While the cat’s away

Like parents playing with the Lego after dark, a group of staff snuck out with the outside broadcast truck today to capture a performance at NST’s City theatre. It was a chance for the production and technology teams from Solent to refresh their skills and to check over the systems.

SS Mendi Dancing the Death Drill told the story of how over 800 troops from the South African Native Labour Corps lost their lives after the SS Mendi sank while transporting them to the Western Front in 1917. It was a moving piece with a mixture of physical theatre, tribal music and stirring dialogue.

It was actually quite a challenge to capture with several dark scenes and an equally large dynamic range within the soundscape that spanned whispered speech to clashing chains and metalwork. The crew was made up of technicians, technician instructors and lecturers from the Media Technology, News and Media and Studio and Video Production course teams. The content was edited live and recorded to disc for delivery to the theatre.

Overall the day served as an excellent team building exercise for the staff and allowed us to continue to develop a symbiotic relationship with the theatre. With NST City located just across the road from our main campus we hope to support further events, which will provide the students with more opportunities for real world experience. The theatre was only recently opened and boasts some excellent facilities. Many thanks to the theatre and production team for being so welcoming and we hope work with you again very soon.