Get On Stage: A View From the Bridge

    Get On Stage: A View From the Bridge

    GET ON STAGE: A View From the Bridge

    The central importance of ‘community’ in our in-house production of A View From the Bridge in spring 2018 offered us a truly exciting way to engage with the community surrounding Tobacco Factory Theatres. So we created Get On Stage: A View From the Bridge!

    January 2018 saw the beginning of our very first community company project. 26 adults embarked on an adventure which culminated in their joining the cast of A View From the Bridge and performing alongside professionals in the play. Mike Tweddle (Artistic Director at Tobacco Factory Theatres and Director of A View From the Bridge) led a 10-week theatre course – Get On Stage – for 26 adults aged 20 to 70, most of whom had never been on stage before. The course culminated with them taking on small roles and performing in our production, with five members of the group forming a ‘mini company’ and appearing on stage each night.

    The Course

    During weekly sessions we:

    • Threw ourselves in the deep end of improvisation, movement, text work, singing and even mime
    • Explored the work of Arthur Miller and got under the skin of A View From the Bridge
    • Built lasting connections with other people, including our fellow community actors, the professional Factory Company of actors, and the staff of Tobacco Factory Theatres.
    • Discovered the joy and excitement of acting on stage
    • Grew in confidence and had fun.

    “I am getting a lot out of the sessions and has inspired and motivated me not only personally but also armed me with new tools for when I work within my community drama projects.” Eddy

    “It has been really interesting, fun and challenging, especially for me to go from an evidence-based, fact-driven, engineer’s mindset to a much more open, experimental, reflective one” Justin