Six40 Theatre

This past week we presented a showcase I produced in the West End. Woo Whoo! Before we start campaigning for an Olivier Award, let me explain. Some months back I was referred to a group of three actors recently graduated from a drama conservatory called ArtsEd. The three actors were keen to put on a showcase to attract industry professionals such as casting directors and producers and show what they could offer. I agreed to join as their producer.

The process went something like this: We had several production meetings. I advised them to come up with a company identity and brand. They formed Six40 Theatre, the name stemming from the distances between their regions of origin. I dubbed them Creative Directors and created a website and social media accounts for the promotion of the showcase. They put the word out through several contacts that they were accepting submissions from playwrights. Scripts submissions were received and we selected two pieces to use for the showcase. We all reached out to our network and found two directors, one to direct each piece. With the playwright, who authored both scripts, on board and flexible about his work, we selected two scenes, one from each play, that best displayed the range of the actors. They started rehearsing and I created an online box office to take reservations. Admission was free but we wanted to track who was planning to come. I also worked with the venue to organize the contract and sort out the details of the performance day. The actors had already reserved the venue prior to my involvement. This fact and their clear vision and dedication are why I agreed to work with them. They were/are very together, thoughtful, and practical. Every producer's dream really.

The venue was one with which I was familiar as I have attended events there before. It is called Above the Arts and is part of the Arts Theatre complex. If Arts Theatre sounds familiar, stretch back to one of my earliest blog entries. I went to see American Idiot at Arts Theatre when I first arrived in London back in September 2015. Above the Arts, specifically, has played host to a few networking events I have attended. It is a lovely space, bright and airy with comfortable furniture and a fully stocked (and staffed) bar. It is a good meeting and networking space and is perfect for cabarets and singer/songwriter gigs. It may not be the ideal place for a play because it is not a traditional black box. But for our purposes, it worked. Our showcase was almost a kind of recital for actors, casual and simple. We carved out a performance space and set up chairs for the audience around the space. We did not have any theatrical lighting and just used the light as was. We defined the performance with some music played from a playlist on an actor's phone and speaker someone brought with them. The actors and directors supplied props and costumes that were common items easily acquired. I printed out a batch of one sheet programs and we made some theatre.

I love working like this. Keeping it easy and focused on the talent of everyone involved. Good theatre is good storytelling. If you have a big budget and can get Julie Taymor to create something of opulence like she did for The Lion King, great, but theatre can be just as effective with only a makeshift stage, an interesting text and talented actors and directors.

I was thrilled with our final result. And with the audience turn out. We had an afternoon "lunch-break" show at 12:30 and a post work show at 7. Some industry personnel came and lots of supporters and friends of the company members. Our houses were ample and frankly, any more bodies in the space would have made the heat unbearable even for our short 40-minute presentation. It was a warm day and there was no air con in the space.

The piece was called Emerging Artists Showcase and the ethos behind it was to present new talent to the theatre community. So there we were, all of us, actors, writer, directors, and the producer emerging on the London scene right there in the heart of Theatreland, a couple doors down from Audra McDonald reprising her Tony Award-winning role in in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill and in throwing distance of a dozen other legends of show business. It was a delight. I do hope to work with Six40 again soon.

The deadlines are closing in and I am working on those final assignments for my course. We are coming to the end and I am excited and ready to strike out and forge a new chapter in my career.
I'll keep you posted!
Take care!
-m