RADA Blogs

Ahead of RADA's upcoming production of The House of Bernarda Alba, director Simona Gonella sat down with Director of RADA Edward Kemp to share her insights into Lorca's classic Spanish tragedy.

Listen to our podcast to hear more about the sexual politics of the play, how Simona is working with both Acting and Technical students, Baśka Wesołowska's design, and the new translation of the play.

The House of Bernarda Alba opens in RADA's GBS Theatre on Wed 14 March. Click here to book tickets for all the shows in our spring season.

Staff and students visit the Robe lighting factory in the Czech Republic, December 2017

In the run-up to Christmas, a group of students and staff from RADA's Technical Theatre and Stage Management department visited Robe lighting in the Czech Republic, giving them a chance to tour the factory and see a demonstration of some of their latest products.

Euan Davies, Simi Majekodunmi, Ariane Nixon and Cameron Affleck are all training on RADA's BA (Hons) in Technical Theatre and Stage Management, specialising in lighting. They were joined by Head of Production Lighting Matt Leventhall, as well as students from Rose Bruford College and colleagues from the industry including lighting designer Johanna Town and lighting consultant Theo Farringdon.

The annual trip gives our third year students an incredible opportunity to keep at the cutting edge of lighting technology. With 90% of their manufacturing process in-house, Robe is able to retain control over the way its products are made, and students were offered valuable insight into how a moving light comes into being. This year in particular they were able to see Robe's new flagship fixture, the Mega Pointe, which can cross over between the worlds of rock and roll and theatre; and the DL7, currently the only seven-colour LED moving light on the market, which gives an impressive quality of light closely replicating traditional tungsten incandescent lights.

RADA has been supported by Robe for the last three years in what is the lighting firm’s biggest partnership with a drama school. The relationship means students benefit not only from the loan of state-of-the-art equipment, but also Robe’s technical support and expertise, and the opportunity to be involved in product development feedback.

Our thanks go to Ashley Lewis (UK Key Account Manager for Theatre, TV and Film at Robe) and Dave Whitehouse (International Theatre Product Manager for Robe) for hosting the trip. Click here to find out more about studying Technical Theatre and Stage Management at RADA.

Last summer over 700 students enriched the academy with their presence on our short courses: they ranged from age 16 to 73, and came from over 30 nations.

Delve into the world of RADA by reading some of the stories from our class of 2017, giving you an idea of just some of the experiences gained through our Spring/Summer Short Courses.

We have an insightful interview with TV Presenter Laura Whitmore, as well as feedback from student Finn Holmes and Patricia Magno Arizu, an internationally renowned diplomatic interpreter.

Laura Whitmore is a TV presenter, best known for her work with MTV Europe and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!

“I thought I would be scared: what will people think of me? Am I good enough?...But it wasn’t like that one bit. You were made to feel safe.” - Laura Whitmore

Laura, you are a very experienced TV presenter, what made you want to spend five weeks at RADA studying Shakespeare?

I had an ambition to challenge myself…to scare myself! But I also thought how wonderful it would be to be able to go back and play! Besides, you never stop learning: I’ve always been obsessed with Shakespeare and wanted to find more in it – he has so much to say - about life, relationships and so on. Everything you need as an actor is right there in the text if you look for it. Each time you read his work you find something you didn't see before. It's exhillarating.'

After Miss Julie, RADA Autumn 2015

RADA's Postgraduate Diploma in Theatre Costume is a specialised course in our Technical Theatre Arts department, offering training in all areas of costume-making and wardrobe supervision, leaving students well-equipped for a career in costume. We spoke to recent graduate Florence Dempster and Head of Wardrobe Diane Favell about what the course offers.

As a postgraduate qualification, the course is aimed at people with a related first degree and/or practical experience who are looking for greater skills, experience and confidence in costume and wardrobe. "This is a course for someone who already has a fair idea of theatre and screen and the role of a wardrobe department within it, has some skills and who is excited by the thought of being involved in bringing costumes to the stage or screen", says Diane. Florence applied for the course after working as a dresser: "Before studying the postgraduate diploma I completed an art foundation at Chichester College, and then spent two years as a dresser at Chichester Festival Theatre. I got to work on productions including Guys and Dolls and Gypsy before they transferred to the West End, which is when I became interested in studying costume as I realised I wanted develop my knowledge in order to progress further into the industry. I decided to apply for the postgraduate programme at RADA after a few years of working as a dresser. I had strong sewing skills which I developed through my A level textiles and personal projects and a love of theatre so it seemed like a natural progression.

I really struggled after my art foundation when applying for universities, as none of the courses on offer really gave me what I was looking for. I was able to apply for RADA based on experience in the industry rather than having an undergraduate degree, which is one of the things I think is so great about this course. It opens applications up to a whole group of people who otherwise wouldn't get the opportunity. There really was only one option as nowhere else offered the hands-on training that RADA does. To me it really appealed that there wasn't a design element to the course, but purely a focus on running wardrobe, supervision and making. There is a lot of freedom to choose your own projects and work within the course to make things you are interested in. We got to work closely with all the other departments as well as professional directors and designers where you are given total responsibility, which was very daunting to start with, but absolutely the best way to learn."

Konstantinos Symsiris blogs about multi-disciplinary artist Jan Fabre, who delivered a three-week teaching programme with students from RADA’s MA Theatre Lab course, incorporating his unique teaching practices and a mini-project inspired by his 2001 work 'Je suis sang' (I Am Blood).

It seems like it was only yesterday that Jan Fabre left his base in Antwerp and began his visit to London to share his training method and direct a mini-project with our Lab team, a project based on his 'medieval fairytale', I Am Blood.

Jan’s training method was introduced by one of his actresses - and 'muses', as he says - Ivana Jovic, while he was there to guide us and help us dive deeper into his world. Starting from breath and grounding ourselves to the earth, in the first instance, we slowly transformed into cats, dogs, tigers, wolves, lizards, insects and played within this framework, interacting with each other. A key to Jan’s method is to focus on what you are doing. To spot the difference between the act and acting. In contrast to what is usually taught to acting students, in Fabre’s 'physiological' exercises and performance, an action does not begin from an emotional and thus psychologically constituted impulse - it stems from a physical one. The very fact of going into a trance state with our bodies opened another dimension within ourselves, a world where imagination plays a leading role. Discipline, focus, self-abnegation and specificity are pre-requisites for such work. Although after a couple of days most of us were bruised and tired, we learned to be resilient, persistent and to keep going. It has also been a great lesson for us to take care of our bodies’ needs and maintain our energy as performers.

Day 3

The day of the performance had arrived. The sun rising warmly behind the mountains was the best omen of what was approaching.

We travelled back to the ancient ruins and started to warm up our bodies and voices within the amphitheatre and amongst the flora of the place. Our polyphonic singing rehearsals echoed on the Greek mountains.

The audience gradually arrived and the theatre was full. Almost 600 people were applauding, welcoming us and encouraging us to perform. The team moved behind the theatre to stand by and, after a short speech by our beloved course leader Andrew Visnevski, the performance started.

From the very first moment of our stepping onto the stage, we felt the warm vibe of the audience embracing our efforts and listening attentively to our story. Personally, I remember moments in my speech when, as Prometheus, I was referring to the sun and the sky and addressing them in real time; while beyond and above the audience on the hill, crowned with the ruins of the ancient temple of Aphrodite, was another reference point for me.

Our connection with the play through nature and the space itself was extraordinary. Another unique moment was a sonic boom heard during the performance. Our trance state, engagement with the play and connection with the audience has transported us to a different state of mind and space - we even thought for a moment that this very sonic boom could have been Zeus striking in angry reassertion of his high might.