PAID WORK and TRAINING OPPORTUNITY with Prom-Prom in Outdoor Arts and Street Performance – Deadline Extended to 15 June

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Promenade Promotions (Prom-Prom for short) is one of the UK’s leading companies specializing in family-friendly seaside entertainment, outdoor festivals and street performance.

This summer we are offering a paid work placement and free training opportunity for young people interested in learning more and developing their craft as professional performers.

This training opportunity is made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England, and we shall be working in partnership with Exeter College and the University of Exeter.

Please see below for further details about how to apply.

Who can take part?

Participants must be:

  • Aged 18 – 25 years
  • Live, work or attend school / college / university in Devon, Torbay or Plymouth. This includes anyone finishing studying or graduating this summer.
  • Able to travel independently from their home to Exeter (where the training will take place) and to a range of event sites in Exeter, Teignmouth and Dawlish. Travel expenses of up to £10 per day will be available.
  • Able and willing to commit to the whole programme of work in July (3 weeks) and August (min 5 days) 2021. Please see below for more information about what the commitment will involve.
  • Able and willing to participate in the evaluation process.

When and where is this taking place?

Training:

You will need to attend three full weeks of training. We will be working from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Friday from 5th to 23rd July. These practical sessions will take place in person (ie, not via a remote digital platform) in Exeter.

Performance:

From Tues 23 July to Wednesday 1 September you will need to undertake at least 5 full days of PAID performance work. The dates that you will be performing will be arranged in advance; you will not be required to be exclusively available throughout the entire period. Mostly these will be weekdays, but some weekend dates may also be required. Performance days often begin at 8am and may finish as late as 7pm.

Evaluation will mostly take place as we go, but there may be a final session and / or we may ask you to complete a questionnaire. This will require a short amount of time after 1 September, but we’ll work around your availability and other commitments.

Will I get paid?

The three weeks of the training period are not paid, but travel expenses of up to £10 per day will be available.

On each of the performance days, after completing the training, you will be paid £100 per day. Travel expenses of up to £10 per day will also be available in addition to this performance fee.

What sort of training will I receive?

Training will focus on performance skills for family-friendly outdoor entertainment. We will aim to respond to the skills and interests of the trainees but general areas of focus are likely to include clowning, walkabout, circus skills, voice work and music, puppetry and commedia.

Each trainee will have the opportunity to develop a short act which they will then perform alongside other duties – during Prom-Prom’s summer season.

Training will also include advice and information about working as a freelance artist, promoting your work, managing contracts and invoices, risk assessments and other essential practical logistics of working as a street arts professional.

What will the performance commitments involve?

A typical performance day will include unloading the van, setting up the performance area, helping to manage audiences (especially relating to Covid-safety procedures), facilitating audience participation in games and other activities, promoting the performances with walkabout activity, performing to the general public, striking the set-up and loading the van at the end of the day.

How do I apply?

To apply for a place on this training scheme, please complete and return this short form (link to download below) by email to admin@prom-prom.com by 9am on Tuesday 15 June 2021.

The form just asks a bit about you, and how we can get in touch as well as why you want to apply and what you hope to get out of it. Don’t worry if you think writing isn’t your strength; we just want to know what you’re interested in. We also don’t want concerns about forms to be a barrier, so if you’re struggling, please do get in touch and we can help.

How will the trainees be selected?

After we have received and read all the application forms, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to attend a group workshop session / audition in June. There are places on the trainee scheme for up to 6 people.

The group workshop will take place on Sun 20 June in Exeter and we will provide more information about what will happen before you come to meet us. You will need to be free from 10am to 4pm.

Help! I’ve still got questions…

If you have any questions, want more information, or just an informal chat about whether it might be right for you, please get in touch with Ruth on admin@prom-prom.com

You can download all of this information in one pdf document here

PAID WORK AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITY – HOW TO APPLY