2009 News
- News Archive
Drama Department Teams up with the National Trust
The Drama department at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, is teaming up with the National Trust at Ham House in a yearlong partnership.
Twenty four third year Drama in the Community students will spend the year as a resident company at the house, exploring the relationship between drama and heritage whilst producing a range of community events and performances to take place in the house and grounds.
Ham is the amongst the most perfect examples of Jacobean architecture in the country and alongside its role as a much loved tourist attraction it is in constant demand as a location for film and documentary maker; it featured most recently in the BBC’s highly acclaimed Little Dorrit.
Under the expert supervision of the house’s staff, the University College students will develop an intimate understanding of how a historic house operates throughout the year, leading up to the 400th anniversary celebrations in 2010.
Master classes have already been planned to train the students to be tour guides as well as receiving training in a number of key areas including working on a film set, conservation, location management, education programming and even horticulture.
The work builds on an informal arrangement that St Mary’s have had with the house over the last two years, when students have performed site-specific work and hosted open days for the house’s many visitors.
Mark Griffin, Programme Director of Drama and Applied Theatre at St Mary's, said today: “We’ve been looking at making Drama at St Mary’s University College a creative centre and it’s this kind of imaginative project that goes well beyond the bounds of most Drama degrees."
"We hope it will give our students a real creative edge when they leave here and begin to make a mark for themselves in the workplace. It’s clear that a breadth of knowledge and a flair for project work are skills that most employers place at the top of their criteria for graduates.”
He added: “To begin with we expect students to really immerse themselves in the life of the house, learning about the complexities of running a heritage site, but by the end of the year we’re hopeful they’ll be contributing new, original and exciting initiatives inspired by the beautiful surroundings and work of the Trust.”
