Innovation Studio Discussion:
Mars Exploration and Online Performance - 28 September
What happens when theatre artists no longer have theatres? How do we collaborate when we can’t be in the same room?
It’s in our nature to treat restriction and limitation as creative opportunities and so many of us have begun making work online during the Covid 19 pandemic. This is both a new site and a new form. In this space, where does the art happen? Theatre and film both have their answers, but are those answers best for this medium?
With these questions in mind, Marc Silberschatz, Dani Nelson and Derek Jeck set out to make Mars Exploration: May 22, 1984. Adapted from the transcript of an actual CIA experiment into a piece that is part verbatim performance, part guided meditation. This piece will premiere here, on RCS at Home on 25 September 2020 at 1pm.
A discussion with the artists, chaired by Flavia Domingues D’Avila, will try to unpack what was learned and discovered in the project in the first of this season's Innovation Studio Discussions which are online and free to join.
https://youtu.be/Fs9TOoFem94
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string(7277) "It might be an understatement to say that Welcome Week at RCS looks a little bit different this year. With coronavirus restrictions in place, the usual blur of new places and people has been largely replaced by livestreams and Zoom calls. Many of the cornerstones of Glasgow’s famed arts, culture and nightlife are, for the time-being, off-limits: sweaty club nights, packed-out theatres, and crowded gigs in basement venues are unthinkable in times of hand sanitising and two-metre distancing.
Despite this, the resilient organisations and people that comprise the city – including our very own Students' Union – continue to provide amazing events online. To help you navigate through them, we have put together a handpicked list of some of the best to come in September and October.
(1 September – 17 December)
The unique and locally beloved Glasgow Women’s Library has recently reopened for in-person visits. However, their exhibition of donated materials documenting women’s experiences of lockdown is still available to view online.
[caption id="attachment_90476" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]Collecting in the Time of Coronavirus exhibition at Glasgow Women's Library. Image credit: Becca Lewis via GWL website.[/caption]
(16 – 27 September)
Though it is already underway, there are still a few more days to catch Take One Action’s online programme of world-changing films. Timely, urgent and inspiring, the 2020 program explores the social issues of the day: from climate justice to systemic racism.
[embed]https://vimeo.com/448479175[/embed]
(26 September)
Ceilidhs are out for the foreseeable, but you can still get your trad music fix with a live performance from Scottish contemporary folk six-piece Heisk, featuring RCS alumni Sally Simpson and Lauren Macdonald, at the Hands Up for Trad Music Club.
[caption id="attachment_90481" align="aligncenter" width="2048"]Heisk. Photo credit: Somhairle MacDonald. [/caption]
(5 – 18 October)
The move online hasn’t slowed down this stalwart of Glasgow’s LGBTQIA+ arts community. Alongside an eclectic film programme, SQIFF will host live online watch parties, workshops, Q&As, discussions, parties, and a closing night quiz.
[caption id="attachment_90482" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]SQIFF 2020 poster. Image credit: SQIFF.[/caption]
(8 - 11 October)
WOFF goes online in its seventh year of promoting independent international cinema. The festival, which highlights exciting new voices from around the world, has divided its diverse programme into three main sections: First Features, The Female Perspective & Focus on Balkan Cinema.
[caption id="attachment_90483" align="aligncenter" width="438"]WOFF 2020 poster. Image credit: Steven Affleck.[/caption]
(13 – 27 October)
Though based further afield, it would be remiss to omit Mull Theatre’s online autumn production Emergence, consisting of two new plays, from this list. The team behind this specially developed digital presentation is stacked with RCS alumni including actors Ashley Smith and Simon Donaldson; cinematographer and lighting designer Jamie Wardrop; and playwright Anita Vettesse.
[caption id="attachment_90484" align="aligncenter" width="870"]Emergence promotional image. Image credit: Mull Theatre.[/caption]
It's difficult to know what to expect when moving to a new city. There's lots to explore and if you've never visited before it's difficult to wrap your head around everything. Hopefully this blog can give you a little insight into what it's like moving to the "Dear Green Place".
The Language
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0rgETg2Hoo
"Parliamo Glasgow" Glasgow legend Stanley Baxter guides us through some classic Glaswegian phrases.
Every town or area has some words that are specific to that area, and Glasgow is no exception. The Scots language (not Gaelic, which is different) has a long and turbulent history, as explored in this BBC Scotland documentary. Here are some common examples which are not just amusing words for tourists but actually used in everyday language – throw some of these into sentences and you’ll be sounding like a local in no time!
Apart from having to learn new words, some phrases can also cause confusion. For example “Where do you stay?” actually means “Where do you live or come from?”. Also if someone asks you "how?/how no?" they might actually mean "why?/why not?".
The City
[caption id="attachment_90415" align="aligncenter" width="800"]Twilight scene of Clyde waterfront with the Clyde Auditorium and The SSE Hydro[/caption]
There is so much to do in this city - from the bars, cafes and restaurants of the West End, Southside and city centre, to the excellent free museums such as Kelvingrove, Scotland Street School and the Riverside Museum. Luckily Glasgow is very compact. It is easy to move around the centre on foot thanks to Glasgow’s grid street pattern, which incidentally has been featured in many films and TV series as a substitute for the great American cities such as Chicago, New York and San Francisco.
It is also very quick to travel from the suburbs to the city centre, and there are lots of train links, bus routes, a cycle hire scheme and, of course, the subway that make travelling in and out a breeze. What was that? Glasgow has a subway? Yep, and it’s actually the third-oldest underground system in the world after London and Budapest. It’s super convenient for travel between the city centre and the West End. There are only two lines (one going clockwise, the other anti-clockwise), a total of 15 stations, and to travel around the entire circuit takes just 24 minutes. The trains run every 6-10 minutes and are bright orange, leading to it being dubbed "the Clockwork Orange".
The Weather
[caption id="attachment_90424" align="aligncenter" width="800"]RCS film students on location in Queen's Park[/caption]
The name Glasgow comes from the Gaelic “Glaschu”, which means “green-hollow” or the more poetic translation “Dear Green Place”, which you’ll hear used in many contexts around the city. It’s a lovely phrase, but there is a reason that there is so much greenery and the parks are so lush – the rain! On a nice calm early summer day, there's nowhere better than the many leafy parks around Glasgow (except maybe the rolling hills and stunning scenery that can be found just outside Glasgow), but I’m sorry to say there's no getting away from the fact: Glasgow, you are a very wet city. It's position on the west coast, with the highlands above means it gets all the weather from the Atlantic breaking on this side of the country, and whilst areas in Wales and the Lake District are also possible contenders for the official title of “UKs wettest city”, the west of Scotland gets on average 2000-3000mm rain annually, and Glasgow itself has rain 167 days a year (that's 5 ½ months!), so be prepared.
Some Glasgow weather tips:
Make sure your shoes are waterproof
An umbrella is not much use in a Glasgow wind (or “hoolie”. See: ‘Language’ above)
Invest in a decent waterproof coat
The Scots word “dreich” is absolutely perfect for describing a grey day with constant light rain. You'll probably find you're using it a lot.
Other useful things to know
[caption id="attachment_90425" align="alignnone" width="800"]Walkers admiring the stunning Scottish scenery[/caption]
Here are some other things to know about Glasgow and Scotland:
Go to Glasgow or Edinburgh and most people would say they've "done" Scotland. However, there is a lot more to it than you think and there is some truly breathtaking scenery. There are lochs, mountains, valleys, beaches and spectacular rugged islands which all draw you to head out and explore them.
Glasgow loves football. Like many people around the world, Scots are very passionate about the beautiful game, and they will happily talk about the national team or share their views on international matches just like anywhere else. There are four pro teams in the city: Celtic, Rangers, Partick Thistle and Queen's Park, and the city is home to Hampden Park - Scotland's national football stadium.
Moving to a new city, whether for work, study or any other reason can be many things: exciting, intimidating, uplifting, bitter-sweet. The important thing is to be open to all the possibilities living somewhere different brings. Glasgow is on the whole a very welcoming city (weather aside!). Explore it, enjoy it and embrace all it has to offer.
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string(5512) "From day one, our students are part of the RCS community - supported, encouraged and mentored throughout their studies. And we don’t disappear on graduation day - we proudly follow you on your journey to success.
With the class of 2020 only just graduating a couple of months ago, we wanted to give our graduates some expert advice on how to self-promote their brand, their skills, and possibly their own company.
We reached out to professionals within the arts industry, who have years of industry experience. And with that, they have experienced the highs and the lows – they have had unsuccessful auditions, times where the next job seemed like it would never come, scripts that flopped and films dropped. These professionals have picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and charged on achieving huge successes along the way. What transpired, after many chats, was much more valuable than any marketers’ guidebook to self-promotion - this post gives some life advice for all graduates.
Look after your personality, and your reputation will follow
In the creative industries, it’s been said that there are three things you need (and need to be known to be): you need to be good; you need to be reliable; you need to be likeable. Think about how you can demonstrate that you are these things.
Know who you are. Casting directors are saying more and more that they are looking for authenticity. Can you bring your authentic self to an audition?
Find your unique selling point
What is it you want to be known for? Look at your CV again and ask yourself whether the things you want it to say about you, actually does. What is your USP and how are you supporting that?
Make your own work - especially now when work will almost certainly live online and can be seen by anyone. The more unique your work is and the more exposure, the more chance of attracting potential collaborators that may put money behind a project.
You are the company you keep
People will generally start by hiring people they know. This is partly due to being risk-averse and partly due to familiarity. One of your biggest jobs is to make yourself known to people. This means, at a minimum, finding ways to communicate with others both for yourself and to support them.
Social platforms are fantastic for this. Be relatable and relevant. Align yourself with individuals and organisations with the same values as yourself. Be careful what you engage with on social, as this speaks volumes about a person’s character.
Know the resources available to you
Get yourself known through your own website, social platforms, award ceremonies and festivals. Engage with the press, industry magazines and reviewers. Connect with social media ‘influencers’, bloggers and others within the industry through networking events. Upload your details on networking sites such as Spotlight, which is accessible by all casting directors and agents.
Join the RCS alumni community, keeping everyone in the loop on what you doing – there will be potential collaborators and even employers in that community.
Networking sites and the RCS alumni community also allows you to also see others work, and support one another.
Be prepared and organised
You can save yourself a lot of money by hiring an accountant, and save time by getting yourself a Driver’s Licence. Ah, the famous line: If you are early, you’re on time. If you are on time, you are late.
There is another well known saying in the film industry, “you are only as good as your last job.” Be prepared to work hard on every job.
Be informed
The performing arts industry is a very competitive market. The competition in the ‘real world’ is different than what you’ve faced previously. When you apply to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, you are competing with a large number of people with a range of abilities. The audition at this stage is about assessing your potential for professional-level training in your discipline. Once you graduate, you then compete against professionals, so it’s more about what you can bring to a role or project than demonstrating your talent. Your talent should be a given.
Shift your mindset away from “please give me a job!” to thinking, “I’m going to learn how I might assist you with this production”. The main thing is to be interested rather than ‘interesting’.
The creative industries in Scotland are small and everyone knows each other. Be mindful.
Be kind out there
“Crews are like family, look after each other. Family works, you work.”
Head of Film at RCS, Ray Tallan
Just like the final scene of the 1976 musical Bugsy Malone sings … “You give a little love and it all comes back to you. You know you are going to be remembered for the things you say and do.”
(from 2.24mins in!)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_0cvd1EUM&list=RDsA_0cvd1EUM&index=1[/embed]
Part of your job now is to make the industry fairer and more inclusive. Making your way will be challenging at times, but never forget that values like inclusivity, fairness and equity must sit at the heart of everything you do."
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This month’s archival object of the month is less of an object, and more of an event. In 1998, the International Viola Congress took place in our Renfrew Street building, then known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
The International Viola Society holds a congress in different countries annually, and Glasgow was favoured as the host of the twenty-sixth international meeting in memory of the Scottish violist and teacher William Primrose CBE.
Primrose was born in Glasgow in 1904, son of the eminent violinist John Primrose (an early teacher of Camillo Ritter, the son of our first professor Emma Ritter-Bondy). William Primrose began his musical career as a violinist but early on he realised his real passion was for viola and in 1930, still in his twenties, he was appointed violist for the London String Quartet, touring and recording extensively until the Great Depression caused the quartet to disband in 1935.
Primrose continued to tour and perform, however, and in 1944 he was soloist in the first recording of Berlioz’ Harold in Italy. Later that year Primrose commissioned one of the last pieces to be written by celebrated Hungarian composer Béla Bartók – a viola concerto which remained unfinished at Bartók’s death in 1945 and only completed four years later, when Primrose premiered it with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.
William Primrose was a giant among violists, and in his later years he played on a 1697 Guarneri viola (one of only around half a dozen known to survive). It was last seen on the front desk of the Berlin Philharmonic, and was sold privately in 2012. Do let us know if you find it!
Photographs and programme of the twenty-sixth International Viola Congress were digitally donated to the RCS Archives & Collections by Dwight Pounds. With thanks to Dawn Durrant.
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string(9240) "If you have ever worked on a school admissions application (or, really, anything with a deadline), you already know the golden rule of ‘Don’t wait until the last minute’. While this remains the most important piece of advice our Admissions & Recruitment Team has to offer new applicants, we have put together a few other tips that might help you with your UCAS Conservatoires application.
To attend a conservatoire, you must apply to a conservatoire!
This might seem obvious, but applications for RCS (and most other UK conservatoires) are held on UCAS Conservatoires – part of the overall UCAS system but separate to universities. You can apply to both universities and conservatoires if you wish. (You’ll just need to create separate logins and profiles for each UCAS and UCAS Conservatoires.)
In addition to hosting the online application for most UK conservatoires, the UCAS Conservatoires website has a number of informative articles – from a step-by-step how to apply guide to general information about studying at a conservatoire. (We’ve also written a short bit about studying at a conservatoire vs university!) Should you have any questions or difficulties throughout the application process, the UCAS Conservatoires team also provides great support.
Three simple steps to reduce the panic when deadlines loom:
Verify your email address without delay. After creating your UCAS Conservatoires account and upon logging in, you’ll see a button to ‘Verify my email’. There’s no reason to wait on completing this email verification; it’s quick and easy, and it must be completed before you submit your application. We always see applicants wait to do this and then not understand why they cannot submit their application, only to find themselves panicked on the day of the application deadline and unable to get a hold of the busy offices at the conservatoire or UCAS Conservatoires.
Communicate with your referees. We understand that getting your references submitted is not always a cut-and-dry task, and that it is somewhat out of your control. What is fully in your control, however, is to be in contact early with your referees so that they have ample time to provide a thoughtful reference. Be clear about the process for them, so there is no miscommunication. Continue staying in contact with them to ensure they have submitted on time. Lastly, make a note that we will never follow up with a referee directly for a missing reference… it is the applicant’s duty to ensure all materials are submitted.
Pay your UCAS Conservatoires fees for all applicable schools. While this doesn’t have to do with a looming application deadline, this is critical when it comes to the UCAS Conservatoires ‘reply by’ deadlines. You cannot receive any admissions outcome from any UCAS Conservatoires school unless you have paid all outstanding fees. Even if your dream school is ‘Conservatoire A’, they will never tell you if you got in unless you pay your fees for your application and audition for ‘Conservatoire B’.
Know the lingo (or at least don’t get bogged down by it)
Inevitably, the language used within the UCAS Conservatoires application will be foreign to some – specifically, international students. Try to keep a level head while working through and take note of three quick areas that cause confusion every year for international applicants:
Scottish Candidate Number and BTEC Number. Perhaps it is how these two fields are visually laid out on the screen… but many candidates seem to feel stuck, like they cannot progress in the application without filling these in. If you don’t have these numbers – i.e., if you’re not a Scottish student and/or have not studied a BTEC Diploma – then simply keep calm and carry on. Blank fields are not always your enemy.
Adding qualifications. This one takes the cake for most the confusing section for international applicants. It asks for completed or upcoming exams, diplomas, degrees, and so on. Begin typing in the search tool to find your qualification(s). If you’re struggling, use the most important keyword in your qualification, such as ‘degree’ or ‘diploma’, to see if it can be found in a larger list displayed for you. If you can’t find your qualification listed and you have exhausted the various searches, don’t worry and add it as ‘other’. Also, remember as you progress through your qualifications that there may be more fields that can be left blank if they don’t apply (such as ‘centre number’).
Point of Entry. Contrary to the last two points, you will find a field called ‘point of entry’ (when adding a ‘choice’) that is technically optional on UCAS Conservatoires, but we highly recommend you provide an answer here. The ‘point of entry’ corresponds to the year of entry for which you are applying. Most applicants will enter a ‘1’ here (for entering into the first year of a degree course), but if you are looking for direct entry beyond year one, then this is the place to state that. (Direct entry is rather uncommon and is considered on a case-by-case basis.)
Provide a nominated name (which can be updated)
Like all schools, we are very strict with whom we share applicant information. If someone calls or emails us on your behalf asking for any information regarding your application – whether materials have been received, fees have been paid, outcomes are available, anything – they will need to be the nominated name to get any such information.
To provide a name for us, look for the ‘nominated access’ fields within the Personal Details section of your UCAS Conservatoires application. Here, you can provide the name (and relationship) of someone you give permission to discuss your application if you are not available.
You’ll be able to update this information at any time if you need to amend your nominated name. Please don’t leave this field blank if anyone might be in touch with us (or UCAS Conservatoires) regarding your application.
It may sound cliché, but be yourself with your personal statement
Don’t get bogged down and overwhelmed by the personal statement! Write it yourself (don't get your teacher or someone else to write this for you… and yes, this has happened) and take advantage of this chance to tell us more about you. Things you might want to include are why you are applying, what you want to get out of the course, your career aspirations, and anything you have been doing that you think is relevant and interesting. Feel free to also think ‘outside the box’ (forgive yet another cliché phrase), and don’t necessarily feel limited to talking only about your primary discipline.
*Top Tip* Draft your personal statement in a separate document and continue working with it until you are satisfied with a final version. Then copy and paste this into your UCAS Conservatoires application.
Familiarise yourself with UCAS Conservatoires reply by deadlines
By now, hopefully you have reviewed the RCS website to identify your application and audition recording due dates. (If not, do so now as most music applications are due 1 October 2020!)
You’ve likely not yet looked all the way ahead at replying to an offer, but it’s worthwhile to do so for two important reasons:
Don’t miss your reply deadline. If you have an offer (whether guaranteed or reserve) and we don’t hear back from you by your reply deadline, then your offer is automatically ‘Declined by Default’.
Don’t feel pressured to reply before you have to. If you hold an offer from any institution on UCAS Conservatoires, you must receive your outcomes from ALL other institutions to which you applied (on UCAS Conservatoires) before replying to any offer. Some schools have been known to pressure applicants into accepting an offer before they receive other outcomes from competitor schools, and applicants subsequently feel that pressure to withdraw from those other schools to accept the offer they know they have. Know your reply by deadlines to avoid this!
…Don’t wait until the last minute!
We had to say it again. There are so many reasons not to wait we could fill another full blog post… but we’ll spare you for now. If you have questions about your application, please stay in touch with us at admissions@rcs.ac.uk, and good luck!
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string(237) "Meet the BA Production Arts and Design and BA Production Technology and Management students #RCSClassof2020.
View their incredible work and see how they bring productions to life."
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string(3970) "This month’s archival object comes from the Conservatoire’s extensive musical instrument collection; a French horn dating from 1853 and designed and manufactured by Belgian inventor and musician Adolphe Sax.
Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax was born in Dinant in modern-day Belgium in 1814. His father, Charles-Joseph Sax, was a musical instrument maker specialising in wind and brass, although he also dabbled in some string instruments.
It was through his father’s work that young Adolphe was introduced to the art of musical instrument manufacture; a career which would ultimately memorialise the family name.
From a young age Adolphe Sax began experimenting with instrument design. Upon leaving the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels, Sax was already patenting an improvement to the bass clarinet, however it was his association with the composer Berlioz after Sax moved to Paris in the 1840s that was to really kick-start his innovations.
Berlioz was inspired by Sax’s work and composed pieces to be played exclusively on the new family of brasswinds he was creating; what would become known as saxhorns. Originally a development of a valved bugle, the saxhorn would eventually be manufactured in a number of different sizes up to and including bass saxhorns, and their invention was to pave the way for the modern flugelhorn and euphonium.
Sax also had some limited success with his invention of the saxtromba, an intermediate instrument which resembled a marriage between a trumpet and a French horn. The Sax name lives on with us in his most enduring creation, however: the saxophone (patented on 28 June 1846).
The RCS Archives & Collections hold a number of instruments made by Adolphe Sax. Here we have a very fine French horn, made during Sax’s time in Paris.
It was exhibited in Belgium’s Musical Instrument Museum as part of their Sax 200 anniversary exhibition and is one of the most valuable and rarest horns in the John Webb Collection of historic musical instruments. Full technical specifications are available here.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s historic musical instruments held by our Archives & Collections are a living museum collection, available for use by our students and staff.
A complete catalogue can be found on the Archives & Collections website and technical specifications and photographs of each instrument are included on the MINIM database, the largest online collection of historic musical instruments in the UK.
For more information, please contact our Keeper of Archives & Collections, Stuart Harris-Logan, on archives@rcs.ac.uk.
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string(9709) "For 15 years, RCS students have performed on the world’s largest and most global stage, the Edinburgh Festival. Throughout August, Scotland’s capital hosts thousands of performing and production artists as the Edinburgh International Festivaland Edinburgh Festival Fringe take place across the city.
More than three million people attend the festivals each summer and the historic landscape of Edinburgh makes for quite the cultural backdrop.
With no live performance taking place this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, it’s fair to say there is so much we miss about the Edinburgh Festivals. From amazingly unique performance opportunities to making your way up a buzzing Royal Mile; from meeting people who have travelled across the world to experience the Festivals, to running across the New Town to see a show you MUST see, there really is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.
We've looked back through the years and picked out some of our favourite RCS productions. Moments that have made us laugh, cry, and cemented our love of the festivals.
Have we missed out your favourite? Let us know: communications@rcs.ac.uk
Avenue Q (2013)
The hit musical Avenue Q had not long finished its West End run before RCS secured the rights to perform the show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013.
Audiences came in their droves to see this much talked about musical that delivered so many laugh out loud moments. As well as mastering choreography and vocal skills, MA Musical Theatre students also had to learn puppetry and how to control Trekkie Monster.
British Theatre Guide reviewed the piece saying: “Avenue Q by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a superb production that deserves high praise and will leave you with a smile on your face long after you have left the theatre.”
Seven years later and we’re still smiling.
The Addams Family (2014)
Is it possible to think of The Addams Family without singing the refrain from the well-known theme tune? Perhaps this is why it was deemed to be the perfect inspiration for musical theatre when it premiered on Broadway in 2010.
Only two years after the Broadway show closed, RCS took their production to the Fringe and the result was an “exceptionally professional production” performed by the MA Musical Theatre students, delighting audiences and leaving them finger snapping their way out of the Assembly Hall.
View the full gallery of images from The Addams Family.
9 to 5 (2016)
Taking on the role of Doralee made famous by the iconic Dolly Parton would be intimidating for most students, but in the 2016 RCS production of 9 to 5, Isabella Ward and Seanna Knudsen shared this title role with gusto, receiving high plaudits from reviewers.
Our favourite line from a reviewer had to be, “With such an upbeat score, a funny script and a ridiculous storyline, you should be tumbling out of bed to bag a ticket.”
View the gallery of images from 9 to 5.
Into the Woods (2017)
RCS MA Musical Theatre students took on the Sondheim fairy-tale masterpiece in 2017.
Featuring a cast full of your favourite childhood characters plus an ingenious set created by the Production department, audiences were transported away from bustling Edinburgh and into this magically musical and five-star worthy - world.
“Overall the production is outstanding, the acting and singing are of the standard you would expect and the small band does an excellent job of the complex score”¦The set deserves its own bow, an excellent, smoky piece of work and looks quite a build for a Fringe show.”
Read the fullfive-star review.
Atlantic: A Scottish Story (2017)
This platform piece was the first collaboration between RCS andNorthwestern’s American Musical Theatre Project a cross-Atlantic partnership which saw students from both institutions work together to devise, write and perform new work.
Graduates Claire McKenzie and Scott Gilmour of Noisemakerled the Scottish team, and the result was Atlantic: A Scottish Story, a piece exploring ideas of heritage, identity and what it means to belong.
Atlantic: A Scottish Story enjoyed a sell-out run, received numerous five-star reviews and won a Herald Angel Award for recognising Noisemaker’s work on expanding new musical theatre at the Edinburgh Festival.
“An excellent piece of work, joyous and wholesome with a family/community spirit.”
Read the fullfive-star review.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2018)
Another piece of musical theatre inspired by a much loved 80s movie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels tells the story of two con men trying to outhustle one another to take home the biggest swag on the French Riviera.
The 2018 cohort of MA Musical Theatre students performed this main stage show alongside two platform pieces, surely making them one of the hardest-working ensembles at the Festival. And their efforts didn't go unnoticed by reviewers.
"Derek Dishington is outstanding as the highly successful, suave con man Lawrence Jameson, who gives a masterclass in his ability to convince his unsuspecting victims to part with their money....The excellent ensemble sing and dance with aplomb. This production is an absolute joy."
Read the five-star review by British Theatre Guide.
Götterdämmerung (2019)
For more than 70 years, the Edinburgh International Festival has been bringing together the world’s most exciting, most sought-after performers.
In 2019, RCS Voices were proud to take to the stage with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and a plethora of world-class vocalists including graduate Karen Cargill, conducted by Sir Andrew Davies to perform Götterdämmerung, the fourth and final opera in Wagner’s Ring cycle.
“This performance of Götterdämmerung was a fabulous end to Edinburgh’s memorable Ring.”
Read Bachtrack's review of the performance.
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string(8729) "Setting tickets prices can often be a problematic task. Finding the right balance is essential to ensure you cover your costs (and even make a profit!), whilst not outpricing your audience. During my sixteen years in ticketing management, I’ve constantly been walking this fine line. I’ve gathered some ideas and handy hints which I’ve picked up during this time to help you get started with event pricing.
Your ticket price tells audiences what value you place on the event
One of the most common mistakes made in ticket pricing is to assume that ”˜the lower the price, the bigger the audience’. This leads some event promoters to underprice their event, in the hope that this will help fill the venue. Actually, the opposite is often true. The price you set communicates the value of the performance to your potential audience. If you set the ticket price too low, customers will (unconsciously) presume that the quality of the performance is also low.
Buying a loaf of bread at the supermarket is an example of this type of consumer psychology in action. When you see a loaf priced at £1.50 next to a similar sized loaf priced at £0.50, you assume that the higher-priced bread is better quality, even though you haven’t tasted either!
Do your research
This sounds a bit dull, but it’s essential to do some research into event pricing for similar performances in the local area. Collate this info, then decide where you feel your performance should sit within these price ranges. Take into consideration venue size, length of performance, experience of performers etc.
At RCS, we train young professionals in the performance arts. We position our pricing in the market place to be higher than local amateur productions, but lower than professional events.
One size doesn’t fit all
You don’t have to charge the same price for all tickets. Most venues will have ”˜good’ and ”˜bad’ seats. In a church for example, the sound quality of seats under the balcony might not be as good as those in the centre. There will also be a difference in what ”˜experience’ audience members are willing to pay for. The music aficionado may be willing to pay a bit more for the best seat in the house or some ”˜added value’ (see below), whereas someone new to the art form may not be willing to splash out on a composer/playwright/ensemble which they are not familiar with. If you can accommodate this difference of expectation within your pricing structure, you are widening the scope of potential audiences, and therefore maximising income. You can achieve this by ”˜scaling the house’.
This is essentially charging different amounts depending on which area the customer wishes to sit. You could split your venue into ”˜price bands’ A, B and C, ”˜A’ being the premium seats, ”˜B’ the standard seats, and ”˜C’ the ”˜not-so-good’ seats (you can be creative in how you market these band ”˜C’ seats, advertising seats with a limited view as ”˜listening seats’ for example!).
Price scaling is easy to achieve if your venue has fixed allocated seating. If you are in a venue which doesn’t have fixed seating with rows/numbers, you can still scale the house, by tying different coloured ribbons to the seats, or placing programmes printed in different colours on the seats.
Offers and discounts
Everyone loves a discount! You can use offers and discounts to entice bookers to sign up for your event. The key thing here is to be strategic. Think about what you want to achieve with this offer, and who it is aimed at. Be careful not to offer discounts too widely, or your core price becomes meaningless, and ticket income drops.
There are a range of offers and discounts that you can use (strategically). Here are some ideas to get you started:-
Early Bird - A discount offer for booking before a certain date. This encourages customers to book in advance and can be useful if you need to generate income early, to cover venue hire deposit, performance rights etc.
”˜Buy one, get one free’, ”˜3 for 2’ etc. These are useful to increase audience numbers, as they encourage increased seat sales per transaction.
Subscription offer. If you have multiple performances in the same local area, you can offer a discount if a customer books for all of these at the same time.
”˜Status’ based discounts. Offering a discount to Under 16s, students, OAPs etc.
If you are going to discount, then make it worthwhile and discount big. Offering 5% off a £10 ticket for example isn’t likely to make much difference to a potential customer deciding whether to book or not.
It’s also best to avoid last minute ”˜knee jerk’ discounting, if sales figures are lower than you are hoping. These late offers may seem to help in the short term, but will be damaging in the long term. This is because loyal bookers who have booked early will feel disenchanted for paying full price, and will therefore be less likely to do so again in the future, and those who used the last-minute offer are likely to hold off booking for future performances, as they will be waiting for another last-minute offer to be available.
Be creative with your pricing
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can move away from traditional pricing strategies, and try something a bit different.
Dynamic Pricing. This is the ticketing model used by airlines and train companies. It’s based on ”˜supply and demand’, so the price increases as demand increases. This model is becoming more popular in arts pricing strategies. A simple illustration in a venue with a capacity of 100 could be:-
First 20 seats - £5
Next 20 seats -£7.50
Next 40 seats - £12.50
Last 20 seats - £20
Pay what you like. In this pricing model, you let the customers choose what to pay. What they choose to pay will be based on the customer’s perception of the value of the concert, so producing strong marketing copy/images and programme is key to success. You can either let the customer choose any amount, or provide a range of set prices, and allow the customer to choose freely which one to opt for.
Pay after the performance. This strategy is based on the fact that customers are (hopefully) on an emotional high immediately after the performance and are therefore likely to place a higher value on the experience. You charge customers a small nominal fee to reserve their seats, then encourage full payment post event (amount decided by the customer). The tricky part is ensuring you have the facilities to quickly take payments of varying amounts (including card transactions) after the show.
Think about added value
Finally, think about how you can add value to your event beyond the performance itself. The more value you can add, the more a customer will be willing to pay. Ideas to add value could include:-
Pre/post show talk with the performers and creative team (this can be included free with all ticket purchases, or an optional paid ”˜upgrade’)
Priority booking for your next performance
Complimentary tea/coffee at the interval
Negotiate a discount with a local restaurant/café for a pre-performance meal for ticket holders
Guest visiting lecturer and director Andy McGregor shares an insight into his ”˜new normal’ and gives us a sneak peek into the latest musical he has been working on at home ”¦
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1ZFmaC6qw&t=59s
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string(3156) "Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is my ultimate workout for the body and mind. You don’t have a chance to doubt yourself or flex your ego. You have to move and react in microseconds and outwith the trappings of your own thoughts; which builds confidence, decisiveness and respect. It incorporates natural body movements, high-level cardio, and functional strength and is incredibly engaging for the mind.
My training has had to adapt from sparring with various partners - my cat, although skillful, utilises the same escapes every time (he scratches my skin and bites my beard) to focusing more on movement practice.
I wanted to share with you how this practice has helped me over the last few weeks to keep the same level of mental engagement, physical challenges and sense of improvement going.
Just because our bodies settle, doesn't mean our curiosity does
Most people are already doing movement practice to some extent, the trick is to elaborate on it, and strengthen areas naturally. Movement practice reminds me of being a kid and learning your parameters of jumping, running, climbing and generally just having fun. When you’re younger, your body is constantly changing, so are your parameters and engagement. We lose this as we settle into our adult frame.
Here is a video of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu solo drill to show what can still be done at home and how movement practice is built into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdRuKIEjjBs
Give it a wee go and see how you get on! Then, imagine doing it all with a fully grown adult on your back. It's surprisingly addictive...
What I would say is to work with your body, your range of motion and your personal sense of improvement. The next video can be used as a guide and you could take one of the movements and break it down until it suits you. But most of all, have fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21JhWTIPQSw
Main benefits to movement practice
It can be incorporated into your day-to-day activities
I felt that my balance isn't as rooted as it could be (I'm right side dominant), so I try do the dishes standing on one foot alternations. Sounds totally bonkers I know, but my balance is improving, and thus my squats are getting better, my running is stronger, my yoga is more fun and my dishes are absolutely spotless. #humblebrag #youwishesyouhadmydishes
All the family can get involved
Encourage partners, pets, loved ones, un-loved ones, your reflection in the mirror, to all give it a go! When you and your nearest and dearest are doing handstands whilst Hoovering, turning book pages with their feet or using elbows to make sandwiches ”¦ please remember and give a kiss to the sky!
Build it into your own routine
You can use any background as a base: your yoga, weightlifting, running, walking, dancing, whatever your background is, and build on it. Likewise, a no movement practice background is just as valid, use your blank slate to build something just for yourself! Within your body and range of motion."
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string(13898) "Welcome to the first Spotlight On ”¦ a new weekly insight into the people of RCS.
Philip White has spent the greater part of his working life in the field of opera, working as repetiteur and chorus master both in the UK and abroad.
Before joining the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2017, he was Chorus Master at the Opera de Lyon in France and, prior to that, Chorus Master at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, the Opera de Nancy et de Lorraine and Associate Chorus Master for the Chorus of Radio France.
Philip (pictured above, second from right, with students) studied music and German at the Universities of Leeds and Vienna before winning the Walter Susskind scholarship, which enabled him to work as a repetiteur in the opera school of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) between 1988 and 1990.
Where are you right now?
Manchester
Current work wear of choice?
Loose fitting shirt and jeans
How are you connecting with students for teaching?
Students are all just about to go on Easter break and were having online vocal lessons last week. We had just started rehearsing forDialogues des Carmélites, our spring opera production. We will start online language teaching in term three as all first years will know by then what productions they are in next year, so they can get a head start.
What’s on your reading list?
I’ve just finished readingWords without Music,which is Philip Glass’s memoir. I’ve worked on two of his operas, both quite different, and I enjoyed both of them a lot more than I thought I would. I’ll also be readingA Gentleman in Moscowby Amor Towles andThe Overstoryby Richard Powers. And for some lighter stuff, I’ve just ordered the first in a trilogy of crime thrillers set in Mississippi, which we visited last summer.
What are you watching/listening to online?
I’ve been going through the Martinu symphonies, there are six of them. When I used to work in Bayreuth, we often used to visit the Czech Republic, which is only an hour’s drive, and I’ve always been amazed at how such a relatively small country has such a rich cultural history, particularly in music. We’ve just finished season two ofHappy Valley, which is set within a half hour of where we live.
How long have you been at RCS and what drew you here?
Two and a half years. I loved the place as a student in addition to the whole vibe of Glasgow, particularly when the sun is shining
What do you love most about your role?
Introducing students to new music and setting them up with experts in their field who I have met and worked with. I love giving them opportunities and seeing them grow as performing artists as well as seeing their enthusiasm and self-confidence grow.
Describe a typical day?
Well, a typical day at the moment is getting up about 7am we have children but they are 23 and 20 and can fend for themselves so I’m relieved of the duty of getting them organised, at least (most of the time).
Me and my wife head off for a short walk (pictured above), our daily government-authorised piece of exercise. Although I live in North Manchester, we have quick access on foot to a clough (steep valley) which heads out to a couple of wild parks which are full of wild garlic at this time of the year, which I use to make homemade garlic mayonnaise.
We mainly join dog walkers and get childishly excited, like we did yesterday, when we spotted a woodpecker in one of the trees hammering away or a yellow wagtail hopping around in the stream. Following my Chris Packham/Jamie Oliver-inspired-hour, we have breakfast and set down to work. We have a work space that looks out on to the garden, which is full of birds gathering food and nesting materials at this time of the year. I try not to get too distracted by that.
Lots of preparation going on for the next academic year, which is exciting, and there might be online meetings to join too. Early afternoon I might head off quickly to get a bit of shopping we’re trying to be more organised about it and limit the shop trips. Then finish off work before resuming my Jamie Oliver mode and doing some cooking! Typical days at the RCS itself don’t exist. They’re all so different.
What sparked your love of the arts?
I’ve no idea to be honest. I was always in school plays, loved drama classes, was at a secondary school where there were loads of extracurricular music school orchestra, jazz band and where you were encouraged to put on ”˜events’. We also had two marvellous drama teachers whose way of teaching simply wouldn’t be allowed these days going round to their houses to write plays, often accompanied by alcoholic beverages.
I was also taken by a family friend on frequent visits to English National Opera at the London Coliseum and was distressed to find myself moved to tears on first seeingLa Boheme. I think I was about 15. I was relieved to the same degree that our seats were up in the balcony so I had sufficient time to pull myself together before reaching street level. The combination of stage and music on a good day is simply unique.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t think there’s one way of doing something.
Who influenced you?
My university tutor was a huge influence in terms of broadening my musical tastes and with the relationship that he fostered with his students. He only recently officially retired but his lectures were always bubbling with enthusiasm in a way nobody else’s were, and you were unable to resist being as enthusiastic as he was. His ability to communicate meant that whether he was talking about Schoenberg or a trip to his local corner shop, you were hooked and wanted to go to the corner shop as well as listen to Schoenberg’s collected works. We’re still in contact and he’s just the same.
Career highlights?
That’s a tough one. Very early on I was chorus master for a production of Stravinsky’sLe Rossignol, which was conducted by Pierre Boulez. I had to go and meet him in his studio at IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) in Paris to discuss the choral preparation. I got to work with two of my conducting idols from my teenage years whilst I was Associate Chorus Master at Radio France Kurt Masur and Riccardo Muti. Watching them rehearse and seeing how little they said in rehearsal but which nonetheless elicited the most amazing concerts still fascinates me (same could be said for Boulez).
In my first season at Grange Park Opera we performedFiddler on the Roofwith Bryn Terfel. That in itself was enough but that year we also took it to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall my violin teacher had always joked about seeing me there one day not something I took at all seriously. It was amazing to have got there, even if only once.
And all the work and things I heard whilst at the Bayreuth Festival. It was a very relaxed atmosphere at the time with a canteen, indoors and outdoors, where everyone mixed as equals. That year Daniel Barenboim was conductingTristan, Giuseppe SinopoliParsifaland James Levine theRing. Again three musical idols, just there.
Also at that time, Wolfgang Wagner Wagner’s grandson who hadn’t met Wagner himself but who had met his wife, Cosima was still running the whole institution and would invite all music staff, singers and creative teams over the season to his house for get-togethers.
[caption id="attachment_82075" align="aligncenter" width="713"]Philip (in top hat) with the cast of recent RCS production Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera).[/caption]
Your most memorable RCS moment?
Each time the curtain goes up on a premiere it is deeply moving to see what the students have achieved and how they have invested themselves.
Your advice for students during this time?
Don’t worry. It sometimes takes events like this to show how people can actually come together. It will pass.
Describe RCS in three words?
Really good fun.
Calling all RCS staff and students! Would you like to be featured in Spotlight On? If so, contact us at Communications@rcs.ac.uk
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string(6678) "Thanks to COVID-19 it’s likely you’ll have some more time and looking for a new binge-worthy box set. We thought we would share just a few of the shows and films that feature our graduates and where you can watch them.
If you’re interested in seeing more RCS Alumni, visit our alumni page or search for #RCSAlumni on Twitter for the latest news.
Sex Education
A comedy-drama, Sex Education follows an awkward teenager as he navigates romance and all the joys that going through puberty bring. There are two series of this show and whilst it addresses really important topics within each episode, it also has many laughs and scenes that will have you thinking “did that just really happen?”
RCS alumnus Ncuti Gatwa plays the role of best friend Eric and although we might be biased, we feel he is the absolute star of the show.
You can read more about Ncuti Gatwa in our Weekend Read and see him in Sex Education on Netflix.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
This is a slightly spookier take on the '90s Sabrina the Teenage Witch show which stars RCS alumna Michelle Gomez as a high school teacher. In this version, Sabrina attends the Academy of the Unseen Arts where she learns about magic a potential new course for RCS? As Sabrina fights with the enemies that threaten her family, you might want to watch this one with your isolation buddy or have a cushion nearby if you frighten easily!
Catch up with the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix.
The Nest
A new drama from BBC, The Nest is set in Scotland (you’ll see a lot of familiar Glasgow shots) and is about a couple who have been trying to have a child for years. Things take a turn when they meet an 18-year-old called Kaya who wants to carry a baby for them.
There are only two episodes of The Nest so far, the third episode airs on Sunday 5 April so it’s easy to catch up on and once you start watching, it will be hard to put down.
RCS alumni you will spot in The Nest are David Hayman, Christine Bottomley, Fiona Bell, Katie Leung and Kate Dickie.
Watch The Nest on BBC iPlayer.
The English Game
Popular on Netflix, The English Game is a period drama about two 19th century footballers. It explores the origins of football and how they overcame a class divide to create what would go on to be the world’s most popular sport. Based on a true story, The English Game also tells the stories of the women around the footballers for the first time.
RCS graduate Kevin Guthrie stars in this and plays real-life character Fergus Suter and graduate Kate Dickie plays Fergus’ mother.
Watch The English Game on Netflix.
Outlaw King
Set in 14th century Scotland, Outlaw King tells the story of Robert the Bruce and his struggle to become King of Scotland. With stunning scenery filmed all across Scotland, this film will have you on Google Maps checking out all the filming locations!
RCS graduates in this film include Rebecca Robin who plays Queen Margaret of England, Tony Curran who plays Lord of Islay, Steven Cree who plays Sir Christopher Seton and Lorne McFadyen who plays Neil Bruce.
Outlaw King is available on Netflix.
Deadwater Fell
A four-part show, Deadwater Fell is a dark drama about how a house fire disrupts a small village community. You might need to binge this one as it is intense and by the end of each episode, we couldn’t wait to find out what happens next.
Starring in Deadwater Fell is RCS graduate David Tennant who plays the role of Tom, Maureen Beattie plays Tom’s mother and Lorn Macdonald plays PC Taylor Clarke.
Anneika Rose plays Tom’s lawyer, Leah Byrne plays a nurse and Scott Reid has the role of a guard - as you can see, lots of our RCS alumni star in this one!
Watch Deadwater Fell on Channel 4. You can also catch David Tennant in Good Omens, starring alongside Michael Sheen on Amazon Prime.
Bloodshot
If you’ve watched all the episodes of Outlander, you can see RCS grad Sam Heughan in Bloodshot. This film (based on the comic book) follows soldier Ray Garrison, played by Vin Diesel, who gets killed in action but is brought back to life as a superhero.
In the video below, Sam explains more about his role in Bloodshot.
Watch Bloodshot on Amazon.
https://youtu.be/IJf1AFqehfM
Have you watched anything recently with our RCS alumni in it? Let us know on Twitter with #RCSAlumni."
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string(6262) "Finished your online class? Wrapped up your practice for the week? Are you over Houseparty drawing games with your parents? Never fear, each week we will compile our RCS Recommends list to give you a little bit of isolation inspiration for the week ahead.
This week it’s podcasts. With more than 30 million podcast episodes in the iTunes catalogue there is more than enough content to keep you entertained during isolation. We have asked some RCS staff for their top podcast recommendations. Have we missed a brilliant one? Let us know communcations@rcs.acuk
Corin Beattie, Junior Conservatoire Co-ordinator
I couldn't pick just one - I've got three top pics!
Soundtracking with Edith Bowman
Edith Bowman speaks to directors; actors and composers about the music that has influenced them and what they have used in their films. It’s a great listen for anyone who loves movie soundtracks and she has great guests!
Listen to Soundtracking with Edith Bowman online.
Getting Curios with Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye) interviews a new guest every other week from different professions. Politicians to writers; actors to chefs. It’s fun and you learn something at the same time.
The full series of Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness is available here.
RunPod with Jenni Faulcner
I had to have a running podcast in there! This is a great podcast for learning new tips and tricks for all levels of runner. Jenni talks to her celebrity runner pals and experts. I thought this might be useful for staff/students who are thinking of taking up jogging at this time.
Start your RunPod journey here.
Matt Adam, Artistic Planning Officer
Roddy Hart and Vic Galloway
Every week I make sure to listen to Roddy Hart and Vic Galloway’s shows on BBC Sounds after they air on BBC Radio Scotland. They both play brilliant artists on their shows and have great bands in for live sessions that I often haven’t heard of so it’s great for discovering new music. They are both also huge promotors of Scottish unsigned and independently released music so that’s a huge plus for me I love hearing how much amazing music is being made right on our doorstop!
Access these top shows on BBC Sounds.
Kimmy Shields, Recruitment and Admissions Officer
Like Corin, I also have three, I miss listening to podcasts on the daily commute!
West Cork
A must for anyone looking to lose themselves in one of the most gripping podcasts of the true crime genre. A haunting revisit to the scene of one of Ireland’s most notorious unsolved murders.
Download West Cork now from Audible.
The Assassination
A comprehensive investigation into the assassination of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, providing an interesting insight into early 21st century Pakistani politics and the Bhutto political dynasty.
Start The Assassination on the BBC now.
Intrigue: The Ratline
Beautifully narrated and edited by Philippe Sands, this 10-episode podcast covers the war crimes perpetrated by Otto von Wächter, a senior Austrian Nazi, and his subsequent escape from justice after the end of World War Two. Secret private correspondence between Otto and his wife Charlotte is read by Stephen Fry and Laura Linney.
The full series of The Ratline is available online.
Abbie Wallace, Short Courses Manager
Desert Island Discs
Surely one of the best (and longest running) radio shows ever made, the Desert Island Discs podcast is a condensed version of the BBC Radio 4 Sunday morning show, now hosted by Lauren Laverne. I listen to it every week I am obsessed with it.
Guests are invited to imagine themselves on a deserted island with only 8 music tracks for company (plus one book and a luxury item). The conversation is, of course, about so much more than their favourite tunes, and delves into their life story in often very surprising and poignant ways. I really love finding out a wee bit about all of these amazing people, many whom I might not have heard of
Favourite episodes include screenwriter presenter Ade Adepitan, journalist Hella Pick, actress Anne-Marie Duff, firefighter Sabrina Cohen-Haston and photographer Vanley Burke.
Catch up with the full back catalogue of Desert Island Discs on the BBC.
Linda Innes, Deputy Marketing and Communications Manager
David Tennant Does a Podcast
Of course I’d pick one from an RCS graduate!
This laid back podcast series sees David spend an hour chatting with his showbiz friends covering everything from how they first met, what it was like getting into the industry and, oh horror, revealing their true ages.
His impressive guest list includes Olivia Coleman, Jennifer Garner, Ian McKellen and Whoopi Goldberg however David Tennant clearly has excellent friendships with each of them so every episode is really just like two pals having a natter at his kitchen table.
And David’s voice is made for podcasting I could happily listen to him all day.
Catch up with David Tennant Does A Podcast.
We hope something from these RCS Recommends has taken your fancy. Let us know what podcasts you’ve been listening to and we’ll link them here: communications@rcs.ac.uk
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string(5389) "It’s officially week 2 of stay safe, stay put and I’m sure many of us are still adjusting to our new situations and the challenges they present. This is unprecedented and probably doesn’t feel like any working from home you’ve done before.
Some of you will never have had to try do the day job with a toddler at your ankles, some of you are now teachers and need to seriously brush up on your maths skills and some are probably already fed up of seeing the same four walls/same partner/family member!
The purpose of this blog series is to keep you company over the weeks and help you cope with what is undoubtedly a bizarre and disconcerting time.
How to set up an office space
The first thing to consider at home is how well you are set up for work. At work, you’ve got the necessary equipment for a good work station and your H&S team on hand to help you out but at home, you might be at your dining table on an uncomfortable chair.
Your chair: As it is unlikely that you will have an adjustable chair you can try to get into an ideal sitting position using a cushion or pillow (folded in half) to sit on and a rolled-up towel against your lower back for lumbar support. Make sure that your feet are planted on the floor. If you can’t do this use a biscuit tin, Tupperware container or similar as a footrest.
Your screen: Raise your laptop/tablet up using books, biscuit tins etc. as best you can. You may not achieve the ideal position but aim to raise your laptop/tablet by a minimum of 15 cm. Your eyes should naturally hit the top third of your screen when you are looking straight ahead. Even a small height adjustment should help. The goal is to avoid dropping your head as much as possible to try and avoid neck and shoulder strain.
Mouse and keyboard: If you are raising up your laptop/tablet use an external keyboard and mouse so that you are not working with your arms too high. If you don’t have these just keep your laptop flat on the table but take regular breaks (every 15 mins) as your arms will tire.
Screen glare: Try and use natural light as much as possible.
Keep moving
This is very important when working at a makeshift desk, move more than usual. Aim for movement every 15-30 mins, a quick stretch, a phone call on your feet, a quick peek out the window to see what the neighbours are or aren't up to your muscles will thank you.
You’ll no doubt find that you’re generally moving a lot less too, not walking to work or to meet friends so it’s important to find new ways of building exercise into your routine.
Routine. You might have heard that word a lot over the last week, every article will tell you it’s vital and some of you might find the idea laughable at the moment but getting up at the same time each day, having a wash and getting dressed as usual (although PJ bottoms are always acceptable on Teams) might help things feel a little more like normal.
From there you can begin to think about how you might plan your ”˜working’ week which we fully appreciate will be very different and we encourage you to spend time with your family/housemates/partners to work out how you’ll manage things.
Be sure to spend time socialising online with your friends and family. Finding positive ways to communicate will help combat the anxiety that this situation creates and another way to manage this is to limit news coverage to a set point in the day/week to keep up to date but not overwhelmed.
Scheduling time for daily exercise is important and we’ll be sharing more tips and resources on that shortly but for now, I leave you with a tip from one of our resident runners if you have stairs, run up and down them for as long as feels comfortable and remember to stretch before and after!
We’ll be doing more on stretching soon with online yoga in the meantime, stay safe, stay calm and stay put!
Tell us if you are feeling isolated, anxious or concerned. We’ve got resources that can help.
Healthy Working Lives resources from the NHS Healthy Working Lives team updated regularly
Words with Friends an online interactive word puzzle you can play with friends available on Facebook or in the App Store and for Android. Challenge your colleagues for a bit of distraction!
Graduate Ncuti Gatwa photographed in London by Robert McFadzean
Rwandan-born Ncuti, who grew up in Edinburgh and Dunfermline, graduated from theBA Actingprogramme in 2013. Highlights from his studies in Glasgow include a workshop in second year with arts practitioner Anna-Helena McLean, which completely changed the way he thought about drama school. Another treasured memory wasOn the Vergefestival, where students immerse themselves in everything from acting to writing and directing, before showcasing their new and experimental work.
One of his standout experiences was playing King Charles II inVictory, by Harold Barker. “That was very special to me because it was an opportunity to play a character that I will never get to play again.”
Choosing where to study is a huge decision and upping sticks and arriving in unfamiliar surroundings can be daunting. Ncuti praises RCS for the atmosphere among students and staff.
“RCS’ approach was very personal,” he says.
“It provides you with opportunities to develop in a way that you can’t in the outside world. I felt very cared for. It was a safe space. Scotland has a thriving theatre scene and I think that being away from the mayhem of London allows you to concentrate on honing your craft.”
The training nurtured Ncuti’s love of theatre; indeed, much of his work immediately after graduating came while treading the boards at theatres across the UK including Dundee Rep, The Yard, Noël Coward Theatre and The Globe.
TV appearances followed inBob Servanton BBC Scotland andStonemouth, a mini-series based on the novel by Scottish author, Iain Banks. Then along cameSex Education, which introduced Ncuti to a global audience. Now based in London, Ncuti cherishes his time in Glasgow and insists that if he could do it all again, he would make exactly the same decision.
“Glasgow is one of the best places to live and study. The nightlife and people are wicked. The vibrancy of the city is infectious and you just have a good time. There is so much going on there and it’s a beautiful city with real character I would not have picked anywhere else.”
Follow Ncuti onInstagram.This interview first appeared in the current issue ofReview, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland magazine.RCS at Home is a new online community that aims to spread joy and combat isolation by showcasing work, ideas and conversations from students, staff and alumni. We’re sharing content across our social channels andwebsiteand we’d love to have you involved! Drop us a line at communications@rcs.ac.uk"
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string(2868) "As artists, we are defined by our need to create, connect and communicate. This is what drives and motivates us and allows us to use art to make an impact on the world.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we are no longer working together in the same studios, rehearsal rooms, concert stages”¦however our need to create and connect continues. We want to help you to share your work with the world and have put together some top tips for how to film your own recordings at home on your phone.
We hope this helps you continue to create and inspire others within the RCS online community. Please get in touch with us if you would like any help or advice, we are here to support our RCS family.
The Marketing and Communications Team
communications@rcs.ac.uk
Find a quiet space. Make sure there’s as little background noise as possible from household appliances or passing traffic.
Get a steady shot. Use a tripod or an even surface to set up your camera.
Frame. Frame your action in a way that’s pleasing to the eye, think about the composition of your shot, you can film in landscape or portrait, depending on what suits your video.
Light. Somewhere bright with natural light is ideal.
What’s behind you? Check the rest of your frame. The audience’s attention may wander if they see your laundry drying in the background.
Format. Think about how long your video is going to be, what’s interesting about it? How long would you be prepared to watch if you happened across it on social media? Rehearse what you’re going to say, keep it light and friendly.
Pets. They may be an important part of of your home office it’s fine if they wander into shot!
Don’t zoom in. On most phones, you’ll lose quality.
Communication. If there are other people in your house, let them know you’re filming. You could even pop a notice on your door to make sure you don’t have any unwanted cameo appearances. Unless you want to recreate this iconic TV moment.
Hopefully these tips will help you film some of your practice or work and keep in touch with the RCS community and the wider world. Send us your content and we’ll be happy to share on the RCS social media channels."
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string(3870) "Whilst our normal weekend plans have been put on hold thanks to the Coronavirus, there are still lots of amazing things taking place online this weekend that you can join in.
So dim the lights, put the sound up and get ready to immerse yourself in some wonderful performances all without having to step foot outside!
Bring the Paris Opera to your living room
Thanks to the Paris Opera you can watch select operas and ballets for free and all from the comfort of your home. Currently, you can watch Don Giovanni, Giselle and Les Indes galantes on the Paris Opera website with more being added in the upcoming weeks.
Visit a museum
Whilst you may not be able to physically visit a museum, you can still explore them online!
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has brought their collection online where you can take a 360° tour and have the museum to yourself. You can also explore some of Van Gogh's paintings up close - something that might appeal to the artists among us.
The Google Arts and Culture website is another brilliant resource with online exhibitions and lots more museums, galleries and theatres that you can tour.
Go to the theatre or be part of it
Going live on Sunday 29 March, the Coronavirus Theatre Club is a Twitter account that will be curating live performances. The idea is that writers send in their monologues and actors get in touch if they would like to perform and the theatre club will assign scripts to the actors - it's a win-win for everyone involved!
A great idea if you are an actor, writer or director.
Be part of a festival
The Social Distancing Festival is showcasing the work of artists who have been affected by social distancing and isolation there are livestream events happening every day.
Over the weekend, there’s theatre, comedy, spoken word, jazz and lots of cool things happening all over the world have a browse!
Our top pick is the Australian company Watch This which has put together a film featuring its costume designers and all the work that goes on behind the scenes. You can find out more about this on the Social Distancing Festival’s website.
Watch a ballet
Scottish Ballet has created a hub with behind-the-scenes footage, livestreams, health and fitness videos and featured films. For the ballet dancers in training, this is a great resource to keep you inspired.
Join in with RCS at Home
At RCS, we’ve created our own online community called RCS at Home and each week we will be bringing you music and performances from our home to yours keep an eye on our social channels and visit our website for more information. We'd love to help share your content so get in touch with us at communications@rcs.ac.uk
Have a lovely weekend!"
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string(2805) "As we attempt to adapt to the swiftly changing environment we find ourselves in, we encourage you to take time to focus on the immediate priorities in front of you, your loved ones, your communities and you.
Mindfulness is a way to focus on the now. According to Mindful, it’s the basic human ability to be present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
We thought we’d share a few resources that may be beneficial during this uncertain time:
Lee Holland is qualified in performance psychology, professional coaching and mindfulness and she’s also a musician who teaches at RCS. She has written an insightful blog post about how to bring meditation into daily life. There’s also a short six-minute breath meditation.
If you’re a musician, listen to the Music U podcast on how mindfulness is key to maximising the efficiency of practice sessions. Discover how mindful musicians obtain the skills and mental strength to not be bogged down on experiences or something that didn’t go right, as well as how to move forward, continue at full power and speed and have a successful practice session.
Twilight scene of Clyde waterfront with the Clyde Auditorium and The SSE Hydro[/caption]
RCS film students on location in Queen's Park[/caption]
Walkers admiring the stunning Scottish scenery[/caption]
This month’s archival object of the month is less of an object, and more of an event. In 1998, the International Viola Congress took place in our Renfrew Street building, then known as the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
The International Viola Society holds a congress in different countries annually, and Glasgow was favoured as the host of the twenty-sixth international meeting in memory of the Scottish violist and teacher William Primrose CBE.
Primrose was born in Glasgow in 1904, son of the eminent violinist John Primrose (an early teacher of Camillo Ritter, the son of our first professor 
It was exhibited in Belgium’s Musical Instrument Museum as part of their Sax 200 anniversary exhibition and is one of the most valuable and rarest horns in the John Webb Collection of historic musical instruments. Full technical specifications are available 
Be creative with your pricing
Where are you right now?
Manchester
Current work wear of choice?
Loose fitting shirt and jeans
How are you connecting with students for teaching?
Students are all just about to go on Easter break and were having online vocal lessons last week. We had just started rehearsing forDialogues des Carmélites, our spring opera production. We will start online language teaching in term three as all first years will know by then what productions they are in next year, so they can get a head start.
What’s on your reading list?
I’ve just finished readingWords without Music,which is Philip Glass’s memoir. I’ve worked on two of his operas, both quite different, and I enjoyed both of them a lot more than I thought I would. I’ll also be readingA Gentleman in Moscowby Amor Towles andThe Overstoryby Richard Powers. And for some lighter stuff, I’ve just ordered the first in a trilogy of crime thrillers set in Mississippi, which we visited last summer.
What are you watching/listening to online?
I’ve been going through the Martinu symphonies, there are six of them. When I used to work in Bayreuth, we often used to visit the Czech Republic, which is only an hour’s drive, and I’ve always been amazed at how such a relatively small country has such a rich cultural history, particularly in music. We’ve just finished season two ofHappy Valley, which is set within a half hour of where we live.
How long have you been at RCS and what drew you here?
Two and a half years. I loved the place as a student in addition to the whole vibe of Glasgow, particularly when the sun is shining
What do you love most about your role?
Introducing students to new music and setting them up with experts in their field who I have met and worked with. I love giving them opportunities and seeing them grow as performing artists as well as seeing their enthusiasm and self-confidence grow.
Describe a typical day?
Well, a typical day at the moment is getting up about 7am we have children but they are 23 and 20 and can fend for themselves so I’m relieved of the duty of getting them organised, at least (most of the time).
Me and my wife head off for a short walk (pictured above), our daily government-authorised piece of exercise. Although I live in North Manchester, we have quick access on foot to a clough (steep valley) which heads out to a couple of wild parks which are full of wild garlic at this time of the year, which I use to make homemade garlic mayonnaise.
We mainly join dog walkers and get childishly excited, like we did yesterday, when we spotted a woodpecker in one of the trees hammering away or a yellow wagtail hopping around in the stream. Following my Chris Packham/Jamie Oliver-inspired-hour, we have breakfast and set down to work. We have a work space that looks out on to the garden, which is full of birds gathering food and nesting materials at this time of the year. I try not to get too distracted by that.
Lots of preparation going on for the next academic year, which is exciting, and there might be online meetings to join too. Early afternoon I might head off quickly to get a bit of shopping we’re trying to be more organised about it and limit the shop trips. Then finish off work before resuming my Jamie Oliver mode and doing some cooking! Typical days at the RCS itself don’t exist. They’re all so different.
What sparked your love of the arts?
I’ve no idea to be honest. I was always in school plays, loved drama classes, was at a secondary school where there were loads of extracurricular music school orchestra, jazz band and where you were encouraged to put on ”˜events’. We also had two marvellous drama teachers whose way of teaching simply wouldn’t be allowed these days going round to their houses to write plays, often accompanied by alcoholic beverages.
I was also taken by a family friend on frequent visits to English National Opera at the London Coliseum and was distressed to find myself moved to tears on first seeingLa Boheme. I think I was about 15. I was relieved to the same degree that our seats were up in the balcony so I had sufficient time to pull myself together before reaching street level. The combination of stage and music on a good day is simply unique.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t think there’s one way of doing something.
Who influenced you?
My university tutor was a huge influence in terms of broadening my musical tastes and with the relationship that he fostered with his students. He only recently officially retired but his lectures were always bubbling with enthusiasm in a way nobody else’s were, and you were unable to resist being as enthusiastic as he was. His ability to communicate meant that whether he was talking about Schoenberg or a trip to his local corner shop, you were hooked and wanted to go to the corner shop as well as listen to Schoenberg’s collected works. We’re still in contact and he’s just the same.
Career highlights?
That’s a tough one. Very early on I was chorus master for a production of Stravinsky’sLe Rossignol, which was conducted by Pierre Boulez. I had to go and meet him in his studio at IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) in Paris to discuss the choral preparation. I got to work with two of my conducting idols from my teenage years whilst I was Associate Chorus Master at Radio France Kurt Masur and Riccardo Muti. Watching them rehearse and seeing how little they said in rehearsal but which nonetheless elicited the most amazing concerts still fascinates me (same could be said for Boulez).
In my first season at Grange Park Opera we performedFiddler on the Roofwith Bryn Terfel. That in itself was enough but that year we also took it to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall my violin teacher had always joked about seeing me there one day not something I took at all seriously. It was amazing to have got there, even if only once.
And all the work and things I heard whilst at the Bayreuth Festival. It was a very relaxed atmosphere at the time with a canteen, indoors and outdoors, where everyone mixed as equals. That year Daniel Barenboim was conductingTristan, Giuseppe SinopoliParsifaland James Levine theRing. Again three musical idols, just there.
Also at that time, Wolfgang Wagner Wagner’s grandson who hadn’t met Wagner himself but who had met his wife, Cosima was still running the whole institution and would invite all music staff, singers and creative teams over the season to his house for get-togethers.
[caption id="attachment_82075" align="aligncenter" width="713"]
Philip (in top hat) with the cast of recent RCS production Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera).[/caption]
