Talking Sense: An Interview with Matthew Whittle, Producer of 'A Little Nonsense'

Juncture Theatre's, A Little Nonsense, is currently running at The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter and according to the Press Release it's “A bare-knuckle look at the sharp edge of funny" and 'an original black comedy that explores the clown inside every man and the mirth that is hidden in melancholy.”

It's about a man who is bitterly frustrated by a clown’s freedom to play and inability to take life seriously, so he takes it upon himself to teach this clown a lesson and beat some sense into him. Through mime, slapstick, poetry and music, A Little Nonsense follows the farcical, haunting and abstract relationship of this unloving and tortured double-act and celebrates the importance of having light and shade within our lives.

Adam Blake and Harry Humberstone in A Little Nonsense © 2013 Ivor Houlker Photography

Described by Broadway Baby as “Genuinely faultless” and Latest 7 as, “a real gem of a show”, it's picked up a 5 star review from Latest 7 and 4 star reviews from Fringe Guru, The Post, The Public Reviews and Broadway Baby, since it's debut in 2012. In 2013, it also won the IdeasTap Innovators Brighton Fringe award and was nominated for the Most Ground Breaking Act at the Brighton Fringe.

All of this makes it an interesting prospect so, I thought I'd ask their Producer, Matthew Whittle, a few questions about about the show, being a Producer and his work with the company.

Tell us a bit about yourself...

MW: My name is Matthew Whittle and I am working as producer with Juncture Theatre on their latest production, A Little Nonsense, as it takes part in a two week residency at The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter.

Do you work exclusively with Juncture?

MW: I regularly work with numerous companies, artists and organisations in Bristol as a producer, director and performer. In the past year I’ve worked with FellSwoop Theatre, Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol Old Vic, Watershed, MAYK, Theatre Bristol, Theatre Uncut, Verity Standen, Puppet Place, The Smoking Puppet Cabaret, Closer Each Day and The Wardrobe Theatre.

How did you get involved with the company?

MW: I know the company’s team really well from working together on various other projects over the years but when Juncture first staged A Little Nonsense at The Wardrobe Theatre in November 2012, I was really knocked out by it and I remember thinking how it was the best show we’d had at the venue all year. About 6 months ago Juncture parted company with their regular producer and they got in contact with me. Producing isn’t the part of my work I enjoy most and so I am very careful about which projects I take on but I am totally in love with A Little Nonsense and all the team at Juncture and so this one was an easy decision. I really believe in the production and therefore wanted to help it do well and for as many people as possible to see it.

Matthew Whittle

How long have you been Producing shows?
 
MW: I’ve been helping put on shows since I was in primary school and to this day I’m still exploring and experimenting with theatre’s different roles, trying to find the best way for me to work. There’s no single date I can put my finger on as the time I started producing shows but a significant shift in the way I work and the number of shows I am involved with came in 2011 when I was invited to become one of the co-artistic directors at The Wardrobe Theatre. Before then I’d also worked a lot as a theatre reviewer and on the marketing of lots of different productions but I eventually realised I had a huge appetite for creating theatre.

What's the best part of Producing a show?
 
MW: As a producer you work very closely with the director throughout a project. It’s really satisfying seeing a production come together in front of your eyes and to see your hard work pay off. The first showing of a new production is always a nerve-wracking night but it’s also exhilarating to see an audience take pleasure from something you’ve worked so hard on.

What's the hardest part of Producing a show?
 
MW: If you’re the sole producer on a show you are often working alone too so self-motivation can be difficult – this is why I am so careful about choosing the projects I produce. Also, as you are responsible for the vast majority of the organising and general admin of a show it can sometimes feel like a bit of a thankless task but always remember that the support you are giving your artists is invaluable.

What advice would you give to someone Producing a show for the first time?

MW: Don’t put yourself under too much pressure by feeling like you need to know how to do everything. Each time you produce a show you will learn something new – I’m still learning every day! – so just don’t be afraid to share problems and ask for advice. More broadly, the best advice I can give someone trying to become a producer is to understand that the most fundamentally important part of being a good producer is having a good relationship between yourself and the artist/company. Building a relationship takes time and sacrifice but once you have learnt to trust each other and communicate well, you can flourish together for years.

Adam Blake in A Little Nonsense © 2013 Ivor Houlker Photography

The weather outside is frightful, and the central heating is so delightful, so why should people watch A Little Nonsense?
 
MW: When I first saw A Little Nonsense I was totally bowled over by it. It’s just the sort of theatre I love; smart, inquisitive, dark, brooding, powerful and hilarious. It’s also open to interpretation so different audience members can have very different experiences. The writing by Oliver Hoare is wonderful with beautiful turns of poetry and humour. Anna Girvan is a terrific director and the cast of Harry Humberstone and Adam Blake are really, really fantastic. They have been working together for years and you can really see the strength of their relationship and understanding in their performances. Also, more and more I am finding clown one of the most exciting performance styles to work in. The way in which a clown on a theatre stage can form a relationship with and react to an audience is unique and something that it used to wonderful effect in A Little Nonsense.

Juncture are devising a new piece called ‘Stuff’ during the day as part of its residency at The Bike Shed, what are Juncture hoping to achieve in the time and space available?
 
MW: Stuff is a new show we are developing based on the book It Chooses You by Miranda July which explores people's idiosyncrasies and how people develop relationships with the objects they surround themselves with. This is the very first time we will be working on this new show and so during the residency we hope to explore the book, the ideas within it and see how we might stage some elements of it. During the process we hope to collaborate with Exeter's theatre-making community with open rehearsals, workshops and work-in-progress showings which is exciting too.

When are we likely to see the finished product?
 
MW: Hard to say but maybe by the end of the year or early in 2015.

And finally, we know what's next for Juncture, but what's next for you?
 
MW: After this Bike Shed residency, our attention turns to Edinburgh Fringe as we plan to take A Little Nonsense up there for 2014. Personally, I’ll be performing at Edinburgh 2014 too in Verity Standen’s HUG.

A Little Nonsense runs at The Bikeshed Theatre in Exeter until Friday 14th February 2014. It starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £12 (£8 Concessions), but you can watch it on Tuesday for just £5. For more information visit www.bikeshedtheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01392 434169

Links

Juncture Theatre Website
Jucture on Facebook (you'll find a lot more production photos on this page)
Juncture on Twitter @JunctureTheatre
Matthew Whittle's Blog
Matthew Whittle on Twitter @Matthew_Whittle
The Wardrobe Theatre Website
The Wardrobe on Twitter @WardrobeTheatre

To be, or not to be, that is the question... But what if you could be both?

As an actor, when people ask you ‘what is your dream role?’, you know they’re expecting you to name a well-known classical character, probably Shakespearean, to be performed with a famous theatre company or theatre. But, whilst I have one of those on my list of dream roles, what I would truly love is a lead role (or co-lead!) in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy film or TV series (I can only partly blame Joss Whedon, Ridley Scott and James Cameron for this, because really it’s the fault of Jim Henson and Doctor Who!).

Browse through my bookshelves and among the science titles you will find books by Brian Greene, Michio Kaku (if you can find his BBC series about Time from a few years ago, I recommend watching it), Roger Penrose and Marcus Chown (no relation, but he’s a Chown so I definitely recommend looking up his books and iPad app!). They all reveal my interest in quantum physics and the universe.

To many people this interest may seem completely unrelated to the world of Acting, but a long time ago, I realised this scientific exploration explained part of my desire to Act and to create (that's a whole other blog post right there! But read on and you'll see I'm not the only one to recognise a connection). So, when I spotted playwright, Gill Kirk, was trying to raise money to develop her script inspired by quantum mechanics, I decided to find out why she had chosen the subject to write about and ask her more about the script she is trying to develop...

Playwright Gill Kirk  ©Gill Kirk

Why quantum mechanics?

GK: I wanted to write something new, had a lot going round my head and was almost completely silenced by the range choices niggling away at me. So I took a leaf from impro techniques - specifically Keith Johnstone - and tried some “free writing” - just letting whatever came out get onto the page: no self-censoring, no going back, no corrections. Just pages and pages of unhampered scribbling.

There were several weird ideas in there that were surprisingly appealing. One of the strongest was the idea of a physicist struggling in a world dominated by arts (much as our culture is). But it’s ironic, because of course, much of culture, art and performance - is all about trying to understand our place in this world. But that’s what physics is all about.

The phrases “quantum physics” or “quantum mechanics” meant nothing to me except something exotic. I didn’t even know they were the same thing. I didn’t know how much conflict there has been in this field of study; or that it’s only 100 years old; or that Einstein had real problems with much of it. I didn’t know that there still is no single, agreed answer.

After many library trips, I fell into the highly addictive world of TED Talks and just couldn’t stop. I started to twig that much of this appears in Doctor Who and New Age books. And that this thing was now a play which was “sort of” about quantum mechanics.

What's the play about?

GK: It’s deliberately NOT a play “about” science. It’s about the questions that we all face, time and time again, no matter how old, or where, or when we are.

Every day, we make deliberate choices to do - or not do - things. Each choice has results. In one theory of quantum mechanics - the multiple / parallel universe theory - you are only experiencing one possible version of your life, but all the other possible versions are out there: there is a you who didn’t read this blog; a you who hates theatre; a you who knows far more about science than I do (oh, hang on; that’s this world), and so on. In this theory, those parallel worlds can never know each other, but they still, definitely exist. It’s not sci-fi - it’s a robust theory supported by many serious physicists.

So what does that mean for us, for the play?

We see two people who do or don’t meet as children and, in some worlds, the impact that that childhood meeting has on their lives and characters. If they don’t meet as kids, they meet - or at least pass by one another - again and again in various other parallel worlds. Unlike the film Sliding Doors, there is no sense of “Destiny”, where the lead always ends up injured / pregnant at a certain point.  We see these two people’s best and worst selves: when they are good for each other, bad for each other; when they are great individuals and dire ones.  We love them, hate them, worry, ache and laugh with them.

Throughout, we see the set-up for a particular “thought experiment”: if there are parallel quantum universes and if I kill myself with a rifle controlled by a quantum particle (which both fires and doesn’t fire at the same time), then surely I can live forever - right? Because in the worlds where I die, I don’t know about it, but in the worlds where I survive, I live!

This is not a play with answers - it’s a play for wondering (for me, at least): are tiny actions (a smile, a “hello”) perhaps as significant as huge decisions in life? What makes us the people we are today? Do we like the people we are in certain circumstances? Did we take a wrong turn? Can we back-track? If we could, would we?

A poster I created to showcase a typeface I designed during my Graphic Design studies - who knew it would come in handy on the blog?  ©Annette Chown 2012

Where are you in the development process?

GK: I’ve been working with dramaturg David Lane since the summer, and he's has given me a brilliant sounding board and stretching place! We're now at the point where we want to “stand it up” and spend a day in a room with a professional director and actors to “stress-test” the script. I want to see where things work and don’t work, and improve them, before sending this out to theatres. I’m desperate to see this thing have a life (it obsesses me, unlike anything else I’ve written), so it has to be in the best shape to can be before it’s exposed! If this was a commissioned piece, the theatre would provide this, but it isn’t!

Crowdfunding is getting more and more popular, but why did you chose to try it?

GK: My local authority (not unusually) isn’t funding individuals anymore. ACE’s G4A programme ideally requires a level of investment from the artists or other sources. Having secured some interest from the scientific world, I decided to just start trying to raise funds myself and see how we got on.

Having almost completed the crowdfunding (in terms of time, not funding!), I’d really recommend it to others. It is a very thought-provoking process. I don’t just owe my best effort to the script (me) anymore, but as I type there are 45 people who have put their own money into the project and I must not  - cannot - let them down. It’s really exposing, terrifying, sobering - loads more than asking people to come to your show!

Why did you choose Talent Backer?

GK: I wanted to use a UK rather than US site. Talent Backer are talent- rather than business-focused. They’ve given me daily coaching, been really supportive, so - so far - all’s good and I’m really glad of this route.

What can people do to help, and if they fund, does it have to be a lot?

GK: You can just pledge a fiver!  http://www.talentbacker.com/talents/view/gill-kirk

There are escalating rewards for funders (if I hit the full target), and I am very happy to discuss those if you wanted something else.

But alongside the pledges, publicising this to your networks would be a massive help. I’m driving my social and personal networks insane with this (28 days is a long time) and we still have £400 to raise in this last week (not panicking, not panicking). If we don’t hit the target, we don’t get ANY of the funds. Uhuh.

So, please - consider a fiver, become a theatre angel and patron of the arts, get a reward for your kindness AND if you can encourage others to support me, you’re doing a great thing. And who knows where this play will go if it does well…? You could be in at the beginning of something big! But that’s just one of many possible universes!

At the time of posting this, Gill only has 7 days left to reach her target. Here's the link to her Talent Backer page: http://www.talentbacker.com/talents/view/gill-kirk

The Theory of Relativity: the theory of the very big versus Quantum Theory: the theory of the very small © Annette Chown

Now you have a choice: does the ‘you’ in this version of the universe pledge or not pledge money to help Gill develop this script? Remember, if she doesn’t reach her target, she gets NONE of the money already pledged.

To fund or not to fund, THAT is the question...

Links

Gill’s Talent Backer Page
Gill Kirk’s Website
TED Talks - warning, as Gill says, they are addictive!
Keith Johnstone’s ‘Impro’
Richard Feynman
Brian Greene’s Website
Marcus Chown’s Website
Michio Kaku’s Website - warning, the banner on his website, does make him look like Physics’ answer to Derek Acorah
Roger Penrose's 'The Road to Reality'
Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix - I’m just throwing this in as a reading suggestion because it’s a nice, easy introduction to some ideas and theories that make their way into a lot of Science Fiction, not just The Matrix, and it’s littered with suggestions for further reading/watching.

Mugs Arrows and Festive Fundraising

This week, you have your last few chances to catch Mugs Arrows at the Bike Shed Theatre. Developed by critically acclaimed touring company, Third Man Theatre, at the Bike Shed last year, the show has been running at the venue for the last couple of weeks and has garnered great reviews from Exeunt, Remotegoat and The Express & Echo.

Mugs Arrows at The Bike Shed Theatre

Here’s a bit about the show and the company from the press release:

“Mugs Arrows is a surreal black comedy set in very ordinary surroundings – the local pub.
With rural areas being forever altered through commercial development and extreme
weather conditions and locals disenchanted by a lack of jobs and the ever-increasing
allure of a life elsewhere, Mugs Arrows delves in to a world that is on the change. It
explores the depths of the human psyche, love, loss, friendship (and darts), leading to
hilarious, strange and ultimately disturbing results. Just your average night out down the
local then…

Third Man Theatre is an award winning company based in Cornwall and London that
specialises in new writing. Since forming in 2007, they have toured extensively around the
UK and the US. Their most recent show Botallack O’Clock was nominated for Best Fringe
Show Time Out 2011 and transferred to New York as part of the Brits Off Broadway season 2013 following a 3 week run at the Bike Shed in 2012.”

Mugs Arrows is also the first of this year’s autumn residencies at the Bike Shed Theatre, where companies from across the UK are given a chance to develop new work in the
theatre, while showcasing existing material.

That’s not all that’s happening at the theatre though: preparations are afoot for the Christmas show and The Bike Shed team could do with your help...

Their ‘exciting seasonal show’ is called Eliza and The Wild Swans and is an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale, Wild Swans. It’s a collaboration with Bristol’s Wardrobe Ensemble, which will see the Bike Shed theatre and bar transformed into a wintery wonderland, with mulled wine at the bar, Christmas trees and ‘festive cheer all around’!

However, as they say on their Christmas Fund page, ‘making a new play doesn’t come cheap’ and they don’t receive regular public funding, so they’re trying a bit of crowd funding to help ‘make this Christmas production truly special’.

As with all crowd funding, if you give, you will receive. If you donate to the Bike Shed Christmas Fund, what you receive ranges from a ‘thank you’ in the programme, to having a unique song composed for you, a free year’s Membership and your own custom cocktail served in the bar! Obviously, the more you give, the more you receive, but if any of this sounds tempting then have a look at their Christmas Fund page for more information.

Useful Links

Mugs Arrows
Third Man Theatre
Eliza and The Wild Swans
The Wardrobe Ensemble
The Bike Shed Christmas Fund

tidy carnage puts Motor Neurone Disease in the Spotlight

I’m going to start this post with an apology: I apologise to anyone who has sent me a Press Release in the last couple of months. I have responded to some of you, but not been able to reply to all of you. I have been busy as both an Actor and Graphic Designer, so I haven’t been able to find the time to blog - even about the productions I’ve been working on - but keep the releases coming!

Apology over, Kelly Smith, producer of 'dream//life', contacted me with details of the show, currently running at The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter and it sounded really interesting, so here’s a bit about the company and the show.

Helen Cuinn in 'dream//life'

Tidy carnage, is a new theatre collective from Glasgow, who merge new writing, movement and multimedia, and their current show, 'dream//life', is at The Bike Shed Theatre until Saturday 20th July. It’s a moving account of one couple’s experience of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and has been developed in collaboration with Motor Neurone Disease Scotland.

Director Allie Butler was initially inspired by a piece of creative writing entitled ‘A Day In The Life’, written by someone with the condition. She further developed the piece by researching and talking to people who have MND or care for those with it. Performed by Neil John Gibson and Helen Cuinn, 'dream//life' became a piece, not explicitly about the illness, but about a relationship affected by it. The piece has been supported by Ovalhouse in London and The Arches in Glasgow, where the company presented early work in progress showings and received feedback from the venue, community and charity to enable further development. This development process certainly seems to have worked, as Arthur Duncan has given them a glowing review on Remote Goat: http://www.remotegoat.com/uk/review_view.php?uid=9970

Neil John Gibson & Helen Cuinn in 'dream//life'

The company has been in residence at The Bike Shed Theatre for the last two weeks and is collaborating with the local branch of the national charity, Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), the only national charity raising awareness and money for research into MND and support for those affected, to raise awareness and support. Although the screening of the documentary film, 'I AM BREATHING' and their Q & A session have passed, there is still an opportunity for audiences who want to find out more about and support the charity, to do this, as there is a stall in theatre’s Café Bar where you can read and take away information.

Helen Cuinn in 'dream//life'

If you like their work, then you can also catch some of their work in progress before they leave Exeter. As part of their residency at the theatre, tidy carnage are collaborating with local writer Cally Hayes to create a new piece of Theatre. 'writer//collaborator' will be developed over a few days as the company give sections of text the tidy carnage treatment and then perform what emerges as scratch showings 18th-20th July (see the Bike Shed website for details).

You only have until Saturday to catch 'dream//life' in Exeter, but if you like the company’s work, then make sure you watch 'writer//collaborator' as you have the opportunity to be one of the first people to experience and provide feedback on their next show.

Links

The Bike Shed Theatre
tidy carnage on Twitter (@tidycarnage)
'dream//life' Remote Goat Review 
Motor Neurone Disease Association Website
I AM BREATHING Website
Ovalhouse Website
The Arches Website

Act 2: An Act of Twisting Reaches The Bierkeller

Last time I handed my blog over to the lovely Natalie Remington, but now, as we perform in Bristol, it's back to me.

It's only been a couple of weeks since I saw the team, but I have missed them, as they have kept me laughing on and off stage for the last couple of months. 'An Act of Twisting' is a dark comedy about torture and it's been great to perform with three ladies who genuinely make me laugh.

Kate with The Captive Combatant Image Copyright Hannah Drake 2013

A humourous play about such a serious subject might sound incongruous but it's not flippant, it's deeply satirical. When Hannah (Drake, our Director) first discussed the play with me, she explained that Ian's initial inspiration came from a question: 'What would happen if you put the WI (Women's Institute) in charge of torture?'. It's an interesting, absurd premise and although the play has moved on from that idea, 'An Act of Twisting' introduces a group of women set the unenviable task of improving the National standards of torture and the man on whom they will be 'practising' their new techniques.

What I particularly like about the play is, although it sets up the premise that it will be a story about being a woman and how torture affects women, you realise that it's about being human and how torture forces us to question our human identity.

'The cruelest technique of all...' Image Copyright Hannah Drake 2013

As part of the rehearsal process we researched methods discussed in the play, such as Waterboarding and references to the effects of torture, such as The Stockdale Paradox, but ultimately we found ourselves exploring questions around being human and what drives people to torture others as well as the justifications for torture, all of which influence how our characters see their world. So I thought I'd include a couple of links to some of the topics we found ourselves discussing. Some are directly related to the play and some indirectly, but equally interesting:

Journalist Christopher Hitchens being Waterboarded (YouTube Video)
Jim Collins.com Audio file about The Stockdale Paradox
Wikipedia Entry: The Milgram Experiment
Information is Beautiful diagram: Left vs Right (US)
TED talk from Dr James Fallon

It's in the dark side of the research that you find the light. They often say that truth is stranger than fiction and sometimes the gags write themselves, never more so than in the reference to Michael Bolton's music in the show: it's true. I'm not going to give it away here, you'll have to see the show to understand what I am talking about, but, according to Ian's research, it's true.

Penelope gives a little demonstration. Image Copyright Hannah Drake 2013

The Bierkeller is a completely different space when compared to the Rondo, but it creates a more intimate experience and keeps it fresh for us as we find new things and new ways of approaching moments in the play. Which can be challenging, but also a lot of fun!

All in all, it's a great show, and we've had a brilliant response from our audiences. We finish at the Bierkeller on Thursday, 4th April so, at the time of posting, you only have to two more chances to catch the show in Bristol. It starts at 8pm and it would be great to see you there!

PS - I'd just like to say a huge thank you to our formerly 'undisclosed captives', Phil Coote, Calum Anderson and Ben Crispin, who spend the entire show gaffered to the chair (not all at the same time)!

Links

Tickets for 'An Act of Twisting'
The Bierkeller Theatre Website
Hannah Drake's Interview with 17percent

Why Blue? Natalie Remington on ‘An Act of Twisting’

‘An Act of Twisting’ starts at The Rondo, in Bath, this Wednesday (6th March 2013). It’s directed by Hannah Drake, written by Ian McGlynn and features myself (Annette Chown), Lizzy Dive, Kirsty Cox, Laura Fautley and undisclosed males in the cast.

Today I am handing my blog over to Natalie Remington our fantastic Designer. She has a few surprises in store that will transform The Rondo and mean you will see it as never before, so although she won’t be giving away her secrets here, you can find out about how she got involved and her inspiration when designing a dark comedy about torture.

Before I hand over, there’s another member of the team I need to mention: our brilliant lighting designer, Luke Emmett. That’s enough from me for the minute, now it’s over to Natalie:

Eflyer for 'An Act of Twisting'

“Hannah Drake and I worked together twice last year, on June's 'Fertility Objects', and 'Product Displacement' in November. It was soon after the latter that she mentioned she would be directing Ian McGlynn's play ‘An Act of Twisting’, and that she would very much like me to design it, which was nice. I had not seen or read the play previously, although I had seen one of McGlynn's previous works at The Rondo some time before. I find his plays extremely witty and darkly entertaining.  With his company Provocation he approaches difficult subjects with both humour and pathos. This particular piece held me from the start. I won't say too much as I'll spoil it, but let's just say it keeps you guessing until the end.

Lizzy and I in rehearsal, Photograph Copyright Hannah Drake 2013

One of the things I liked about it is that the script is a blank canvas. There are minimal stage directions, and literally nothing is said about staging, setting or context. Hannah and I were very clear that we wanted to work this out for ourselves from the offset - that it was essential for us to have a sense of place and time, even if it is not important for the audience. This helps us to explore the play as we can start to visualise a context.

Sneak peek of Natalie's costume design for the show. Image and design Copyright Natalie Remington 2013

The design for this version of An Act of Twisting is very different to how it was last staged at The Rondo in 2008. Key words are utilitarian, clinical, and stark. I looked at a lot of images of abandoned hospitals, as well as images of 1940s nurses and girl scouts. I was certain that I wanted the girls to have a uniform, but without giving the impression of military. I've been working with a brilliant seamstress called Nel Johnson, and I think they are going to look fantastic.

I've had a great time working on this production - and hope that you will enjoy seeing The Rondo as you've never seen it before.”

Natalie Remington
Designer - An Act of Twisting

‘An Act of Twisting’ runs at The Rondo 6th-9th March, but if you can’t catch us there, then we play at The Bierkeller in Bristol 31st March - 4th April 2013.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the production and see more behind-the-scenes photos, you can do so on the Downstage Write and Provocation Facebook pages or follow us on Twitter.

Links

Rondo Website
The Bierkeller Website
Downstage Write Facebook Page
Provocation Facebook Page
Rondo Facebook Page

The Team on Twitter

@DownstageWrite
@Natmakesdreams
@ProvocationTC
@rondotheatre
@HannahDrakeUK
@ianmcglynn
@lukejohnemmett
@Lizzybombizzy
@LauraJFautley

The Last Blog Post (of 2012)

The end of the year is fast approaching, so I thought I'd squeeze in one final blog post.

Every now and again I am reminded it's a strange, small world, and never more so than in the world of The Arts. To cut a very long story (involving a New Year's Eve party 10 years ago, performing in a florist's shop, graphic design and 'Bunnies') short, I found myself designing the posters and flyers for this is tinder's production, 'The Last March', the Christmas show at The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter.

I haven't previously discussed it on my blog, but as well as being an Actor I am also studying Graphic Design. Whilst I can't claim to have designed the beautiful main collage (Ian Nicholson, Tinder's Artistic Director, had already commissioned it), it was a great job to work on as Ian gave me a clear idea of what he liked, but plenty of room to be creative. In addition to this, I have watched the show and it is a great piece of Theatre!

On the left is the original collage and on the right is the final design for 'The Last March' poster

The play is the tale of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's final expedition to the Antarctic in 1912. He planned to lead the first team to reach the South Pole, but was beaten by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Furthermore, Scott and his team died before they could make it home. “He didn’t go for material gain,” explains Ian, “It was a dream and he wanted to do it, it was important to him and his family. It was the last possible place left to be discovered, everywhere else in the world had been found.” Much like the story of Titanic, I haven't given away the ending and the heroic tale is full of myth and adventure. And tea, let's not forget the tea.

The final design for 'The Last March' flyer

Death and failure may not sound like the stuff of a heartwarming, Christmas, family tale, but Tinder saw the story from a very angle. After discovering Ian's great grandfather served under Captain Scott, Tinder did some research and discovered 2012 marks 100 years since Scott died. The story that emerged for them, was one of a very British adventure, with moments that appeared absurd and humourous when viewed from the 21st Century:

“They took out champagne and Christmas trees and a piano and a slide projector...They took 31 men and Amundsen took nine. Nine men and dogs while Scott had champagne
and brandy and footballs.”

Ian Nicholson, Director of The Last March, Artistic Director of this is tinder

The poster strapline states: "...This time, history is written by the losers..." because, as Ian explained to me, although it was Amundsen who won the race to the Pole, it was Scott's expedition and subsequent death that usurped his victory.

This is not to say that Tinder treat the expedition glibly, but the absurd and humourous moments they draw out make it both enjoyable and exciting, whilst in turn making the 'serious' moments more sympathetic and touching. If you are still concerned about it being a family show in which people die, the deaths are cleverly portrayed in a way which doesn't allow the audience to dwell on them and some younger children may not even realise that characters have died.

The Last March runs until 12th January 2013, so you still have time to catch it, before it disappears into the mists of time and a flurry of fake snow, but if you really can't find time to watch it, at least pick up a flyer to keep me happy!

Useful Links

Tickets for 'The Last March'
this is tinder on Facebook
this is tinder on Twitter (@thisistinder)

A blog post concerning an Actor trying to write about her involvement in a new play currently running at The New Diorama, or ‘I’m in Bunnies’ for short.

If you are reading this blog post before midnight on Sunday 28th October, you might still have time to take advantage of the ticket offer running via Time Out. You can see Bunnies for just £7 at The Diorama (on selected dates) if you book through Time Out, but the offer ends on Sunday 28th October. Here’s the link to the Time Out offer: http://uk-offers.timeout.com/deals/bunnies

Every time I’m in a play I have these grand plans to blog during the process and every time I realise that there’s no way that will happen until the show is up and running. So I’m typing this whilst sitting in my digs, listening to Radio 2, slurping a cup of tea and wondering if the condensation on the window is hiding the watermarks of rain on the other side, meaning this will be a waterproof-and-wellies day.

Don't trust the Bunnies...Photograph Copyright Annette Chown 2012

I am currently playing Eva in (to give it its full title), ‘A PLAY CONCERNING A FARMER’S RADICAL ATTEMPT TO RESTORE HIS LAND TO ITS SUPPOSED FORMER GLORY, AND THE DIFFERING REACTIONS OF HIS CHILDREN: OR BUNNIES (FOR SHORT)’, which is a dark satirical comedy, containing ‘swearing, violence and lots of taxidermy’. It’s definitely not one for the kids. Here’s some of the blurb from the flyer with more of what it’s about:

‘The once beautiful land is blighted by non-native species, including the grey squirrel, the Chinese mitten crab, the Siberian chipmunk, the Topmouth Gudgeon and, even, the European rabbit. They are wreaking havoc. Fortunately Stamper, a local farmer, has a solution.’

The play is written by Kieran Lynn (An Incident at The Border) and started life as a short play for The Bike Shed Theatre’s New Blood season in 2011. It went on to become a full-length play, won a Peter Brook Empty Space award and was performed at The Bike Shed Theatre in the Autumn. At the moment, if you search for the show on the web, you will probably find reviews relating to the first full-length production, but this is a different animal (see what I did there?), featuring a new cast (me, Jolyon Westhorpe and Richard Pulman) and a new director (David Lockwood). However, tonight is perhaps the scariest night of all: Press Night in London. So sooner or later there will be reviews floating around that relate to our production. Let’s hope they enjoy it...

Kieran watching from the sidelines, tweaking the script Photograph Copyright Annette Chown 2012

It is a comedy, but like all dark comedies it also makes us look at the world from a different angle. As the audience, we follow a ‘logical conclusion’ in Bunnies and for our director, it made him wonder how many steps it really is from, what he terms, ‘casual racism’ to extremism and ‘eradication’. Do ‘casual’ thoughts ultimately lead to extreme thoughts or does there have to be a catalyst that ignites extremism?
I don’t really want to give too much away, but hopefully, this has given you a flavour of what to expect and if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you can see more rehearsal photos and keep up to date with the show.

That's not a real frog, it is a real pencil. Photograph Copyright Annette Chown 2012

Before I finish this post I do just have to mention our programmes: I love them. They are published by Oberon Books and contain the script as well as biographies of those involved and only cost £3 if you buy them from theatres the play is visiting. If you want to buy the script at a later date, it will cost you more, so now’s the time to grab one. This will be the first time my biography appears in a published script, so for me, it’s extremely exciting!

Me excitedly holding a copy of the programme! Photograph Copyright Annette Chown 2012

Bunnies will be at The New Diorama until 3rd November, then we head to The Salberg Studio at The Salisbury Playhouse (6th - 10th November) and then we finish the tour in The Brewery at The Tobacco Factory in Bristol (13th - 24th November).

Useful Links

The New Diorama Bunnies Page
The Salisbury Playhouse Bunnies Page
The Tobacco Factory Theatre Bunnies Page
Oberon Books

If you missed it first time around...

I have some very exciting news which I will be blogging about soon (although those of you who follow me on Twitter already know what it is!), but in the meantime I have some re-exciting news: 'Private Peaceful' is back on BBC Radio 4 this Saturday at 2.30pm.

Image from the 'Private Peaceful' Podcast (available for a short period after broadcast).

If you missed it the first time around and want to know more about it, you can read about it on the BBC Radio 4 website or peruse the blog post I wrote earlier in the year entitled, 'Molly, Me & Private Peaceful'.

Hope you enjoy it and I look forward to divulging my exciting news very soon!

It’s not my cup of tea: why I was wrong about the Devoted and Disgruntled Roadshow

‘It doesn’t sound like my cup of tea’, said my friend when I asked if they were attending the Devoted & Disgruntled Roadshow at the Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol. I followed up with the immortal words, ‘I don’t think it’s my cup of tea either’. I take back those words: I was a fool. I have a feeling that when I look back, my first D & D Roadshow will go down as one of the most important moments in my creative life.

The Devoted & Disgruntled Roadshow is run by Improbable theatre company and has been touring since 2005. Each stop is a  one or two day event which allows you to ‘join the nationwide conversation about the future of Theatre’, but if you are like me, when you first read the name of the roadshow you fear it will be a load of people moaning about the erosion of funding and generally airing grievances, rather than finding solutions. I felt I was Devoted, but maybe naive, and wanted to learn why others were Disgruntled. I was also unsure of the set up and afraid that I would have nothing to contribute.

The Devoted & Disgruntled banner

'Whenever it starts is the right time.'

I thought it was a drop in, drop out weekend, and it can be, but it turns out, it’s a good idea to get there at the beginning of the day, especially if you’ve never before attended an Open Space event. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t realise this is how it works, so we didn’t start the day according to the timetable, but as you soon learn: Whenever it starts is the right time.

The wonderful Phelim McDermott of Improbable immediately puts you at ease and explains how the weekend will work and soon people start to ‘call sessions’. A session can be about anything from What's The Point? When Did You Last Feel Truly Inspired By An Experience In A Theatre? to Earning Money V Making Theatre. How Do We Do Both? and beyond. The person who has called the session then selects a space-and-time Post-it from The Wall of Space and Time and when all that’s done, you can browse the wall and decide what you want to attend.

The 'Wall of Space and Time'

I even found myself co-leading a session on the second day as, having listened to a lot of people, I felt there was an underlying question many people wanted to discuss. I called a session entitled Four Stars: Is the traditional review still the Holy Grail?, which I merged with two of Alison Farina’s sessions about success, as we felt they overlapped. You can read Alison’s report here and mine, which is presented as diagrams, which can be found in my blog post Devoted and Disgruntled Report Diagrams.

Some of the sessions called at the Bristol stop of the Devoted & Disgruntled Roadshow

Reports are created by the person who called the session (usually) and they create them, after the session, in the ‘Newsroom’. You can read the reports from the event in Bristol or any of the events across the UK on the Devoted & Disgruntled Roadshow website. Although most are specific to Theatre many are relevant to The Arts in general. Reading the reports, you can see that some people left the roadshow still feeling disgruntled, but the roadshow is not the end of the discussion as the website allows conversation to continue.

Some intrepid reporters in the Newsroom

'Whoever comes are the right people.'

I soon realised my preconceptions were wrong and I was in a group of Devoted people who wanted answers and collectively wanted to create change. Yes, there were people who got things out of their system and there were discussions about funding, but instead of the constant negative, downward spiral I feared, in the sessions I was a part of, these things were discussed and suggestions for change and development became the end result. This is not to say that definitive answers were found, everyone has different opinions, so individuals have to decide if they have found a solution.

A session in full swing

I attribute the openness and reduction of moaning to the model used for the events. The events are Open Space and if you have never attended an Open Space event, I cannot describe them better than Devoted & Disgruntled:

‘Open Space Technology (OST) is a form developed to support groups to self-organize and collaborate around any question of shared concern. It gives all participants the chance to propose a starting point for discussion, take part in any of the conversations or flit between them all. It is particularly effective in dealing with complex issues where diverse and conflicting views are present.’

‘What is Open Space?’ on the Devoted & Disgruntled Roadshow website.

There is also a live Twitter feed at the event which shows tweets marked with #DandDR. So us Twitterers were determined to spread the word, but something happened that none of us expected:

Yes!

That’s right, for a brief period on Saturday 30th June 2012, #DandR started trending in the UK! If you’re not on Twitter, this will probably mean very little, but it was a huge achievement for a relatively small group of people (combined with the brilliant people who weren’t at the event but read and retweeted our tweets), to have spread the word so far that for a moment even Twitter took notice.

'Wherever it happens is the right place.'

As part of the Open Space ethos, free tea and coffee is available, and conversations that happen whilst refueling with caffeine are just as important as those that happen in the space. As are the ones that happen on the website, on Twitter and Facebook, in Renatos over pizza and a pint or in the car whilst getting lost on your way to Long Ashton...don’t ask.

The Tobacco Factory Theatre was also the right place for the event and I would like to say thank you to Ali Robertson and Carrie Rhys-Davies for enabling the Roadshow to come to Bristol. I also have to say a huge thank you to the Improbable team who made it all happen and decided to include Bristol on their tour.

Seth Honnor's 'excellent continuum of cultural destiny'

'Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.'

Considering some people were still Disgruntled at the end, why do I feel it will be so important for me? In the same conversation I referenced at the beginning of this post, I said to my friend, something that I’ve previously discussed on my blog, ‘the reason I am going is because every now and again I like to push myself and do things that ‘aren’t my cup of tea’ or that scare me, just to see what happens’. In the Open Space I opened myself to change and some of the people I met and the discussions I was a part of unlocked something creative in me that has been locked for a long time: it reminded me of the possibility of Theatre and reawakened my desire to make things happen.

'When it is over, it is over.'

Some of the Reports on the wall at the end of the weekend

In the style of Sesame Street: this blog post was brought to you by the five rules of Open Space and the letters D and D.

Links

Devoted & Disgruntled Roadshow

The Reports from Devoted & Disgruntled Bristol

My Report

Devoted & Disgruntled on Twitter

Tobacco Factory Theatre

Tobacco Factory Theatre on Twitter

Devoted and Disgruntled Report Diagrams

These diagrams form my report on the Devoted & Disgruntled website for the session entitled Merge Alert PART 2 (with diagrams): #1 - How Do We Measure Success And How Do You Know When You Have Achieved It? #2 How Do You Get Where You Want To Without Kissing Ass Or Being A Twat? #3 The 4/5* Review: Is This The Holy Grail? 

Alison Farina and I decided to team up and combine our questions as we felt they overlapped. Many questions were answered with further questions, not because there were no answers, but because ultimately the answer to each is dependent upon the individual, only they know what is ‘correct’ for them.

To illustrate the session I have turned my notes into the diagrams below. The diagrams are a mixture of questions, answers and musings from the group.

These diagrams have been created from my notes alone, so it's worth cross referencing with Part 1 of the report, written by Alison.

Flushed at The Bikeshed Theatre

Exeter's Ignite Festival kicks off today and Theatre will take over the city. One of the first shows on the bill is Flushed from Theatre Rush at The Bikeshed Theatre and I recently found myself watching the YouTube promotional video for the production:

As Theatre explores new ways to promote productions and find new audiences, more and more promotional videos are appearing, which is great, but it can be hard to find a way to give an audience a sense of a production, especially when it's new writing and may not even be fully-formed at the time it starts to be promoted. That's why I wanted to highlight the video for Flushed, because I really like the way it manages to give you a sense of the play and the company. It's also enjoyable and nicely shot which made me want to watch the show and share the video.

But if you want to know more, here's the blurb from The Bikeshed Theatre website:

Four women


One bath


Can they fit in?

Flushed delves into the minds of four women who are facing up to their idiosyncrasies. We see moments of madness, insightful reflection and simple confessions that start to unravel their relationship with themselves. Who do you really see in the bathroom mirror?

Theatre Rush was formed only this year following the devised production of ‘Gesig’ which held its debut at The Bike Shed Theatre in December 2011, receiving a warm response by men and women alike. A company of female actors and practitioners shared the vision to deliver the bold truth about women starting with inspiration from Martha Graham’s quote:

‘There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all the time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost…’

Part-comic and part tragic, Flushed offers a window’s view to some of the mysteries women would prefer kept secret. Accessible to both the sexes, Flushed is honest, surprising and in some cases, absurd.

Flushed is on 25th (7pm), 27th (7pm) and 29th (6pm) June 2012 at The Bikeshed Theatre in Exeter.

Links

Flushed Facebook Page

The Bikeshed Theatre

Ignite Festival

Bristol's Sleeping Beauty: Why The Whiteladies Picture House Needs Your Help

The iconic Whiteladies Picture House is under threat as plans have been submitted to Bristol City Council to turn this beautiful building into a set of flats and a gym. But two men and their collective have no intention of letting that happen and they need your help.

It’s been just over 10 years since the Whiteladies Picture House closed its doors and like Sleeping Beauty it’s been waiting for a Prince to come and give it the kiss of life. However, Sleeping Beauty didn’t have a covenant on her that said she couldn’t be used as a cinema or for any other theatrical purpose. Having said that, no-one was determined to convert her into flats with a gym either, but that’s not the point of the analogy here...It turns out, Princes are like buses, and two have come along at once in the form of Alan Mandel Butler and David Fells.

When I turned up at the last Equity meeting, having not been for ages and having not read the emails the branch had sent out (sorry!), I’ll be brutally honest, I was expecting David and Alan, to be in their late 60s with no plan for the building beyond stopping it being turned into flats. Oh how wrong I was:

Alan and David: clearly not in their 60s and they do have a grand plan

My jaw dropped when they started to discuss their grand, yet financially viable, plan*. They intend to turn the Whiteladies Picture House into a community arts centre that consists of a 450 seat proscenium arch theatre, a separate 200 seat cinema/screening room, a large function room, foyer area, private meeting room and film edit suite.

They propose that the screening room/cinema would also be suitable for lectures and stand-up comedy. The function room, which was originally a ballroom (fully sprung), would be suitable for private functions or as a rehearsal space, cabaret comedy venue or as a large meeting room. They are also hoping that it will be put to its original use once again to host ballroom dance classes.

These pictures are from the Whiteladies Picture House campaign website. Click on them to visit the site and see more.

They aim to help local film-makers produce and showcase their work and hope to offer access to and training on film equipment, as well as a stock of owned cameras and access to the film edit suite. Completed films could then be showcased in the balcony cinema before the major features.
What is even more impressive is that they intend to do all of this whilst restoring this Grade II listed building to its former glory. They are both extremely passionate about old cinemas and understand, as well as appreciate, their cultural and historical significance. With this in mind they have been researching the building and sourcing vintage pieces they would love to purchase to restore the building with the love and care it desperately needs.

So what is stopping them from putting all of this into action? Money and Time. Not the covenant, as you might think, but money and the time they need to raise the money. Here’s why: the guys have worked tirelessly and have met with Odeon cinemas who will lift the covenant if The Whiteladies Picture House Ltd (the not-for-profit company they created to oversee the renovation and redevelopment of the Picture House building**) can secure the building. But securing the building is the problem.

The current landlord of the property has expressed no interest in the proposal itself, but would be willing to sell the property to The Whiteladies Picture House Ltd. So Alan, David and the rest of the Whiteladies Picture House Creative Collective (the group of people who have come together because they believe the project is something the city needs) started fundraising, but somewhere in the middle of all this, their hard work reminded other investors that the Picture House was lying unused and suddenly other proposals, old and new, started to creep out of the woodwork. Worse still, the decision to grant planning permission for the flats and gym is pending and will be decided in a few days time on Wednesday 27th June 2012. This is where they need your help:

A cover I created for the Downstage Write Facebook page

If the plans are passed, it’s the end for the Whiteladies Picture House as a community arts centre. So, assuming you cannot furnish them with £1.7million to buy the freehold, you can help them by signing the petition to support their proposal and/or you can lodge an objection to the flats/gym conversion by leaving a comment on the planning proposal. The relevant links can also be found below and on their website.

I really hope that David, Alan and The Collective are successful, because they have a fantastic, community-oriented vision for the Picture House; a stunning, culturally significant building which shouldn’t be consigned to history when there’s an opportunity for it to be part of our future.

I have provided a brief overview of the proposal in this post, but there is a lot more to it, so for further information visit their website.


*They mention the viability on their website, but at the Equity meeting concerns were raised about how they would generate income if they were successful in their plan and make the Picture House financially viable in the current economic climate. The answers they gave demonstrated a clear business plan and quelled the concerns.

** Once restored, this company intends to take on day-to-day operation of the venue.

Links

Whiteladies Picture House Campaign Website (http://www.whiteladies-picturehouse.com/)

The Petition

The Planning Application (If you want to add an objection, you need to click on the 'Comments' tab)

Whiteladies Picture House on Facebook

Whiteladies Picture House on Twitter (@wlpicturehouse)

Whiteladies Picture House Collective on Twitter (@WLPH_collective)

Equity

Fertility Objects: What's it all about?

Fertility Objects is the fourth production from the new-writing company Butterfly Psyche Theatre and starts at the Rondo theatre in Bath this Wednesday (20th June 2012). As I follow some of those involved on Twitter, I thought I'd find out more about the production.

The poster for Fertility Objects

Do you know a couple who are ‘trying for a baby’? Or suspect you know a couple who are? As you get older, the answer seems to be ‘yes’ on most days of the week. Fertility Objects is a play about three such couples who have hit a few bumps on the journey to parenthood and have ‘broken down’. They are trying to keep going and through the course of the play we discover if they will succeed in reaching their destination.

Image ©Lisa Hounsome 2012

The play is written by Alison Farina, Butterfly Psyche Theatre’s Artistic Director, and directed by Hannah Drake, the Rondo's resident Intern Director (and winner of the Elsa Roberts Prize for Directing). It is a deeply personal and delicate subject for many, but, as part of her research, Alison held interviews with men and women who have been affected by fertility issues and she had this to say about the experience:

“I was struck by how many people were affected by infertility and was moved by how many of these individuals were so supportive and encouraging of the project. It is such a personal and even taboo issue, despite its commonality and is rarely discussed openly. The challenge with this kind of subject matter is making a show that’s emotionally engaging without being a sob-fest, but I think we’ve cracked it!”

Alison Farina, Writer of Fertility Objects

Image ©Lisa Hounsome 2012

According to Japanese tradition, if a person can fold 1000 Origami cranes, they will be granted a special wish and designer, Natalie Remington, has incorporated this tradition into the design of the show:

“Our set design is based on the idea of Origami mobiles; since this show is about people wishing for a baby, we thought the idea of making the 1000 Cranes for them was both appropriate and poignant.”

Natalie Remington, Designer for Fertility Objects

The beauty of Theatre is that it allows you to explore emotions and situations that are close to you and also opens windows on to new experiences. Both reactions to a production can inspire questions and after the show on Wednesday 20th June, Butterfly Psyche Theatre are giving you the chance to get some answers. There will be a post-show discussion with the team from the Bath Fertility Centre, including Medical Director, Nick Sharpe Matron/Fertility Services Manager, Helen Kendrew, an Embryologist and their centre Counsellor (this event is free and will take place just after the performance).

Image ©Lisa Hounsome 2012

With a subject matter close to many people’s hearts and a cast consisting of Oliver Millingham, Shane Morgan, Justin Palmer, Jenny Johns, Anna Westlake and Fleur Ward, it’s firmly on my list of shows to see this week.

The show runs Wednesday 20th - Saturday 23rd June (8pm) at the Rondo Theatre in Bath and links for booking and further information can be found below.

Links

The Rondo Theatre

Bath Box Office

Butterfly Psyche on Facebook

Butterfly Psyche on Twitter

Bath Fertility Centre

Hannah Drake

Natalie Remington