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“The heart of the BA experience”: Year 2 students stun in week of collaborative events

Images show 3 performers on stage with a 4th actor wearing a large wooden headpiece with yellow glowing eyes.
  • Written byEuan McLaren
  • Published date 30 January 2024
Images show 3 performers on stage with a 4th actor wearing a large wooden headpiece with yellow glowing eyes.
Students perform a puppetry show for pupils from Wimbledon Chase Primary School, in collaboration with Polka Theatre │ Photography: Martín Del Busto 2024

From Marie Antoinette to Godzilla, puppets, Brecht and court room scenes, students at Wimbledon College of Arts wowed audiences with a jam-packed week of collaborative performances, screenings, workshops and events, taking place from 22 January – 26 January 2024. As part of their collaborative practice unit, Year 2 students from different disciplines including BA (Hons) Theatre Design, BA (Hons) Costume for Theatre and Screen, BA (Hons) Acting and Performance, BA (Hons) Contemporary Theatre and Performance, BA (Hons) Technical Arts for Theatre and Performance, BA (Hons) Production Arts for Screen came together to create original work to showcase.

Dedicated to the study of stage and screen performance, Wimbledon College of Arts trains students to become innovative performers and experimental designers. Regular opportunities to collaborate with renowned arts organisations and students across other disciplines and courses enable Wimbledon students to become versatile performance arts professionals.

Collaborative activities included:

  • A series of short performances responding to Bertolt Brecht’s The Breadshop
  • 2 performances exploring femininity, womanhood and justice
  • A performance centring on the infamous Marie Antoinette as a means of exploring food, power and rage
  • A performance focussing on social justice and the prison system
  • A selection of screenings exploring topics from the human body to recycling
  • A short film showcasing an epic battle between Godzilla, Mothra and Mechagodzilla
  • A collaboration with Polka Theatre with 5 puppetry shows performed for Year 5 and 6 pupils from Wimbledon Chase Primary School
  • A live interactive event focussed on climate justice through recycling

Speaking about the collaborations, creative producer and Collaborative and Collective Practices Unit leader, Sarah Hardie, said “celebrating the outcomes produced by our students undertaking the Collaborative and Collective Practices Unit in 2nd year - which lies at the heart of the BA experience at Wimbledon College of Arts - has been extremely rewarding for students and staff. At Wimbledon, we aim to prepare students for the performing arts industry, and collaboration is a key skill needed to work successfully within it. We’re delighted to have seen so much growth and development in our students across disciplines over the past couple of months and congratulate them on all they’ve achieved together.”

Below is a selection of images of the students’ work.

Image shows several people sitting round a dinner table. 2 people in the middle of the table are leaning across, meeting in the middle, with one pouring passing a bottle of alcohol to the other. In the background, a projection can be seen. On the table, there is lots of food and fine china.
Students perform in an original performance piece entitled ‘Justice for Marie Antoinette’ │ Photography: Martín Del Busto 2024
Image shows 9 people sitting round a large rectangle table. On the table, there are various craft items and the people sitting round the table are engaging with crafts and making. In the background, there are ceiling to floor windows with lots of light pouring into the room. Overhead, studio lighting can be seen.
Participants at the Reloved event at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Kristina Sarkisyan 2024
Image shows a person standing in a long black dress with pinned back hair pointing a finger up. They are standing in front of a tree and have an intense facial expression.
Student performs in ‘Lady Justice’ at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Kristina Sarkisyan 2024
Image shows a person standing with a red tartan waistcoat and large black top hat on. They are gesturing towards a large spin-wheel. Behind the person is a hand-painted scene of a city landscape.
Student performs in ‘The Breadshop’ at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Martín Del Busto 2024
Image shows an image of a stage with a crescent moon in the middle. Around the corners of the stage are 4 performers, all illuminated by studio lighting overhead. The 4 performers can be seen interacting with items around them.
Student performs in ‘Lady Justice’ at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Kristina Sarkisyan 2024
Image shows students working on life-size models of the fictional creatures Godzilla and Mechagodzilla. Godzilla is black with yellow eyes and Mechagodzilla is silver with yellow eyes.
Students work on Godzilla and Mechagodzilla at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Simon Stringer 2023
Image shows 3 performers standing on a stage. 2 of the performers are wearing pink and yellow dresses and carrying shopping bags, while the other performers is wearing a long white dress. In the background, you can see a tree.
Students perform in ‘Lady Justice’ at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Kristina Sarkisyan 2024
Image shows a person lying on the ground, dressed in white. Around them are fairy lights and a large tree can be seen on the right-hand side.
Student performs in ‘Voicing Justice: Reflections on Womanhood’ at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Martín Del Busto 2024
Image shows 3 plinths with items on them. The items appear to be glowing and are lit from behind. The backdrop is black.
Items used in the performance of ‘Condemn’ at Wimbledon College of Arts │ Photography: Martín Del Busto 2024

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