Today was Day 1 for our brand new students, and it was pretty full-on. We met at the Everyman, meeting Louise Partridge, Head of Education and Community at the theatre, who talked us through the huge amount of exciting things in store over the next few weeks. One of the best things about Stagedoor is that our setup can cater for the specific interests of the students enrolled on the course. Interested in costume? Then help out with wardrobe for the Everyman’s annual panto, maybe even getting the chance to be a dresser during the production. Interested in musical theatre? Come along and see shows, then meet the cast to ask about training, rehearsals and the life of a touring actor. Want to be a producer? You will learn from the best when Everyman Chief Executive Mark Goucher runs a workshop about putting on West End shows.

After working our way through the rabbit warren of backstage staircases (and there are LOADS of them) finding out about essential Health & Safety issues like fire escape routes and what to do in case of accident or injury, we were treated to a proper theatre tour by Caro Day, another of the Education and Community team. The Everyman really is a beautiful theatre, designed by Frank Matcham and originally opened in 1891. Two major refurbishments have ensured that the Everyman can not only cater for modern shows and audiences, but that it retains its Victorian grandeur and beauty. We were able to take in the view from the stalls, the circle, the Royal Box, the orchestra pit and the stage itself, and also visited wardrobe and the workshop, where preparations are under way for this year’s pantomime.

This afternoon, we made our way to Stagedoor’s rehearsal rooms, for a slower-paced workshop on Greek Theatre, which culminated in fantastic, energetic performance of Oedipus Rex, complete with Greek Chorus.

It’s fair to say that we made a pretty good start!