The conference illustrated how the Opera House is able to attract a large number of prestigious organisations to its doors both in Covent Garden and at the High House Production Park in Purfleet.

YT spoke to a number of the delegates at the conference and asked how they would be involved in arts projects in Thurrock over the coming year.

The Royal Opera House produces some of the best opera and ballet in the world. Our employees who work behind the scenes are as important to our opera and ballet productions as those who perform on stage.

As part of our innovative scheme to provide apprenticeships across our back-stage departments and with the generous support of the Derek Butler Trust, we are pleased to offer apprenticeships in the following areas, to commence in September 2013:


Armoury
Collections
Costume and Footwear
Education Tours and Events
Scenic Carpentry
Stage Engineering
Technical Theatre (x2)

As well as learning on the job from some of the best skilled people in the industry, our apprentices study towards a formal qualification (minimum Level 2 NVQ) related to their specialism. They will receive ongoing support from their college tutor, departmental line manager and the Apprenticeships Team. Each apprentice will last for two years, with the exception of Stage Engineering, which will be for 3 years.

Apprentices will be paid 2.5% above the National Minimum Wage relevant to their age, and college fees will be paid by the Royal Opera House.

While previous experience is not essential, applicants should be able to demonstrate a proven interest in their chosen specialism, the ability to work within a team, a helpful and flexible approach and be self-motivated to acquire new skills and knowledge.

Complete an apprenticeship at the Royal Opera House and you will be extremely employable in your apprenticeship discipline.

Full job descriptions for each apprenticeship and details of how to apply are available on our website www.roh.org.uk/apprenticeships or from the Personnel Department on 020 7212 9303. Please note that all applicants must be 18 years old or over at 2 September 2013 and have work authorization for the UK.

Closing date for applications: 10.00am, 3 June 2013. Interviews will take place between 10 June and 5 July 2013.

The Royal Opera House is an equal opportunities employer and is actively seeking to employ people currently under-represented in the workplace. This includes minorities and disabled people.

The apprentices showcased are undertaking courses in scenic metalwork, scenic art and scenic carpentry.

Opera lovers and opera novices can take part in an exciting variety of activities to learn and discover more about opera and its music: from screenings of classic moments from famous operas and miniature live performances, to an opera sing-a-long, an opportunity to make an opera accessory and a highly original operatic take on classic party games!

All the activities will be run by experienced Royal Opera House designers, musicians and education staff who will be able to answer questions and give a real insight into the wonderful world of opera. Young and old alike are welcome to come along and find out all about the wonderful world of opera.

The theme of 2013’s European Opera Days is the opera as a playground and aims to bring together artists and audiences to play, explore and understand the art form better. More than 100 opera companies and associations in Europe and beyond will open their doors on 11 and 12 May 2013 to introduce a new audience to opera.

The Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock event takes place in the Barns at the High House Production Park in Purfleet on Saturday 11th May at 7.30pm.

It is open to all but under 18s must be accompanied by a parent, carer or guardian. A licensed bar will be available. Tickets are £4, or £3 for under 18s only.

Tickets can be booked through the Royal Opera House Box office on 020 7304 4000. or online at www.roh.org.uk/events.

Capacity is limited and booking is essential. For further information, please email getinvolved@roh.org.uk or call 01708 891200.

Speakers include Nic Marks, fellow of the New Economics Foundation and founder of the Centre for Well-being, who will talk about young people’s happiness and how to nurture it; Martin Green, former head of ceremonies for LOCOG, who will give his views on exploring risk, creative processes and British values; and Louise Thomas, leader of the education programme at Innovation Unit, who will present international research on the future of schools.

As well as contributing to the debate throughout the day, Professor Mick Waters, president of the Curriculum Foundation and former director of curriculum at QCA, will conclude the conference with a keynote address and summary of the outcomes.

Paul Reeve, ROH Director of Learning and Engagement, who will host the conference, said: ‘All of us at the Royal Opera House believe passionately in the value of the arts in young people’s lives and education. It’s very important that drama, dance, music, visual art and design technology are given due prominence in our schools. They must not be neglected in the curriculum. This conference is an opportunity to explore how schools and cultural organisations can work together to ensure access to high-quality cultural learning. We have designed the programme so that there is plenty of opportunity for discussion – stimulating and provocative, we hope – between delegates and speakers.’

This conference is organised by Royal Opera House Bridge, a programme which works to develop opportunities for children and young people across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and North Kent to engage with arts and culture. Its head, Sally Manser, who will moderate the day, said: ‘This conference is another example of our successful engagement with schools and cultural organisations across the Royal Opera House Bridge area, and we are delighted by the take-up. Royal Opera House Bridge is committed to developing creative learning in schools and fostering sustainable relationships between schools and the local cultural sector.’

Free taster session: Saturday 20 April from 2.45 – 5pm

At the East Barn, High House Production Park, Purfleet

RM19, the Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock’s Youth Singing Group is looking for new members.

Young people from across Thurrock aged between 11-25 years old who love music and have a passion for singing can join the group and learn a wide variety of different musical styles.

RM19 performs a dynamic and diverse repertory of songs. The members of the group offer ideas and suggestions of interesting and exciting combinations to work on, they have input on choreography and appearance, and decide where to perform. Its aim is to create new fusions of music by mashing Kanye West with opera, giving Taylor Swift a classical twist or perhaps adding a hint of beatbox to Mozart.

Young singers who want to find out more about the new group and try out their voices can join a taster session t on Saturday 20 April. The free taster session is open to all young people across Thurrock, with no experience of singing or performing necessary. All that is needed is enthusiasm, a willingness to take part and a love for all kinds of music.

The free taster session takes place at the East Barn on the High House Production Park in Purfleet on Saturday 20 April, starting at 2.45pm. For more information or to register for the session, please email getinvolved@roh.org.uk or call 01708 891200.

Registering for the session is essential. Anyone unable to attend the taster session but interested in joining the group and attending the regular rehearsals should register at getinvolved@roh.org.uk

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is performed at Covent Garden for the third time in as many years, cementing it firmly in The Royal Ballet’s repertory. The first new full length ballet to be performed by the Company since 1995, it is a brilliantly imagined show with a magical score, ingeniously inventive designs and a wealth of theatrical effects.

Christopher Wheeldon’s spectacular production contains a menagerie of colourful characters including an anxious White Rabbit, a terrifyingly intimidating Red Queen, a tap-dancing Mad Hatter and a diabolical Duchess. Set to Joby Talbot’s lively and evocative score, the audience are taken on Alice’s (danced by Royal Ballet Principal dancer Sarah Lamb), bizarre journey through Wonderland, as she sails across a lake of tears, attends a deranged tea party and watches a croquet game played with flamingos and hedgehogs. Sarah Lamb has previously danced the roles of Cinderella, Juliet (Romeo & Juliet) and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.
Bob Crowley’s quirkily inventive designs, including the famously grinning Cheshire Cat and an exotic Caterpillar draw on puppetry and projections to bring to life the colourful world waiting at the bottom of the rabbit hole.

Cinema audiences will be treated to a fantastical world full of colour, comedy, quirkiness and theatrical verve. This is an assault on the senses and the live screening worldwide allows the widest audience yet to enjoy the spectacle of this brilliantly realised ballet.

For full details of all cinema screenings please visit www.roh.org.uk/cinema
Venues in Essex:
Odeon Cinema: Chelmsford
Odeon Cinema: Southend
Empire: Basildon
Cineworld: Braintree
Vue Thurrock: Lakeside Shopping Centre

Royal Opera House Cinema Season 2012/13 preview film

Ms Doyle-Price said:

“It is a pleasure to participate in this debate, which has been characterised by positive and constructive contributions from all parts of the House. That shows just how much support there is for more and better apprenticeships.

I am proud to represent a constituency with a strong manufacturing base and a strong and vibrant logistics industry. Apprenticeships have always been a feature of these industries. When I meet the wealth creators in Thurrock, without exception they are people who have learned their skills in the workplace. That fact needs to be understood. For many people, choosing an apprenticeship will be the most effective route to their personal advancement. I would like to highlight some successful local programmes and, in doing so, highlight some areas where the Government could do more to encourage better apprenticeships.

The port of Tilbury has always offered a number of apprenticeships each year, placing a high emphasis on skills and even establishing its own logistics academy to provide bespoke training that suits its business. This year the port has developed a new apprenticeship in health and safety, which is central to its business, as ports are hazardous places. The port has advised me, however, that the apprenticeship framework can often prove inflexible for the kind of training that it wishes to offer. I suggest to the Minister that we need to ensure that the framework focuses on equipping workers with the intended skill, rather than just ticking boxes.

In addition to the established industries, Thurrock also has an emerging centre of excellence in the creative industries. My hon. Friend the Minister saw this for himself only last week, when he visited the new Backstage Centre, which will provide a great deal of training through putting on live musical and theatrical events. The creative industries are a growing sector, but it is also a sector that is characterised by self-employment and small and medium-sized enterprises. That is another area in which the Government really need to do more work. It can be daunting for a sole trader to take on the onus and responsibility of managing an apprentice, but the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural has provided a collective framework to enable a number of SMEs and sole traders to come together and offer training to young people. There is a need to pass on those skills to other people if we are going to make the most of that growing industry, in which Britain leads the world.

I want to highlight the example of a particular individual who is currently going through his apprenticeship with the Royal Opera House. Not all Members will know this, but the Royal Opera House’s production park is in my constituency of Thurrock. Everything that those Members who enjoy going to the opera see on stage has been made in Thurrock—and very proud of that we are, too.

The Royal Opera House’s current apprentice is a young man named Jamie Ashwell. He decided to take up the offer of an apprenticeship rather than doing a stage management degree at university. For Jamie, the choice was simple. He is working for a world-leading arts organisation, getting experience of real projects and working with leading practitioners in the industry—and he is being paid, to boot. I envisage that, in the future, some of the strongest apprenticeship places will be as hotly contested as some of our most prestigious university places.

The apprenticeship route also suits the Royal Opera House. It needs people with real practical skills in the type of work that it does. People with arts degrees who apply for jobs in its costume or make-up departments, for example, do not necessarily have the required technical skills. By offering apprenticeships, the Royal Opera House can train people up in areas such as bespoke tailoring and wig-making—true crafts that are not available to those studying for degrees.

Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock was voted Best Business in the Community at the award in 2011. It has worked hard to develop its relationships with people, organisations and businesses in Thurrock over the past six years.

Matt Lane, Head of Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock said:
‘The team in Thurrock is delighted to have been successful again at the Thurrock Business Awards 2013 as winner of the Thurrock Best Business (Charity). Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock continues to work collaboratively with young people, families and communities across Thurrock and is looking forward to further strengthening our partnerships in the future. The team would like to thank everyone in Thurrock for their continued support.’

Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock delivers a wide ranging programme of work across Thurrock and the Thames Gateway. It works with schools, communities and groups offering opportunities for everyone to get involved in projects and programmes. Its partnerships with schools offer children, who might not ordinarily have access to the arts, opportunities to take part in a variety of different art activities, to inspire them to participate and enable them to develop creative skills. The Chance to Dance programme gives talented young dancers access to world class dance education.

Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock runs the Thurrock Community Chorus which meets regularly and now boasts over 140 members. The Chorus performs across Thurrock and at events at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. A new Thurrock Youth Chorus, RM19 has also been established for young people aged 11-25 years. .

Events such as the annual free Big Screen event at the High House Production Park and Insight events at the Thameside Theatre give Thurrock residents access to productions from the Royal Opera House.

For more information about the work of Royal Opera House Education in Thurrock, please go to www.roh.org.uk/thurrock. To find out about current projects and ways in which you can get involved, please email getinvolved@rog.org.uk or call 01708 891200.

Jamie, 20 from Grays, already had an offer from a university to study a Stage Management degree but decided the best route for him was of ‘leading man’ in the role of an Apprentice.

The supporting role of delivering the Apprenticeship framework is played by South Essex College. The College and the Royal Opera House work as a team to support the Apprentices so that they can get the most of the opportunity that they have.

Jamie said: “Working for the Royal Opera house is an incredible thing for me because they are a world leading organisation within the arts. With an Apprenticeship you work on real projects and get two years of intensive support and training in a work place environment.”

“Doing an Apprenticeship has many advantages; one of course is money because you get paid to be an apprentice. Secondly you work with leading practitioners in the industry which you wouldn’t necessarily get when going into a job or doing a uni course.”

And the important role that he plays is clearly very much appreciated. “18 months in and we are starting to think what ever are we going to do without him?” So enthused Gabrielle Forster-Still, the Skills and Education Manager at the Royal Opera House about Jamie.

The large arts organisation is very keen on developing skills with young people and one of the many areas the Opera House thought they could contribute was by taking on Apprentice.

Gabrielle said: “We feel there is maybe a little bit of a gap for young people who either do a degree and then want to go that route but for young people who want to go straight into work and find skills through working we feel that is something we can offer, we’ve got some exciting opportunities.”

The Royal Opera House needs people who are trained and skilled in the type of work that they do. In their costume or make-up departments people with degrees apply for jobs but they don’t necessarily have the technical skills or work experience that they require.

Gabrielle added: “An Apprentice does get that as they get that directly from us so we can kind of give them the skills we know they will need. All the Apprentices have to do a qualification that’s part of their training we have them with us for two years and South Essex College supports all the training that goes around that so we identify with the College all the units that we think are appropriate for the Apprentice to study.”

Jamie has also been rubbing shoulders with Royalty as he explained: “One of the many highlights of my Apprenticeship was when I met the Duke of Kent, he came to the site here because he wanted to find out what we do and also what we do for the community in Thurrock. I got to shake his hand and have a short conversation with him. He pointed at the other members of staff and said ‘keep learning from them.”

That is clearly something Jamie is aiming to do and he is really enjoying the opportunity that has been given to him. You could almost say that he sees this Apprenticeship as a dress rehearsal for his future career in the Arts.

Jamie concluded: “Understanding all the things that go into a production, from walking around backstage and various department is great, it’s a very inspiring place to be and I’m sure will help me with my career in the future.”

ENDS

Image: Jamie Ashwell/ Gabrielle Forster-Still

Young people from Thurrock aged between 11-25 years old who love music and have a passion for singing can join the new and exciting group to work on a wide variety of different musical styles.

The Thurrock Youth Singing group, named RM19 by its young members, will perform a dynamic and diverse repertory of songs. Its aim is to create new fusions of music by mashing Kanye West with opera, giving Taylor Swift a classical twist or perhaps adding a hint of beatbox to Mozart. The members of the group offer ideas and suggestions of interesting and exciting combinations to work on, they have input on choreography and appearance, and decide where to perform.

A taster session for young people to find out more about the new group and try out their voices is being held in Tilbury on Saturday 2 March. The free taster session is open to all young people across Thurrock, with no experience of singing or performing necessary. All that is needed is enthusiasm, a willingness to take part and a love for all kinds of music.

Royal Opera House Education Manager for Thurrock, Gabrielle Forster-Still, said: ‘Our Youth Singing group is now established with more than 30 members. We hope it will grow and develop and soon be performing across the area, showing the talent and creativity Thurrock has to offer.’

The free taster session takes place at the Gateway Academy in Tilbury on Saturday 2 March from 9.45-11.45am.

Refreshments will be served. For more information or to register for the session, please email getinvolved@roh.org.uk or call 01708 891200. Registering for the session is essential. Anyone unable to attend the taster session but interested in joining the group and attending the regular rehearsals should register at getinvolve

The Royal Opera House Cinema Season is going from strength to strength and Eugene Onegin follows the record-breaking La bohème, the second highest grossing film at the UK Box Office on 15 January and the ROH’s best performing film to date.

Cinema audiences will be treated to an opera full of intrigue, emotion, love and a world-class cast. When the young Tatyana sung by Krassimira Stoyanova confesses her love to the cold-hearted Eugene Onegin sung by Simon Keenlyside, he does not know that his choice to reject her will return to haunt him with devastating consequences. The opera explores themes that everyone can identify with; it is about falling in love, about being rejected and about growing up.

Described by Kasper Holten as ‘full of poetry and melancholy, encapsulating the fragile and turbulent emotions of youth, self-realization and finally the yearning to go back and undo what cannot be undone’.

“It is so exciting that we can share our new production with the world. I am sure the cameras and being close to singers will add a lot of detail, which we have really tried to work on for this production, and it is thrilling for all of us to know that people will be following the performance across the world at the same time.”