Research performance by Dr. Jem Kelly

Our very own Dr. Jem Kelly will hold a scratch performance of his new work

Phantoms of the Aperture

Tuesday 31 March, 6.30pm

Drama Studio 1

Bucks New University, 

High Wycombe

In this 20-minute test-bed performance, which will be followed by a brief discussion, Jem will use old photographs of his father, Edward Kelly, and live video footage of himself to expose the impossibility of remembering accurately.

The performance is free and will be followed by a brief discussion.

Another week, another selection of exciting performances at Bucks New University!

A lot is happening again in the drama studios at Bucks New University! 
This and next week, our second year students will take the limelight and perform in three diverse plays, one of which has been directed by none other than our course leader Dr. Nic Fryers.
The plays will be performed in Bucks New Uni Drama Studio 1 and at the Courtyard Theatre in Shoreditch, London, so there is plenty of chance to see them. Below is a list of all the plays, where and when to see them and links to book tickets through the Courtyard Theatre webpage. Hope you can make it!

Where are they now? Interview with last year's graduate Rebecca Bugeja

photo by Paige Burnie

We have been inquiring about how our graduating students have been doing; as we all know, to enter the professional acting industry can be a long and difficult process. Today we want to introduce you to Rebecca Bugeja, who graduated from the BA Performing Arts course at Bucks New University in 2014. She is telling us how life has been for her since leaving Uni, and how she is starting to make her mark as actress and performer. Read the full interview below! Well done, Rebecca, we hope it will continue to go well for you!
Read the full interview by clicking the link below:

Help to save Battersea Arts Centre

Today we were actually going to write a review about Gecko Theatre's exciting show MISSING, which we saw on Wednesday 11th March at the lovely Battersea Arts Centre.
The show was absolutely wonderful, and Gecko is an exciting company that only over the last two years began to get the attention it deserves.
However, sadly we can't recommend anymore that you go and see this show in London; on Friday, 13th March, a huge fire tore through the back of this iconic, grade II listed arts venue, damaging the Grand Hall in which Gecko staged their performance. Having been there just two days before the devastating fire took hold, we were reminded how much this arts centre has been a firm fixture in our careers and experiences as theatre makers, performers and spectators. It was a pillar in it's local community, and supported and promoted young and established artists since many years.
For companies such as Forced Entertainment, Coney and Gecko itself, it's been described as a 'spiritual home' in the London theatre world.
A National Fundraising Scheme page has been set up; the link is below. Please donate as much as you can and distribute the link widely; let's do everything we can to help BAC to get back on its feet, so that it may be around for many more years to come and can be enjoyed by the next generation of upcoming theatre makers and appreciators!

https://www.nationalfundingscheme.org/BAC012#.VQQU5kKMXww

The end of the Advanced Productions Festival

Our Advanced Production Festival concludes tonight, with Glowworm Theatre presenting their devised comedy Macdeath at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden at 9.30pm.
Our third year students worked incredibly hard over the last two weeks and all in all presented six very diverse productions, including plays, devised physical theatre and comedy.

We want to congratulate our students and say well done! We know that the process was often exhausting, but the works they presented were exciting, and the overall experience is always exhilarating!
Some of this year's companies are planning to continue working together after graduation, and who knows - maybe you will be able to see their work soon in a professional theatre near you. Watch this space!

A day full of information and inspiration

Our CONSIDER THE FUTURE event on Wednesday 4 March was a great success, with some wonderful guest speakers and a panel of distinguished and very interesting performance makers.
The day focused on giving our students practical information on how to enter the professional performance industry. In the morning, a talk about how to establish yourself as a professional actor was led by Simon Darwen. In the afternoon, Dr. Jem Kelly introduced four performance practitioners who have founded their company at university. Jen Malarkey, Katy Balfour, James Grieves and Liam Jarvis gave personal accounts and useful suggestions on how to establish a company and get your work seen; particularly useful for our students who want to continue working together after graduating.

Consider The Future

The Performing Arts (Film, TV & Stage) team is holding a Consider The Future event on Wednesday 4^th March. The day is designed to give particularly our 3^rd year students tips and insight into how to enter the professional performance industry, but all staff and students from Bucks New University are warmly welcome.

We are looking forward to welcome a range of exciting artists and performers to our High Wycombe campus as part of this day.

10-12am in Drama Studio 1: How to be a professional actor 

The day will start with Simon Darwen, talking about being a professional actor and giving some tips on what to do when entering the industry. Simon has been performing on the professional stage since 2003, and has appeared in numerous TV series such as The Bill, Call the Midwife and Silent Witness.

4-6pm in Owen Harris Lecture Theatre 2: Come Forth From University

We have invited a range of artists who have founded their companies whilst at university. Our very own Dr. Jem Kelly will discuss with them how they made this transition and how a group of collaborating students might develop their work to have a professional impact in the current theatrical landscape.

Panel members include:

Katy Balfour, Associate Artist of Punchdrunk

James Grieve, Artistic Director of Paines Plough

Liam Jarvis Co-Director of Analogue Theatre

Jen Malarkey, Artistic Director of Encounter Productions

We are very much looking forward to see you all there