The cuts have arrived. On Wednesday, the government's spending review was announced and arts organisations learned their fate, more or less.
I won't try to go into a detailed discussion of the whole thing as a) I don't think I could if I tried and b) there is plenty of good discussion to be found about the impact the cuts will have to be found elsewhere. In broad strokes, the Arts Council of England (ACE) has been asked to absorb a 30% cut while passing on no more than 15% cuts to the bodies it supports. This is a tragedy for ACE as they had already cut their costs by 20%. Being asked to effectively cut their costs by 70% over the space of five years means that there'll be nothing left but bone and grissle! They certainly won't have the capacity to support the many organisations and initiatives they currently support even as said organisations go through a very rough patch themselves.
What I found interesting was the way in which these cuts brought the old 'what good are the arts?' debate onto the television screens and into the newspapers. And that people whom you would think would be sticking up for the arts at such a time had some fairly unuseful things to say. Check out Richard Brooks in the last ten minutes of The Culture Show that aired last night on the BBC (I was having a night off from theatre!). His argument is that the arts thrive in times of scarcity and that this environment will help those art forms that 'audiences want to see' 'like contemporary dance' rise to the surface. Has he just completely missed the point of funding and the arts as a public good? Crikey.
Other not very useful comments came from certain Artistic Directors of certain theatres, who spoke to the Telegraph (for the Aussies: yes, it is just like the Australian newspaper of the same name and I'm sure his comments would have satisfied that readership just as well).
For the conversation to have turned so quickly to talk of 'well it's not like we're running a hospital or a school or anything vital', is pretty disturbing for a country with such a rich cultural life. It's a shame that the arts aren't viewed as being more intrinsic to the social fabric.
Not everyone thinks this way of course. Here's a fantastic animation stating the case for the arts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6rYDaORe3k
Friday, 22 October 2010
Theatre takes flight!
Say what you like about my spelling, at least when I promise something in this blog, I deliver!
Last Saturday night I cracked out the A - Z and found Picton Place not far from Bond Street tube station. I almost walked past the entrance as I was distracted by a quaint sign for Uzbekistan Airlines on the side of the building. Then I realised: I was in the right place! This was the temporary residence of Theatre Delicatessen, a great name for a great experience. Just like a fancy delicatessen in a posh, trendy neighbourhood, there was a variety of quality produce on offer. From spicy sausages to smelly cheeses.
The spiciest sausage would have to have been a piece called 'Soft Armour' on the third floor in what looked like a disused laboratory (why would Uzbekistan Airlines have a laboratory on the third floor?? Maybe it's safer not to ask). This was proper audience participation and all twelve of us became torch-bearers in the plot as it rolled along in some unexpected directions. When we walked in the room, dressed in lab coats provided, there was a body on a metal table and some sort of medical specialist examining it. Members of the audience were asked to help prepare the body - even washing her feet and brushing her hair! When it's revealed that the dead woman was attacked in a dark alley late at night, suddenly all the men in the room were bailed up and taken into the adjoining room separated by a window. With all the women in the first room then asked, along with the dead woman who by now was sitting up chatting, to identify 'her' killer, the audience was very cleverly brought right into focus.
It was all done with a bit of a twinkle in the eye and was a real hoot! If the actors had taken themselves or their subject matter more seriously it could have felt a bit false or pretentious at such close quarters.
Anyway, the whole concept of a building full of theatre was brilliant and with no reserved seats, no queues, no rules about what to see when, and beer in plastic cups, it felt like a mini festival. According to their website, next on the bill is Ibsen's A Doll's House. I'll be sure to check that out as it could be an experience and a half if they take over the building in the same way.
The Drowsy Chaperone - of which I saw a semi-professional production done 'Upstairs at the Gatehouse' is a fantastic musical and this production, given some money, could easily transfer to a larger theatre. Interestingly, the show closed after just three weeks in the West End a few years ago. Perhaps it was just a case of poor marketing or stiff competition, but then I think with all the theatre references and in-jokes, the target audience for this show may be exactly the kind of vile people who don't pay for their tickets anyway. Tough sell!
Term for the day:
'Press night' is the name given to the opening night or the first night after the previews. Of course press don't always come to press night, especially to see anything outside of London. This is one of the big challenges of touring.
Last Saturday night I cracked out the A - Z and found Picton Place not far from Bond Street tube station. I almost walked past the entrance as I was distracted by a quaint sign for Uzbekistan Airlines on the side of the building. Then I realised: I was in the right place! This was the temporary residence of Theatre Delicatessen, a great name for a great experience. Just like a fancy delicatessen in a posh, trendy neighbourhood, there was a variety of quality produce on offer. From spicy sausages to smelly cheeses.
 |
| Theatre can be a gamble - especially when audience participation is involved! |
It was all done with a bit of a twinkle in the eye and was a real hoot! If the actors had taken themselves or their subject matter more seriously it could have felt a bit false or pretentious at such close quarters.
Anyway, the whole concept of a building full of theatre was brilliant and with no reserved seats, no queues, no rules about what to see when, and beer in plastic cups, it felt like a mini festival. According to their website, next on the bill is Ibsen's A Doll's House. I'll be sure to check that out as it could be an experience and a half if they take over the building in the same way.
 |
| Upstairs at the Gate House |
The Drowsy Chaperone - of which I saw a semi-professional production done 'Upstairs at the Gatehouse' is a fantastic musical and this production, given some money, could easily transfer to a larger theatre. Interestingly, the show closed after just three weeks in the West End a few years ago. Perhaps it was just a case of poor marketing or stiff competition, but then I think with all the theatre references and in-jokes, the target audience for this show may be exactly the kind of vile people who don't pay for their tickets anyway. Tough sell!
Term for the day:
'Press night' is the name given to the opening night or the first night after the previews. Of course press don't always come to press night, especially to see anything outside of London. This is one of the big challenges of touring.
 |
| The Young Vic: so trendy |
Monday, 11 October 2010
Talkin' 'bout the ghetto
Do you ever have those days where you never could have imagined in the morning where you'd end up that afternoon?
On Thursday morning I had a quick coffee with the AD of Tamasha Theatre Company who kindly invited me along to a 'thing' at the Jellyfish Theatre that afternoon. I say 'thing' because I didn't catch the name of what it was I was being invited to however I had already heard about the Jellyfish Theatre (a temporary structure made entirely of recycled materials) and was keen to see what it was all about.
So by 3.30pm there I was trotting down Union Street in search of a recycled building. After mistakenly walking up to a gate that turned out to be a memorial to prostitutes who had apparently died in the line of duty when their workplace burnt down on Redcross Way, I found the Jellyfish.
On Thursday morning I had a quick coffee with the AD of Tamasha Theatre Company who kindly invited me along to a 'thing' at the Jellyfish Theatre that afternoon. I say 'thing' because I didn't catch the name of what it was I was being invited to however I had already heard about the Jellyfish Theatre (a temporary structure made entirely of recycled materials) and was keen to see what it was all about.
So by 3.30pm there I was trotting down Union Street in search of a recycled building. After mistakenly walking up to a gate that turned out to be a memorial to prostitutes who had apparently died in the line of duty when their workplace burnt down on Redcross Way, I found the Jellyfish.
 |
| The Jellyfish Theatre - side view |
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| The Jellyfish Theatre - the tail end |
The project is an initiative of the The Red Room called the Oikos Project which is intended to draw attention to environmental issues by staging two plays about such issues in this temporary structure (Saturday was the closing night of the second production and therefore the structure will begin to be demolished over the next few days). While the building itself has been well-received, unfortunately the two plays staged within it were panned by critics. I heard one person say it was a case of form over content and that this a problem with a lot of theatre at the moment where people are more concerned with novelty of form, forgetting about the substance.
Anyhoo, the 'thing' in the Jellyfish turned out to be a panel discussed hosted and attended by a collective of theatre companies from the BAEM sector (that's Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority). As it happened there were a few people there I had already met over the past few weeks as we are doing a co-pro with one of the companies, and I had also previously been introduced to the arts council representative who was there.
The panel discussion didn't appear to have a clear-cut aim but was more intended as a conversation about the current position of the sector - all based on anecdotal evidence - and what they see as the future of the sector - again, anecdotally. There was fierce-looking woman there who kicked off proceedings by quoting a poem about holding diamonds where her thighs meet (!). She quickly got into a heated debate with another panel member who announced that he deliberately doesn't take any of the disadvantaged black youth he mentors to see theatre about disadvantaged black youth (or 'hoody' dramas) as he thinks it wouldn't do them any good. Why take them to see something they could see in their own neighbourhood for free? Rather, he prefers to take them to see Ibsen or Shakespeare. Miss Twinkle took great exception to this and called him patronising.
Not having had much experience of "hoody" drama, I wasn't too sure what to make of all this. The way the panel member described it, a hoody drama would entail a night of guns, drugs and lots of words ending with "z" instead of an "s", such as Endz. It sounded terrible and not very interesting. Of course you would choose a night of Ibsen over this (though I have at least one colleague here who would beg to differ).
Luckily for me, I was off to see Estate Walls with my colleagues that night at the Oval House Theatre so I would find out for myself - that's definitely Walls with an "s" by the way which is actually I think what made it so good. This was a 'hoody' drama story told with vibrant, cleverly wrought language that, while it didn't let you forget you were on the street with these characters, also transcended the mundane to really sparkle. They were some really good young actors too, and a great set.
So the moral here is: there's good hoody drama and bad hoody drama, just as there's good Ibsen and bad Ibsen. I was told that the writer of Estate Walls sees everything he possibly can and is very eclectic in his tastes. It doesn't matter what your genre is, it's the content that matters! Amen!
Friday, 8 October 2010
Tickets on me
Sorry but I am just not used to paying for my theatre tickets! If you think that sounds lush, think of it this way: if you work in a bakery you get free bread, if you work in fashion you get free clothes, if you work in finance you get free money. And tickets are usually fairly easy to come by. In fact the Sydney theatre world trades in two types of currency: tickets and cases of beer (premium, not light - very important). Here, apparently, the theatre world trades on just the one form of currency: currency. People buy their tickets!
There is a very strong market in 'half price' tickets here. Outlets such as TKTS which offer discounted tickets on the day of the performance are part of the fabric and a first port of call for the many, many tourists who make up the West End audiences. Somehow, buying from a half-price ticket booth makes the purchase feel special and exclusive whereas, if the producer were to halve the ticket prices at the box office, you would start to wonder what's wrong with the show.
Perhaps a half-price ticket booth would benefit the Sydney scene - one in the middle of the Rocks to catch the tourists. It would give producers the opportunity to grab those last minute sales and maybe even negate the need to throw around so many complimentary tickets. What am I saying? Next I'll be paying for tickets at home too! Eek!
In the meantime I will continue to intone my mantra to the free ticket gods and offer fresh fruit and coffee grounds at their feet. I still have faith. War Horse... War Horse... War Horse....
By the way, caught Avenue Q on its way out of the West End. Bit of an indulgence as I'd already seen it in Sydney. Not as snappy as I remembered it but never mind: I only paid half price for my ticket :)
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Keep calm and for goodness sake stop carrying on!
Well the weather gets colder and the fall-out from the GFC continues to threaten arts funding cuts. But it's not all doom and gloom! As history shows us, there are a multitude of sayings that can be wheeled out at a time like this to cheer everyone up. Here are a few of my favourites from a little book of calm that was given to me recently. It's called 'Keep Calm and Carry On' which - I have learned - was one of a number of slogans generated by the British Government's Ministry of Information to help keep a lid on things should Hitler have invaded Great Britain. The book says:
Groucho Marx said: It isn't so much that hard times are coming; the change observed is mostly soft times going.
Benjamin Disaeli said: What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens.
...And the latest edition of The Stage says that the Olympics are going to ruin everything.
Just when I thought that funding cuts were the only thing to worry about! Me and my silly Australian optimism. The feature article in the weekly publication for the entertainment industry claims that, based on the experiences of previous Olympic host cities, people go to more sport - or stay home and watch sport - than go to the theatre during the Olympics. Shock. They are worried that the West End will suffer. I'm sure that there is truth in this as audiences in the West End do appear to comprise mostly of tourists. However I see this as being much more 'golden opportunity' than a 'getting to the end of the toilet roll' situation. The article cites evidence that Sydney experienced a drop in attendance at visitor attractions during Sydney 2000. But what of the effect the Olympics had on visitation - and indeed on Sydney's international image - after the Olympics? The West End Marketing Department - if there is such a thing (it wouldn't surprise me as they all seem to be operated by one of a few umbrella companies) need to grab the Olympic megaphone and tell the world about the field in which Great Britain excels (er, not sport).
As for the other members of the theatre family, I think the Olympics presents some fantastic opportunities for exposure, financially supported experimentation and shameless self-promotion. Case in point: mention Legs on the Wall and the AMP building in the same sentence and most people will know exactly who you are talking about!
Let's face it, an Olympic opening ceremony is going employ just about every acrobat and ballet dancer in the country in its bid to out-do the opening ceremonies that have gone before it and speaking to someone during the week who works freelance in the theatre and events industries, I've learned that these mega-events have been the catalyst for some fascinating advances in AV and animatronics.
Listen to me defending the Olympics! Oh dear.
The other thing that's good about the financial crisis is the recent emergence of a new genre called 'pop-up theatre'. Theatre-makers are taking over some of the many deserted shop fronts, offices and other formerly private places appearing throughout the city and transforming them into theatre spaces. Theatre Delicatessan is one such theatre company involved in this carry-on. I shall be attending one of their performances shortly and will provide you with a full report. So keep calm.
On a (not really) related note, sleep over theatre is another phenomenon to look out for. In June 2011 at the Barbican, punters will be lulled to sleep by performers as they (the audience) lie tucked up in one of 50 beds and then woken up and given breakfast by performers the next day!
Now for some quick reviews:
Breed by Lou Ramsden at the 503Theatre (fringe pub theatre) was great! The theatre had a very Darlinghurst Theatre feel to it - and boy was it stifling! But this new play about the world of dog fighting (the dogs were done with mime and sounds effects) was a really interesting and convincing glimpse into unfamiliar territory. The cast - particularly the actors who played the father and the brother - were terrific. Although it was let down a little bit in the final scene when it got a little bit melodramatic and missed a few notes.
God save us all from Krapp's Last Tape! It's like eating something incredibly healthy and made of oats. Of course in the long run you know it's going to nourish your soul but it takes ages to digest. Michael Gambon gave an excellent demonstration of exactly how to keep an audience engaged while you eat a banana, Beckett gives us a perfect example of work that doesn't think much of you or care what you think either, and the audience put on a spectacular performance of clearing their throats and moving in their creaky chairs. I'm glad I saw it though.
And this just in: the Arcola is moving! So much for having a local haunt. It's not going far though, just a bit closer to Dalston Junction. Their current landlord is kicking them out so they can build fancy apartments. And the beat goes on...
I promise there will be more photos in the next one. xx
Groucho Marx said: It isn't so much that hard times are coming; the change observed is mostly soft times going.
Benjamin Disaeli said: What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens.
...And the latest edition of The Stage says that the Olympics are going to ruin everything.
Just when I thought that funding cuts were the only thing to worry about! Me and my silly Australian optimism. The feature article in the weekly publication for the entertainment industry claims that, based on the experiences of previous Olympic host cities, people go to more sport - or stay home and watch sport - than go to the theatre during the Olympics. Shock. They are worried that the West End will suffer. I'm sure that there is truth in this as audiences in the West End do appear to comprise mostly of tourists. However I see this as being much more 'golden opportunity' than a 'getting to the end of the toilet roll' situation. The article cites evidence that Sydney experienced a drop in attendance at visitor attractions during Sydney 2000. But what of the effect the Olympics had on visitation - and indeed on Sydney's international image - after the Olympics? The West End Marketing Department - if there is such a thing (it wouldn't surprise me as they all seem to be operated by one of a few umbrella companies) need to grab the Olympic megaphone and tell the world about the field in which Great Britain excels (er, not sport).
As for the other members of the theatre family, I think the Olympics presents some fantastic opportunities for exposure, financially supported experimentation and shameless self-promotion. Case in point: mention Legs on the Wall and the AMP building in the same sentence and most people will know exactly who you are talking about!
Let's face it, an Olympic opening ceremony is going employ just about every acrobat and ballet dancer in the country in its bid to out-do the opening ceremonies that have gone before it and speaking to someone during the week who works freelance in the theatre and events industries, I've learned that these mega-events have been the catalyst for some fascinating advances in AV and animatronics.
Listen to me defending the Olympics! Oh dear.
The other thing that's good about the financial crisis is the recent emergence of a new genre called 'pop-up theatre'. Theatre-makers are taking over some of the many deserted shop fronts, offices and other formerly private places appearing throughout the city and transforming them into theatre spaces. Theatre Delicatessan is one such theatre company involved in this carry-on. I shall be attending one of their performances shortly and will provide you with a full report. So keep calm.
On a (not really) related note, sleep over theatre is another phenomenon to look out for. In June 2011 at the Barbican, punters will be lulled to sleep by performers as they (the audience) lie tucked up in one of 50 beds and then woken up and given breakfast by performers the next day!
Now for some quick reviews:
Breed by Lou Ramsden at the 503Theatre (fringe pub theatre) was great! The theatre had a very Darlinghurst Theatre feel to it - and boy was it stifling! But this new play about the world of dog fighting (the dogs were done with mime and sounds effects) was a really interesting and convincing glimpse into unfamiliar territory. The cast - particularly the actors who played the father and the brother - were terrific. Although it was let down a little bit in the final scene when it got a little bit melodramatic and missed a few notes.
God save us all from Krapp's Last Tape! It's like eating something incredibly healthy and made of oats. Of course in the long run you know it's going to nourish your soul but it takes ages to digest. Michael Gambon gave an excellent demonstration of exactly how to keep an audience engaged while you eat a banana, Beckett gives us a perfect example of work that doesn't think much of you or care what you think either, and the audience put on a spectacular performance of clearing their throats and moving in their creaky chairs. I'm glad I saw it though.
And this just in: the Arcola is moving! So much for having a local haunt. It's not going far though, just a bit closer to Dalston Junction. Their current landlord is kicking them out so they can build fancy apartments. And the beat goes on...
I promise there will be more photos in the next one. xx
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