Jakarta – On Friday the 13th of August a dedicated workshop was held to benefit LSPR’s performing art students. With around 85 participants, the intensive webinar was led by Maylaffayza Wiguna (Indonesia’s leading violinist and Assistant Head of UGP Performing Arts Communication in LSPR) as a moderator and Mr,  Tadhg Scanlon (Lecturer at Edith Cowan University) as the guest speaker. The seminar acted as a foundation for students’ upcoming International Exam through the ECU. Providing them with various tips and structured guidance to prepare and ensure they do their very best in the upcoming exam. In which they will be assessed, as a class, in the form of a theatrical performance (also including all the different factors that go into making their piece: planning, production and management). The exam will be a dedicated 1.5 hour performance done in a virtual format- performed in their respective homes, but still under supervision from Mr. Andrew Trigg (lecturer in the Plan and Production Management course) with a focus theme of life in lockdown. 

Ms. Maylaffayza Wiguna as moderator and Mr. Tadhg Scanlon as speaker

As stated by  Mr. Mikhael Yulius Cobis (The Dean of the Faculty of Communications), “The collaboration between the LSPR Institute of Communication and Business and Edith Cowan University (ECU), which has lasted 4 years, greatly supports the activities of students majoring in Performing Arts Communication (PAC). The existence of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) organization under the auspices of ECU can enrich the knowledge of PAC students in performing arts both in front of the screen and behind the scenes. I hope that the virtual workshop hosted by Mr. Tadhg can motivate PAC students to produce new works that can be made from their homes in the midst of this pandemic.” 

Mr  Tadhg Scanlon (Lecturer at Edith Cowan University) with Mr. Andrew Trigg (Lecturer in the Plan and Production Management Course LSPR)

Mr Tadhg provided students with a compelling introduction and insightful look on the inner workings of performing arts. With his several encapsulating annecdontes, he managed to explain the dynamic world of auditioning and self taping, as well as the many ways you could better yourself as an actor.  Some of his best advice included stressing the importance of self taping and constantly working with the camera as it feeds into the bigger work. “Get on camera a lot, get used to working the frame and managing your eye line… It’s only scary till you’ve done it enough times”, he states. Additionally, he provided information regarding the importance of technical work: lighting, background and audio. “All the technical work should be kept in check so that the character work is really enhanced”, he articulates. Mr Tadhg finished the session by answering a few questions given to him by the audience. The questions focused on topics such as: dealing with criticism, how to audition, working the camera, what types of characters to play,etc. To conclude, he summarised his advice as, “eye line, genre and creating the world”.

Head of Communication Studies Study Program, Dr. Sri Ulya Suskarwati stated that this Virtual Workshop really helped PAC students in producing works from their respective homes during this pandemic. “They will learn how to role-play in front of the camera. Currently, the shows they are doing are being transferred to digital platforms, and cameras are a tool for taking pictures for the shows they are going to show,” she said. In addition, another topic that was raised was how to produce an international standard performance which they would learn from competent sources in their fields. Thus, PAC students are expected to be able to apply the skills they learned in the Virtual Workshop as a preparation for the international exams they will face in Semester 6. PAC students will be internationally certified in preparing for performances, in this case ‘Plan and Production Management’. Later this certificate can be attached and becomes a plus for PAC students when applying for jobs, or continuing their education to a higher level. Not to mention that the certification does not have an expiry date. 

Overall, the workshop held for LSPR’s batch 23 and 24 performing art students was the gateway and their send off into creating their own projects for their International exams, which will result in them being internationally certified in performance and production management.