Sunday 29 April 2012

Work Experience Placement Report.


I really enjoyed my two week placement in the wardrobe department in Salisbury Playhouse and I have learnt a lot from the experience. I took part in various different tasks and I also had the opportunity to see how a designer worked in this environment and how production meetings and run throughs took place. I think that throughout the experience my confidence has grown and I feel I understand this professional environment and the roles within it much better. I had the opportunity to go to a production meeting and this really helped me to see how the different departments work together with the director and designer to realise the designs. Each department had the opportunity to discuss any problems they were having and whether members from other teams could help to solve them. I saw the advantages and disadvantages of this, and it was interesting how in some respects many problems had been solved before the meeting and it was more of a case of checking over the production with all departments present.
I found it very beneficial being able to see how the designer worked in relation to all the departments but more particularly the wardrobe department and the actors. I saw many fittings and I think this has helped me to understand how much a design can change when problems arise during the rehearsals, for example, what will the costume be made of and can the actor move in it? From the fittings I've learnt a lot about the importance of getting the size of the costume correct, but also how the actors feel in the costume and whether they think it portrays their character in the right way and whether a costume needs any additions or changes. Seeing how the designer works gives me more of an idea of how to realise The Canterbury Tales and how important it is for me to have a good rapport with the actors, especially so that I understand the requirements of their costume and so they feel the costume is an extension of the character they are going to play.
I enjoyed working in the team environment as I think that many problems are solved much quicker that way and everyone can use their strengths most effectively. It was also interesting to see how much the designer was part of that team too, as I did see that role as perhaps more of a singular one. It is apparent now that although when designing the play it is partially a singular role, realising the play is entirely a team effort and everyone relies on each other. During my placement I think that seeing the designer as so much part of the team really helped the process, and decisions and problems were solved with less difficulty.
I helped to organise the many different costumes for this production, labelling them and also finding and packaging any unwanted hired costumes. This is an important task as it means that the overall charge from the hire company for what is used will be much less. Also keeping a record of the items means that if anything is lost then the theatre has a record of what they've kept. It  gave me an idea of the extent of different costumes that have to be hired and the different options that have to be available for the designer. I realised that although a costume may be hired sometimes there is still a lot of work for the wardrobe team in adjusting it to fit the actor / actress and / or adding trims and decoration to make the garment unique for the production. For the show all costumes have to be labelled appropriately so that the dressers have a clear understanding of what each actor is wearing. I helped to organise all the costumes, dividing them by the different actors/actresses and labelling them with the actor's/actress' name and their character. The play I was working on is unusual as there are 9 performers playing several parts.
During the second week of my placement I went to part of a run through and this was a really interesting opportunity to see how the actors, director and other members of the team worked together to help the smooth running of the play. Members of the wardrobe department who would be dressing on the production were taking relevant notes on the various changes that would take place. This is very important and tells them how, where (stage right or left), when and the speed at which they would have to change, giving the dressers and other members of the wardrobe department the opportunity to solve any problems they think may arise before the show begins, for example whether any not particularly important parts of a costume need cutting. This experience also taught me the importance of every member of the team having great familiarity with the play, not only in terms of the actual writing and script but also what the director has chosen to do with it and how it has been realised. Therefore, in the case of the wardrobe department, it is important to know how this will affect the costumes, whether any problems will need addressing and also the changes backstage. This experience will help me in the autumn term when rehearsals start for The Canterbury Tales as I now have a better understanding of why it is so important to see rehearsals. It has helped me to fully appreciate the importance of how the play is happening so that it will be easier for me to understand the requirements and constraints of the performance before it takes place.
In conclusion I think that my work placement has been an extremely valuable experience. I was a little nervous to start with but tried to volunteer for as many jobs as possible, rather than waiting to be asked, therefore improving my confidence. I now understand the extent of the various tasks that need doing and how much more busy and intense the job is during a tech week and closer to the run up of a show. I had a great time at my work placement and it has helped me to understand the industry better, how a designer works with the wardrobe team and the actors, how fittings take place in the wardrobe department of a producing theatre, how the different departments work together and the general running of the wardrobe department.

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