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Prospectus
Prospectus
ONE YEAR
INTENSIVE
ACTING
COURSE
Introduction
This course is aimed at those of post graduate
age upwards. Ideally this translates to 23 year
olds to 40 year olds. This age range is not fixed in
concrete and in special cases, younger and older
students will be considered.
It is aimed specifically at Professionals who wish
to refresh their ability, Postgraduates who wish to
polish their learning and all those who wish
to heighten and enrich their ability and
understanding of the dramatic performance.
It comprises 50% class work and 50%
production. The theatre believes that great
progress can be made by constant
performance
and
during
the
duration
of the course there will be six different
productions to an invited audience.
Classes will include:
Truth & Focus, Improvisation, Character
Building, Audition Technique, TV Work, Voice Over,
Vocal Technique, Networking, CV, Understanding
Castability,
Show
Reels,
Finding
and
Creating Work, and Talks from working
Professionals and Patrons. All visiting teaching
staff will be professional actors/ directors working or
teaching in the Profession.
Productions will include:
Comedy, Serious, Revue, Classical, Farce, TIE &
Devised. The Directors of these productions will
all be in house or visiting professional Directors
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Course Details
A 30 week course spilt into three 10 week
terms, Monday to Thursday, 9.30am to 4.00pm.
The course avoids school Holidays and Bank
Holidays.
A unique training programme that is run,
not by a school or an academic institution,
but by a working Professional Theatre. This
enables all students to be in constant touch with
the necessities, demands and changes that
continually take place throughout the
industry.
Consequently, besides the daily training
programme, students will be mixing on a
regular basis with professional actors and
singers. Students will find that their advice,
knowledge, experience and contacts will
prove a valuable ‘extra’ and give them a great
advantage when setting out on their own
careers.
It is an intensive training programme that
conditions and prepares the student for the
reality of the entertainment profession. In
order to achieve this, the theatre requires all
students to be fully committed. Punctuality
and attendance are insisted upon.
The student is expected to be self-motivated
and the course will prepare him/her to be
employed, and at the same time, it will
inform them how to cope with the pressures of
unemployment.
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Students are expected to attend all classes with
a positive and energetic attitude. All decisions
made by the Market Theatre are made with the
interests of the student at heart. The student will be
guaranteed equality in training but not
necessarily in casting. The course will consistently mirror the realities of the profession and its
decisions are always final and must be adhered
to.
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Meet The Artistic Director –
Kirk Foster
Kirk is a published playwright, director and
producer who has worked in theatre for the
past forty-five years. He has also taught at
degree standard and has written over two
hundred plays, several musicals and a
number of large cast farces and revues.
As Writer and Artistic director of the
Market Theatre, he has written and directed
over 100 plays at this unique venue, since
its creation in 1996. Most recently; Roman
Romp, The Shadow, Somme Sagas, Pilgrim
Fathers, The Set Up, The Air Raid, Marry Me
or Be Evicted and Aladdin Trouble. The latter
being one of the now infamous Adult Panto’s
which tour the country as well as playing to full
houses at the Market Theatre. There are also
national tours of comedy plays to theatres
such
as Palace Southend, Swan High
Wycombe, Lyceum Crewe, Orchard Dartford,
Wyvern Swindon, Corn Exchange Stamford
and many more. Also, Kirk’s musical, ‘First
Time’, was published by Samuel French and
has been performed worldwide.
Recently he has written several one-handers
such as Florence Nightingale for Jacqui
Roberts, Nell Gwyn & What Goes Up for
Carrie Laurence, Joan of Arc for Davina
Dewrance, Queen Victoria for Sheena Boyce
& John Allen for Glen Davies. Some of these
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Market Theatre actors have subsequently taken
their respective shows on tour.
He was Co-Founder of HTS (Hertfordshire
Theatre School) which he founded in 1988 with
John Gardiner, eventually taking over as
Principal in 2000. As principal and head of acting,
he directed many of the shows at the school as
well as directing the 3rd Year’s Showcase each
year at the Fortune Theatre in London.
He now concentrates solely on the Market
Theatre, due to the venue’s ever growing
popularity and the extra workload generated by
an ever increasing tour schedule. In 2004 Kirk
was honored to be elected a fellow of the Royal
Society of Arts.
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Acting
The approach to acting that is taught at the
theatre is one developed over years of
experimentation and teaching and has
culminated into a style that simplifies the
route to ‘truthful’ acting. It takes its guidelines
from everyday life, through observations and
logic, consequently allowing the performer to
produce, with ease, ‘truthful performances’
upon the stage. This down to earth approach
to theatre enables the skills required to become accessible to all.
All characters are built from within and the
mannerisms, movements, vocal delivery and
body language are always a direct result of
the ‘Focus’.
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Voice & Speech
At the Market Theatre, we believe that our students
should work towards achieving the best voice they
can; the voice that will open as many doors as
possible. It may be an imposing voice; rich,
warm and well-modulated. It may be an
entrancing voice; light, clear and precise. An
excellent voice does not happen overnight...it
takes time, patience and hard work. Our students
know this...and they strive to achieve it.
During their time with us, the students are
encouraged to explore the individuality of their
voices. Added to this is work on a good, clear,
well presented voice. The Theatre realises the
importance of Received Pronunciation in the
professional theatre today and students work
hard towards achieving this.
Students work on technique of good breathing,
projection, resonance, placing, diction and
articulation.
They
are
encouraged
to
develop range, clarity and flexibility without
losing their individual vocal characteristics.
The works of Classical and Modern writers
are introduced for practice and performance.
Our students are taught to understand their
voices and how to protect them.
With the help of tutors, the students will
create a portfolio of audition pieces from various
theatrical genres. They will then be prepared and
well equipped for auditions.
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Discipline
The theatre course is run with a strict
disciplinary code which is based on common
sense and professionalism and will become
quite clear to all concerned. Students will be
informed on a regular and constant basis of
when, where and how they are in breach of
this code, so if disciplinary action is taken it will
never come as a surprise.
The course is structured so that it is possible
to do part-time work at the same time and, due
to the course terms following school terms,
makes it possible for those with families to
enroll.
Students cannot take outside professional
work during this time without the express
consent of the Artistic Director. Any part time
work taken on during this time to assist the
student financially must at no time interfere
or have an adverse effect upon the student,
their work, their colleagues, the Theatre or the
course.
Students are expected to be supportive of their
fellow students at all times; you need each
other in order to succeed and must develop
a good working relationship with everyone.
You must leave your personal feelings and
prejudices in the wings. Personality clashes
are the enemies of creativity, and an obstacle
to progress.
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Graduation
The course culminates in a London Showcase,
which is never guaranteed. However, if students
continue to work hard and complete all tasks set,
there should not be a case of a showcase being
refused. This will always take place in London,
but the chosen venue may change from year to
year depending on market and artistic forces.
Successful graduates are awarded: The Market
Theatre Diploma of ACTING
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Opportunities
There are several things that make this course
unique and exceptional, not just the style and
approach of the training but the opportunities
on offer to successful students.
The Market Theatre is a working Professional
Theatre, and although small in size, grows in
reputation and influence every year. This very
fact enables the Theatre to offer its students
opportunities that other training establishments
are not in a position to do.
Paid Evening Theatre Work
There is the possibility of paid evening work at
the theatre in several departments. All of the
following will be under supervision and include
bar work, front of house, lighting & sound
operation, set building, publicity and
marketing. Invaluable knowledge can be
gained here, that could make the difference
between getting a job and not getting one.
Actors that can turn their hands to many skills,
especially in small theatre companies, are
much prized and sought after.
Paid Weekend Teaching Work
The Theatre also runs a Saturday morning ‘Kids
Club’ of around 140 children aged 5 years to
19 years in 5 different groups. This could prove
good experience and enable you to work in a very
lucrative area of theatrical work whilst waiting
for that first major job to come up.
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Professional work upon Graduation
The Market Theatre produces in-house work and
touring shows. Nearly all the actors offered the
work initially have been taught by or have strong
connections with the Theatre and Theatre staff.
Plays written for you
Successful students over the years have had
plays written specifically for them, this gives the
actor/actors a purpose built vehicle exploiting their
castability and providing them with invaluable
material to showcase their talents in Hitchin,
London and on tour. Not to mention the
experience gained through a six week run at the
Market Theatre.
Please note: The above are all opportunities and
not guarantees of work.
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The Market Theatre
The Market Theatre promotes itself as the ‘The
Only Theatre of its kind in the World’ and, we
feel, it is quite justified in doing so.
It receives no grants or funding, has all its plays
written and directed specifically for the Market
Theatre and its actors and all the shows are
approximately one hour long.
It is important that applicants should
understand fully the type of place that they are
auditioning for; its philosophy, aspirations and
ambitions.
For full details please log on to the Market
Theatre website, where you should find out
everything you wish to know about what
makes this wonderful venue and company so
unique and exciting. The Company also tours
nationally each year.
www.markettheatre.co.uk
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Hitchin
The town of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, is a small
and very ‘buzzy’ Market town of around 31,000
people, yet it can, at times, seem like a city of two
million! Set in the countryside, and sandwiched
between the M1 and A1M, it is only 29 minutes
from Kings Cross and you can be in the West
End within 40 minutes.
It’s popularity stems from its cultural and
welcoming entertainment bias, 40+ pubs, 30+
restaurants, 3 night clubs and, besides the
professional Market Theatre, there is a thriving
amateur operatic society based at Woodside Hall
and an amateur dramatic society housed at The
Queen Mother Theatre.
It is a place that combines the pleasures of town life
whilst being on the edge of larger towns such as
Luton (5 miles) and Stevenage (4 miles). With
Hitchin very much the cultural centre of the area,
many people are drawn from these towns to
frequent the numerous attractions on offer.
Hitchin’s relaxing yet vibrant atmosphere makes
it an ideal place to study the Creative Arts.
There are many properties to rent within the
town centre and close by at affordable prices,
particularly when compared with those in
London.
Hitchin web sites:
www.hitchin.co.uk
www.thebestof.co.uk/hitchin
www.markettheatre.co.uk
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Fees
This is a privately run course. Please note that
students will not be automatically eligible for
grants or public funding outside the normal
Bank Loans and Career Development Loans
from your personal bank.
THE FEES: £5,000 per annum
Fees can be paid in three installments on
the first day of term. Students cannot attend
classes if fees haven’t been paid.
First Term.
One payment of £1,668 on the first day of the
first term.
Second Term.
One payment of £1,666, paid on the first day
of the second term.
Third Term.
One payment of £1,666, paid on the first day
of the third term.
The course consists of Three ten week terms,
Monday to Thursday 9.30am – 12.30pm &
1.00pm to 4.00pm. Six hours per day of which
three will be classwork and three production
rehearsals.
Term Dates Autumn 2015
Mon 14th Sept to Thurs 22nd Oct & Mon 2nd
Nov to Thurs 26th Nov
Term Dates Spring 2016
Mon 11th Jan to Thurs 11th Feb & Mon 22nd
Feb to Thurs 24th Mar
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Term Dates Summer 2016
Mon 18th Apr to Thurs 26th May & Mon 6th June
to Thurs 30th June
Students cannot attend classes if fees are not
up to date, unless they have previously gained
permission from the Artistic Director.
Attendance, Refunds
& Insurance
In the event of a student wishing to leave the course
before completion, the student will only be obliged
to pay for the terms he/she has attended and the
term within which he/she gives notice. Hence, by
the last day of the Autumn or Spring term notice
will have been served vocally and in writing to the
Artistic Director.
If a student’s work has not met the standards
required, they will be asked to leave at the end
of the current term, and no further fees will be
deemed owing. If the student is asked to leave
mid-term then only fees due to that date will be
deemed owing.
If a student does not complete the course
for any reason, the £100 deposit will not be
refunded.
The school has basic insurance for injury and
public liability, but we strongly recommended all
students to take out their own personal insurance
policy against injury and personal loss.
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Audition Details
Students will be expected to have learnt by
heart 2 contrasting acting pieces, one comedy
and one serious (Neither of these need to be
classical).
Students will have a short interview from the
Artistic Director or an appointed member of
staff and a question and answer session will
take place at the end.
Students should hear from the school whether
or not they are being offered a place within two
weeks of auditioning.
Upon signing and returning the contract offered
to successful applicants, a deposit of £100 is
applicable. This is returned to the student on
the day of graduation as long as no fees are
outstanding and all theatre property has been
returned. If applicants withdraw after sending
in their contract, this £100 is non-refundable.
In addition there will be a one-off
administration charge of £50 for the year. This
will cover the cost of tea, coffee, milk, sugar, &
squash. These fees are all inclusive.
PLEASE NOTE: Auditions will very often take
place at the weekends as well as week days.
This enables prospective students to attend
auditions and not have to cancel work or
other educational commitments.
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Tel:
01462 437817
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
markettheatre.co.uk
Facebook:
facebook.com/
markettheatreoneyearacting
Twitter:
Contact Us
Contact
Us
@MTHitchinacting
For an application form, please
contact us on the details above
or download one from the
website.
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