Over 6 weeks, as part of a B-Experienced Internship from the University of Birmingham, Maya worked alongside the team on Please Do Not Touch. In this blog, she reflects on her time and what she has learnt working as a Producing Assistant.
My name is Maya, and I’ve just completed 20 days with China Plate as a Producing Assistant for the University of Birmingham, B-Experienced Internship! This experience has been a brilliant first stepping stone into the arts industry. I joined the team working on Please Do Not Touch, and my role has been a mixture of administration, production and social media content creation.
I’ve always loved the theatre, and so was really excited to see how a production came together behind the scenes. I’ve been able to gain an insight into many different areas of production, including finance and social media, and have been lucky enough to witness many theatre professionals at work, in areas ranging from directing to sound designing. My internship focused on supporting the production team on Please Do Not Touch – a China Plate and Belgrade Theatre co-production. The show covers important themes such as contested heritage and the criminal justice system, weaving them into an incredible, thought-provoking performance.
© Nicola Young Photography
As part of my social media role, I did an Instagram takeover on the Belgrade’s stories, as well as created a ‘Day in the Life at Rehearsals’ reel, where I gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the rehearsal space and interviewed Tijan, the actor on the show. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to begin to build skills in content creation, such as filming and editing, which will be a great addition to my skills toolkit for any future career. As well as this, I completed administration tasks such as booking accommodation, sending out emails and helping with budgeting work, all of which have contributed hugely to my skillset.
One of my favourite moments of the internship was watching the final dress rehearsal before the first performance. I was present at the first table read, witnessed the weeks of rehearsals and then saw it all come together. It was incredible to see the all the work the team had put in being realised on the stage. I’d been able to see the process of directing during rehearsals: blocking out scenes, running lines, movement coaching…but this was the first time I’d seen the show with the soundscape and lighting – it was amazing to see and really brought the show to life.
© Nicola Young Photography
Throughout my internship, I’ve been lucky enough to meet many wonderful people in the China Plate and Belgrade communities and have been supported at every stage during this journey. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and can’t wait to take the skills I’ve learned into my future career.
Thank you China Plate!