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Big Wheel Theatre
Company recruits new teams from time to time. If you are interested,
ask us when we are next casting. Read these notes first, and
have a good look at our website, to see if you think t's your
cup of tea.
We use shows to
teach people things.
WHAT'S
A BIG WHEEL SHOW?
Our shows are
very theatrical, but they are not like traditional theatre.
Our shows are
very educational, but they are not like a traditional lesson.
Most of our
work is a mixture of different genres. The best comparison is
with kids T.V. (but a lot of what we do is not for kids, this
is just to give you a clue)
Some of our
work is in schools, but we are not a traditional T.I.E. company.
More than half our work is for businesses and institutions like
the N.H.S. We do all sorts of other things as well: outdoor
'happenings', conventional theatre, voice training, writing
workshops, festivals, films, courses.
THE
JOB
We work
in teams. A team is usually four people. Shows are presented
by two people. You continually swap presenting partners so that
you don't get fed up with each other, and learn from each other's
skills and techniques.
We provide
all your accommodation on tour and a daily allowance. Wages
are based on Equity guidelines (around £300 per week plus
allowances).
You
are encouraged to continue to develop throughout your time with
Big Wheel - your directors visit regularly to watch your shows
and help you sharpen your presenting skills.
Most
people who work for us go on to do further tours, usually immediately,
either abroad or in the U.K. Some branch out into specialised
work, such as our presentations for the N.H.S. Many people have
worked with us on-and-off for more than twenty years, and even
the rich and famous ones still come back for more, as a Big
Wheel tour is such a fantastic experience.
The
people who we select to work for us are very mixed. Some are
professional actors, some are professional teachers, many have
experience of using drama in schools. But we have also employed
people who have done none of these things. Some have done absolutely
nothing: they're just nice, fun, and love the job.
Touring
is fantastic but it is also hard work. When you are thinking
about whether to apply for this job, remember:
- The shows really
are possibly the most exciting, thrilling thing you have ever
done. Think of the most exciting, thrilling thing you have
ever done. Go on, do it now. OK, thought of it? A Big Wheel
show feels better than that.
- You will frequently
find yourself sipping a capuccino in a glamorous cafe in a
lovely square in one of Europe's most beautiful cities, feeling
a wonderful sense of well-being.
- You will often
have to get up at 5.00 in the morning, walk through a muddy
forest in the dark, scrape ice off the windscreen for half
an hour, then spend two hours in a traffic jam before getting
to the school just in time, to find the hall has not been
prepared and you have to persuade a 'Scooby-Doo' style scariest
caretaker in the world to move 100 chairs from the other side
of a large school full of spooky statues of the Crucifixion.
- You will feel
a new sense of invincibility as you discover you can do things
you'd never thought you could do, like convince a large Swedish
farmer to pretend to be the Great Gatsby, turn a sea of sad,
serious, repressed Belgian teen-agers into a Calvin Klein
ad, and drive from Geneva to London in a day and still feel
like going out clubbing that evening.
- You will experience
a specific new sort of head-ache caused by 60 Dutch children
shouting at you in huge excitement at 8.00 in the morning
having all eaten a breakfast of chocolate spread.
- You will encounter
a large number of fantastic, beautiful people and fall in
love.
- You will encounter
a small number of total idiots.
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