A term with Starling Arts

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Liam Tooze, our most recent placement student from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, reflects on his term with Starling Arts.

My time at Starling Arts has been quite a short one in the grand scheme of things. I felt nervous starting off and getting to know people. I didn’t want to get in the way of the great work that’s done by Anna and Emily. But as the weeks rolled on, I found myself wanting to dive in more and more. Being able to see how the company works has been a privilege and, without a doubt, the most effective education I’ve had in my life.

For years I’ve wanted my own theatre company. I’ve gone through the various levels of education and each revealed another piece of the puzzle. Amongst the budget talks, the funding conversations, the research tasks and getting an idea of the context of Anna and Emily’s work alongside Starling, it made me realise that those central pieces of the puzzle are the most challenging pieces on the table!

In any industry, learning from someone who has been practicing for a long period of time is a humbling experience.  My time with Starling has been no different to this and I have focused on how the work carried out on placement has differed from my work at university. Getting acquainted with how Starling runs and sustains itself in such a competitive industry has been eye opening. For example, there are hundreds of projects that don’t get funded, so you have to know what’s going to get the funder’s eye. You might spend weeks writing a proposal for a project that never gets picked up. But everything is a learning experience to build on for the next project.

Liam, a man in his 20s with fair hair wearing a black and white jumper, raises his arms conducting a choir

Liam in the rehearsal room with the Starling Voices South. Photo: Alice BOAGEY

During my placement, I worked on two main parts of the Starling nest.

Sing For Better Breathing

Sing for Better Breathing is Starling Arts’  project for people living with lung conditions. Having received funding for the project earlier in the year, Anna and I worked on seeking new funding for the project to continue in 2022.  Through the funding process, I saw first-hand how these projects are more than an experience felt for an hour a week, or a show watched, or an activity to take part in. They are grown through a community that reaches out to its people.

Sing for Better Breathing is unique. I’ve seen the good it does in workshopping good breath-work and singing to promote good health. I also can’t deny that it’s done me a lot of good for my mental health. By waking up on a Tuesday and singing classics with some of the friendliest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, my mood shoots up first thing.  As this project takes place online, it’s the perfect opportunity for ‘Zoomography’, ‘cos you gotta dance when singing! Due to the frame of your ‘Zoom box’, it’s limited to the top half of your body, but leads to some creative decisions that I’ve enjoyed devising.

I’ve learnt that engagement is made stronger by passion and throwing yourself into everything. It's made by taking notice and giving attention to everything that’s around you. By smiling and bringing your best self to the people you work with.

LIam with the Sing for better breathing zoom crew

Choir Rehearsals

At the beginning, I was out of practice being in a room full of people in this way, it was nervy. But supporting the Starling Voices means I get to hear people singing their hearts out! With members preparing for an exciting gig at Cadogan Hall on Saturday April 9th 2022, there was lots of work to be done! I sing along too, sometimes, or get involved with a little exercise to help bring out the performance, and I’ve enjoyed being the choirs’ mascot!

It’s satisfying watching a performance come together. I joined in the second week of term and over the 9 weeks of my placement I’ve seen every song go from better to amazing. Seeing all the moments when we work on a specific phrase and then watching that phrase light up when the choir sings it; it’s a joy! There’s a fun and friendly atmosphere around choir nights. They are jovial and joyous times that make you leave with a smile.

Coming out of all the lockdowns, being in a room with people singing has been the best medicine. It reduces feelings of loneliness, relieves stress and raises happy hormones like oxytocin and serotonin. Whilst singing alone is great, being part of something bigger like a choir takes that happiness to the next level.

Liam, a young man in his 20s with fair hair, leads a physical warmup exercise with the Starling Voices choir

leading a warmup with the Starling voices. Photo: Alice BOAGEY

Concluding Thoughts

No industry is like the applied arts industry. It exists in a monetised world when at its centre it is something completely different. Its fire is social, it's not caged by the need for higher profits or material gain. Its heart is one of skill and love, this is something that our world can’t account for, its soul and spirit. My weeks at Starling Arts can only be summed up by my gratitude and inspiration to Anna & Emily, to the Sing for Better Breathing group and to the Starling Voices North and South. This time has shown me that the smallest details can matter because, as Anna says, “even if you’re oohing and ahhing, you’re still starring!” And, if you approach anything with a smile and determination, you can go from being a bedroom rocker or a shower singer to a star on the biggest stage.