BLOG: Nathaniel

31 January 2020 | Work Experience

Day 1

Up until the day before I wasn’t worried or even nervous about coming to Half Moon Theatre for work experience but in the morning my feelings changed a bit. I felt like it was going be out of my comfort zone, especially since I was coming here by myself. When I arrived I was given a tour of the building and told what I would be doing throughout the week.
Even though I felt welcomed, I still felt awkward so I mostly just replied with “yeah” or just nodded my head. I was given some admin work which I found fairly easy, but I guess that’s a good thing. After that I got to sit in on a script reading; it was not what I expected. It was very abstract and surreal, but it was very interesting and I enjoyed it.
The afternoon was basically the same as it was before but I felt more comfortable and started speaking a bit more… so yeah I’m not gonna lie my first day was better than I expected.

Day 2

On day two, I almost arrived late even though I live like 2 minutes away. Anyway, when I got to the office I was greeted again with warm welcomes. I was only in the office for about 10 minutes before I got to go into a casting for a play called Dust. It was not what I expected to be honest. You always see auditions portrayed as you being judged by people who don’t care if you have fun or not, but this was 100% different. Their director cared about if the people he would be casting would have a good time and made it as stress free as possible for them. I got to be a part of the selection process as well. All the actors were really talented and I think it was amazing that I got to see what it’s actually like.
After that, it was lunch time so I went to McDonalds where I saw some of my friends. We talked and caught up and in what felt like 5 minutes… I had to go back. When I got back, I went into theatre to help rig the lights for a play that would be happening the next day. That was probably the easiest part of the day, since all I had to do was hold a ladder then press some buttons, but it was still interesting. The last part of the day basically consisted of me drawing, laminating and cutting out irregular shapes to be used in a game for some teacher training! And that ladies and gentlemen was the end of day 2. (I don’t know why I said ladies and gentlemen)

Day 3

So day 3 had arrived and even though I was starting at 12, I felt more tired than I’d been the whole week. Regardless, I was ready to start my day. When I got here, I was told to continue writing my blog once again and to finish cutting out the irregular shapes which would be needed on Friday. Soon after that it was time for lunch. Since I started later than all of my friends today, I couldn’t meet any of them for lunch, so I got food, came back and spent some time online.
After that I was asked to research internet safety for teenagers and children. I found this very interesting and had a lot of fun doing it, but alas my research came to an end as it was time to join in with the Youth Theatre called Equinox. At first it was very weird seeing how the children interacted with each other since I hadn’t been in an environment like that in years…. well 4 years! At first a lot of the children were wary of each other, but after a few games and exercises they warmed up to each other quite quickly. The group were happy to be learning new things about the past (1990).
There is a boy who is really energetic and talkative, I think he might make the others feel more comfortable talking. They seem really eager to share their own ideas and contribute to the theme. After break, someone new came in and at first he seemed anxious but he quickly warmed up to Patrick, one of the access workers, and looked more comfortable being here. Although he didn’t join a group he contributed and had lots of different ideas. In 30 minutes he went from anxious kid to a kid who came out of his shell a little bit and really enjoyed himself. I think that this group is really good for building confidence from a young age. After the session, I went home.

Day 4

Day 4 arrived and it wasn’t until I arrived at the office that I realised it was the day before my last at Half Moon. When I got in, I took on the role of an usher for a play called Igloo. I did not realise it was a play meant for babies, but regardless it was very good and entertaining. I’m not entirely sure what it was about but it definitely caught my attention. After that I was told to type up my comments about Equinox and finalise my research on internet safety. Pretty soon after that it was lunch, my friends wanted me to meet them in Aldgate, it took my 30 minutes to get there, which only left me like 15 minutes to get food and eat! In the afternoon, I was asked to complete the gallery trail by looking at the art around the building to help me. I then gave feedback about this.

Day 5

SOOOOOOO today is my actual last day and again I was told to usher the show. My experience has been great; my favorite part of the week was probably sitting in on an audition. Today I’m finishing any work I haven’t and was given some books and cards to tally up for the bookshop. My time here has been so much better than I thought it would be. I just want to thank everyone at Half Moon for making feel welcomed and for making my time here great. And on that note I am going home. BYEEE

Nathaniel came to us from Bishop Challoner Boys School (Tower Hamlets), 27th – 31st January 2020

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