Thy knows thy loves me, xoxo

Jess Wilson writes about her first experiences of being part of a university drama production and chats to the actors from WUDS’ The School for Scandal.

Rehearsals are going scandalously for Manhattan’s hottest new play The School for Scandal. Anybody who’s anybody is going to be there. If you think the Gossip Girl ship has sailed and it’s time for something a little different, try this for size: Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s classic 18th Century play is being transported, lords and ladies in tow, to the Upper East Side, fresh for 2013.

These privileged high-school students, considered the closest thing to royalty in Manhattan are about to learn some valuable lessons when they try to play at being in an adult’s world, when really they should be worrying about those Maths finals they haven’t done any studying for.

A few weeks back two of my fellow Film-Lit colleagues Olivia and Emily, the play’s director and producer, approached me about working as Publicity Officer for the show. Presented by the prestigious Warwick University Drama Society (or WUDS, as you may know them as), The School for Scandal was described to me as 18th Century dialogue meets modern-day Gossip Girl. As a fan of both Oscar Wilde and all six seasons of The CW’s hit show, it sounded right up my street, and as I am currently looking for some marketing-related experience, I jumped at the opportunity.

As soon as their play proposal got accepted, my first step was to help promote auditions. The last time I had anything to do with drama was when I adapted an urban legend into a play at school, which included punny lines about stabbing each other with bread knives… sadly we’re still waiting to hear from the Academy Awards about that one. Anyway, my first task for this show was to simply promote the auditions; sometimes people aren’t aware of everything that goes on in those busy few weeks before rehearsals even begin. I also sat in on some of the auditions to act as a helpful extra opinion and get an all-important feel for the dialogue and style of the play, which was integral for the job and a great chance to meet people outside of my course and social circle. Since casting was completed, I have been designing posters, logos and programmes on Photoshop, as well as writing promotional material and spreading the word to everyone and anyone who will listen – that’s marketing for you!

Production costs can start to rise when you want realistic costumes, an ink budget (colour posters are a luxury!) and even just a few props, so fundraising is something you may not first consider when thinking on working on a of student production but it is, of course, crucial. Things like cake sales are a good idea as they are free to set up in the SU atrium and who doesn’t need a chocolate muffin after a two hour lecture on Macroeconomics? University plays, especially student-led ones, tend to be very low budget, which is why the cast and crew have to be such a tight-knit unit as everyone has to get their hands dirty. For example, the cast were fully costumed, accents at the ready, wandering around campus last Monday in the rain selling cakes to anyone who looked peckish, and of course they weren’t paid for it. Online promotion is a crucial platform as it costs nothing but can spread your production to hundreds of potential audience members; imagine if every cast and crew member changed their profile picture to your logo and just a tenth of their friends clicked on it to find out more. In the age of social media, it’s easier than ever for students like us to bring in an audience… who needs a 4-million-dollar Superbowl TV advert?

Since I began my publicity work, I’ve also been talking to the glamorous all-student cast during rehearsals as they perfect their New York accents to get the insider gossip on the sauciest thing to hit the Humanities Block since Lady Sneerwell confided in me that it was actually Charles she wanted to be with (disclaimer: this may not actually have happened on Warwick campus).

Sophie Dudhill, a fresher this year, is playing Candice, one of the Queen Bees at the elite private school in Scandal. She said that, ‘Being in a play at University is very time-consuming and can get stressful but it’s definitely worth it for the experience and the fun. Scandal is also such an interesting script because of when it was written.’

Playing the part of Maria is Sophia Pardon, who also pointed out that, ‘learning about moving a play from one period up to the present day is challenging but it’s beneficial to learn about the process of updating a script like this from the 18th Century.’

There are plenty of drama opportunities throughout the year at Warwick and they’re easy to get involved in whether you’re fresh or a postgrad, budding actress or lighting extraordinaire. I have no previous drama experience but this was a chance I grabbed as it meant helping my friends out with something they were passionate about, as well as getting myself some crucial CV experience. It’s also flexible work that you can fit around other commitments as juggling essays, reading, a job and possibly a few hours’ sleep can be a nightmare for many students who then also have to worry about finding time to actually do something helpful for their potential career. The School for Scandal is WUDS’ final production of 2013, but tickets are still available for free and there are so many productions all around campus (not just in the Arts Centre) that everyone can be a part of.

Years may go by, but scandal and valuable experiences like this live on forever!