Today we are speaking with Andre Verde, a current student on the MA Creative Producing course, about his placement as an Assistant Producer with LIVE TO TELL: (a proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical.
Tell us a bit about your placement
Since January I have been working on a project, LIVE TO TELL: (a proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical, developed by Brian Mullin in collaboration with PlayWell Productions, Battersea Arts Centre and LIVR. It is a project that will immerse audiences with 360-degree virtual reality from 24 May to 13 June.
How did you get involved with this placement?
I got involved through Central. I was invited by my lovely course director Jessica Bowles and my tutor and director from this play Deirdre McLaughlin to take part in the placement.
What made you want to get involved with this programme?
I believe there were 3 things that made me want to get involved.
1. Was the idea of this project and all the messaging behind it. It is really interesting and because the process/concept of the play format is very new for me.
2. I’m really grateful to be invited to work in a project that involves a theme that is as important as HIV is in the LGBTQI+ community, my community.
3. The idea of recreating a theatre play in a new digital edition, with a 360 degree format. My previous degree in Portugal was in Cinema, so I am in a position to use my audio visual skills/knowledge in this project.
And finally, how could I say no to a show about Madonna!?
What are you currently working on?
In this placement I’m developing a variety of production steps / departments in collaboration with my amazing classmate Gregor Weir. We have done research to create the design / communication, marketing / social media strategies, R&D process, assist the production during the rehearsals and will soon have the opportunity to collaborate as assistant producer during the recording week to go live stream in May to all your screens!
I was also delegated to be the COVID Officer in this project. This is a role that I’ve never had and it was a new experience that added to this amazing opportunity Central gave to me. A role that will probably be much more present in the next months within the industry.
Can you tell us a bit more about your role as COVID Officer?
My Producer Steph invited me to take this role COVID Officer. This role is to be her Health & Safety eyes and ears in the room, and take responsibility for keeping the space COVID secure. There is a need for this now, with all of the rules that need to be followed in order to keep our team safe.
At this point, if one member the team gets COVID, for example from the cast or the director, we will need to develop a whole new strategy plan to support the week of rehearsals. Basically, we need to continue to make things happen without that person in the room. For example, we would look at online alternatives to allow them to participate. We had to look at this as a team and find solutions for each member if at any point during this rehearsal period someone couldn’t make it because of COVID.
The key responsibilities of a COVID Officer include:
- Making sure everyone follows the venue requirements, which were received from artsdepot.
- Managing the COVID declaration database for our team, which involves a series of questions that are collected every day and retained for 15 days.
- Taking everyone’s temperature before they enter the room, which needed to be under 37.8°C.
- Making sure that everyone kept to the social distancing of 2 metres. This was sometimes really hard to work with a whole team, but we did it very well.
- Being sure that everyone always wears face coverings. The only exception to this was if we provided lateral flow tests for the cast. However, this was only used when characters absolutely needed to have close physical interaction.
- Supervising the Health and Safety of the space, running through a checklist to make sure the space was ready. This includes making sure that the room is ventilated and windows are open, that hand sanitizer is filled up and close to the entrance, tables kept a specific distance to make sure everyone from different departments would have 2 metres between them when they were seated.
How is this placement related to your coursework?
I feel with this placement I could finally have a “taste” of all of the different types of production departments. I have been able to try them, explore them, and discover more about them. But what has been the most important, is gaining an understanding that I would really like to do more in production. There are so many options you can have to develop your career as a Creative Producer, and I think every week I am finding my path.
What has surprised you most about your experience?
I have to say that working on this project with so many people from different backgrounds while in London, has been a “wow factor” since the beginning. Especially as my last theatre production was 6 years ago in Lisbon! I have never worked with an international team and it was really interesting to see the dynamics and an example of the structure of the British theatre landscape.
Another thing surprised me was how different and intense being a part of an autobiographical project is. There is a level of responsibility and respect that you need to bring to the “stage” when working on a person’s life story. This is something really new to me and I admire much more what Brian Mullin did after having been part of this amazing process.
How did you find out about Central and decide to study with us?
In 2019, I had a chat with one of my best friends who is also an alumni of Central, Fernando Mariano. He knew that I really want to follow one of my dreams, which was to study an MA Creative Producing. So, I knew that Central would be the perfect course for me.
What are you planning to do after graduation?
I have some development plans in mind, without to much detail because is all very “embryonic”/fresh right now. I’m working through the following at the moment:
- I pretend to follow with my Festival idea - which has potential for my Sustained Independent Project (SIP)
- I want to start to slowly build my own company with my twin brother Rui Verde, a graphic designer. The company will be about Marketing & Art Production, as a project between London, Barcelona and Porto (my hometown)
- I was invited recently to be part of a new charity international project (starting between July/August this year), as producer/marketer of the events for a project that has the mission to help the needs of children around the world
But I also know that so much could changed or be added before my graduation. I am always open for new projects, especially those involving my causes/values and internationally.
If you want to keep up with Andre’s work, you can follow him on his website, www.andreverde.co.uk or on Twitter @AndreVerde1 and Instagram @verdeperto.
Live To Tell is on Instagram @livetotellshow and on Twitter @livetotellshow. LIVE TO TELL: (a proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical is happening from 24 May – 13 June.
