Cranford Community College and London Metropolitan University’s Writing&Talking Clubs joined together for an extended Masterclass on review writing at the London Coliseum, home of English National Opera (ENO).
After an introduction to the history of the Coliseum and a backstage tour, Club members were given a brief overview of ENO’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe by journalist Alexandra Coghlan. They also enjoyed a question-and-answer session with the assistant director and a cast member, before watching a performance of the operetta.
In the workshop they explored ideas and word generation, looked at reviews of different productions of Iolanthe, and thought about how to tailor their reviews to different audiences and for print or digital media. Back at their Clubs they wrote reviews which they shared and critiqued in the second Masterclass session before sitting in on part of a rehearsal at ENO for Verdi’s opera La traviata.