28th September 2020
On Wednesday 30 September, the main entrance at BOVTS was lit-up at dusk with a spectacular lighting installation in support of the entertainment and events industries, thanks to the efforts of final year technical students.
The Light It In Red campaign has seen prominent arts venues across the UK switch on to raise public and media awareness of the risks facing the live events sector amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. As a new term unfolds, the Theatre School followed suit in recognition of the challenges facing those working across the industry, and in particular the School’s own alumni and those soon due to graduate.
Madeleine Coward and Mary Bennett, who organised the installation and who are both final year students on the School’s BA Production Arts course, explain the importance of the School’s participation: “graduates from the year 2018/19 who were freelancing did not have a whole year of being self-employed when the industry closed in March, so did not qualify for Government support. Graduates from 2019/20 have been met with a highly reduced job market that is more competitive than ever. Current students face the uncertainty of preparing for careers that will be vastly different in a post-Covid world. By participating, we aimed to show solidarity with alumni, fellow students, and professionals across the industry.”
Supported by a small team of fellow technical students and working in a Covid-secure manner, Maddie and Mary rigged the reception area with an LED setup throughout Tuesday. The switch on took place at 20:00 on Wednesday, and was captured in all its glory by photographer and School alumnus Craig Fuller.
Photos by Craig Fuller.
