Library and Information Services, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Thursday 21 July 2016

Angel Guidance: a career in stage management, interview with Angel Hasted

New on Digital Theatre Plus ....

Staff and students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland can stream a recorded interview with Angel Hasted, thanks to our subscription to Digital Theatre Plus.  Here's the 'blurb':-

On Technical Stage Management: Angel Hasted

Technical Stage Manager, Angel Hasted has over 18 years of experience under his belt, Angel tells us how he got his start in "show business" and shares his advice for young people aspiring to a theatrical career.

CFP - Special Issue on Scottish TV




Call for Papers: TV in Scotland: Past, Present and Future

A Special Issue of the International Journal of Scottish Theatre and Screen


We're re-posting this Call for Papers in the hope that some of our readers may feel inspired to contribute something!
The Scottish television industry, and BBC Scotland in particular, is at a historic juncture. Recently the visibility of Scotland on television has increased nationally and globally thanks to successful series such as the comedies Gary: Tank Commander and Still Game, documentaries like the four-part Story of Scottish Art, dramas including Shetland and Stonemouth, the arrival of a Scottish Doctor Who, and the Sony/Left Bank/Starz fantasy time travel series Outlander. Yet in a survey included in the UK Government’s White Paper on the renewal of the BBC Charter (May 2016), less than half of Scots  (44%) said that they felt their nation was well represented by BBC output, while the Scottish Government’s own policy paper on charter renewal (February 2016) also stated that “audiences do not feel that the output of the BBC in Scotland fully represents their views and interests”.
The Government White Paper also mentions complaints about so-called ‘lift and shift’ programmes, originated in London and merely moved to Scotland for production, and only a fraction of the BBC’s budget, 9.2%, was actually spent in Scotland.  Yet in September 2015 Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the New Production Growth Fund in association with Creative Scotland, and in addition North Lanarkshire Council has approved an application for the expansion of Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld, home of Outlander, potentially creating Scotland’s first substantial Film Studio. The BBC has also undertaken to increase spending across the regions, appoint a Scotland-based commissioning editor for both drama and comedy, make Scotland a ‘Centre for Excellence’ in factual television production, establish a ‘Writer’s Room’ training programme and create ‘portrayal’ objectives for national identities.
These initiatives are therefore responding to on-going issues about Scottish representation on Scottish, UK national and international television screens, and of Scotland’s ability to produce its own content dealing with Scottish issues. How has this situation arisen? How problematic is the provision of Scottish programming for Scotland, and what then is the future for Scottish TV? How can it draw upon its rich heritage to become part of the essential cultural and financial framework of the post-SNP Scottish national identity?
To consider such questions, The International Journal of Scottish Theatre and Screen is publishing a special issue exploring the past, present and future state of Scottish television. For this the editors are seeking proposals of 300-500 words for articles of up to 6000 words. The deadline for submission of proposals is 30 September 2016. Decisions will be made by 17 October. The deadline for submission of the articles will be 1 May 2017. Revisions to the pieces will be expected by the end of August 2017 in readiness for peer review, with final submissions due in February 2018 for a 2018 publication.
 Proposals are welcomed on any aspect of Scottish Television including but not limited to:
  •   Industry and Policy
  • Programming of Scottish Content in Scotland 
  •  Scottish TV Audience 
  •  Scottish TV Drama 
  •  Scottish TV Comedy 
  • Children’s TV 
  • News and Current Affairs in Scotland 
  • Scottish TV Factual and Documentary 
  • Genre and Scottish TV 
  • Representation of Scotland and the Scots in Scottish and Non-Scottish TV
Proposals and a short biography of 50-70 words should be sent via email by the deadline to simon.brown@kingston.ac.uk 

Simon Brown is Assistant Professor of Film, TV and Media at Kingston University and Screen Editor for the International Journal of Scottish Theatre and Screen.

Tuesday 19 July 2016

You can't attend ISME and not visit the Whittaker Library!

This Sunday marks the start of a week when Glasgow is literally flooded with music teachers of all ages and stages (the teachers and their pupils, that is!).  The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is hosting the ISME conference - the International Society of Music Education.


Now, we know you're very busy, and you'll be talking and listening, networking and gathering new ideas.  If you need someone quiet to sit and reflect about all this, do come and visit the Whittaker Library.  Take a look at our music, books and magazines.  Our music librarian, Karen McAulay, is giving a paper on the afternoon of Friday 29th - come and say hello, and see our little exhibition of historic and modern Scottish music.  We can point you to more Scottish music on the open shelves.

Performance Opportunities?

One of our lecturers, J. Simon van der Walt, is looking for gamelan players.   And Karen has made some little arrangements of Scottish tunes for flute ensemble.  If you play gamelan or have brought your flute, do get in touch!

Also, we understand a human guinea-pig is needed for a piano workshop. If you're going to be at the conference on Wednesday 27th, contact ISME to be put in touch with the presenter of this session.

Monday 18 July 2016

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Archives Move



After 960 boxes, over 2000 metres of bubble wrap and several weeks of careful packing our Archives & Collections department is on the move!  Watch this space for an update on our new home and an invitation to our opening soirĂ©e; meantime please bear with us as the collections are closed for public access.




BBC Shakespeare Archive - and Digital Theatre Plus

You know how we love Digital Theatre Plus, here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  And there's interest in Shakespeare too, of course.  So we welcome the news that Digital Theatre Plus has struck a deal with the BBC Shakespeare Archive. Read more about it here, in The Stage. We look forward to watching this unfold.

Meanwhile, our readers can access the BBC Shakespeare Archive resource via our e-resources pages.