Ardent Theatre Company, set up by Creative Directors Andrew Muir and Mark Sands, has taken on 8 talented students to become The Ardent 8. This ensemble of actors will attend workshops led by professionals and have a brand new play written for them by Andrew himself, who is a leading playwright and Part-Time writer in residence for The College. The Ardent 8 will then perform in London to an audience including key people from the industry. The project is designed to give these former students access to a key location for the profession and to build their skills.
The Bournemouth & Poole College prides itself on offering students not only qualifications, but a platform on which to start a successful career. Connections with industry contacts, such as Andrew Muir, embeds this ethos. Students are able to gain access to mentors who inspire them to achieve their goals.
Speaking about The Ardent 8 project, Andrew Muir said,
"We wanted to create a development programme that supported a bridge from region to the city to give these ex students a further opportunity to be exposed to industry professionals in a workshop environment and ultimately a showcase of that talent in a London venue. Our inaugural ensemble will be ex-students from the Bournemouth and Poole College, but eventually Ardent would like to cast the net further and select students from all over the UK."
The Ardent 8 taking on this new challenge are Ellie Gocoul, Clare Hawkins, Nathan Linsdell, Garry Skimins, Kamila Hassan, Jordan Lewis, Sophie Coulter and Sam Weston. They are very excited about the project
Kamila Hassan said, ‘I’m looking forward to the workshops in particular, I think they’ll be really useful. I’ll be able to build skills and meet people in the industry and network. Plus it’ll look really good on my cv. I’m also looking forward to performing in a professional theatre in London.’
Recently a significant investment has been made towards the Performing Arts facilities at The College, including the new Jellicoe Theatre. There are a variety of courses on offer including Production Arts, Contemporary Theatre, Dance and Music Theatre. These range from Diplomas all the way up to Degree level. Students start to gain stage experience right from the start by performing in front of a live audience in the commercial Jellicoe Theatre.
The former Performing Arts students have a bright future ahead of them and will act as inspiration to the next generation of students starting their journey in this innovative and creative industry.
Ardent Theatre Company
Ardent Theatre Company produces theatre that speaks about the world we live in; both newly commissioned writing and established text with a contemporary relevance. Our work always enables us to have a voice within the mainstream theatre scene or engages audiences on a grassroots, national level. Through our Ardent 8 artistic development programme and casting policy we support the careers of young, recently trained artists from outside London. We work with non-theatre organisations that share similar ambitions to take a sector-wide approach to giving voice to those who struggle to be heard.
