News

New facilities for East 15's budding actors

A new £1.3 million building at the University's acting school, East 15, means students will now be able to study technical theatre subjects as well as acting.

The facilities at Roding House include six new rehearsal studios as well as workshop facilities for sets, props, wardrobe and other technical support. The school will offer a degree in technical theatre subjects as of September 2004. In addition there is a screening room, computer room and green room.

Roding House was opened by Ann Mitchell, a former East 15 student and current nominee for the Olivier Award for her performance in Through The Leaves in the West End last year.

Directors including the acclaimed Alison Steadman, Ché Walker, Crispin Bonham-Carter and Dawn Walton have already started rehearsals within the new building, working on new productions with E15 graduates of 2004.

Roding House celebrates the roots of the school, with studios named after major personalities from the past whose inspiration gave birth to Joan Littlewood’s famed Theatre Workshop, which later became East 15. The largest rehearsal studio is named in honour of Joan Littlewood herself, with others named after Ewan McColl, Brendan Behan, Gerry Raffles, Rudolph Laban, and John Bury, one of Britain's most influential theatre designers.

The new building will also provide a permanent home for a collection of drawings by British artist Ewart Johns which depict East 15 students from the 1980s rehearsing.

John Baraldi, Director of East 15, said: 'At the moment East 15 is on a real high. Having recruited both excellent students and excellent staff, the physical facilities to support the work are also improving. It is a great time to be at East 15, and we are looking forward to the future with confidence. With a fantastic team of talent lending their skills to the students, the productions and graduates get stronger and stronger each year. This new building helps us celebrate our past as well as preparing us for the future.'

Snow covered campus

During the recent heavy snow showers, which caused gridlock in Colchester and much of the region, the Estates Management section undertook the enormous task of keeping the entire campus safe for staff, students and visitors.

With Grounds staff starting at 6.30 each morning, roads, pathways and car parks on campus, including Avon Way and University Quays, were gritted in anticipation of heavy snow fall. A prioritisation system meant that main access roads, car parks, fire access roads, precinct areas and squares, and the North Towers causeway were gritted first using a combination of rock salt, white salt and ice melt. Four tractors were used to assist in the gritting although the nature of the University's grounds, with numerous pathways weaving across campus, meant that much had to be done by hand.

 

Paul Hance, Grounds Manager explained the up-hill struggle faced by his team: 'We were unfortunate in that on Wednesday 28 January, we ensured that the morning's snow was cleared from roads, car parks and paths, but the grit used was subsequently washed away by a downpour of rain late that afternoon. The following heavy snowfall and overnight temperatures of -5C caused extensive ice compaction and our earlier precautions went to waste meaning we had to start all over again first thing Thursday morning!'

However, even with the weather against them, the team responsible are confident that all was done that could be done. There were just a few minor incidents to report as most staff and students heeded advice from the section to wear suitable footwear and tread carefully on icy patches.

Winter scenes around campus.
Photographed by Terry Felgate

New scheme to train teachers

The University's Department of Mathematical Sciences is offering its students the chance to gain valuable experience of teaching in schools thanks to a new scheme being run in collaboration with the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The Student Associates Scheme is a three year national programme funded by the Teacher Training Agency. Through education departments, it gives university students, who are interested in pursuing a career within teaching, the opportunity to work alongside teachers in schools.

UEA's School of Education and Professional Development is offering its student teachers placements in schools across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and have opened up a limited number of places for mathematics students from Essex. To take part in the scheme, students must commit to either a regular day or half day per week during school term time, a block of at least 10 days undertaken outside university terms, or a combination of the two.

Representatives from the Scheme will be visiting Mathematical Sciences on 10 March to hold an Open Session for students interested in joining the scheme.

If you are interested in finding out more about the scheme you can contact Alex Cole or Julia Musson at UEA on 01603 591434 or e-mail edu.studentassiciatesscheme@uea.ac.uk. Details are also available on the internet: www.uea.ac.uk/edu/studentassociates.

Also in the printed February edition of Wyvern:

• Around Essex
• Lecture by top family law judge
• Seattle conference examines Darwinian evolution in computers