“Joining cheer was the best decision I’ve ever made”
“I was not proud of the bow, nor the uniform. I was proud of what it meant”
“When I initially message the president asking to join cheer late in the term, I hadn’t really left my bed in three months. I was then in hospital for about a month in December. After that, cheer was the only time I left my house for in a while. I just want to thank all of you so so soooo much for being so lovely and welcoming from the start, and just overall amazing people. I know it seems a bit weird, but being surrounded by you guys has really helped me this year so much and I am so much better than I was before so I’m extremely grateful for all of you!!!”
“Left me with inexplicable desire to wear red lipstick everyday”
“I would say it is hard work but satisfying, rewarding even”
“fivesixsassyeight Titans! [After nationals] We did so well yesterday and hope you all have enjoyed not just nationals but regionals, training and socials… the whole season! We all have improved so much individually and as a team! I am so proud of everyone that has learnt new tumbles, perfected challenging stunts and even those who have overcome personal fears. We have really been a dream team! It has been a perfect start and end :'( with you! Watch out… Titans coming through in the res white and blue!”
“I still find glitter everywhere”
“Highest point in my life”
“Thought I was going to turn 20 alone in hospital, but my mummy came down, my friends surprised me with cake and balloons, and I was discharged just in time for my party… Ended up turning 20 while doing tequila shots in the union!! Also, [a friend] had to bring her pjs to Spring carnival because she was fully ready to stay the night in hospital with me, so yeh I have the best friends ever and I love them all xxxx”
Picking up where I left off in the last blog post; as the Autumn Play was happening, Freshers’ Play was also a thing! So each year, older years in drama get together to direct (and sometimes even write) 3 short plays featuring the freshers. I remember genuinely freaking out because one of the plays were improv meaning the audition would be too. Honestly ended up having an absolute blast- and got one of the leads. I played a (largely-drunken) drama fresher who was couch-surfing because she had been kicked out of halls. Good times.
Right after Freshers’ and Autumn play, came Christmas play- wahey! Literally auditions for this began the day after The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Autumn play) ended. We did Almost, Maine by John Cariani. Absolutely not biased opinion but it was the cutest, and most heart-warming thing ever. We set up blankets, pillows, fairy-lights, and served hot chocolate! This was a special one for me- I not only got to act in it, but I was also asked to be producer by the (in)famous drama twins Eri and Yuri. So much love for themmm.
Main play auditions actually began on the same day as Christmas play. Rehearsals started in January and fast forward to March- we’re just past half way through play week! The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dark masterpiece filled with witchcraft and possession, small-town drama and adultery, topped off with lots of shouting and screaming. It’s been intense for all of cast and crew, but there’s nothing else we’d rather be doing. Especially work- so much procrastination, it’s great.
However, with another play week coming close to an end, I introduce you to post-play week blues. After growing accustomed to showing up for makeup and costumes, some class acting, dressing-room pints, and just bonding really- you’re left feeling somewhat empty. A bit like after you finish a TV show; it’s like, what do I do with my life now? Look forward to the next play, of course.
Joining ICSM Drama was easily one of the best decisions in my life. The love and support I’ve received from everyone, especially the older years, have been endless. I adore everyone in drama to bits and I can’t imagine not having them in my life.
Come catch The Crucible 07-10 March, 2018 at UCH, Beit Quad 18:30. Drama love all round and hope to see you there!
Sending love and best wishes (before I head off for night 3 of play week)!
Alex (:
P.s. Sorry for the GIF deficiency this time round- promise I’ll be back with more next post!
Drama is the macrophage, and I the pathogen. It has engulfed and destroyed me. (In all the best possible ways)
Welcome to part one of your insight into Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) Drama– the best medic society at Imperial. I promise I’m not biased.
The start of the journey brings us back to Freshers at Freshers’ Fair- where 370+ clubs and societies are showcased across campus to try and spark your interest in joining them. Standing right by the entrance to the medicine building was Gen, who is all types of lovely plus she’s also president of the society. She gave a super enthusiastic mini speech about why I should consider joining ICSM Drama but I was already sold.
Also during Freshers, was Fulham Palace Run- basicaallyy a pub crawl but you wear scrubs bottoms plus you pick a society to go with. Drama was super adorable and did a picnic prior to the crawl- such bonding ahh. I can’t stress enough how warm and welcoming everyone was, confirming I was practically ready to sell my soul to this society.
My first commitment to them was promising to come along to auditions for their Autumn Play- The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis. An absolutely brilliant play. The whole process of dragging my butt to auditions was incredibly nerve wracking. I suppose it was an issue wherein I firmly believed that maybe I couldn’t actually act? Ended up playing the title role’s mother, and I even got to do a monologue for the opening scene. Craazzyyy stuff! The role was incredibly different to what I’m like as a person, so it was definitely a matter of pushing myself. Plus play ‘socials’ (outings/meet ups) are great- we went to see Wicked and it was absolutely magical.
Something I learned the hard way: weekend rehearsals are tough- they are loonnngg. Bring food, bring work, bring chargers. ‘Play week’ is even tougher-literally what it says on the tin. The usual craze of weekend rehearsals adding on tech and art set up. The hysteria continues as we traditionally put on our Autumn and Main productions for 4 consecutive nights, which means 4 nights of living off curly fries from FiveSixEight (in our Student Union). #LOML
We start off play nights arriving about an hour before doors open, heading to the ‘dressing room’ designated for the production where we get our costumes and make up on. Prior to the start of the show, we never fail to do the traditional drama warm up- which I believe is shared by Light Opera (basically medic musical theatre soc). You’d have to join us to be in on the secret warm up- sorry, guys.
The show is live streamed and projected for us in our dressing room, this acts as our queue to know when to head down backstage just in case the tech person in charge isn’t paying attention. It’s happened. The rest of our time offstage up until the curtain call/final bow, the cast usually spends sat in a circle playing games of Werewolf and other stuff. Then there’s an event post-play for each night- ranging from cast dinner to ‘pubbing’ and clubbing, but always a house party at the director’s place on the final night. Definitely a toll on lecture attendance- so exhausting but so worth it.
Overall, I genuinely had some of the best times of my life- being part of a production is such an amazing experience.
10/10 would recommend. Drama love all round*insert heart eye emoji*
Sending love and best wishes (after a weekend of rehearsals for main play)!
Alex (:
P.s. Keep an eye out for the Imperial College Instagram account next Wednesday, 7th March as I take you with me through the first day of ICSM Drama’s main play!
Although netball was not a new sport to me, playing a sport at university has certainly been a new experience. Imperial College Netball Club (ICUNC) has become one of my favourite aspects of Imperial, and even though, for a while, I almost regretted not taking up a new sport, the last few months have definitely reminded me why I chose netball. For months on end, the repetitive cycle of training on a Thursday and matches on a Monday seemed cruel in the subzero temperatures, however, looking back now, I can see how much we’ve improved, bonded as a team and had a really great time along the way.
For those who aren’t familiar with the sport, netball is a sport played with 7 players on court at a time, three defenders, three attackers and a centre. Each player has a specific role and is only allowed in a designated area, the ball can only be passed up and down the court, so the sport requires good reflexes, agility and speed.
Playing with 5 players
The 5th team’s road to varsity has not been the smoothest. Struggling to find enough players to play each match has sometimes meant turning up with less than seven, but we have never let this dampened our spirits. We’ve all had to learn to be versatile and adapt to changes quickly. A massive highlight of the season that almost sounds like a joke, was a match against RVC with only five players on our team. Not only did this mean having to take out two of the wing positions but due to an entire team of defensive players, I had to try to play goal attack, a position I had barely ever played before and most definitely not in matches. As a GD/WD (yes I know I’m quite short for this position, but jumping works well!) playing the opposite position was utterly confusing but I actually quite enjoyed it and was almost mildly successful at the position! This showed me how no matter what, a little bit of adaptability and quick thinking, combined with encouragement goes such a long way on the netball court.
It snowed!!
Through training in the rain, matches in the snow (it was the coldest I’ve ever felt in my life) and commutes to the most remote parts of Greater London, it’s fair to say there has been plenty of team bonding and laughs along the way. Despite not knowing many of my teammates until 6 months ago, its fair to say I definitely have a friend in all of them. It just feels so good to be a part of something like ICUNC, its having a place to go to where nothing else matters than the ball and getting it into the net and achieving it together as a team. It really hasn’t mattered that we haven’t won a game all season because as team we can see how we’ve improved from match to match and nothing is more satisfying than the feeling of stepping off the court knowing you’ve tried your best.
So as the end of season approaches, this Saturday (March 3rd), (Varsity) will see 28 matches between Imperial College and Imperial College Medics, in 11 different sports. It’s going to be a great day of sports and fun, with the Netball 1st team headlining at the end of the day.
From 10am, I will be taking over Imperial College London’s Snapchat and Instagram accounts so you can follow the events of the day there!
27th January was the date, Imperial College Union was the stage – for one of the biggest events of the year; the 2018 Imperial vs UCL eSports Varsity. I decided to pop along and see what was going down. Admittedly, I know little/nothing about eSports but luckily there were enough avid fans that explained the rules and procedures that I gained some understanding!
The varsity event was hosted by the Imperial eSports society (https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/activities/a-to-z/esports), a relatively young society. However, their membership is growing, and so are the size and quality of their events – this was their second ever varsity event and it was an impressively professional set up.
Imperial vs UCL eSports Varsity 2018. Photo credits: Imperial eSports Society
I arrived fresh faced and clueless about both the event and the industry it was promoting. It got me thinking, what are eSports? Well, after some research and questioning I found out that eSports refers to competitive multiplayer video gaming, usually on PCs between professionals. Popular video games include real time strategy, first person shooter and multiplayer online battle arena games. The genre was supposedly first played at Stanford University in 1972 where students competed by playing the game Spacewar. Later, Atari held a large scale eSport competition in 1980 called the Space Invaders Competition. Since these humble beginnings, eSports competitions have become a global phenomenon, amassing both a huge global fan base and prize money.
Chatting with the Imperial eSports society Chair Roy Lee, I learnt that, in his opinion, eSports have gained massive popularity thanks to their ability to provide constant action and audience engagement. Game publishers have sat up and taken notice, promoting to their loyal fanbase and using broadcast media outlets like YouTube and Twitch (a video live-streaming platform) to promote both games and the wider phenomenon of eSports to the masses.
The event itself was very well attended, with all tickets sold out beforehand. Approximately 170 people bought tickets – an impressive number for such a small society! There was a huge range of things to try out; from an HTC Vive VR experience, driving simulator, sponsor stalls and of course both large and small arenas to watch the different eSport competitions happening throughout the day. The schedule was packed – running from 10am all the way to 7.30pm – including Overwatch, League of Legends, Starcraft 2, DOtA 2, FIFA and many others.
The event was well attended, complete with a hypeman MC and classic varsity crowd segregation. Photo credits: Imperial eSports Society
I rocked up right about the time the Overwatch competition was raging. I took my seat in the spectator area of the big arena; there was the typical segregation at a varsity event – UCL on the left and Imperial on the right. There were no mesh fences between us though – this isn’t football. In front of me sat a tiered set of computer screens and competitors, their gameplay instantly broadcast onto the big projector behind them for the spectators to enjoy. Within 30 seconds, there was a roar of approval from the Imperial spectators, something good had happened. As I looked at the screen, I realised I had no idea what was going on – where was I supposed to look!? Luckily, I started chatting to some of the other spectators and they helped me understand what was going on. Their enthusiasm was infectious, by the end of the round I found myself joining in with the crowd, still trying frantically to understand what had been achieved, until finally it was all over. Imperial won the Overwatch competition 3-1, leaving triumphant with trophy in hand. Next up: League of Legends.
The masterfully created trophies that were up for grabs… Photo credits: Imperial eSports Society
After perusing the other stalls and smaller competitions (Rocket League was one of my favourites) my time was up, I had to go back to the library to study, but there was a spring in my step. The amazing atmosphere and enthusiasm of the eSports varsity had left me buzzing.
Once all the other competitions had been played between Imperial and UCL, it was announced that the overall winner was Imperial, edging out UCL 4-3, taking the trophy for a second year running.
Next year, it will be UCL’s turn to host – game on. Will Imperial make it 3 years in a row, or will UCL triumph on home turf? Until then, I’m sure much intense training (and fun) will be had by the Imperial eSports society – be sure to check them out (https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/activities/a-to-z/esports)!
