Still Here, Still Making Theatre, Still Working

 
lucyflack@nwkcollege.ac.uk
Director
Drama lies in extreme exaggeration of the feelings, an exaggeration that dislocates flat everyday reality.
                            EUGENE IONESCO
The atmosphere at the Miskin is a continuous buzz, helping me gain new challenges for myself and responsibilities in forming, exciting, interesting, open-minded, young people within our demanding society. We capture their passion and help it blossom taking each and every actor on a journey of a life- time. A journey in which they will never forget. They learn and experience an actor’s role, whilst getting an intense training developing new understandings and ways of seeing.
 
 "Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognises before it can speak. But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words. It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world within words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it. The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled."
JOHN BERGER
 
Whilst training at the Miskin myself in 1998, I believe my new eyes arrived and opened to see the things I was blinded too. I was encouraged, through the art of theatre and the gusto of the directors I worked with, to develop an understanding of the profession, whilst gaining an awareness of those around me. It was the place that helped me appreciate both the similarities and differences among people and the wider world, the place which has planted an amazing enthusiasm in me. I never thought through training as an actor it would provide me with such an inspiration about the World itself and how it is run.  It helped me gain trust, confidence, knowledge, aspiration and an awareness of the importance of understanding my opinions.
We “see” through our experiences, which influences the way we live and interact with the world and I am glad that my experience at the Miskin has influenced the way I live and my beliefs.
The thrill of these moments will stay with me forever and continue to grow.     
 
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”  
OSCAR WILDE
 
I am so happy to be back directing at the Miskin after completing a 3 year BA (hons) at Arts Education School, London. I am back to teach these young adults about their chosen creative art, in an honest way, to enhance their natural abilities and further their career paths. I believe that all graduating actors leave having fulfilled a great journey which will influence them and others in the future and it is amazing to be a part of that again. I work to the highest standards and demonstrate a professional effectiveness by providing the highest quality training. I believe I use an organic and modern approach to teach the craft of acting; the strength of that is that it is entirely tailored and focused on training the individual, to develop them into strong, independent, liberated artists and people who are command of themselves and their craft. I try to bring my experiences as a professional actor to the floor and explore new techniques to take things to the next dimension.
 
I work closely with most departments in the theatre and have an effective working relationship in order to produce relevant and high quality work. I work to the particular needs of the dancers; who have very little time to get their acting ability up to the highest level, to match their dance standards, this has proved to be a huge success dancers progression is more varied than ever.
 
The ethos and reputation of the Miskin  is gaining us an increase in applicants for all courses. Over the past year I have put a significant amount of time and passion into helping the theatre run to its highest standard, as a professional and educational establishment.
At the Miskin I feel I am continually feeding and absorbing new artistic passions