Student Theatre Company draws inspiration from London riots for new productions
London South Bank University's (LSBU) Student Theatre Company is inviting staff, students and the local community to come and enjoy its annual student theatre productions, this year inspired by interpretations of the Elephant and Castle area and the London riots.The LSBU Student Theatre Company - established in 2009, with the aim of giving students professional practice whilst working towards their degree - involves undergraduate LSBU students from the BA Theatre Practice and BA Drama and Performance courses.
Working to industry standards to produce full length productions, students are responsible for most aspects of production including lighting, sound, design, costumes, as well as performing.
Gill Foster, Course Director for Drama and Performance at London South Bank University, said: "For these productions students have drawn inspiration from the city they see around them and from the civic unrest of last year, which had such an impact on the people of south London.
"For students, living and working around the Elephant and Castle, images of poverty and wealth existing side by side are a daily reality and these images and experiences have been incorporated into the visual aesthetic of the productions."
The LSBU Student Theatre Company works with professional theatre directors, this year Dirty Market Theatre's Jon Lee and Moving Stories' Emma Gersch, as well as designers and technicians. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, students are provided with the opportunity to create industry links and networks in preparation for employment, helping them get one step up the career ladder whilst still studying.
Tickets cost £8 / £6 concession and can be reserved through the LSBU Student Theatre Box Office via 0207 815 5419 or fosterg@lsbu.ac.uk.
This year, the LSBU Student Theatre Company is presenting:
The Good Soul of Szechuan by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Jon Lee (artistic director of Dirty Market Theatre)
Date: 23 - 25 January at 7.00pm
Venue: Edric Theatre, Borough Road, London South Bank University SE1 0AA
The Good Soul of Szechuan (translated by David Harrower) is set in Szechuan province in China but is at heart a political comment on the corruption of western capitalism. In cruel times Shen Te is the 'tart with a heart', the only good citizen left. Struggling with the harshness of the times she meets three Gods and finds a way out of poverty when she miraculously becomes the owner of a tobacco shop. But can Shen Te's goodness survive the ruthless demands of the world of business? Her solution is nothing less than ingenious.
The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Emma Gersch (artistic director of Moving Stories)
Date: 16 - 18 January at 7.00pm
Venue: Edric Theatre, Borough Road, London South Bank University SE1 0AA
The Caucasian Chalk Circle (translated by Alistair Beaton) In a city ravaged by war a woman flees with all her possessions, leaving behind a child - her own child. A simple servant girl sacrifices everything to care for the child and protects him through harsh and dangerous times as if he were her own. Years later when the war is over the woman comes back to claim the child and a judge rules that only the test of the 'chalk circle' can determine who is the child's rightful mother. In a culture of corruption and deceit who will win?