TESTIMONIALS
Latoya OkuneyeStage Management Intern, Summer 2017
Throughout August 2017, I was given the opportunity to work with the brilliant Director that is Steven Kavuma. I shadowed him in his production of the play Boys - an adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, which was then performed on the 23rd of August at The S+K project’s annual festival - S+K fest. Lord of the flies is a story about a group of school boys stranded all alone on an island. With no adults around, they attempt to create their own utopia but things end bleakly as the boys clash amongst each other. As assistant director, my opinion was well valued and I contributed in terms of costume ideas, sound and supporting the actors in building their characters. I learned so much in the three weeks, my most valued lesson is the importance of having a concept for a play and trusting your instincts as a director. It was inspiring to see Steven bring his concept to life. Steven had a vision of making the play darker and more sinister by creating a sense of otherworldliness which was quite unique in relation to the original script. One way he achieved this was in the scene where the character of Jack killed the pig, for sound we used aery dreamy music and it perfectly created that strange world that Steven had envisioned. That was indeed my most memorable scene during the live performance. Secondly, I learnt how crucial it is to be able to stay calm under pressure and be resourceful in the instance of an emergency as things won't always got to plan. I also learned how having a good relationship with your actors contributes generally in the success of the rehearsals and performance of a play. Without respect, positive energy and good levels of communication between a director and his/her actors and between the actors themselves there will be friction that would affect the beauty of the performance. As an aspiring writer as well, I learned the essence of creating characters that were real - characters with paradox similarly to a normal person. By creating characters as such, audiences are able to relate and connect more with the actors during the performance. Additionally, the experience further motivated me to create what I desire as a writer, a piece of art that I could trust in the hands of a director to recreate as long as some of its key themes and morals are portrayed - it is fair to state that one of the themes that Lord of the Flies portrays is the way humans choose to survive and how different each individual would be if they were in a drastic situation. Steven Kavuma, despite his twist on the play communicated this idea effectively through his concept. Overall, in three weeks, I not only got to work with an amazing director and multi-talented actors, I made friendships that will always be valued. |
Waheed Kalungi
Marketing and Communications Intern, Summer 2017
First and foremost, I would like to thank all the members of staff at S+K who gave me the opportunity to be part of their project and help me see the importance of "making the arts for everyone".
During my time at S+K, I was shadowing Ailbhe Treacy, Marketing and Engagement Manager, for a period of four weeks. I was also working with Sofiya Ali, Marketing Assistant. We created a marketing plan for the company's biggest event of the year—SKFEST. Our marketing plan was mainly based on contacting local newspapers and the artists who would be performing at the event, writing emails to the newspapers as well as curating content for social media and budgeting were all fun and invigorating tasks. This is because taking on these tasks gave me the chance to critically think and problem solve.
The good thing is that the marketing staff made it easier for me to find solutions for our problems.
One thing that I picked up on and that I saw consistently throughout was the friendly environment at S+K from the very first day. I was able to communicate and learn new things during my time at the company.
I also particularly enjoyed leafleting at the SKFEST event. This is because it gave me the chance to communicate to members of the public about the company's philosophy.
At the end of the experience, I realised that marketing is very crucial for any type of business. Without good marketing abilities and also loads of endeavour, it is very hard for a business to thirve and achieve its goals. S+K marketed their brand really well.
Hence, my time at the company was part of my summer well spent.
During my time at S+K, I was shadowing Ailbhe Treacy, Marketing and Engagement Manager, for a period of four weeks. I was also working with Sofiya Ali, Marketing Assistant. We created a marketing plan for the company's biggest event of the year—SKFEST. Our marketing plan was mainly based on contacting local newspapers and the artists who would be performing at the event, writing emails to the newspapers as well as curating content for social media and budgeting were all fun and invigorating tasks. This is because taking on these tasks gave me the chance to critically think and problem solve.
The good thing is that the marketing staff made it easier for me to find solutions for our problems.
One thing that I picked up on and that I saw consistently throughout was the friendly environment at S+K from the very first day. I was able to communicate and learn new things during my time at the company.
I also particularly enjoyed leafleting at the SKFEST event. This is because it gave me the chance to communicate to members of the public about the company's philosophy.
At the end of the experience, I realised that marketing is very crucial for any type of business. Without good marketing abilities and also loads of endeavour, it is very hard for a business to thirve and achieve its goals. S+K marketed their brand really well.
Hence, my time at the company was part of my summer well spent.
Najma Elmi
Outreach and Administration Intern, Spring 2017
I began my Duke of Edinburgh course in October 2016 and to achieve the full silver qualification, you must complete three different sections which entail; skills, physical fitness and volunteering. S+K offered me the chance to volunteer with them and, over the course of my 6 week internship, I learned a lot through my experiences.
My work ranged from being front of the house for the very first ‘Bring Me In’ to co-leading drama workshops at Spotlight. The Spotlight workshops were especially helpful to me because I am usually a very introverted and quiet in environments where I’m around people I don’t know that well. However, I learned how to interact with people with confidence.
A large part of my work also consisted of admin work at the Hackney Showroom office, aiding in the organisation of upcoming S+K projects.
Although my time at S+K has come to an end, I’m very grateful to have been exposed to such a great group of young people who are taking initiative to reform the art scene. A special big thank you to Malakai for offering me this opportunity because it’s been a great experience.
My work ranged from being front of the house for the very first ‘Bring Me In’ to co-leading drama workshops at Spotlight. The Spotlight workshops were especially helpful to me because I am usually a very introverted and quiet in environments where I’m around people I don’t know that well. However, I learned how to interact with people with confidence.
A large part of my work also consisted of admin work at the Hackney Showroom office, aiding in the organisation of upcoming S+K projects.
Although my time at S+K has come to an end, I’m very grateful to have been exposed to such a great group of young people who are taking initiative to reform the art scene. A special big thank you to Malakai for offering me this opportunity because it’s been a great experience.
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