Events Videos, Photos & Review
Thurrock's Creative Careers Fair - A great success
12 March 2008
Thurrock’s young people head for career success on and offstage ...
Young people from schools and colleges all over Thurrock took part in a unique Creative Careers Fair at Lakeside shopping centre.
Organised by Thurrock Learning Partnership, the Royal Opera House and Arts Council East, the Fair was designed to give youngsters an insight into the many careers that are available backstage, skilled roles that are essential to supporting theatrical and live music performances.
Specialists were on hand with advice, and the young people took part in
practical activities that included theatrical make-up, costume, lighting and
set-design. The Fair culminated in an informal performance by students from
Palmer’s College that drew a huge crowd from the Lakeside shoppers. The
students took to the specially designed stage alongside Keel Watson, an
opera singer from the Royal Opera House, and pianist Jonathan Gayle.
The young people who took part during the day came from schools and colleges in Thurrock that are already working with the ROH Education Department. In the run up to the Fair, students from Palmer’s College worked with ROH Education to plan the activities, design the layout and create backdrops and sets for the performance.
Live music and performing arts contribute billions of pounds to the UK economy every year, but great performances need great technicians and backstage staff, and there is a growing shortage of skilled workers to fill these roles. Thanks to a series of exceptional opportunities, Thurrock is fast becoming a centre of excellence for education, training and production in the creative sector. There has never been a better time for young people to develop their skills for successful careers behind the scenes of some of the world’s most prestigious stages.
The Royal Opera House Production Park, due to open in Purfleet in 2009, and the multi-million campus being opened by the Thurrock Learning Consortium are creating a world-class infrastructure for work and training.
The relocation of the Royal Opera House’s set and scenery building facilities to the Production Park will also enable the Royal Opera House to expand its training and youth apprenticeship programme and continue to play a central role in providing education opportunities to the local community.
It is anticipated that the Production Park will become home to a new National Skills Academy for the Creative and Cultural Sector. This, combined with the new courses that South East Essex College and partners will be introducing, following their successful bid to the Learning and Skills Council’s open competition at the end of last year, will open up unprecedented opportunities for young people from this are to train and work in this sector.
Angie Ridgewell, Chief Executive of Thurrock Council said:
“We were delighted with the success of this unique collaborative event in Thurrock. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to gain an insight into what goes on behind the scenes to enable ‘the show to go on’ and find out about the opportunities available for them to gain new knowledge and skills.
“With the opening of the Royal Opera House Production Park in 2009, and the related work that is happening to support it, Thurrock is set to become a centre of excellence for technical skills and training in backstage crafts, this Creative Careers Fair was just the start”
Paul Reeve, Education Director, Royal Opera House said:
"The Creative Careers Fair in Lakeside, Thurrock was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the variety of backstage opportunities available to students considering their training and career options. We hope that the students who took part gained a real taste for some of the skills and crafts required backstage in a theatre or live entertainment venue, and as a result might think seriously about a career in the creative industries.
“We were very excited to work on this project with Thurrock Learning Partnership and Arts Council East. We’re also delighted that Thurrock students have been closely involved in researching, designing and building the theatrical installation that transformed the Central Atrium in Lakeside during the Fair. We look forward to the continued success of our relationship with Thurrock and its residents.”
Royal Opera House
In 2009, the Royal Opera House will relocate its production workshop to a brand new purpose-built facility in Purfleet, Thurrock. It will be sited on the Royal Opera House Production Park, a national centre of excellence for technical production skills in the live music and performing arts’ sectors. The Creative Careers Fair is part of the Royal Opera House’s ongoing community engagement programme in Thurrock, showcasing the backstage careers on offer within the creative industries with a particular focus on technical skills like carpentry, set-building, scenic painting, theatrical make-up, costume and wig making.