Making no value judgements here, but sometimes the range of subjects we cover at Stagestruck is rather extraordinary. In the same week, here’s a still from the Holocaust Memorial Day event at #8 Northumberland Avenue…
… and here’s Alex Jennings of giving us his rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me a River at Rexam plc’s Leadership Conference in Coral Springs, Miami…
And already, we’re thinking about the next project…
A new take on an old concept – the apprentice, but in the real world.
A radical idea from social working daughter, Leah, is taking shape. Leah has worked for several years in Hackney in the world of child protection – but has also lived with Stagestruck all her life. She saw a great opportunity for event companies to live up to their claims of corporate social responsibility by providing a wide range of different training opportunities to a group of people who are traditionally excluded from employment opportunities – often ex or young offenders with a bit of a chequered past.
And of course this industry is a rag bag mix of people from every walk of life and with an enormous range of experience from theatre to rock and roll, from corporate to hospitality and all the event styles that fit in between.
We thought about the range of skills too, that go into making up any event.
Set building; working with technology; in project management; climbing(rigging); in logistics; 2D design; 3D design; new media; driving; paint and finishing; lifting heavy things without damaging them, yourself or the venue (yes that is a major skill in this industry); catering; admin; video production; music production – the list is extensive.
So from this small seed of an idea has come a new initiative. We at Stagestruck approached a not for profit organisation already working inside prisons on media based skill courses – Two or three meetings with Media for Development and the energy of MfD’s chief, James Greenshields, means that the idea is up and running.
The breaking news is that the Sainsbury’s Trust has approved a grant to set up the scheme of 150K – this is spectacular news for us. Don’t have any idea how long it will be before we are taking in our first apprentice, but we already have some important partners in place – Media For Development (who also have a video production company called Inside Job) – Open Book at Goldsmith’s College – Careers Development Group and Stagestruck of course.
If any other company whether a specialist in one event service field, or an agency or a caterer, is interested in getting involved or knowing more about the proposal I would love to hear from you…it is still an idea, but now it is an idea with some clout and funding behind it. Thank you to James for making this happen.
As this is the first time I have mentioned the scheme to Stagestruckers I’ll be interested to see how the idea goes down!
Once upon a time, according to several Hollywood movies viewed by your fearless correspondent, ‘Raising the Barn’ was a process that involved several hundred bearded fundamentalist Baptists and ladies in long frocks serving sarsasparilla.
Times have changed, it seems. Here at Stagestruck, all you need to raise a barn is a big crane, a cherry picker, and a burly bloke armed with a couple of spanners. It’s less romantic, but it don’t half chuck up a building quick…
So, here I am, five days into my new role and so far probably
averaging remembering one person’s name a day. Not a great record as I already
knew several of them before I started. Note to self – improve memory!
Other than that, it’s been refreshing, challenging, exciting and
lots of other positive superlatives. I mean, really – what’s not to like?
Converted farm buildings in the midst of the Herts countryside, staffed by a
diverse and interesting group of clever people and a fridge full of cheese.
Brilliant!
It’s comforting to know though that these universal ‘Events’
truths exist as strongly here as anywhere….1) That client’s will always want
early/late meetings, even in your first week of a new job 2) that registration
websites are always hard work to set up no matter how many times you’ve done it
before and 3) by Wednesday the tech & set boys have scoffed all the
aforementioned cheese. Makes me feel at home!
My only possible complaint, is that in preparation for my new
countryside existence I purchased my first ever pair of Hunter wellies – but
the weather so far has been (almost) summer like. So I had to find another way
to wear them….
Don’t panic though – this is not a
work outfit, I promise to leave the head scarf and sunnies off in the office!
The theatre is always one of those extra curricular activities that I strive to do more of. I start each year with a list of productions I’m adamant I’ll get to see and then find myself reaching November having only achieved a meagre tally of two visits and wondering where it all went wrong.
Alas it’s nearly that time of year again and I’ve only achieved my usual record, one of which was spent with a scarf over my head asking if it was over yet (it was ‘Ghost Stories’ and I don’t care what anyone else says, it was scary!) The second performance of the year was rather more enjoyable, I took a trip to the Globe to see ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’
The weather was perfect – not so hot as to be sweltering and not too cold outside in the open air. It was a joy to return to this magnificent venue as a grown up, ie not bored and wearing a school uniform. The cast were magnificent with truly watchable performances from Eve Best and Charles Edwards who played the bickering lovers Beatrice and Benedick.
The stage set was kept simple with the use of strategically placed pools of water and a set consisting of pillars transformed into fruit laden orange trees. In a world where we are constantly turning to the next best technological gadget it was wonderful to see how simplicity could reign on Shakespeare’s great stage.
Four new members of the family, in their special Paul Tustian designed house and having tea…of acorns and nuts with the odd apple and pear thrown in. Coffee Paul, set chief at Stagestruck designed the house and it was delivered by 6 Stagestruckers only a few weeks ago, it was that light. Thank you to all involved in the big move….we have some very happy pigs.
Glorious pork pieces will be available just before Christmas…..get those orders in now!
Hoorah! The diggers are back on site laying the foundations for an extension to the set department AND to refurb some of our studio spaces. We’ll be up to full strength by the end of the year in terms of useable office and studio space…only thing left is the pig sty, and we have the new tenants for that at home.
The Get In may be long, over a drawbridge and down into the depths of a slightly damp cave…..but with views like this from our hotel who’s complaining.
In its 21st year this customer event for our longest standing client is the most looked forward to and I’m delighted to say it’s in the diary again for 2012….
And the moules frites at Paul’s, washed quietly down with a glass of his very own Banana rum is not to be taken lightly. Thank you Paul.
…but we’ve been busy, so we have. Once upon a time, summer was when the events industry kicked back and relaxed. Doesn’t seem to work like that any more, so this poor blog has been sadly neglected.
Of course all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And we DID write a bit of kicking and relaxing into our hectic schedule. Including a nautical day out on the Cam which ended up with some bizarre games at Grantchester Meadows.
I suspect there will be more of this sort of thing coming to the blog, but I thought I’d kick off the Summer Party Magic Moments with a picture of a company Director holding a big blue ball in his lap…
You get the idea, I’m sure…
What do you say if on the Tuesday you get to see Li’l Band o’ Gold, Swamp Pop Super Group from Louisiana, at the Shepherds Bush Empire
and then the very next night, Nick Lowe at the Festival Hall. Wow is all…and a big thank you to Nick Lowe’s FOH sound engineer, and our very own IT guru, Neil Brockbank, for the seats.
