1. Katie Ravenscroft Sarah Thewles Fflur Edwards Kirsty Nicol Dragon’s Den Winter Tream 2008

4. An appropriate choice for a concert hall, Fame the musical was brought to life through Nottingham Trent University’s own dance troupe. With the space initially being design for concerts and musical performances, the location was ideal to host an all singing, all dancing production. Taking advantage of the complex lighting and sound system, the musical was performed and received successfully, even though at times the play was less than professional, the audience were able to see past the mediocre acting and singing and enjoy it for what it was, light fun entertainment. Due to the play’s storyline, and the fact most of the audience will have seen the film adaptation meant they could join in and sing along to the songs, by allowing audience participation it made the production more appealing to a wider range of audience because it felt like you were apart of it. With a seating capacity of 2,499 the space felt more overwhelming than intimate, and occasionally detracted from the action on stage due to the shear size and volume of the place, but allowed for a larger audience. The fact the seats were air conditioned didn’t help, it reinforced the lack of intimacy, making the venue cold and un-welcoming however in the summer this facility I imagine would be welcomed.

5. The stage also felt too small, often the dancers were cramped up in corners to allow space for the main scenes to take place, sometimes throwing the dance routines into disarray. However the venue has its own orchestra meaning the songs were performed to live music instead of a backing track, this added to the general atmosphere and help create a sense that you really are there and part of the performance. To enhance this performance the stage could be brought further out allowing the actors more room to perform. Bringing the action closer to the audience would give them better vantage points, and would allow for more involvement. I felt the venue was so big that some of the seating was too distant from the stage, leaving some of the audience members isolated from the action, one way to deal with this problem is to limit the number of seats, this however would severely cut the producing house profit but in-turn would ensure that all audience members are able to see the performance clearly and avoid them peering precariously over the edge of the tiers. Another way to enhance the performance would be to use the set to its fullest, only occasionally were the set pieces and props used, most of the action took place on the small space that remained on the floor beneath, again making it difficult for some of the audience members to see the action, and for the dancers to really show off their talents.

6. Another way to enhance the performance would be to use the set to its fullest, only occasionally were the set pieces and props used, most of the action took place on the small space that remained on the floor beneath, again making it difficult for some of the audience members to see the action, and for the dancers to really show off their talents. The final way to enhance this performance would to be use a professional dance troupe, instead of amateur, at times the play was lacking real spark and it was hard to identify with characters when the acting was poor and unbelievable, also the dance routines were sloppy and out of time, this could have been due lack of rehearsals in the given space, but then rehearsal time should have been schedule to ensure the success of the performance.

7. Aptly named ‘The Y Theatre’, Leicester’s YMCA’s performance of ‘Night train’ was thoughtful, provocative and heart warming. Based on true events ‘night train’ was strongly performed using clever lighting and the given space to its full potential. The Y theatre is small but intimate, with an instantly inviting feeling, painted red with white and gold embossing it draws the eye to the relatively large stage. The choice of play couldn’t be better for the producing house, being based on social care, and troubled kids who are down and out, the play focuses on the very people who stereotypically use local YMCA’S. Because the theatre is within the YMCA it adds a whole new experience, the place keeps on running regardless meaning there are streams of people in and out, in- turn this gives the audience both the experience of going to the theatre as well the experience of being in a working atmosphere. Using minimalist set pieces which could be used as numerous objects the props didn’t detract the audiences attention away from the action, leaving them to focus on the narrative and storylines, helping get the intended issues of the production across. The play was well acted and received well by the crowd, being performed in a proscenium meant all the action could be clearly seen, a problem the other venue struggled with, however the seats were not raised causing the audience

8. at the back to peer over peoples heads, they also did not utilize the tier above, a considerable amount more could have watched the show if this had been open and therefore the producing house would have received an in take of profit. The productions aim was to get awareness of issues young people face, such as teen pregnancy, self harm, and statutory rape, therefore the audience was mainly students from secondary schools on educational trips, however it was also aimed at adults because they too need to be aware of these problems.

10. Analysis This can be achieved quite easily in the theatre, where it can not be achieved elsewhere for example a film does not relate directly to the cinema it will be shown in. A theatre piece is so much more intimate and involving than a filmic piece. Seeing a live piece involves the audience much more, you go to the theatre as much for the experience as to watch the piece.