2011 is proving to be a very exciting year. After a huge R+D process with Gecko Theatre and a youth theatre show with The Craft Ensemble, I am so happy to be straight back into Romeo and Juliet.
The process is at a tipping point, Are we making a funded show or are we raising money to fund the show? Scary! Or not so scary perhaps... March is the make or break month for many UK theatre companies. Night Light didnt apply for the big pot, but we do have an application in for Romeo and Juliet through GFTA. Times are tense, UK theatre holds it’s breath. There are bound to be some major companies and venues in real trouble come April. I’ve been here before, waiting to hear, with application both successful and failed. But to be honest I am calm about this application, not that I think we will get it, or not- I really don’t know but i am certainly done second guessing the Arts Council.
I just have a feeling that we are all in a time of great potential. I have made work which I have been proud of on no money at all for over 10 years. Sure, it's hard and the work doesnt ever reach it's full potential and you rely heavily on luck and the kindness of strangers, but it can be done. My production budgets have been pennies, actors working for food, props and puppets made on kitchen floors at 2am. People working together to make something beautiful. The theatre won’t die, if anything it might get more creative, the community might bond and collaborate in very interesting ways. I would love to be a part of a new era of creativity in theatre.
I know I could name at least 50 companies and artists who deserve the funding more than we do and I am rooting for them, especially companies who rely on being an RFO to keep their creative spaces.
On the other side, if we do receive support for Romeo and Juliet it will really inspire me to justify that funding. When support for the arts is so sparse it is essential that the art which does receive help is mind-blowingly brilliant. That is a challenge I would enjoy very much.
Where are we with Romeo and Juliet?
Dave, our social media man has been pestering me to put some info up about our process and so as of today I am going to be running regular insights into the Night Light way of working. We don’t know if it’s the right way to put on a classic show, but I suppose we will all find out soon enough. Having just begrudgingly edited the text down to about 2/3 of the original I am now sketching the initial storyboards, I want to have a general idea of the blocking and the shape of every moment before making a second cut. That way we can get straight to the interesting, exploration of the story when we are in the room together. I will post some of my storyboard images soon. Other things which are currently happening, set design, puppet design and most exciting (for me) casting!
Before I go, I just want to tell you about www.hughhughes.me Hugh is an emerging artist from Wales who works closely with friends of mine at Hoipolloi theatre company. On Friday he will be running a tweenterview. I made that word up, it doesn’t mean anything to normal people, I just put interview and twitter together to disastrous effect. Follow him on twitter and you can ask him any questions you like all day on Friday. visit the site to find out more.”
Ramblings from our artistic director Rich.
No comments:
Post a Comment