Funding challenges force major theatres to make cuts
A number of the UK's most prominent theatres have been forced to make cuts to jobs and other outlay in recent months due to funding cuts and what they have termed ‘challenging’ financial circumstances.
While redundancies were announced at the RSC in the latter part of 2018 due to a cut in the theatre's Arts Council funding, and Shakespeare's Globe has reported plans to reduce its workforce by up to 14% (around 40 employees) as well as closing its current exhibition space and re purposing it for commercial hire, the Royal Court Theatre in London has also now revealed that it will reduce its core in-house programming by 25-30%, to six new shows a year in each of its two spaces – the minimum expected of the theatre in order to fulfil its funding agreement with Arts Council England.
As reported in The Stage, a spokesperson for the Royal Court explained that this cut to one aspect of programming will not reduce the amount of theatre available for audiences to see, as ‘In addition to producing six core productions in each of the two spaces, the theatre will continue to co-produce and present additional plays so that the yearly output will look very similar.’
‘The picture for everyone in the sector is one of an increasingly challenging economic model,’ she continued, ‘and the standstill funding is really starting to bite.’
New choir opportunity from Disney
Disney is launching a brand new event for choirs in 2019 that will take place at its iconic Disneyland Paris resort.
The event, known as ‘Let's Sing Christmas’, offers vocal groups the unique opportunity to sing alongside the Disney professional singers, as well as some of Disney's most beloved characters. Prior to the performance, choirs will take part in a Disney Performing Arts vocal workshop.
The tour is organised by the Greatdays Travel Group, with Megan Evans, manager of the Greatdays Disney department, saying: ‘Greatdays Travel Group is proud to have been awarded the top performing groups operator for Disneyland Paris the past four years running, and our dedicated Disney team is here to help tailor-make the perfect package at the place where dreams come true.’
Eligible groups can book their tour at the Greatdays Travel Group website, where you can also find more details about the process, along with a full itinerary. www.greatdays.co.uk/tour/lets-sing-christmas
All My Sons to be broadcast live to cinemas
On 14 May 2019, the Old Vic's production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons will be broadcast live to cinemas all over the UK and internationally. The 20th Century classic, with its themes of family love, pride, betrayal and the American Dream is a staple in school English and Drama, and this Old Vic and Headlong co-production, directed by Jeremy Herrin, stars Jenna Coleman, Colin Morgan, Bessie Carter, Oliver Johnstone, Kayla Meikle and Sule Rimi alongside Bill Pullman and Academy Award-winner Sally Field.
National Theatre Live launched in June 2009 with a broadcast of the National Theatre production of Phèdre with Helen Mirren. Since then, more than 40 more productions have been broadcast live from the National Theatre and other theatres in the UK – and in 2014 one from a recording made on Broadway. Broadcasts have now been experienced by over 5.5 million people in over 2,000 venues around the world, including over 650 venues in the UK alone.
For more information and to book tickets for All My Sons, go to https://tinyurl.com/TDSp2-AllMySons
Plans afoot for a new film and TV studio in the North East
The Northern School of Art in Hartlepool (formerly Cleveland College of Art and Design) has put in a planning application for a new 30,000 square foot film and television studio and production facility, which, if granted planning permission, will be the only one of its kind in the region. The Northern Studios would provide the North East with its first dedicated production facility capable of housing large scale film and TV production, and would run on a business model which would allow for commercial use of its specialised technical equipment for stage, screen and events production as well as supporting specialist technical and skills training for undergraduates on a range of creative degree programmes available at The Northern School of Art.
Pat Chapman, Vice Principal – Employ-ability and External Relations, at The Northern School of Art, said: ‘As the specialist provider of education and training for the creative industries in the region, we are delighted to have taken this important next step in bringing about a new chapter of ambition and regeneration for the North East. The Northern School of Art has a clear role in championing the growing creative sector in the region and taking positive steps to help it grow in value and employment.
‘The Northern School of Art is a long established provider of degree programmes in the screen and stage industries, if approved, the development of the new studios will provide much-needed commercial studio space to accommodate the growing number of production and filming companies in the area as well as providing a focus for the local employment of our talented graduates.’
The plans for The Northern Studios include a flexible commercial sound stage for TV and features production, a green screen/smaller studio for visual/special effects and corporate filming as well as a training studio for students. The Studios will also incorporate large workshop spaces with industrial scale 3D scanning and printing facilities for set and prop construction for the screen, stage and events industries, offices, parking, storage and a café/visitor centre for use by commercial crew, visitors and school visits.
The planning application will now be considered by members of Hartlepool Borough Council. www.northernart.ac.uk
A visual of the planned new building
Curious Incident to mount relaxed performance in the West End
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has announced plans for a relaxed performance at the Piccadilly Theatre on 6 April at 2:30pm, to coincide with World Autism Awareness Week. At this performance there will be a relaxed attitude to noise and movement in the auditorium and some small changes made to the light and sound effects.
© BrinkhoffMögenburg
Stuart Laing (Ed) and Joshua Jenkins (Christopher) in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Parts of the Piccadilly Theatre foyer will be available as a quiet space to relax for those who need to leave and re-enter the auditorium during the show. After the performance, the audience will be welcome to stay for a ‘Question and Answer’ session with the actors who will be in costume but out of character. There will be trained and welcoming staff around the theatre for the duration of the performance.
A visual story and supporting video will be available to download from the website from early March. These materials were created in consultation with the Youth Patrons from the charity Ambitious About Autism. www.curiousonstage.com
Actors of Dionysus launch new resource page and announce free workshops
Theatre company Actors of Dionysus has announced that its free resource page, supported by the Classical Association and the Jowett Copyright Trust, is now live – at which Greek drama resources can be downloaded for use as teaching or learning tools. The page will be updated frequently and the company notes that resources for Medea and Lysistrata will be coming soon.
An AOD workshop in action
Meanwhile, ten free drama workshops have also been made available to state schools and colleges in London and East Sussex. The 2-hour tailor-made workshops will offer students practical external support which focuses on classic Greek texts such as Antigone, Lysistrata, Oedipus and Medea. Due to popular demand only two workshops remain available. Contact megan@actorsofdionysus.com to request a workshop or to learn more about future opportunities.
Duchess of Sussex announced as new Royal Patron of the National Theatre
The National Theatre has announced that Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex has become its Royal Patron, taking on the mantle from the Queen, who held the role for 45 years having been associated with the organisation since its earliest days at the Old Vic in the 1960s. While the Queen has often been reported not to be a great lover of theatre, it might be imagined that the Duchess of Sussex, who was an actor until she married Prince Harry, will be more personally attached to the role.
The NT reports that ‘the Duchess has spent decades championing the arts and feels that she can use her position to focus attention on and make a particular difference to the sector,’ and that she ‘volunteered at a performing arts after school programme for children in underprivileged school districts in Los Angeles.’
Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre said: ‘I would like to thank The Queen for Her Majesty's long and unwavering support and service to the National Theatre. We were honoured when The Queen became our Patron in 1974 and have celebrated many moments together including, in recent years, the Diamond Jubilee and the marking of our 50th anniversary. It is a privilege to welcome The Duchess of Sussex as our new Patron. The Duchess shares our deeply-held conviction that theatre has the power to bring together people from all communities and walks of life. I very much look forward to working closely with Her Royal Highness in the years to come.’
The NT, subject of the Duchess of Sussex's new patronage
Her Royal Highness met with Rufus Norris last year and conducted a private visit to the theatre. She is expected to carry out a public visit to the NT in the coming weeks.
Mole and Gecko interactive rap musical to tour, with songs released on YouTube
Poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko have teamed up to produce a new show for children and families, Mole & Gecko: THE SHOW, which will tour in Spring 2019 to the Half Moon Theatre (16 February), Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead (20 February), Canada Water Theatre (2 March), the Albany (3 March), artsdepot (17 March) and Watermans Arts Centre, Brentford (7 April). The pair's description of the show is appropriately wacky: ‘Mole & Gecko: THE SHOW tells the story rather aptly of a mole and a gecko, with the help of the audience. There are live songs, rap stories, instant poems and a weasel with a serious biscuit problem. Join our heroes as they discover that what they thought they were searching for might be less important than what they find along the way.’
Mole and Gecko in the Friend Ship
In advance of the tour, two songs have been studio-recorded and released on YouTube as a sneak preview. ‘The Name Song’ can be found at https://youtu.be/g01Gz5OHuLk and ‘The Friend Ship’ at https://youtu.be/-Cs7pTihwIs
Mole is an experienced facilitator with over 10 years’ experience working with rap and poetry in community and education settings, including projects with Great Ormond Street Hospital and Arsenal FC. He has in the past run workshops for young people. For more information on his work, see www.simonmole.com
Queen's Theatre Hornchurch and RCSSD mount DNA, attracting large schools audiences
Queen's Theatre Hornchurch has made a first-time partnership with a London drama school in mounting a production of Dennis Kelly's DNA which has already attracted bookings from more than 30 schools and colleges, with some students travelling from as far as Dorset, West Yorkshire and Lancashire to see it. The modern day black comedy written originally for the National Theatre's Connections programme was first performed at the NT in 2007 and is tailored specifically for young audiences and performers.
This production, directed by Queen's Theatre Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul and designed by RCSSD alumna Natalie Jackson will be performed by eleven final year students from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on the BA (Hons) Acting Collaborative and Devised Theatre Course led by Catherine Alexander.
Rintoul is very keen to get local teenagers into the Theatre to see young actors who are still in training. ‘In this area – the outer boroughs of Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and out into Essex – there is quite a sense that drama school is out of reach. I think DNA will help to demonstrate that it isn't – and there's a lot of diversity in this C&D group which will reinforce the message.’
DNA runs at the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch from 7 – 14 February and under 26s can see the show for just £8, with standard tickets £14 (plus 65p QNew Transformation fee per ticket). www.queens-theatre.co.uk
Fire destroys entire production a month before tour
© Sheila Burnett
Connie Walker as Margaret in the 2018 national tour of My Mother Said I Never Should
A fire that destroyed all 1,198 storage units within the Shurgard self-storage facility in Croydon's Purley Way on New Year's Eve took with it all of the costumes, set and technical equipment for a touring show by London Classic Theatre, due to resume with the second leg of its tour on 6 February 2019. The prdocution of My Mother Said I Never Should had already completed part of a tour, and reopens at the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth with only a month in which the company must rebuild from nothing.
On 20 January, half way to the deadline for re-sourcing all the production aspects, Michael Cabot, artistic director of the nineteen year-old unsubsidized touring theatre company told me ‘It's been a very busy fortnight since we found out about the fire. After the initial shock, we sat down and started working out what we needed to do and how much we needed to find. We received countless offers of help from friends in the theatre industry, which has been lovely.
‘The main challenge, after finding a set builder who was able to take on the job, has been sourcing the dozens of props and costume that the play needs. Bek Palmer, our designer, is a stickler for period authenticity, so she is incredibly specific about every single prop and costume used in the show. She has been hard at work with our props supervisor and stage management to start finding everything from scratch. The first time round, she had about six months to discover all the props and pieces of furniture for the tour. This time, much of the content was needed within two weeks for early rehearsals, so Bek and her team have been working pretty much around the clock.
‘I'm very lucky to be surrounded by some very dedicated people, who have responded to the fire with purpose and determination. Rehearsals are now under way as well and so far, so good. We have three new members of cast, so it already feels like a very different show, but that is often the case with second tours. This time, with the basic shape of the production already in place, we will hopefully be able to dig a little deeper into what drives the characters.’
My Mother Said I Never Should resumes on 6 February and will play the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth; The Hafren, Newtown; New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich; CAST, Doncaster; Middlesbrough Theatre; Richmond Theatre; Derby Theatre; Lighthouse, Poole; Theatre Royal, Winchester; Connaught Theatre, Worthing; Epsom Playhouse; Swansea Grand Theatre; Oldham Coliseum Theatre and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, closing on 20 April. For more information and bookings, go to www.londonclassictheatre.co.uk