First year BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen students to perform ‘Blank’ by Alison Birch at The Northern School of Art Theatre!
Our BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen first year students are getting ready for their first production of the year. They will be performing ‘Blank’ by Alice Birch at The Northern School of Art Theatre on the Thursday 16th January and Friday 17th January 2025! The play looks at serious themes showcasing a collection of scenes that investigate’s the different aspects and impacts of the criminal justice system on women. The production features music, dance and movement to tell the various stories in different ways.
Jonny Bussell, Senior Lecturer for Acting, said “The play is a great opportunity for our first years to all come together to present a piece as an ensemble. They have worked incredibly hard over their first term with us and this is their chance to showcase the skills they have developed.”
First year student Theo Flynn, 19 from Redcar, discussed his role in the play commenting: “My part in Blank follows a foster care kid and their journey from starting their placement in foster care, meeting their roommate and dealing with not having their mum around and eventually finding a semi-permanent place on a farm giving my character a happy ending.”
Fellow student Anya Siou, 19 from Chester-le-Street, plays a character that is “deeply affected by her mother being arrested” she continued “through the play, we see her pushing away those around her including her father, her sister, and her mother. We watch her grow up through the performance, her character changing throughout.”
Discussing how she has found her experience studying on the acting degree programme Anya reflected; ‘I’ve enjoyed the collaboration between myself and my classmates. Working with so many talented actors has been incredible. I’ve also enjoyed being pushed out of my comfort zone in an encouraging environment; a place where I feel comfortable to try something new without judgement.’ Theo added that ‘I’ve most enjoyed getting to meet people with the same passion for acting as me and getting to explore different styles that I haven’t had the opportunity to do before and overall I’m just grateful to get to do this course with some amazing people and tutors who love doing this as much as we do.’
This first play of the season is an example of the collaborative nature of our stage & screen faculty which designs projects to challenge and include the specialist skills of each course to mirror the experience of working on live productions in the Stage & Screen industry. This production will be supported by technical students from our Film, TV & Theatre Production programme.
The show is Pay What You Decide so you don’t pay anything until after you have seen the show. Please note the production does include use of profanity, scenes of abuse, violence and child neglect that some people may find upsetting 15+. Book your ticket here.
