This week has been rather confusing. I've been a bit of a passenger, really, because my timetable has pretty much ruled everything. I've not been able to do much of what I want. At least that's what it feels like, now. On Thursday I had a performance, the marking for which I'm still confused about, so I've been in rehearsals every day. I must say, it was a very enjoyable piece. This one was directed by a third year student to merge the third year module of Directing and the first year module of Theatre Practice. The tutors stepped back completely and let the third years rule over it all so that was pretty interesting. I was lucky to have such an awesome third year to work with because I heard a few horror stories about some groups who weren't necessarily comfortable. It all worked out, though, so it definitely isn't something to dread. I absolutely adore everyone who was in my group and had apprehensions about how well I'd get on with everyone so by the end I was really happy that there were no issues. We all picked up a few hilarious stories about living in houses infested with mice, too. My director was a legend!
On Friday I had to do the dreaded Theatre Crafts exam. It does count for 50% of that module but the impression I got was that they use the results as more of an indication for how well each person might do in the second year equivalents. In second year, you have to choose between the four theatre crafts that you are introduced to in first year: costume, stage management, lighting and sound. If you don't like any of them, there's the ancillary choice which you set up with another subject. I was torn between carrying on Christian Theology (ancillary) and lighting and sound. I found lighting really interesting and sound was just Vici all over: gadgets and the theatre put together. In the end, I chose lighting as my first choice and sound as my second. Lighting does include quite a bit of physics. I do remember quite a lot of it at GCSE level, though, and I didn't do too badly then (though it was my worst subject) so I'm hoping for good times if I get to do that. The second year classes get emailed to us in May.
I finally did something mildly interesting! I went to Cadbury World. Well, my boyfriend took me there. There are certain things you must do if you go to certain places. If you go to Birmingham, you have to go to Cadbury World. The tickets were £10.50 for students (NUS is accepted but the website also says equivalents are also good... they didn't check our ID) and the walk round the whole place took us about an hour and a half. Maybe slightly longer. You can make it, pretty much, as long as you want because there isn't anyone there to guide you. There are certain sections where you have to queue but that's fine. It's quite an interesting visit. And there's free chocolate. Lots of it. On entry I got a curly wurly and a bag of buttons. Half way through I got a bar of dairy milk. At the end I got a cup of melted chocolate. Needless to say I felt a little full and sick afterwards. On the walk up, we could smell the chocolate in the air. It did make me feel a bit like a child, which is always good. I definitely recommend a visit!
When I go home, I must remember not to bring so much stuff. I did it again. I filled a suitcase. And a bag full of books. And a shoulder bag. And my laptop bag. Deciding to get the train at peak times wasn't necessarily one of my best ideas, either. I got a taxi from Tennis Courts to Uni train station (could've taken it to New Street... didn't think of that) and managed to get a train that was almost leaving. That meant I was early into New Street. I thought I'd be coy and get on an earlier train to Sheffield but I didn't get a seat the whole way there. The train happened to be a replacement which was one carriage shorter than its pre-decessor and had a first class carriage which effectively made it two carriages shorter. So, a train that was two carriages shorter than it was meant to be, which was late and which carried at least twice as many people as it was meant to in the first place. That's a bit of a busy train. Because I wanted to surprise my Mum with my early arrival home, I timed the train to Doncaster from Sheffield so I'd get to my house at about 7pm. That meant waiting in Sheffield for 40 minutes. 30 minutes of that had to be staring at a train I could've taken had I not been bothered about timings. Why oh why do I like to make things slightly more complicated? Eventually I got home and my plan worked perfectly. Phoning my Mum, not mentioning where I was, then ringing the doorbell mid-conversation confused and surprised her in all the right ways. Sorted.
Now I'm home, I've enjoyed a few lay-ins and have promised myself a few times already that I'll stop procrastinating and will actually get down to business with my essays. I have 7500 words to write again. A 3000 word essay for Dramatic Medium about the emergence of the independent director. A 2500 word essay for PTPC (Performance: Theory, Practice and Critique) about the ethics artist appropriation and multi-culturalism. And a 2000 word essay on working with Stanislavsky's rehearsal techniques. Don't ask me how I'm going to do them whilst at home where I'm most slack.
Name: Vici Royle
Hi
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say how useful reading this has been when I was applying to university. The course stuff coincidently half applies to me and the student life stuff was really enjoyable to read too. So thank you!
I'm thinking of accepting bham as my first choice to do joint honours drama and french this october. I know I have read stuff about this but have forgotten which post it was in: could you tell me how many drama contact hours a joint honour student has per week? And do joint honours students feel part of the drama department even though they're not doing as many of the same modules?
Hope you're having a relaxing break!
Hey
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
This year there has been a noticable divide between the joint honours and single honours. All the single honours Drama students are really close and we know each other inside out due to, partially, the nature of the course. When the student reps were elected, we started to intigrate much more. The joint honours and single honours rep worked together to get joint nights out sorted so we all got to know each other rather than sticking to our separates. I've got quite a good friend who does joint honours, though, and she asked me a question about picking second year options and I quote 'You priveleged single honours lot know more about the department than us'.
I can tell you contact hours for what you'll be doing on the drama side. You'll have one lecture a week - Friday 9am - 9.50am (it always says it lasts an hour but uni policy states it has to finish 10 minutes before the scheduled end to allow for movement to different classes/lectures... though that really isn't needed - but is nice). That will link with a one hour (really, 50 minutes) seminar. That's a theory module. You'll also do a practical module on either Monday or Thursday which lasts 2 hours though you're expected to come in half an hour early to warm up. You'll get to know the people in that class very well. You'll probably find your best friends there. Some of the classes mix joint and single honours, with that. The lecture mixes both because that's EVERYONE in a lecture theatre. This year it was about 100 altogether. I did actually count it on the register but lost that number. Sad face.
With the practical module comes performances, as you will know if you're doing/did Drama at A Level or equiv. Obviously you'll have to organise your own rehearsal time so that's on top of contact hours.
Pick Brum! I didn't actually want to pick here but the distance issue (my first choice was going to be Exeter) made me swap my choices. I adore the people here and the course, in retrospect, is way better than what Exeter would've given me.
If you have any more questions, please ask. You can email me, too. My address is just at the side over there somewhere.
Thanks for such a prompt reply! No other questions I can think of at the mo but thanks for all the help :] Can't wait to see the accommodation next week!
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a restful break.