New Theatre (Nottingham)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New Theatre is a playhouse and production company based on University Campus, Nottingham. It is funded in part by the University of Nottingham Students' Union and constitutes one of the Union's 11 Student-Run Services [1]. It is the only entirely student-run theatre in England [2].
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[edit] Organisation and Structure
The New Theatre is housed in the Archeaology and Classics building of the University of Nottingham. In 2001 an extended foyer was added to the building, due to a generous donation from Mr Wallner, an alumini of the University.
All aspects of the theatre are run by the 13 members of the New Theatre committee.
[edit] New Theatre Committee 2007-2008
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Ali Blackwell |
| Secretary | Nick Breen |
| Productions Co-ordinator | Sam A Morris |
| Theatre Manager | Lee Denny |
| Technical Manager | Tammy Ingamells |
| Front of House Manager | Matt Leventhall |
| Treasurer | Jackie Lee |
| External Events Co-ordination | Simon Thompson |
| Social and Edinburgh Secretary | Tom Warren |
| Costumes Manager | Krystyna Liakh |
| Business Manager | Charlie Brafman |
| Workshop Manager | Cal Lewis |
| Publicity Manager | Maia Gibbs |
The theatre's productions are open to the public and any student at the University of Nottingham can become a member. Once you are a member, you can receive a discount on theatre tickets and get involved in any aspect of running the theatre. Each semester a 'proposals meeting' is held by the committee at which any member/s can suggest a play that that they wish to direct. Once the upcoming season's plays are chosen by the committee, auditions are held by the production team of each play. As soon as the plays have been cast at the 'casting meeting', production teams are given a budget by the theatre treasurer and allowed a certain amount of autonomy, with the support of the Productions Co-ordinator on hand if they need it.
Each play is expected to break even but many make a profit that is then chanelled back into improving the theatre's facilities and offering.
[edit] Productions
[edit] Extract from a review of the 'The Seagull' (New Theatre 2007)
"It’s a big claim… but this New Theatre production, directed by Sam Grafton, might be the best piece of legitimate theatre seen in Nottingham so far this year."
(Alan Geary, © Copyright 2007 The Nottingham Evening Post)
[edit] Productions 07/08
| Autumn Semester '07 | Spring Semester '08 |
|---|---|
| The Slippery Soapbox: Spotbanded Skat by ShutYOface | The Curse of the Devil's Verse by Nic Harvey |
| Bouncers & Shakers by John Godber | TwinSS by Ali Blackwell |
| No Exit by Jean-Paul Satre/Crave by Sarah Kane (double bill) | The Cranberry Chamber by Student Improv Nottingham |
| 7 minutes 31 by Anthony Lau/Under the Blacklight by Nick Moran (double bill) | After Miss Julie by Patrick Marber |
| Proof by David Auburn | Out Of Order by Ray Cooney |
| Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Richard Cameron | Half A Heartbeat by Ed Hancock/The Dragon Botherers by Robert Jones (double bill) |
| The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh | Coming Up |
| Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller | Coming Up |
| Macbeth by William Shakespeare | Coming Up |
[edit] New Theatre at the Fringe
Each year, the New Theatre takes an 'official' show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and supports any number of shows being performed and produced at the fringe by its members. Last year these shows included an adaptation of 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'(New Theatre[3]), 'Dearly Deported' by Charles Brafman (Ankle Productions[4])and 'Slippery Soapbox: Spotbanded Skat' (ShutYOface Productions[5]). Every production received rave reviews.
[edit] New Theatre at NSDF
In 2007 and 2008 New Theatre entered a number of shows into the National Student Drama Festival competition. In both years two productions were selected by the NSDF judges as finalists and were performed at the Festival in Scarborough. In 2008 the theatre's shows 'Disco Pigs' and 'Proof' won a 6 awards between them, with the theatre also receiving the 'Judges’ Award for Promoting Student Theatre'[6].
"The NSDF, however, is about drama, not drama students, and a university with no theatre studies at all had two shows in performance. Nottingham University presented an in-the-round version of Enda Walsh’s violent, despairing Disco Pigs, and a polished production of the American David Auburn’s recent West End success Proof. Directed by a student of industrial economics, a cast consisting of a physicist, an English major, a sociologist and a student of Spanish and Portuguese became convincing Chicagoans in a coolly filmic study of family relations. The linguist Anna Wheatley won the Spotlight award for best actress as the daughter who bears the curse of inheriting her father’s mathematical genius, and Guy Unsworth, who designed the atmospheric set as well as directing the excellent cast, won the Directors’ Guild award."
(Robert Hewison,© Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.)
