DAY ONE - The Naturals

So I had been communicating with Mark Bishop (education co-ordinator & performer at the Natural Theatre Company) about a possible work placement opportunity:

Hi Mark, 

I am e-mailing you regarding a possible work placement for one week in April. Your e-mail was passed onto me by Karen Cooper, who contacted you on my behalf.  

I am currently in my second year studying Creative Media Practice, within this I have been involved with many different projects and started to build up my skills in a variety of rolls. From camera operating, film editing, organisation, researching and print design. I am now looking to further develop my skills within a professional environment. 

I have a passion for theatre, whether it be musicals, stage shows or street theatre, which is why I would love the chance to come and experience work within The Natural Theatre Company. I have always been involved in theatre, from GCSE & A Level Drama and Theatre studies to attending Stage Coach Theatre Arts School, and even regularly attending shows and concerts. 

I would be very grateful for the chance to work with you,  

I have attached my current CV (PDF and .doc) and would be very grateful to hear from you. 

Many thanks

Emma Chandler  

Mark agreed to meet up with me and we discussed what I could do for the company. We came up with a variety of different jobs: 

Interview the NYT for some nice quotes for the website.

Create a flier for the Summer Schools.

Create a flier for our NEET Course.

Research Drama School and Uni contacts and Disability Companies to build up our database.

So today was my first day of a one week placement with the Natural Theatre Company (http://www.naturaltheatre.co.uk/). 

I started at 10.30am, but was a little early so got to know some of the team over a cup of tea before I started working. Mark arrived shortly after me and after a quick chat we discussed a possible schedule. We talked through what he would like me to do, and what I would like to do for the company. We decided that today I could focus on developing a database for disabled theatre groups all over the country. I got settled in an empty office and started this database right away. I used Excel and created an extensive list for Mark to use when contacting theatre groups. 

At around 1.30pm I had a meeting with Mark to go through what he wanted for the NEET Course flier,  he sent me through some images and logos to use for when I start designing it. We agreed it would be a postcard sized flier with minimal information but the rest was up to me. I will begin working on this tomorrow. 

So after our meeting I had a quick lunch break and then got back to the database. I finished it at 5pm, sent it through to Mark and by that time it was time to go home!

I really enjoyed my first day, I felt really welcome and useful. Lets see what tomorrow brings!