Laura Denham, Author at The Orbital

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Getting involved with Orbital Magazine is something you won't regret. We offer the chance to have your work published to over 8,000 students on campus and thousands more readers online. Our 'Careers in Journalism' talks and weekly training sessions ensure we're the perfect platform to launch your career in such a competitive industry. There are three ways to get involved: either as one of our student journalists, photographers or designers. Once you've registered your interest you'll be met by one of our editors to determine which kind of content you're most interesting in helping to produce, and will then join one of our section teams: News, Opinion, Features, Lifestyle, Arts or Sports and Societies. If you would like to be part of the team, buy your membership here. It's not compul...

About

Orbital Magazine is the official publication of Royal Holloway Students' Union. Our magazine is released twice a term, and distributed to students around campus, as well as cafes and pubs in the local area. The magazine is comprised of six main sections: News, Opinion, Lifestyle, Culture, Creative Writing, and Sports. Our student journalists, photographers and designers work together to produce interesting and attractive content that we're proud to publish each month as a team. If you're even remotely interested in journalism, photography, design, social media, marketing, events management, sports journalism, podcasts, science journalism or anything digital - then you're in the right place. You don't even have to have any experience, we'll teach you everything you need to know! We accep...

2Jul

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

News

1 in 5 students admits to taking performance-enhancing drugs

1 in 5 Students take ‘smart drugs' every day, it has been revealed. A further quarter of all final year students have taken them to assist with study. Oxford University has the biggest problem with the taking of ‘smart drugs' with 26% of all students admitting to having taken the ‘smart drug' Modafinil. However, Oxford has said that it has seen no evidence of a problem, despite reports that there is a thriving black market there, with students selling the drugs in libraries for £2 a pill. Newcastle and Leeds are close behind with 25% of their student population admitting to taking the drug. In a survey done at York University a further 79% of students said that they would consider taking the drugs for exams. The UK is not alone in this, the US has reported a huge problem in their Ivy...

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9Mar

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Lunar Nights

In order to mark the launch of the production, Lunar nights, Drama Society put on a fantastic Masquerade ball which was great fun from start to finish. You walked in to a beautiful Founders Dining Hall, where there was a bar (always good), snacks on the table, as well as bubbles in mini champagne bottles! Everyone looked amazing in the masks. Some opted to use there own whilst many decorated and wore the white masks you got allocated with your ticket, which was a great opportunity to be creative. The mask decorations ranged from pink sparkles to masks decorated with lots of eyes for a more dramatic effect. The music was also lovely with the Royal Holloway Jazz Quintet playing throughout the course of the evening, keeping everybody on their feet dancing. The raffle was also a great s...

7Mar

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Literature

Who are we to rewrite Jane Austen?

Six contemporary authors have been selected by the Austen Project to ‘update' or ‘reimagine' Jane Austen's timeless stories in the modern world. The Austen Project launched the first of Austen's six famous novels, Sense and Sensibility, reimagined by the contemporary romantic writer Joanna Trollope, in October 2013. Everybody is talking about it – and everybody is asking questions. Should we reimagine Jane Austen for a 21st Century reader? Why are we rewriting Jane Austen? And indeed the most controversial question: who are we to rewrite Jane Austen? Literary critic Ellen Moers declares that, ‘all of Jane Austen's opening paragraphs, and the best of her first sentences, have money in them.' Austen opens Sense and Sensibility by establishing the Dashwood family estate and relationships in ...

7Mar

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Samuel Beckett takes to the London Stage

To have one stellar Samuel Beckett revival is always a treat, but to have two at the same time is cause for celebration. The Young Vic plays host to Beckett's iconic Happy Days, in which Juliet Stevenson is buried up to her waist in some sandy form of hell, whilst the Royal Court (followed by a brief stint at the Duchess) stages a trilogy of Beckett's one-women shorts. Beckett's writing for women has always been extraordinary, and these two productions do more than justice to his bringing poetry to ordinary people, and surreality to mundanity. Winnie, the protagonist of Happy Days, has been called the female Lear, and though the role must be as great a challenge to Juliet Stevenson as Shakespeare's King is currently to Simon Russell Beale, what makes Stevenson's performance particularly...

7Mar

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Creative Writing, Culture & Literature, Literature

Creative Writing at Royal Holloway

This month Royal Holloway's career service offers a chance to meet three distinguished graduates and students in the writing industry. Charlotte Cole met up with them to learn about their achievements… THE AUTHOR Currently studying at Royal Holloway, Georgia Mannering published her first book Roses in November, and already has her next release of The Spotty Dotty Daffodil this spring. She speaks with The Orbital about how she achieved it all. You've just written a picture book, The Spotty Dotty Daffodil, what were your influences for this? Spotty Dotty is about social acceptance and self-confidence. I actually wrote it when I was nine (although the story was very different back then and *cough* very bad). Then I revisited it when I was teamed with Bethany Straker, a brilliant illus...

7Mar

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Theatre & Performance

Theatre on a Budget

Across London there are many schemes available to students and young performers providing opportunities to experience theatre in a variety of ways. ‘Masterclass' is run by the Theatre Royal Haymarket and brings in many celebrated performers in the theatre industry to host inspiring talks and performance workshops. The scheme is free to anyone between the ages of 17-30 and those not qualifying for free admission can pay a small sum of £10 per class or £55 for the year. A few of the many past masters include: Jeremy Irons, Joanna Lumley, James McAvoy, Ewan McGregor, and Rufus Noris. ‘Theatrecraft' was set up by Masterclass to give people aged 16-25 a chance to gain experience in the non-performance side of theatre. There are workshops on offer to try every role available in the industry: ...

28Feb

By Laura DenhamNo Comments

Lifestyle

Roasted Tomato Soup

Deadlines are everywhere at the moment, and spare time is nowhere to be found. It's at times like this when you need something filling yet simple to make, and it doesn't get much simpler than this. Roasting the tomatoes releases the flavours in a way that no amount of cooking on a hob can – and saves the effort of standing stirring a pot to boot. This warming, vibrantly flavoured soup is super healthy and also vegan, in case anyone fancies their hand at trying out the vegan experience! Ingredients (serves 4): - 1.5kg tomatoes, roughly chopped - 1 large red onion (or two small), roughly chopped - half a red pepper, roughly chopped - 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped - 1 litre vegetable stock - large bunch basil leaves, torn - salt and pepper, to taste Method: 1. Put ...