War & Peace July 5, 2009
Posted by Ria Keen in Uncategorized.trackback
I am currently involved in an epic 7-hour production of War & peace, with all of the demands and pressures that that brings, including singing in Russian, speaking in French, learning more lines than you can shake a stick at, and handling a large company of students, some of whom are about to enter the world of professional work. Or at least, professional unemployment!
Every year at The Birmingham Theatre School, a Grad Show is staged. This is an increasingly rare thing in drama schools, as it’s financially burdensome. I’ve been a freelancer at the school for the last eight years, and over those eight years I have seen a worrying trend in the attitude of the students; more and more there’s a sense that this is their right, rather than a privilege, and each year they seem to care a little bit less.
This isn’t true of everyone – there are some absolutely outstanding people involved this year, and I applaud their contribution, their dedication and their talent. However I cannot applaud those who feel that it is OK to arrive late, leave early, or not turn up at all. Or those who talk through other people’s work. Or those who think this process is something to be endured rather than soaked up and enjoyed. They fail to understand that the world will almost certainly never again offer them the chance to work on the main stage of a touring theatre, never mind in a classic work of literature.
When it comes to be their turn to graduate, I shall be silently gleeful when others ruin their rehearsal process, or let them down by not being there. I shall also await with pleasure the horrible awakening that awaits them when they finally realise that the world does not owe them a living, and that making any kind of living in the arts is an uphill struggle requiring the highest levels of commitment and talent.
I am sick to death of this X-Factor generation, who so naively believe that they are going to find employment in the performing arts world just because they deigned to turn up at drama school. We tell them every day. They ignore us every day. But when they leave, they will finally come to know that they are not quite as good as they think they are. Or as good as mummy and daddy have always told them they are. And sadly, they will continue to believe that they can’t find work, not because they are lacking in some way, but because they are somehow being victimised.
Comments»
No comments yet — be the first.