Over 2 weeks, as part of a placement from the University of Warwick, Aimee worked closely alongside our Training & Development Producer Kristina, as well as supporting the team on Talking About The Fire. In this blog, she reflects on her time and what she has learnt working as a Producing Assistant.
My name is Aimee, and I recently completed a placement with China Plate, as part of a module for my Theatre and Performance studies BA at the University of Warwick.
I was ecstatic when I reached out to China Plate, as I have been following their work whilst at university, and I was very grateful to work with the team. I gained lots of experience as a Producing Assistant, helping with both The Optimists and Chris Thorpe’s show which is currently on tour: Talking About the Fire.
I started by researching tour locations and potential contacts for marketing, whilst also searching and booking accommodation for the Talking About The Fire tour. I put this into a pack with directions and local amenities, alongside researching local amenities for international venues. This helped me to become familiar with the process of producing touring theatre.
Talking About The Fire
Alongside this work, I also created some promotional content for The Optimists. I became familiar with Training & Development organisations and China Plate’s People-Focused Producing programme. Alongside posts, I wrote scripts and videoed content with the team, which I really enjoyed. I also learnt a lot about the aims and outcomes of what Training & Development should achieve, and the importance of investing in new and upcoming producers. I also researched potential advertising opportunities for the course.
The highlight from my time with China Plate would have been the opportunity to attend the TRASH/finesse showing in London. This was my first experience of a sharing, and it was amazing to see the development process of a piece of work. The work was spectacular and being able to chat to members of the team like writer Urielle Klein-Mekongo and director Gail Babb was fantastic.
Another part of my placement that was incredibly helpful was the opportunity to meet with members of the China Plate team. I learnt a lot about Training & Development with Kristina, and the importance of supporting documents when applying for funding. Abbie showed me previous work she had done with another one of Chris Thorpe’s shows, talking about how to juggle tour dates and venues. Sarah helped me understand the progression of developing a piece of work and working with others, as well as the importance of accessibility and media, and my meeting with Chloe was very educational as they gave me insight into budgeting and cost management. I also got the opportunity to talk with Paul about China Plate’s development as a company, and what it means to be a producer.
A huge thank you to the entire China Plate team for making me feel so welcome and showing me so many important aspects of producing. I can’t wait to apply what I have learned to my future career!!
Thank you 😊