ALRA North

ALRA Short Film Script Competition

ALRA produces high-quality, professional films with their 3^rd year and Post Graduate actors, each year (see http://www.alra.co.uk/index.php/Productions/screen.html).We use industry professionals, who, in the past have consisted of BBC Director, John Dower, BBC Director and Producer, Peter Cregeen, and Rolie Luker- cameraman ‘The Bill’, ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’

This year, we are holding ALRA’s first Short Film Script Competition. We are looking for new, innovative writers to submit ten minute film scripts. All shortlisted films will be judged by a panel of experts – including professional screen writer, Brian Fillis and the TV director, Andy Hay.

The winners will get their film made by a professional director supported by a technical team. The finished films will be screened at a public viewing in a cinema in London and the North West. It will be streamed on the ALRA website and writers will receive a copy on DVD.

Deadline for submission of scripts is 1 May 2012

Winning scripts will be announced on 1 July 2012.

Submit scripts to scripts@alra.co.uk

Please make sure your name and contact details are on the front page.

Brief

Scripts must be –

10 minutes in length
Have at least 6 or 7 main characters (you can use more as secondary characters, walk-ons etc)
3 of the characters, at least, must be female.

Subject matters you must choose from –

Rehabilitation
Speed dating
Bereavement
Relationship break up
Alcoholism
New term

Scripts can be any genre

Important things to think about-

Society

You will be writing for actors who are between the ages of 20 and 30 – therefore you will need to think of a society in which people of this age exist together realistically. On film you cannot have a young actor playing an older character. It is also unsatisfactory to just say that the characters are young – eg – a scene set in at GP – will look odd if the patient, receptionist and doctor are all the same age.

Locations

ALRA has access to a variety of locations – warehouse, office, cafe, open space, house/flat interiors. We cannot cope with too many locations in one script – or specialist locations.

Posted 3 months ago

Yellow Academy is back!

Yellow Academy 2012

Yellow Academy is back and this time it’s bigger!

Yellow Academy is a FREE intensive 2 week performance course led by theatre professionals.

Are you a young British East Asian* (16+) who has always wanted to perform or write but never been to drama school? Considering a career in theatre, film and television? Then read on. Yellow Academy is for you.

You will work with Kumiko Mendl, Artistic Director of Yellow Earth, to create and rehearse an exciting piece of site specific theatre. Classes in voice, movement, combat and acting for camera will be provided and you’ll get support from drama tutors. The performance will be presented on the final evening in and around the extraordinary gothic Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, the Academy of Live and Recorded Art’s London home.

This year we are also looking for two new writers who will work with Clive Duncan, Co-Director of ALRA, to learn the basics of script writing and then develop the work devised by the acting students into a script.

The course will be held in London for 2 weeks 16 – 26 July.

Past Yellow Academy students are welcome to apply.

If you are interested in applying to join as an actor or as a writer –

Click here to download the application form

We will be holding two workshop auditions for actors

London – at ALRA South, Saturday 28^th April 2- 5pm

Manchester – at Zion Arts, Saturday 19^th May 2 – 5pm

Interviews with writers will be arranged individually.

But hurry. There are only 16 places on the course so it’s highly competitive.

If you are successful, we will then offer you a place on the Yellow Academy 2012 course which will be in London.

For more information about last year’s course and to view a short film about the project, click here.

Apply now for this great opportunity!

Yellow Academy is presented by Yellow Earth & the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts

*British East Asian descent includes: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and their Diasporas.

Posted 3 months ago

Candide

About the Show

By Voltair, adapted by Scott Hunter

Directed by Roman Stefanski

When the ever optimistic Candide is thrown from his privileged home, disgraced for kissing the salacious Cunegonde, his true love (and step-sister!), he begins a hectic romp around the world with his trusty servant searching for Enlightenment. But things go from bad to worse and back again as Candide is shaken by an earthquake, terrorised by torturers and cornered by cannibals.

To view all the images from the show please access the ALRA website

Posted 3 months ago

Dance and Drama Awards Funding News – January 2012

The Department for Education has been working with colleagues in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) and Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) to consider a long term solution to providing support for the most talented young people and adults to access specialist dance and drama provision in the UK.

In December 2011, the departments concerned reported that they need further time to consider the options, and that they have therefore decided to postpone the implementation of the new arrangements to commence in September 2013 rather than September 2012 as was anticipated.

The DaDA scheme will therefore be supported for a further, final transitional year in, 2012/13. This means that students showing exceptional talent during the autumn 2011 audition period and who start courses in September 2012 will continue to be offered awards under the DaDA scheme, and will be funded to the end of their courses.

Posted 4 months ago

ALRA On The Road

ALRA has a spring in its step this Spring, as we head out on the road. As well as our year-round Outreach visits to schools and colleges, we’re also heading to Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester to audition. These cross-country auditions can save a small fortune in travel bills for our prospective students.

Bristol: Bristol Old Vic, Sunday 12 February 2012
Manchester: Royal Exchange Theatre, Saturday 18 February 2012
Edinburgh: Traverse Theatre, Saturday 3 March 2012

Fill in our online application, and select your preferred location as you apply.

We’re also taking two full productions on tour to schools and colleges. Candide will tour from the 7 – 10 February 2012, and Welcome to Thebes will tour from 7 – 9 March 2012. Both shows are brought free of charge. To find out more, email asmith@alra.co.uk.

Posted 4 months ago

Denise Gough at the Bush Theatre

ALRA Graduate Denise Gough takes the role of Annie in the Bush Theatre’s new production ‘Our New Girl’. The Bush has just won ‘London Theatre of the Year’ in the Stage 100 Awards. This year marks the Bush Theatre’s 40^th Anniversary, and its first season in a newly refurbished theatre.

Denise’s theatre work includes Ahasverus (RSC), Six Characters in Search of an Author (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End) and Jesus Hopped the A Train (Trafalgar Studios). For more information and tickets to ‘Our New Girl’, click here.

Posted 4 months ago

2 notes

Michael Gould stars opposite Michael Sheen in Hamlet

ALRA Graduate Michael Gould plays Polonius in the Young Vic’s production of Hamlet.

Michael Sheen takes the title role in this hotly anticipated production.

‘Michael Gould’s excellent Polonius’ – The Independent (to read the full review, click here)

Michael has worked at the top level of British theatre for years, performing with the RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Court. Michael works regularly at the National Theatre, most recently in Greenland earlier this year. He has been directed by Britain’s most acclaimed directors: Adrian Noble, Rupert Goold, Katie Mitchell and Kathryn Hunter amongst them.

Michael has also worked regularly in film and TV, and plays Mr Monks in the eagerly awaited feature film adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful.’

Posted 4 months ago

Student Video Journal - Part 1

Please spend a couple of minutes watching the first part in a series of video journal interviews with Lydea Perkins. Lydea is a 2nd year student currently studying at ALRA South.