BLOG FROM OUR WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENT, ETHAN!

Hello, my name is Ethan, I am a year 12 student at Saint John Bosco sixth form college. For my work experience I was given the opportunity to work with Tmesis Theatre on a project of theirs called “seal skin” which is a story about a half seal half human that gets trapped on land after getting her seal skin stolen by a fisherman. From what I observed being there they used a special piece of cloth which was huge and covered the entire area they were performing, it was used for many things like projecting moving images onto it like the sea or seals, this was done to portray what was going on in the scene.

Furthermore, the use of the lights and how they shined from the sheet which symbolised where they were getting married but also where the seal skin belonged in the first place which was the sea. My opinion on the play is that it explores the idea of belonging and violence against women during that time period and that they were seen as property to be sold and traded into marriage, such is the marriage between the fisherman and the seal skin.

The other play that I observed from Rowena Gander was about a woman who comes out as a lesbian and the play explores the idea of being a lesbian and that woman shouldn’t dress like men and that most lesbians are seen by men as an opportunity for more pleasure and words like “can I watch?” are said to them. The act I watched was a lesbian battling discrimination through the form of dance and the way she danced on the pole reflected this as it was beautiful yet saddening as the music changes and the lights flash to reveal her suffering and depression in trying to be herself.

I really enjoyed being with Tmesis Theatre, I had never seen this way of creating before and it was really eye opening, the team were all so warm and welcoming and I can’t wait to see the full show of sealskin.