An offer to jump at

30th January 2004, 12:00am

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An offer to jump at

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/offer-jump
Heather Neill previews a week of options for students of Tom Stoppard

Would your theatre studies students like to work with a professional director? Have you opted to teach Tom Stoppard but think there may be depths you haven’t plumbed or, having taken on directing a school production, would you like to see the way modern stage practitioners use technology and lighting?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, or if you have a hearing or sight-impaired student in your drama group, you could do worse than investigate Jumpers: Access all Areas, run by the Ambassadors Theatre Group.

The National Theatre’s production of Stoppard’s comedy who-done-it which combines existential philosophy with gymnastics, is now at the Piccadilly Theatre in London. The theatre, just off Shaftesbury Avenue, will be opening its doors a little wider between February 9 and 15 and joining forces with the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden for the acting workshop, which will take place on Sunday, February 15, between 11am and 5pm. This is open to both participants, working with a professional director, and observers and will be linked to the Jumpers production. (To book tel: 020 7943 4804.)

Students who are attending the evening performance of the play on February 10 can join the Theatre Museum’s head of education, Adrian Deakes, for a free interactive session, “Stoppard in Context for Students”, between 4.30pm and 6.30pm. This will include an exploration of some of the museum’s archive video footage and reviews of both the first and current productions of Jumpers.

On February 9 anyone with a ticket for the performance is invited to join Simon Russell-Beale, the show’s star, for a question and answer session at 5pm and, on the same day, visually impaired patrons will be offered an onstage touch tour in preparation for the audio description of the play.

Best-seat tickets for this facility are offered at the special price of pound;20 and at the same price for hard of hearing patrons who wish to attend a captioned performance on February 13 (tel: 0870 060 6630).

There is also a demonstration of gymnastics performed by the eponymous jumpers on February 12. Instructions include “bring trainers”. But if you would prefer to stay at school and teach, why not download the NT’s pack on Jumpers: www.jumpers.co.uk

“Back at the Piccadilly”, onstage tours are available all week. For information about these or other events, contact Julia Potts. Tel: 020 8290 8264.

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