you

S e e n b y m o r e t h a n 7 0 m i l l i o n p e o p l e i n 4 4 c o u n t r i e s a n d i n 2 2 l a n g u a g e s a r o u n d t h e g l o b e , i t i s s t i l l b r e a k i n g b o x - o f f i c e records ever y where. Set a g a i n s t t h e b a c k d r o p o f 1 9 t h - ce n t u r y Fra n ce, L e s M i s é r a b l e s t e l l s a n e n t h r a l l i n g s t o r y o f b r o k e n d r e a m s a n d unrequited love, passion, sacrif ice and redemption – a t i m e l e s s t e s t a m e n t t o t h e s u r v i v a l o f t h e human spir i t .

E x- co nv i c t J e a n Va l j e a n is hunted for decades by t h e r u t h l e s s p o l i c e m a n J a v e r t a f t e r h e b r e a k s p a r o l e . W h e n V a l j e a n agrees to care for factor y wo r k e r Fa n t i n e’s yo u n g daughter, Cosette, their l ives change forever.

D u r i n g N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 6 , o v e r 5 0 0 y o u n g p e o p l e t o o k p a r t i n a n a m a z i n g p e r f o r m a n c e o f L e s M i s e r a b l e s . F r o m t h e s p e c t a c u l a r c o s t u m e s t o t h e g i a n t b a r r i c a d e , t h e s h o w w a s e x t r e m e l y s u cce s s f u l . B u t a s h ow a s br i l l iant as Les M is took a l o t o f re h e a r s a l t i m e a n d there was some ex tensive b e h i n d t h e s c e n e s w o r k involved.

T h e a u d i t i o n p r o c e s s began in July when young p e o p l e f r o m B o d e n s a g e d 7 - 1 9 to o k p a r t i n a s inging, ac t ing and dance w o r k s h o p. We e n d e d u p w i t h a c o r e e n s e m b l e o f 4 0 p a r t - t i m e, a n d t we n t y ful l t ime students.

There was very challenging c h a r a c t e r w o r k i n v o l v e d in the process of creat ing our show, not just for the leads, but for ever y s ingle b e g g a r o n t h e s t r e e t s o f Paris throughout the show.

T h e p e r f o r m a n c e s r a n throughout November and m a n y s t u d e n t s f r o m t h e we e k e n d p e r fo r m i n g a r t s c l a s s e s a l s o p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e s h o w . I t w a s a wonder ful oppor tunity for young people throughout t h e c l a s s e s , w i t h m a n y people making friends with people they had not known before. Both the ful l t ime a n d p a r t t i m e s t u d e n t s worked incredibly hard to a c c o m p l i s h a n e x c e l l e n t piece of theatre. As well as the ac t ion seen on stage,

there was also much backstage excitement, such as a homework club made by younger members of the cast for ever yone to catch up on their curr icular activit ies.

One highlight of the show was the costumes, from the corsets to the scar fs , the costumes cer ta inly helped to br ing the wor ld of the play a l ive (even i f i t was q u i te d i f f i c u l t to g e t t h e m i n t h e c a r to t a k e t h e m from the costume shop to Bodens) . I t wasn' t just the m a s s o f co s t u m e s to co n s i d e r i n t h e p l a n n i n g ; t h e barr icade only just f i t ted in the Scaffold Theatre, so i t was pretty amazing that i t was taken down and put up in the inter val of ever y s ingle show!

With a l l these per formances going on dur ing school time, you could imagine that everyone was pretty tired. St i l l , we car r ied on and overa l l , the Les M iserables shows went ver y well, ever yone worked ver y hard and the result was wor th a l l the wor k . Les M is was one of the biggest shows ever at Bodens and hopeful ly, with ever ybody ’s cont inued hard work and suppor t , we can produce even more shows l ike Les Miserables.

W e a l s o a s k e d f o r

some donations f rom

t h e a u d i e n c e t o p u t

t o w a r d s p r o d u c i n g

more fantast ic shows

in the future.

T h a n k s t o e v e r y o n e

w h o k i n d l y g a v e

donat ions, we ra ised

o v e r £ 1 0 0 0 w h i c h

has a l ready been put

t o w a r d s s u b s i d i s e d

oppor tunit ies for our

young people.

LES MISERABLESYOUNG COMPANY MEMBER ERIN TALKS ABOUT OUR NOVEMBER

2016 PRODUC TION OF THE WORLD FAMOUS MUSICAL



On the 17th March 2017, I walked into a 'Scaf fold Theatre ' t ransformed into Ancient Greece i tse l f, to watch ' The Young Reper tor y Company' per form their Greek Tragedy 'Ant igone'.

A F T E RA N T I G O N E

R E V I E W E D BY O L I V I A L AW R E N C E

T H E F LO O R WA S C O V E R E D W I T H S T O N E , A N D U P S T A G E W E R E F I V E T O W E R I N G C O L U M N S , C O M P L E T I N G T H E L O O K . T H E S T A G E W A S D I M LY L I T , T H E AT M O S P H E R E WA S S E T A N D YO U C O U L D P H Y S I C A L LY S M E L L T H I S S M O K Y I N C E N S E , A D D I N G T O T H E A R O M A O F I T A L L . I T WA S B E A U T I F U L LY S E T A N D I C O U L D N O T WA I T T O S I T D O W N , R E L A X A N D TA K E I N G R E E C E A N D T H E J O U R N E Y W E W E R E A B O U T T O E M B A R K O N .

IT IS ALWAYS A LIT TLE DAUNTING W H E N G O I N G T O W AT C H A P I E C E O F G R E E K T H E AT R E A S F O R S O M E A U D I E N C E S , T H E D I A LO G U E C A N B E H A R D T O G R A S P A N D, A S S O M E O F T H E M O S T I M P O R TA N T A C T I O N I S C O M M I T T E D O F F S TA G E , T H E PLOT CAN BE HARD TO FOLLOW. H O W E V E R , T H E R E P E R T O R Y C O M P A N Y T A C K L E D T H I S B R I L L I A N T LY B Y A D D I N G A M O D E R N T W I S T TO T H E S TO R Y O F A N T I G O N E.

T H E I R S H O W WA S I N C R E D I B LY E N T E R TA I N I N G A N D M A D E M E L A U G H T H R O U G H O U T , F R O M A N AU D I E N C E M E M B E R S P O I N T O F V I E W, I D I D N O T H AV E T O S T R U G G L E T O H E A R A N Y T H I N G , O R U N D E R S TA N D A N Y T H I N G - I T WA S S P E L L E D O U T P E R F E C T LY F O R U S , I N A H I G H LY E N T E R TA I N I N G WAY. T H I S I S A H U G E AC H I E V E M E N T AND THE COMPANY SHOULD BE V E R Y P R O U D O F T H E M S E LV E S .W H E N WAT C H I N G T H E P I E C E

I T I S H A R D N O T T O G E T I N V E S T E D I N C E R T A I N C H A R A C T E R S A N D T H E I R J O U R N E YS. I T H O R O U G H LY E N J O Y E D R O B Y N ’ S R E N D I T I O N O F H E R ‘ D U M B ’ GUARD CHARAC TER, AS SHE SUCCESSFULLY PORTRAYED T H I S I N A N E N T E R TA I N I N G A N D H U M O R O U S W A Y. T H R O U G H H E R W O R K , I FOUND THAT I CONNEC TED W I T H H E R C H A R A C T E R A N D I N T U R N V I E W E D T H E S I T U AT I O N D I F F E R E N T LY A N D L E S S O B J E C T I V E LY. F R O M W H AT I G AT H E R E D, I T WA S I L L E G A L F O R T H E G U A R D S T O TA K E T H E I R S I G H T O F F T H E B O D Y O F P O LY N I C E S A N D I N D O I N G S O W O U L D R E S U LT I N T H E I R D E AT H S , Y E T A L L T H R E E G U A R D S D O . W H I L E T H I S AC T T R I G G E R S A L L T H E L AT T E R A C T I O N , I N C LU D I N G T H E D E AT H O F A N T I G O N E , H A E M O N A N D

C R E O N ’ S W I F E , E U R Y D I C E , I C A N ’ T H E L P B U T S Y M PAT H I S E W I T H T H E G U A R D S , R O B Y N ’ S C H A R A C T E R I N PA R T I C U L A R , G I V I N G A N U L T I M A T E L Y DIFFERENT SENSE OF EMOTION TO T H E S TO R Y.

T H E A C T I N G A B I L I T Y O F T H I S S M A L L R E P E R T O R Y C O M PA N Y I S S O S T R O N G , I F O U N D M Y S E L F C O M P L E T E LY I N V E S T I N G I N T H E S T O R Y. I N PA R T I C U L A R I F O U N D M Y S E L F O N T H E V E R G E O F T E A R S D U R I N G ‘ TO M’S’ M O N O LO G U E , E X P L A I N I N G H O W, I N T H E O R Y, H E H A D K I L L E D A N T I G O N E I N G I V I N G H E R H I S D A G G E R , S O T H AT S H E M AY CO N T R O L H E R O W N FAT E . TO M WA S P L AY E D B Y S C O T T F O L A N , A N D H E H A D T H E A B I L I T Y TO B R I N G M E S O C LO S E T O T H I S E M O T I O N , P R O V I N G T H E AC T I N G A B I L I T Y O F T H I S CO M PA N Y I S B E YO N D A N Y T H I N G I H AV E S E E N O F A CO M PA N Y T H I S YO U N G .

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7




IN LES MISERABLES

Bodens student I mogen is 11 years o ld, and we' ve asked

h e r t o t e l l u s a l l a b o u t p l a y i n g K a t i e i n A n d r e w L l o y d

Webber ’s 'School of Rock The Musical ' in the West End.

S o I p l ay K a t i e , a g i r l w h o w a s t a u g h t h o w t o p l a y t h e b a s s guitar by a man who pretends to be her teacher. I actually play the bass l ive on stage! I t i s so much fun being in the West End but i t is quite t ir ing. Most people think that I get ner vous before ever y show but once you have done a fe w, yo u h a rd l y g e t n e r vo u s a t a l l . I have made so many f r iends s o I a m n e ve r a l o n e w h e n I a m on stage.

To get the role of K at ie I had to go through many audit ions and r e h e a r s a l s . B o d e n s s u g g e s t e d t h a t I a u d i t i o n f o r S c h o o l o f Rock ear ly last year. I or iginal ly audit ioned for the f i rst cast but the casting team thought I was a l i tt le too young, but they invited me to audit ion again s ix months later and this t ime I got the par t! W h e n I s t a r te d re h e a r s a l s t h e y were intense.

I rehearsed for most of Mondays, Tu e s d ay s , We d n e s d ay s , Fr i d ay s a n d S a t u r d a y s f o r a b o u t t w o months.

I m i s s e d q u i t e a b i t o f school dur ing this t ime. S o m e o f t h e re h e a r s a l s were only for the people that played instruments ( including me) and some we re fo r e ve r yo n e. T h e r e h e a r s a l s w e r e v e r y impor tant. I had to learn a l l t h e w o r d s o f t h e s o n g s , h o w t o p l ay t h e d i f f e r e n t m u s i c o n t h e b a s s g u i t a r, t h e d a n c e r o u t i n e s , w o r d s a n d where to stand on stage. I a lso had to learn when to come on to stage and with what props!

T h e s h o w r e l i e s o n a l o t o f p e o p l e w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r a n d n o t j u s t t h e c a s t . T h e r e i s a creat ive team who help to t ra in a l l the cast and give us ‘notes’ ( things to improve on) . Then there i s s t a g e m a n a g e m e n t w h o m a k e s u r e a l l o f t h e p r o p s a r e i n t h e r i g h t p l a c e , e v e r y o n e c o m e s i n a t t h e r i g h t moment and makes sure

that ever yone is safe on stage. Then there is the wardrobe team who make sure that we look r ight on stage. I have my own costumes for the di f ferent par ts of the show and my hair has to be put in bunches. There is a lso a team of chaperones who make sure that the chi ldren are safe.

We have a t ight schedule. There are three casts of chi ldren (which means there are three K at ies ! ) because in the UK there is a l imit to how much t ime chi ldren are a l lowed to work each week . Ever y t ime there is a show there are t wo casts at the theatre. One team wi l l be per forming on stage and the other team is on ‘stand by ’ just in case one of the other chi ldren becomes i l l . On average I per form in about 3 shows a week plus I am on ‘stand by ’

for 3 shows a week . I prefer being on stage to being on ‘stand by ’. The show is on e ight t imes a week including three matinees. I of ten get home ver y late – past 11pm!

M y favour i te par t about being in the show is eye contac t with the audience and seeing how much fun they are having. I a lso l ike playing the bass and doing a l l of the musical numbers.

SCHOOL OF ROCK RUNS AT THE NEW LONDON THEATRE AND IS BOOKING UNTIL JANUARY 2018!

IN WONDERLAND

THANKS IMOGEN!

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7




L a s t s u m m e r, f o r t h e second t ime, we of fered o u r w e e k - l o n g f i l m s u m m e r c o u r s e t o o u r s t u d e n t s - a c h a n c e t o m a k e a n h o u r - l o n g f i l m a n d t h r e e s h o r t f i l m s t o b e p r e m i e r e d i n t h e P h o e n i x C i n e m a , E a s t Finchley. Harr y took par t and tel ls us a l l about the exper ience.

THE FAMILYBY H A R R Y C U R L E YT h e w e e k s t a r t e d w i t h m a n y d e v i s i n g s e s s i o n s t o h e l p u s c o m e u p w i t h a p o t e n t i a l p l o t l i n e t o o u r m a i n f i l m . W e u s e d costumes, music and props t o c r e a t e l i t t l e s t o r i e s o f our own. One group made a w h o l e m u r d e r m y s t e r y s to r y j u s t by u s i n g a l o n g w i n t e r c o a t w h e r e i d e a s were implemented into our ac tual f i lm (Bi l ly H i l l… the vi l lain) . Once we star ted on o u r j o u r n e y we we re s p l i t o f f i n t o t h r e e d i f f e r e n t gro u p s d e p e n d e n t o n o u r age. We were able to lead our own sess ions in which we devised our shor t f i lms a n d o f t e n we re g i ve n t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to t a l k a b o u t t h e f i l m s h a r e d b y a l l students. In these sessions, we h a d to d i s cove r a p l o t l i n e f o r o u r s h o r t f i l m s , locat ions of f i lming, dates of f i lming and cast ing the f i lms themselves. The shor t f i lms that were created over t h e w e e k w e r e e x q u i s i t e : Grounded, Being Jul iet and Pre te n d. Th e f i r s t a b o u t a

boy who misused his f ree house for a house par t y, the second: a murder and the last about fr iendship. Each was f i lmed and direc ted by Adam Boden who a l s o t a u g h t u s t h e t e c h n i c a l i t i e s o f t h e c a m e r a and microphone throughout f i lming. This prac t ical learning has made us a l l better inc l ined and able to make more independent work ourselves.

T h e p l o t o f t h e m a i n f i l m e m e rg e d o n t h e t h i rd day of the course. A boy loses his brother to a cult f ro m u n i ve r s i t y a n d h e m u s t j o u r n e y a c ro s s t h e countr y to f ind him. Exc i ted, we cast our p ic ture a n d we re a b l e t o re p e a t t h e s a m e p ro c e s s e s we independently prac t iced with our shor t f i lms. Our fo c u s w a s n ow o n f i l m i n g, t h e f i l m b e i n g b a s e d around a cult made it easy to uti l ise al l of the talent we had as a cast and create endless oppor tunit ies to be involved, which was re inforced by the fac t that the stor y is made by the students. ‘ The Family ’ was shot across the Barnet borough: Vic tor ia Park , London Underground, Alexandra Palace and even m y h o u s e , w h i c h a l s o m a k e s a n a p p e a r a n c e i n Grounded….

I n spir i t of the Bodens ethos regular students on t h e c o u r s e a l s o h a d t h e c h a n c e t o m a k e f r i e n d s with other wonder ful , ta lented young people from our local communit y. We were able to ex tend our ‘Outstanding’ teaching to them also as well as learn a plethora of new sk i l ls ourselves. At the beginning o f t h e we e k , a l l p re co n ce p t i o n s o f f i t t i n g i n a re erased, as ever yone on the course is real ly f r iendly a n d we a l l m a k e gre a t f r i e n d s , l i k e I h ave i n my t ime here.

The cherr y on the cake is cer tainly seeing your f i lm, two months later, in the gloriously beautiful Phoenix c i n e m a , w i t h yo u r f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y we l c o m e d to s u p p o r t yo u a n d watc h t h e p ro fe s s i o n a l wo r k you created in the sun at Bodens Per forming Ar ts . I ’d h ighly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn more about screen acting technique, t h e f i l m i n g p ro ce s s a n d o n e t h a t w a n t s to m e e t great new fr iends.

OUR 2016 SUMMER FILM COURSE

YO U C A N WATC H T H E

W H O L E F I L M O N O U R W E B S I T E AT

W W W. B O D E N S . CO. U KA N D L E T U S K N O W

W H AT YO U T H I N K !

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7




EXAMINATION CLASSES

A B O U T TA K I N G A B A L L E T E X A MWe had to prac t ice and prac t ice which was fun. When the day came, we had to do our hair. We had to put our hair into pony ta i ls and pla i t i t . Then Sarah and K at ie made i t look beaut i ful by putt ing r ibbons in . We waited for our turn and when she cal led us in we ran to our spaces and cur ts ied and sa id 'hel lo'. I fe l t ner vous but excited. I enjoyed a l l of i t . At the end, we cur ts ied and sa id goodbye. You wi l l l ike i t too.

by Anastas ia , 7 Years Old

A B O U T M O D E R N D A N C E C L A S S E SI recent ly did a modern dance exam. I have modern dance lessons ever y Monday evening at four thi r t y. Modern is a st y le of dance that uses the dancer ’s ideas and inter pretat ions, not s t ruc tured steps. M y teacher ’s name is Sarah and she always encourages us and most impor tantly, makes sure we k now what we are doing. When I do my lessons I have to wear a blue leotard and white leggings. For this t ype of dance I do not have to wear any shoes. M y favour i te thing I d id in my exam was my dance to the song Naught y f rom Mati lda . To make sure I was ready for my exam I had to have three ex tra Sunday rehearsals . Af ter we had done our exam we had to wa i t a few weeks for our resul ts . The n we had a ce r t i f i cate ceremony and had to star t grade t wo. I am real ly look ing for ward to my nex t exam.

By L ibby, 8 Years Old

B A L L E T, TA P A N D M O D E R NWe hold ISTD and RAD syl labus

dance c lasses on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and

Saturdays for age 3 upwards.

M U S I C A L T H E AT R ESmal l group c lasses

include pr ivate tutor ia ls and take place on Tuesday evenings or on a Saturday

or Sunday.

T R I N I T Y AC T I N GOur ver y smal l c lasses combine

independent , group work and pr ivate tuit ion on Monday or

Thursday evenings.At Bodens, we have a whole range of examinat ion c lasses in Ac t ing, Dance or Musical Theatre, designed for those students who want to take their t ra ining a l ittle bit further. We asked some of our students to tell us about their experiences.

A B O U T B E I N G I N O U R M U S I C A L T H E AT R E C L A S S E SBeing a par t of Musical Theatre is amazing. I t has real ly boosted my conf idence and helped me become more comfor table per forming in f ront of people. Al l the teachers do their ver y best to prepare us for our exams. They give us t ips and tr icks to help us. S ince jo ining M usica l Theatre, I th ink I have def in i te ly improved, espec ia l ly in s inging. I bel ieve this is because al l of the students help each other a n d t h e te a c h e r s h ave h e l p e d m e i m p rove a l o t . I h ave s o m u c h fun ever y week and I love ever y minute of i t . I t i s such an amazing oppor tunit y and I thank a l l the teachers at Bodens for helping me come so far.

by Isabel , 12 Years OldS U M M E R 2 0 1 7




"Gods, who look upon those who die unjustly, w h o l o o k u p o n t h e mar r iage bed secret ly betrayed, come al l and h e l p t a k e v e n g e a n c e f o r m y f a t h e r, f o r m y father 's murder ! "

BE ING ELEC TRACOLLEGE STUDENT MALINI MURPHY TELLS US ALL ABOUT BEING CAST AS THE LEADING ROLE IN THE CHALLENGING GREEK TRAGEDY SOPHOCLES' ELEC TRA

H av i n g b e e n c a s t a s E l e c t r a , I fe l t a g r e a t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o c r e a t e a n a u t h e n t i c , t r u t h f u l c h a r a c t e r a n d t h e re fo re I b e g a n my p ro c e s s b y a n a l y s i n g a n d r e s e a r c h i n g t h e social, historical context of the play. As par t of this research, I v is ited the National Histor y Museum in London w h e r e I e x a m i n e d m a n y a n c i e n t G r e e k a r t e f a c t s . T h i s e x p e r i e n c e enabled me to gain an insight into the histor y of ancient Greece. Obser ving a l l the incredible architec ture t ruly i n s p i re d m e a n d a s a re s u l t , I w a s able to connec t with the play even more. I absorbed all the armour y and weapons which helped me visual ise what Agamemnon might have worn when he par t ic ipated in the Trojan war. This was beneficial s ince when I talked about him in the play, I could pic ture a more authent ic vers ion of h is physical appearance.

A s p a r t o f my i n i t i a l e x p l o r a t i o n , I w a n t e d t o f i n d o u t d i f f e r e n t scholars ' opinions on the charac ter of Electra. Charles Segal, a Professor o f G r e e k a n d L a t i n a t H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i t y s t a t e s " H e r v o i c e i s a l l t h a t E l e c t r a h a s , h e r o n l y we a p o n a g a i n s t h e r f a t h e r ' s k i l l e r s a n d t h e u s u r p e r s o f h i s t h r o n e ." H e a l s o d e s c r i b e s h e r a s h a v i n g " a l i fe devoted to lamentat ion." I was inspired by th is quote par t icular ly when he refers E lec tra's voice to a ' weapon.' This idea of E lec tra being a p owe r f u l , w a r r i o r - l i k e f i g u re a s o p p o s e d t o a h o p e l e s s , g r i e v i n g , p o w e r l e s s w o m a n i s s o m e t h i n g I d e f i n i t e l y fe e l I e x p l o re d t h ro u g h my charac ter isat ion.

I n S o p h o c l e s ' r e n d i t i o n o f E l e c t r a , h e b l u r s t h e d i s t i n c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e heroes and vil lains, therefore c r e a t i n g a n u n c e r t a i n t y i n t h e v i e w e r. I d e c i d e d I w a n t e d t h e a u d i e n c e t o f e e l s o r r y f o r h e r w h i l s t s i m u l t a n e o u s l y d e s p i s i n g h e r, s o a s t o s t a y t r u e t o S o p h o c l e s ' i n t e n t i o n s . I b e g a n t h e p r o c e s s b y creating a more sympathetic c h a r a c t e r , h o w e v e r, w i t h direction I real ised I was not being true to the character. I therefore exper imented and explored her wilder, chi ldish s i d e. Th i s i s re f l e c te d f ro m m o m e n t s w h e r e I a m s a t o n t h e g r a ve l d e s p a i r i n g l y p l a y i n g w i t h t h e s t o n e s i n my hands to sec t ions where I am outraged, pacing across the jagged rocks f rant ical ly searching for solace.

A part of my characterisation p r o c e s s , I d e c i d e d t o research into other power ful leading female characters in order to watch how other

ac tresses tack le the journey and how they maintain their stage presence throughout.

I p a r t i c u l a r l y w a n t e d t o i nve s t i g ate c h a ra c te r s w h o shared the same qual it ies as E lec tra . For example, in

G y p s y t h e l e a d i n g r o l e ( R o s e ) o b s e s s e s o v e r h e r t w o d a u g h t e r s b e c o m i n g B r o a d w a y s t a r s . E l e c t r a a n d R o s e s h a r e t h e s a m e re lent less, obsess ive nature a n d I f o u n d i t i n t e r e s t i n g and inspir ing to watch how I m e l d a S t a u n t o n a d d e d l i g h t a n d s h a d e t o t h i s i n t e n s e c h a r a c t e r . I w a s s t r u g g l i n g t o a d d l i g h t t o E lec tra's charac ter as she is predominantly grief -stricken a n d e x p l o s i v e , h o w e v e r a f t e r w a t c h i n g I m e l d a S t a u n t o n ' s p e r f o r m a n c e , I came to real ise how I could c r e a t e v a r i a t i o n i n m y c h a ra c te r i s at i o n o f E l e c t ra . a n d s h a d e t o t h i s i n t e n s e charac ter.

Yo u c a n s e e m o r e p h o t o s o f t h i s a n d o t h e r p r o d u c t i o n s a t w w w.bodens.co.uk/gal ler y

MALINI M U R P H YP L AY I N G E L E C T R A

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7


Award of a Generat ion

Tony Boden

Senior Award

Saturday 14th January s a w B o d e n s ' a n n u a l A w a r d s N i g h t , a n event many students look for ward to each year. For the past two y e a r s i t h a s t a k e n place at the Arts Depot in Nor th Finchley, to a l l o w s p a c e f o r t h e ever growing Bodens fami ly.

W i t h v a r i o u s s n i p p e t s f r o m t h e m a n y s h o w s p e r f o r m e d o v e r 2 0 1 6 , a w a rd s n i g h t s h o wc a s e d t h e t a l e n t B o d e n s h a s , b o t h t o t h e a u d i e n c e a t the Ar ts Depot and those that followed our l ive feed onl ine. The per formances r a n g e d f r o m S u s a n n a h belt ing out "Do i t Alone" f r o m t h e c o l l e g e ' s p e r fo r m a n ce o f " Pa r a d e " b a c k i n F e b r u a r y , t o a l a r g e e n s e m b l e s i n g i n g "A t t h e E n d o f t h e D a y " f r o m N o v e m b e r ' s " L e s M iserables" (which le f t a ve r y s m a l l a u d i e n c e d u e t o t h e h u g e n u m b e r o f students that took par t in the show) .

I have been to many awards nights dur ing my t ime at B o d e n s a n d a h i g h l i g h t o f m i n e h a s a l ways b e e n t h e m u s i c a l t h e a t r e

m e d l e y . T h i s y e a r w e per for med var ious songs f rom Wicked, a l lowing us to u s e s o m e o f t h e s k i l l s w e h a v e l e a r n t d u r i n g o u r Tu e s d a y l e s s o n s . We were able to connec t as a group through harmonies a n d c o n t r a s t o u r a c t i n g f r o m t h e e x t r a v a g a n t people of Oz, to using our gesture wor k , por tray ing the emotional f r iendship w i t h i n " Fo r G o o d ". A n d o f c o u r s e , w e h a d t o t h r o w i n a b i t o f K a t i e ' s choreography as wel l . . .

I t w o u l d n ' t b e A w a r d s N ight without the awards a n d o f c o u r s e , t h i s y e a r w a s n o e x c e p t i o n . T h e awards ranged from Robyn o u r b e s t n e w c o m e r , L i z o u r B e s t C o l l e g e Newcomer student, to the m a n h i m s e l f , H a r r y o u r

S e n i o r To ny B o d e n Aw a rd w i n n e r a n d t h e s u p p o r t for nominees and winners was immense.

This year, for the second t ime in Bodens histor y, the Award for a G enerat ion was brought back . The f i rs t p e r s o n t o g a i n t h i s re c o g n i t i o n w a s K a t i e A k e r s , a p e r s o n w h o h a s p rov i d e d m e w i t h s o m e ve r y fo n d m e m o r i e s . I w a s h o n o u r e d t o b e g i v e n t h i s a w a r d as my t ime at B odens i s coming to an end. I jo ined Bodens when I was 8 and star ted doing the Saturday PM combined course. S ince then I have taken par t in so many Bodens shows that i t was almost a given that I wo u l d n' t g o o n h o l i d ay d u r i n g t h e s c h o o l b re a k s because I would be doing some sort of show at Bodens. I t got to the point where I was at Bodens about 5 days a week , i t prac t ical ly tak ing over my l i fe. . . and I loved ever y s ingle minute of i t !

I have met some of my best fr iends here, people I would consider family. I thank Bodens for the t ime I have spent here and for mak ing me the p e r s o n I a m . Th e t ra n s fe ra b l e s k i l l s l e a r nt at Bodens have provided me with the conf idence and determination needed for my next chapter.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Tara Munnel ly

BEST NE WCOMER

Robyn O'Connor

SENIOR AWARD

Harr y Cur ley

JUNIOR AWARD

K at ya Padf ie ld

AWARD FOR DANCE

Al ice Mansur

OVERALL COLLEGE STUDENT

George Mor ley

GAP YEAR STUDENT

Ethan Reid

IMPROVED COLLEGE STUDENT

Isabel la M i l ic

IMPROVED STUDENT

Yasemin Mutlu

COLLEGE NE WCOMER

El izabeth Hoare

AWARDS NIGHT E VERY YEAR WE GE T TOGE THER AT THE AR TS DEPOT AND CELEBRATE THE

ACHIE VEMENTS OF ALL OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!

I n h e r f i n a l te r m at Bodens before U n i v e r s i t y , Ta r a t a l k s a b o u t t h i s y e a r ' s A w a r d s Night and winning t h e A w a r d o f a Generat ion.



COMING UP!With ever y new term at Bodens comes a whole new season of per formances. Here's a look at what's coming up this Summer!

You can suppor t the studios and our students by watching any of our produc t ions. Get t ickets for any of these shows on- l ine at w w w.bodens.co.uk/store.

" Into the woods, i t 's t ime to go. I hate to leave, I have

to, though. . ."

On the outsk i r ts of the c i t y l ies a fantast ica l forest where curses are reversed and wishes can come true. In the shadows of the trees something magical , fanci ful and strange is happening, but wishes are dangerous beasts to manage. Our stor y begins in a c lear ing not far f rom you. . . a Baker and his wife dream of a chi ld, a f lash of red capt ivates a ta l l , furr y stranger and a gir l with golden s l ippers is on the run. Each has a journey to make, a d i f ferent path to take but are they cer ta in i t ' s the r ight di rec t ion?

This incredible Stephen Sondheim musical i s per formed by the students of our

Ful l Time Col lege, and per formed in local woods, as the sun sets overhead.

"Sometimes you have to be a l i t t le bi t naught y!"

Mati lda, Roald Dahl ’s much-loved tale of an extraordinar y child with hideous parents, is given the musical treatment by the combined ta lents of Tim M inchin and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Mat i lda The Musical i s the stor y of Mat i lda Wormwood, a chi ld with an incredible ta lent for learning. Despite being hampered by unscrupulous, uncar ing parents who care neither for their daughter or for education, she excels intellectually and even discovers a rather unique ta lent . Each t ime her parents t reat her badly, the young Mati lda teaches them a lesson.

A fantast ic group of young per formers f rom our weekend per forming ar ts c lasses

take to the stage at the Ar ts Depot in Finchley to br ing this stor y to l i fe !

"Now I 'm the k ing of the swingers, the jungle

V. I . P. I re a c h e d t h e t o p a n d h a d t o s t o p, a n d

that 's what 's bother ing me."

Adapted f rom Disney 's beloved animated f i lm a n d t h e w o r k s o f R u d y a r d K i p l i n g, t h e “m a n c u b.” M owg l i , b o u n d s t h ro u g h t h e j u n g l e a n d learns what i t means to be human. The jungle is jumpin' with a jazz y beat in Disney's The Jungle Book KIDS.

Our amazing mini per forming ar ts students are at the forefront of this production,

with help f rom a whole range of students to te l l this s inging and dancing stor y!

" Fa i r i e s h a v e t o b e o n e t h i n g o r t h e o t h e r,

because being so small they unfor tunately have

room for one feel ing only at a t ime.”

A magical orb has been stolen by a dark fa i r y, threatenin g the ver y ex is tence of fa i r ies . One young fa i r y sets of f on a quest to br ing i t back to i ts r ightful p lace, and save the fa i r y wor ld.

Th i s s to r y i s p e r fo r m e d i n Th e S c a f fo l d Th e at re o n t h e ro u n d by s t u d e nt s a s

young as 3 years o ld, f rom our bal let , tap, st reet and modern dance c lasses.

Yo u c a n a l s o c atc h p e r fo r m i n g a r t s s t u d e nt s i n t h e p l ay ' Too Fast ', an ensemble comedy for young per formers with a st rong emotional hear t and a huge theatr ica l reveal in the f inal scene. Our Reper tor y Company wi l l per form their devised comedy 'Discotec t ive ', a r id iculous celebrat ion of the buddy cop era , against a backdrop of the re - ignit ion of the cold war with the World Disco Championships at the core. First year col lege students per form the play Us/Them, an explorat ion of the entirely individual way chi ldren cope with t raumat ic s i tuat ions fo l lowing a ter ror is t s iege at a school in Bes lan.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7




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