This Saturday 16th July Thame Players are opening their doors to let anyone interested in exploring ‘behind the scenes’ to come and look round the theatre, find out how productions are staged and what’s involved, from front of house to backstage.
Amongst the areas being featured are –
Acting and directing – if you want to try your performing skills out, this is your chance to grab a mic and speak or sing on the stage! You’ll receive advice and coaching by members of Thame Players, and music and play texts are provided.
Sound and lighting – members of the theatre’s tech team will show you round the sound and lighting equipment and you can have a go at pressing the buttons. This is a great opportunity to improve your skills.
Backstage – see for yourself what the backstage crew do to ensure shows run smoothly. There will be members of the backstage team on hand to show you what’s involved and how it all works.
Set-building – if you’re handy at woodwork or DIY or a keen painter, these skills are vital. The set from Thame Players’ recent production of Nobody’s Perfect will still be up, you can talk to members of the team, and maybe try a few effects yourself.
Costumes and make-up – there’s quite an art involved in sourcing costumes and fitting them. Make-up is equally skilled. If you’re artistic, you like sewing or you’re handy with a powder brush, you can try some of Thame Players’ costumes, experiment with make-up effects and watch hands-on demos!
Front of house – if you like meeting people, the front of house team are the first point of contact audiences have when they arrive and as excitement mounts before seeing the show. To see how you could use your people skills in a front-of-house setting, you can chat to members of the theatre’s front of house team.
Wayne Gibson, one of the Open Day organisers at Thame Players, said,
“We’re looking forward to welcoming anyone from Thame and the local area on Saturday, when there will be great opportunities for anyone with an interest in theatre and the performing arts to find out how a theatre ticks and what roles are played by actors, directors, set builders, the backstage crew, sound and lighting operators, the costumes and make-up team, and much more. The theatre is made up of a community of people with different skills that make the magic happen. So please join us on Saturday when a fun experience is guaranteed!”
