SMB College Group IGNITE Performing Arts degree students recently performed their final show ‘The Village’ in collaboration with Temper Theatre!
This performance is part of the degree students’ third year professional performance project in collaboration with Temper Theatre. Temper has been working with the College since 2017 and this is the fifth show that they have produced together, following performances of ‘Resistance’, ‘Influencer’, ‘Wild’, and ‘The Awakening’.
This year’s collaborative project, ‘The Village’, is based on the book of the same name by Caroline Mitchell - a thriller about a shocking disappearance and the village that has conspired to keep the truth buried.
The professional performance project is a 20-day project where students turn a source text into a fully produced performance piece. Building the project consists of analysing the text and experimenting with themes. Temper Theatre then help to create the show around the students’ interpretation of the text, and together they create sequences with lights and movement. Once the show has been performed the students write reflective essays as part of the final project.
Students are also assigned roles to assist the production, including Marketing Manager, Technical Manager, Project Manager, Rehearsal Coordinator and Show Producer. This allows them to understand every element of a production rather than just performance, and opens them up to new possibilities within the industry.
During rehearsals, Temper worked to push the students and challenge them outside of their comfort zones. They explored new ideas, live projection and live sound production to add a whole new element to the performance. This was also an exciting opportunity for Temper as a theatre company to try new production techniques without limitations, allowing them to be more creative and bring these ideas to their own productions.
Finn Morell, Artistic Director of Temper Theatre said, “The spirit of SMB College Group and the locality and small rural culture is really exciting to work with, and we come back time and time again because of that! There’s little ego and people come from small villages – which was actually an inspiration for this piece. The students come in with no judgement, which is exciting to work and collaborate with. The groups are very grounded in a way which we don’t find elsewhere, and the Performing Arts facilities at the Melton Campus are some of the best in the country to use - there’s always a camera nearby you can grab!”
Zoe Villiers, Performer and Core Company Member of Temper Theatre, said, “It’s an amazing opportunity for us to come and work with the students. The rehearsal studios make it so much easier - good floors, great sound equipment, the use of the on-site Melton Theatre, it’s amazing!”
Established in 2014 by Artistic Director Finn Morrell, Temper Theatre creates work inspired by pressing socio-political and environmental issues. Using intense physical movement, ensemble dance and fragmented imagery, their work aims to resonate with contemporary culture.
Interested in studying Performing Arts and starring in your own shows? There’s still time to apply to study a Level 2, Level 3 or degree course starting this September! Apply on the college website today or visit the Melton Campus for their upcoming IGNITE Performing Arts Open Day in June 2024 to find out more. Register for the open day online today at:www.smbcollegegroup.ac.uk/news-events/events
