UKGRAD2020 launch Virtual Fringe Festival
2020 GRADUATES PREPARE FOR THEIR FIRST VIRTUAL FRINGE FESTIVAL
WITH INDUSTRY Q&A’S FROM ALICE FEARN, ANDREW WRIGHT, MICHAEL HARRIS AND
MANY MORE.
A musical theatre festival has
launched to give graduates the chance to perform and direct for some of the
most renowned names in the business to gain vital experience to help them get
into the industry.
The virtual UKGRAD2020 Fringe
Festival, which begins on Monday 29th June for two weeks, will see graduates
put on plays, lead dance classes and get involved in online Q&As sessions
with West End directors and performers.
Some of those hosting Q&A sessions
include Alice Fearn, who played the role of Elphaba in Wicked on the West End,
as well as double Olivier Award nominated choreographer Andrew Wright, who won
a What’s On Stage award for best choreography for the West End revival of Half
a Sixpence.
A cabaret event will also celebrate
black artists and writers with black graduates performing their favourite songs
and writing to help raise money for charities in support of the Black Lives
Matter Movement. Danielle Fiamanya, The Stage Debut award winner for best
Actress in a Musical 2019, is set to host the event.
Michael Harris, managing director at
Apollo Artist Management will also host a Q&A to provide graduates with
advice on getting an agent.
Representatives from 20 of the leading
drama schools, including those in the Alliance of musical theatre
conservatoires such as Arts Ed, GSA and Mountview, are also on board to help
students learn how to get into the industry.
Liam Gartland, who graduates this year
from Guildford School of Acting, set up UKGRAD2020 with help from Arts Ed
graduate Alice Croft to give budding artists the opportunity to learn from some
of the most renowned names in musical theatre.
“I wanted to create a space for
graduates to network and to give them opportunities to enjoy experiences, like
directing or teaching their own class, that they may never had the chance to do
before,” said Gartland.
“It is a chance for them to get advice
from all areas of the industry, from leading performers, casting directors and
agents, especially as the current pandemic means that graduates are struggling
to get exposure at a crucial stage of their career.”
Croft, who is UKGRAD2020’s artistic
director, will also oversee a selection of plays which will have rehearsed
readings and live virtual performances. Stage Management graduates will also
design sets and costumes to show what they could have looked like had they been
performed live in a venue.
Graduates will also perform in other
live cabarets, singing up to four of their favourite musical theatre songs.
All of the sessions and performances
will be held on Instagram Live and Zoom and later uploaded to all of the
UKGRAD2020 pages.
To be a part of the festival, head
over GradFringeFestival on Instagram, GradFringeFest on Twitter or email gradfringefestival@hotmail.com.
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