Sunday, March 27, 2016

Extracurricular Education

Week one of term break has passed. However, the learning did not stop for me. On Monday I attended a seminar about copyright and intellectual property. This is just the kind of thing that excites producers. I know it doesn't sound glamorous but, for those of us looking for new sources of creative work, the topic is very relevant.

As producers, it most often falls to us to make sure we secure all the necessary permissions  to create and perform a piece of theatre. If we are creating a new work, we need to understand our obligations to the writers and/or creative company. If the work is based on already existing material such as a book, we need to secure the rights to use the book in a stage adaptation. If the script already exists and we wish to mount a new production, then there are contracts that must be signed for that as well.

Navigating the standard practices and understanding British laws on such matters is crucial for a producer's success. After all, one doesn't want to invest resources into a new show only to have the the individuals who have claim to the intellectual property pull the plug for the show. I won't go into the details of the lecture here but if you are interested in these subjects, there are plenty of online resources. And there is ITC. 

ITC is the Independent Theatre Council here in the UK. Headquartered in London, they are a fantastic organization that hosted the seminar I attended on Monday. ITC offers a series of training sessions for those in arts management. I first discovered them in 2010 when I was living in London and went to a seminar on how to start a theatre company. Since my return, I have been keeping my eye on their offerings and was thrilled to be able to attend Monday's event. 

Membership has its privileges: Theatre companies and independent theatre producers can join ITC as members. Members not only get a price break on the cost of seminars but they can contact the team at ITC for advice and resources to help ensure success. The goal for ITC is to encourage ethical and productive practice for the companies that make up the theatre landscape here in the UK.

If you are in the UK I highly recommend you look into ITC and all they have to offer. If you're not in the UK, have a look in your region to see what support theatre makers can access near you.
Until next week...

Take care!
-m

Sunday, March 20, 2016

The Festival at Hampstead Theatre

Just across a small pedestrian square from Central is the fabulous Hampstead Theatre. Hampstead is two stage producing theatre that focuses on contemporary work and new writing for the stage. They also boast a very comfortable coffee bar where we Central students often congregate to work.

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to temporarily join their marketing team to help advertise their Festival at Hampstead Theatre which was presented this past weekend. The program for the Festival was an eclectic mix of sessions with various creative arts professionals. This was the second year Hampstead produced the Festival and the inspiration for the event came from Issy Van Randwyck, the Festival's lead producer. Her vision was to bring a series of talks and seminars to the public to reveal the different ways and processes of creative writing and how ideas go from page to stage or film. Many of the sessions included talks with writers from multiple mediums including script writers, poets, novelists and biographers. There were also sessions that explored filmmaking, dance, design and of course, various aspects of theatre.

For my part, I joined the marketing team in the office a couple days of each week for the past month and helped research potential target markets and communicated with various groups and organizations to spread the word about the Festival and its offerings.

I attended some of the sessions this past weekend. Highlights for me were Mig Kimpton and Sir David Hare. Mr. Kimpton was the feature of a session called Theatrical Florals with Mig Kimpton. I have never seen an offering like that on any line up so I had to go and see what it was all about. It did indeed involve flowers. Mr. Kimpton was a theatre manager for decades in London. He worked with a variety of celebrities and ran some of London's most popular venues. He is also an award winning floral designer. A few years ago he retired from the theatre to take on floral design full time and now he produces some of the UK's most famous flower shows and competitions. He spent an hour telling us about his life in the theatre while simultaneously creating some of the most magnificent flower arrangements I have ever seen. Prior to this, I had never attended a flower arranging demonstration so, that was interesting but the bonus was to hear the amazing stories of Mr. Kimpton's adventures in the biz.

On Saturday I saw an interview with the great Sir David Hare at The Festival. David Hare is one of the most revered playwrights of our time. I have been a fan of his work since I saw Skylight in London in 1996. During the hour long chat, he spoke about his life and career and then answered questions from the audience. He is an absolute inspiration and his passion for new work and the future of theatre is contagious. Afterwards, he was available to sign copies of his autobiography in the lobby. Of course I had to take advantage of the chance to meet him. Mr. Hare's session sparked me to think more about some other topics that have come up on my course this past term and I will continue to ponder how I may want to incorporate some of these ideas into my practice as a producer.

Friday brought the last day of term and we are off from school for a few weeks. I plan to take some time to relax but there is much to do in London and I want to take advantage of what I can. Tomorrow, I am off to a workshop in copyright and intellectual property for producers. This will help inform my work with new writing for the stage.

I'll let you know how it goes next week. In the meantime, have a look and see if there are seminars or talks happening in your region that might give you a glimpse into the life and work of performing arts professionals.

Take care!
-m


The Festival at Hampstead Theatre : https://thefestivalathampsteadtheatre.co.uk



Mig Kimpton



Sir David Hare


Sunday, March 13, 2016

BEAM

This past week brought the culmination of one of my placements in the form of the BEAM Festival. I have been working since January with Mercury Musical Developments on the production of the very first BEAM Festival here in London. At BEAM new musical theatre works, in various states of development, were presented to industry professionals. The audience was comprised of producers, artistic directors and theatrical publishers. The goal was for BEAM to be a sort of matchmaking service to help facilitate new relationships between theatre makers and the industry professionals who can help move their work to the next level.

The production team gathered on Monday to introduce performers and presenters to the venue and the process. Each presentation received a sound check and had the chance to sample the performance space. On Tuesday the festival kicked off. Over the course of two days 40 presentations, varying between 10 and 25 minutes in length, were delivered to the audience. We also had a few industry panel discussions, masterclasses and plenty of coffee breaks for professionals to network.

BEAM was a huge success and all the attendees were thrilled with the opportunity to connect, present and/or see what the market has to offer for future programming. BEAM had three production assistants from my course at Central; Shai, Travis and myself. It was a lot of work but, of course, it was great to be a part of this incredible event. All of us came out with new friends and connections. Plus, it was fantastic to see what the world of musical theatre is cooking.

This coming week I return to Hampstead Theatre to continue work on their Festival. Thursday and Friday we have classes and then...end of term and SPRING BREAK!! Whoot Whoot!! This term has been jam packed with wonderful but I admit, I'm looking forward to a little down time.

I'll let you know how the final week of term shapes up next week. In the meantime, look around your region and see what festivals and conferences are available for theatre students and professionals.

Take care!
-m

Program Cover for BEAM 2016


BEAM Production Assistants from Central: Shai, Melanie and Travis

*Photo credit to Shai for both of these! Thanks Shai!

Sunday, March 6, 2016

International Exchange: US to UK and UK to US

Saturday night took me to the theatre. That's a good place for an aspiring producer to be on a Saturday night. I went to see Hand to God by Robert Askins. Hand to God is a new and some might say, edgy play that just finished a successful run on Broadway. Personally, I really enjoyed the show but it has received mixed reviews here in London. For a producer, we must consider this reaction, especially when New York embraced the production.

Not all transfers from across the ocean work. So, what is it that makes some things work in New York that don't work in London and vice versa? If we could predict this, we could save ourselves a lot of heartache and lost capital. I wonder if it is a simply a difference in culture? After all Hand to God is set in the American South and centers on the spiritual turmoil of its main characters as they seek for answers within the walls of the church.  Of course I liked the show, it was set in my home region with characters I recognized. For me, the references to Chick-fil-A and TCBY were a love song to my homeland. But is that really it? As an audience we constantly watch plays, films and TV shows imported from each other. Every time I turn on the TV here in London, The Big Bang Theory is on. And when I lived here from 2008-2010, Friends was on constant re-run. At home, Monty Python's Spamalot was a huge hit on Broadway and regionally. Downton Abby has become a movement for American TV audiences.  So, how can it just be culture?

This may be a debate that can never be answered. Sure, some things are lost in translation. I may have been the only one in the audience last night who knew what a TCBY was, but the story and the journeys of the characters are universal. There was nothing about the production elements or actors' delivery that was misplaced. In fact, I was very impressed with the actors in the show. I tend to be a very harsh critic of non-American actors attempting American accents and doubly so if they are going Southern, but they all did a fine job with the accents and with their characters.

This will take more thought and observation as to why some productions transfer successfully and others find it more of challenge. It is certainly a curiosity. However, I will say the audience at the performance I attended did seem to enjoy the show. I wasn't the only one laughing and applauding. Some even gave it standing ovation. Perhaps it's just that not every show is meant for all people. Some stories are meant for the audience who understands that particular message and is open to receive it.

This coming week I have a major project launching. I'll let you know how it goes next week. In the meantime, look at your local theatres and consider why they select the shows they produce. See if they are taking any risks in their programming. Then go see the risk!

Take care!
-m