Are you interested or ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes in theatre shows? Do you ever wonder what a set designer or lighting designer does? Well this is your opportunity to take part in online workshops about Stage Management, Sound Design/Composing, Lighting Design, Set Design and Costume Design. The Backstage Niche freelancers are a network of professionals from global majority backgrounds who work in technical/backstage theatre, come and get the chance to ask them your questions.

So you’re interested in Stage Management - 11th May

Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng

Theatre Credits include:

Estate Walls, Take a Deep Breath and Breathe, Grandfathers, The 33% Festival Creative Youth Department at Oval House (Brixton House), 24hour plays Old Vic: New Voices, NineRooms Old Vic Tunnels, The Lyric Lounge, Future Fest, Eclipse (NTC) The Lyric Hammersmith, Grandfathers(NTC), When Women Wee Soho Theatre, A Guide to Second Date Sex, Strong Arm Edinburgh Festival: Underbelly Venue, Ada Ada Ada Proximus Lounge (Brussels), Brainstorm Temporary Space, Putting Words in Your Mouth, Hive City Legacy Roundhouse, Take-Over Season, Storylab Tricycle Theatre, NYT Playing Up Season Arcola, Halfbreed India Tour, Boys Vaults Festival, Hijabi Monologues, Dismantle The Bush Theatre, Nine Night (Dorfman), Pericles (Olivier) National Theatre, Barbershop Chronicles USA and Canada Tour and Richard II The Globe Theatre: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Amsterdam Orange Tree Theatre, My White Best Friend and other stories The Bunker Theatre/Royal Court via live Zoom, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner, Living Newspaper: Edition 2 Royal Court Upstairs Theatre and TWENTY TWENTY Young Vic.

So you’re interested in Set Design – 13th May

Natalie Pryce

Natalie Pryce is a freelance set and costume designer for theatre, dance, and a set decorator trainee for film and tv through the Talking Point Mentoring Network.

Short Films include: Costume designer for Fourteen Fractures directed by Richard Melkonian, August 2020; Set dresser for Fellow Creatures directed by Jason Merrells and Jamie Glover, August 2020; production designer for Swept Under Rug directed by Clint Dyer, September 2018.

Theatre credits include: Set and costume designer for 846 Live directed by Matthew Xia (Greenwich + Docklands International Festival September 2020); set and costume designer for Me for the World directed by Alasdair Pidsley (The Young Vic Theatre March 2020); set and costume designer for Ducklings directed by Ruby Thompson (Manchester Royal Exchange December 2019); co-set and costume designer for For All The Women Who Thought They Were Mad directed by Joanne McInnes (Stoke Newington Town Hall October 2019); set and costume designer for The Tide directed by Jade Hackett with Talawa Theatre Company (UK Tour March 2019); set and costume designer for Not Now Bernard directed by Sarah Argent (Unicorn Theatre June 2018); costume designer for Tales of the Turntable with Zoonation Youth Company directed by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall August 2019); costume supervisor for The Winter’s Tale directed by Blanche McIntyre (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre 2018).

So you’re interested in Sound Design – 18th May

Tayo Akinbode

Tayo first discovered theatre in London at the Royal Court’s Activists Youth Theatre. At 18 Tayo went to Manchester to work on the stage crew at the Royal Exchange Theatre for a season and play bass guitar in their Christmas show ‘Christmas Fun and a Fairy tale’. After a few years spent playing in bands, Manchester Youth Theatre asked me to write music for their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Since then Tayo has been a composer, Musical Director and musician for theatre, film, TV, radio, circus and community projects for companies including: The National Theatre, The Generating Company, OCT East Shenzen, Almeida Theatre, Littlebigman Films, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Miami Gablestage, New York Public Theater, M6, Storyhouse Chester, Specsavers, and Spirit of the Union UAE 40th Birthday celebrations in Abu Dhabi.

Recent work includes: Much Ado About Nothing for New English Shakespeare Company at The Dubai Opera House; The Panto That Nearly Never Was - Theatr Clwyd; Sonnet Sunday, Henry IV pt 1, pt2 and Henry V - Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; The Whip – Royal Shakespeare Company; Pulse - Bamboozle; Red Dust Road - National Theatre of Scotland; Snow White - The Wrong Crowd, My Voice Was Heard - Red Ladder; Bouncers - The Royal Court Liverpool; Love Unspoken – Spare Tyre/Queen’s Hornchurch, and The World According To Grandpa for Grandpa Productions/Channel 5 Milkshake.

So you’re interested in Lighting Design – 20th May

Simeon Miller

Simeon graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and studied BA (Hons) Technical Theatre, specialising in Lighting & Scenic Design. He has worked professionally as a Lighting Designer and Technician since 2008. He works across theatre, musicals, ‘gig theatre’ as well as dance. He enjoys contributing to new writing, especially socially and politically conscious work which amplifies oppressed and radical voices.

So you’re interested in Costume Design – 25th May

Rianna Azoro

Rianna Azoro started her costume education at Newham college with a 1 year Fashion Foundation Diploma specialising in Costume, before completing a 1 year apprenticeship at Young Vic Theatre.

Working in multiple venues in a variety of roles including: Costume Supervisor for The Mountaintop at Young Vic Theatre, Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Snowflake and Half God Of Rainfall at Kiln Theatre. Strange Fruit and Chiaroscuro at Bush theatre, Nine Night at Trafalgar studios, Amsterdam at Orange Tree Theatre, Dresser for Yerma at Young Vic 2017 and Park Avenue Armory 2018. Wardrobe manager for Roller Diner at Soho Theatre and Woman in White at Charing Cross Theatre. Rianna also has costume and styling experience in the film, tv and commercial industries.

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