Tue 25 February 2020
Trafalgar Entertainment was joined by two work placement students from Richmond Park Academy recently who spent a week with the company learning all about the business and the theatre and entertainment industry.
This work experience was made possible thanks to an enterprising new partnership between Trafalgar Entertainment and Speakers 4 Schools which aims to end educational inequality and connect State schools with employers in a bid to ensure that work placement opportunities exist for all young people.
Xian Stewart and Raphaela Millecco, both 17-years-old, spent most of the week working from the Trafalgar Entertainment’s main Woking headquarters, but also made time to visit the team at the production office on The Strand in Central London, enjoy an amazing backstage tour of Trafalgar Studios on Whitehall with theatre management and meet the venue’s technical team.
Xian said: “I have really enjoyed my time as a work experience student at Trafalgar Entertainment. The staff have been friendly and welcoming throughout my time here, always happy to answer any questions I had. My experience here was valuable; it was most certainly not just photocopying! We were given opportunities to meet senior staff members from all departments, including both offices and theatres, which gave me a comprehensive idea of all the hard work that goes into everything from putting on productions, to guiding younger children in their early performance callings.
“I always felt spoken to as an individual young adult, respected and genuinely listened to – a useful chance to make relationships within the industry which would be hard to find elsewhere. The work I was given was relevant and meaningful, which added to the feeling of inclusion and learning in the workplace – I was given chances to read scripts and write reports on them to be sent to producers, which gave me an amazing and in depth insight into the industry.”
Raphaela commented: “Work Experience at Trafalgar Entertainment allowed me to see parts of the theatre business I was not aware existed, and expanded my knowledge on the most well-known roles within a theatre company. The company has a lot of interesting material to share, as one of the biggest theater companies, and I became especially fond of Trafalgar Studios after the tour we were given of the theatre.
“It was really interesting to meet with all the people that work for Trafalgar Entertainment and to get their personal views on the industry and to gather tips on how to progress with a career in theatre. The advice given was all very helpful, and it made the career path look more open and welcoming to me. This experience definitely led me to considering more a career around the arts.”