In July 2024, we welcomed pupils from St Birinus School, Didcot, Marlborough C of E School, Oxford High School, and Futures institute, Banbury for a week of work experience. The students were very interested in all aspects of arts and the theatre and their enthusiasm really showed! Here are the diaries they kept during their time here:
8 – 12 July 2024
Daniel/St Birinus School Didcot
I did my work experience placement at The North Wall Theatre, Oxford. It was an amazing experience that I really enjoyed, I was never bored and meeting all the incredible people was truly amazing. I was initially drawn to The North Wall, because of a show I had seen here in December 2023. I had always been interested in working around theatre, so I was very pleased to hear that I got granted a work experience placement here. On my first day, I was given a tour, an induction, and was introduced to several different staff members that manage different aspects surrounding the North Wall. I found it extremely interesting / intriguing to see how a theatre is run, and all the little details needed by every staff member to make sure it runs smoothly. The staff members were also all really kind and helpful. Additionally, we also were able to pick a project to work on throughout the week, eventually being able to present it on our final day. It was an incredible first day, and a really warm welcome to the North Wall. On the second day, we took part in an exciting walkthrough of the gallery The North Wall has, and even got to meet the artist behind all the incredible pictures on display in the current showcase. We were also able to meet more of the amazing members of staff, and helped decorate props for the youth shows that were taking place later on in the week. On Wednesday, we observed 2 tech rehearsals from 2 youth groups that work with the North Wall. It was very interesting to observe how the lighting and sound is done effectively, to put on the best possible performances. On Thursday, we worked some more on our projects, which I was really enjoying developing. Then, from 6pm, we were assigned to working as Front Of House for the show in the evening, Milton Jones. We welcomed people in to the theatre, and were able to scan their tickets as well. I found it very fun and engaging, and we got to sit in on the performance, which was extremely good, and had me in bits. On our final day, we tidied up our projects, and presented them. I found it really fun presenting it, as well as gathering all the information needed for the project. It was also very interesting to hear everybody else’s projects, as they were all absolutely amazing. To conclude, my work experience placement at The North Wall was extremely fun and engaging. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and get a sense of how a theatre is run. Everybody I met here was very welcoming and willing to help, and they made the experience really engaging and fun. I would absolutely recommend visiting The North Wall, and if you are able to, I would definitely take part in work experience here!
Jacob/Futures Institute, Banbury
Being a student from a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) School who also happens to love theatre, undertaking work experience at The North Wall has been an incredible experience, and I really appreciate the fact that it’s given me the opportunity to explore and utilise skills that I wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to in my usual environment. Each day felt totally different and exciting, and really gave me a good window into what it would be like to work in the arts. Throughout the week, we got to enjoy an art exhibition, prepare props for a show, and experience tech rehearsals for 2 upcoming plays, which would have made for a fulfilling work experience week on its own – but on top of all of that, we were lucky enough to spend our penultimate evening working front of house for and subsequently watching a brand-new comedy show by Milton Jones!
In between our various escapades, we were each given options for a piece of creative project work that we got to present on our last day, which I thoroughly enjoyed. All of the staff members were great and I would strongly recommend The North Wall as work experience to anybody who enjoys art or drama.
Malvika/Oxford High School
My work experience placement at The North Wall has been really enjoyable – I’ve learnt a lot about what goes into running an arts centre, especially about the side that isn’t always visible when watching a show. Throughout the week, we had an opportunity to create a project – either a workshop to help Year 6 pupils move to Year 7 or creating a community event for North Oxford. I chose to create a market, which helped me learn lots about budgeting, project planning and scheduling – while being a much more fun task than it sounds! We met with lots of people in different roles within the arts centre and learnt about everything that goes into making shows happen – the staff were all really friendly and eager to tell us about what their jobs were like. In addition to these activities, we got to be closely involved with the shows going on at the North Wall as well – I made props, helped with the lighting tech and worked Front of House (and we watched a comedy show as well!) We also got to take part in a workshop by Helen Edwards, whose artwork is currently being shown at the North Wall, where she told us all about her work for nature and water conservation reflected through her art, as well as her creative involvement with the local community. I think this has been a really beneficial experience as I now know a lot more about all the diverse range of jobs at creative workplaces like the North Wall and that there are so many more opportunities to be involved with the arts in such different ways than what I had previously thought.
Ben/Marlborough C of E School
I always wanted to do my work experience in theatre and the arts, and contacted The North Wall very early on. I assumed I would be working mostly in admin or front of house roles as in my previous work experience. However, I was really happy to be let into the creative side of things as much as the logistics. I helped build props, run tech rehearsals, scan tickets, usher guests and a variety of other little tasks that really helped me see into the working life of theatre. I also was able to attend some more leisurely activities, attending a talk by the current exhibitions artist in the gallery and seeing a performance while acting as an usher. Therefore, I found the experience really enjoyable as a whole, as well as being informative and interesting as someone intrigued in the inner workings of a theatre and company. It really felt as though the tasks were crafted and selected carefully and considerately for us, instead of just being thrown into jobs for the sake of it. This was also evident in the safety measures and policies in place for us.
I feel I have learnt a lot about the behind the scenes of a theatre, especially in terms of production management and maintenance. At the start of the week, in the offices, we received talks from most of the staff, each introducing themselves and explaining their roles in great depth. As someone who is normally more involved in the on-stage part of a production, this was really interesting as it revealed a whole other dimension of the process of putting on a show. I also felt that I was being challenged at times, which was great as often work experience can just feel like work observation as though you’re put in a corner and told not to touch anything. The North Wall actually let us get hands on with lots of the tech and work around the theatre, which is what I was actually there to do! I wrote an entire project for the staff on a piece I’d created for the festival of light, which was then appraised and critiqued by my overseer, helping me to learn how to present ideas, as well as show me any element of logistics I may have missed (a bit of a reality check). My favourite task was probably working in the tech rehearsals for the youth company. As a part of the stage crew, I got to mark set pieces, build and arrange props, cue sound and design a backdrop. Watching this all come together at the end of the day for their performance was really enjoyable, especially when I saw how excited they all were at performing on their new set!
Working at The North Wall was an experience that I’m incredibly grateful for and has done nothing but confirm my love for theatre!
