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Our Space Launches Inspiring Collection of Digital Creative Writing
Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Our Space project members are launching a new digital collection of creative writing on Wednesday 13 January.
In March 2020 as the world ground to a halt, the Our Space programme transitioned, like so many, to an online existence, as they sought to stay connected and creative in lockdown.
They experimented with many kinds of games and exercises along the way, but what began to burn most brightly in the sessions was the weekly free-writing where they witnessed each other’s highs and lows and throughout the year, they wrote it all down.
Lost and Found is a small selection of what turned up on the page – raw and, for the most part, unedited. Proud of what was collectively achieved, Lost and Found is a fitting tribute to the journey through 2020 with an extraordinary group of people.
Sara Rhodes, Engagement Manager at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “In an extraordinary year, where so many felt isolated and disconnected, Our Space provided a digital space for members to meet, share their highs and lows of lockdown and have a creative outlet, which mainly came in the form of free-writing. Lost and Found is a beautiful tribute to the incredible talent and creativity of this amazing group of people. We are really proud of this collection, and hope that people will join us to find out more about our process at our zoom event on Wednesday 13th January at 7pm.”
You can join members of Our Space on Zoom on Wednesday 13 January at 7pm to hear and learn about how creativity supports mental health and how lived experience, lockdown and isolation informed the process which lead to the creation of Lost and Found. The event, Words from Our Space, will last approx. 1 hour and is recommended for ages 15+.
You can book your place for free here
Our Space is a creative programme that works with adults with multiple and complex needs. Members come from all walks of life and may have faced challenges involving homelessness, mental health issues, substance misuse, reoffending or they may feel isolated for other reasons.
Theatre Royal Plymouth Funky Llama Club Night is finally here!
Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Funky Llama Club Night is launching this Friday (08 January) like you have never seen before! This digital party will bring their funky, futuristic Club Night straight to you in the comfort of your own home.
This year TRP’s infamous Funky Llama Club Night will be held as an interactive website experience launching on Friday 08 January for three weeks where you can spend as much time as you like partying your days and nights away for FREE! With new and exclusive footage from Funky Llama artists along with gems from the archives, a virtual DJ Disco room, cocktail and mocktail making masterclasses, a glitter bar, crafts and a photobooth area, this is the event to kick off your 2021 in style and blow away those January blues!
Sara Rhodes, Engagement Manager at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “We are so excited that the Funky Llama Club Night At Home event is finally here! We are thrilled to be bringing this experience to people in the comfort of their own home this January, even more so now with the current restrictions.
“We have worked with some really talented local web and game developers to create something innovative and exciting so that there is something for everyone! From a virtual DJ disco room to a photo booth, and new and exclusive footage from Funky Llama artists, there is so much to do. We will also have some fantastic footage from disabled artists across the country who have previously performed on our Funky Llama stages.
“Like many, our in-person events have been cancelled this year, so we have been working hard over the last few months with our Driving Force steering group to develop an accessible, interactive virtual experience that encapsulates all the amazing features of our Club Night event and we can’t wait for you to see it!”.
Funky Llama is one of TRP’s flagship projects that celebrates the creative talents of disabled adults. As the only project like this in the South West of this scale, it increases the amount of arts opportunities on offer throughout the region. This year has seen some changes to the project, with usual meetings and events being held online, but they are thrilled to be able to offer this fantastic Club Night At Home event.
Special Funky Llama Club Night At Home packages are on their way to those early birds who signed up for the event in November and contain some amazing Funky Llama goodies and merchandise including eco glitter, bubbles, glowsticks, a t-shirt, tote-bag, poster and more!
Funky Llama is made possible by the generous support of everyone who donates to Theatre Royal Plymouth and funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
You can join this year’s amazing Club Night At Home event by visiting the club website from Friday 08 January!
REVIEW: The Gingerbread Man
Walking back into the Theatre Royal Plymouth on Thursday 10th December was a very emotional and welcoming experience. Having driven past and seen no signs of vitality within its walls the last 10 months it was a beautiful moment to see its dressing rooms lit up again and the main foyer bursting with warmth and amazing decorated Christmas trees.
I was on my way to see “The Gingerbread Man” in the Drum theatre and took along my cousin who is 3 (and in my support bubble) and only her second time visiting the theatre.
We were greeted at the door by a very pleasant front of house team who took her time explaining that she was taking our temperatures and even crouched to my little cousin’s height and spoke excitedly with her about the show as she could tell we were all excited to be back.
We were shown the hand sanitiser units and on moving further into the theatre were welcomed by the manager and other front of house members.
The theatre was exceptional in its covid safety procedures, all the staff put us at ease and guided us through to our seats without us ever being near other patrons.
On entering the Drum theatre, we were greeted with a beautifully set stage filled with intriguing suitcases and props that make you wonder how they will fit in with the story that you remember “The gingerbread man” to be.
My 3 year old cousin’s face instantly lit up and she was simply so excited about the stage, the props and the theatrical lighting, this only rubbed off on my joy of being back in this wonderful building.
The performance started promptly, with two actors playing many different parts as the story continues. The story is well known but I have never seen it quite like this before.
The actors were at ease bringing characters to life whether it be by a quick costume change, a different side of the stage or by a singing puppet! The costumes were simple yet very effective, a hat became very quickly identifiable as the man trying to catch a train, a smock the farmer, a black cap, a train guard, or an apron the farmer’s wife.
There were real laugh out loud moments like when the farmer’s wife makes the gingerbread dough and the ingredients are poured into the mixing bowl and the ingenious way the props on the stage multipurpose into different objects with a little help from a sound effect and your own imagination.
My little cousin was thrilled at the moment the gingerbread man came alive, as were all the other children in the theatre. They all squealed as the parents all gasped!
The atmosphere positively crackled with delight at seeing this.
Once the gingerbread man began his journey, we too were taken on one by the performers who became multiple characters that led us on a tale across the countryside, the big cities and even the high seas. The way the characters were interchanged yet kept their simplicity for the younger audience to follow was seamless and thoughtful towards the parents so they wouldn’t be answering questions all the time. It was very easy to follow.
Skilled acrobatics were also prevalent in the show, even my little cousin exclaimed “ooh that was good” when a daring jump was made. The jaw-dropping stunts were amazing!
Some very clever use of the props again gave us a sense of the chase between the gingerbread man and the wily …terribly sneaky…highly anticipated … naughty hungry fox! The chase is something not to be missed … It really is one of the highlights of the show.
The performers encouraged participation from the audience and this allowed the younger ones to let off some excitement in the forms of squeals and a few were given “roles” to play when on the ship scene really made the show special. My cousin was asked to be first mate and with an “Aye Aye captain” she felt part of the show
She has not stopped talking about the show since she has seen it and continues to be thrilled by the live theatre even 5 days after the show.
Starting at £10 for a ticket it is incredibly affordable for a family to enjoy, where they won’t be too worried if their child wiggles a bit because everyone is there with their children who may be “wiggling” a bit too.
It felt great to be back, the anticipation of what we are about to see and experience as a family, creating memories together was wonderful.
It truly is a great first show to see as we welcome back the Theatre Royal back into the heart of Plymouth and all of us who love it and have missed it so dearly.
Showing until 09 Jan 2021
Back in Business with a Bang!
What a year it’s been, and what a way to welcome everyone back to our beloved TRP The Thing That Came From Over There is.
Although the world remains very different, and the subdued, scaled-back theatre experience lacks the frolicing, carefree, crowd-heavy buzz the typical festive season brings, tucked away, socially distanced, of course, in a Covid safe space, the vivacious energy of days gone by has sparked back to life once more.
But, if you’re looking for a subtle, understated, highbrow return to theatre life then The Thing That Came From Over There is not the show for you. However, if you’ve missed belly laughs and the wildly unique, imaginative alternate realities The Drum is so utterly renowned for, then join Captain Reginald Cranston Scot-t-t, his useless tinfoil suit, and band of intrepid explorers as they inadvertently save the world from an undiscovered evil that crashes to earth – parasitic flesh eating worms and all – on Christmas Eve 1912.
The small cast of three, Mark Dawson, Alys Torrance and Ben Whitehead, execute the big job of portraying 15 memorable characters, each distinguishable through fumbling hat changes, the odd knitted beard here and there, and several dodgy accents. And how they convincingly convey the 1950s horror/sci-fi movie vibe through the use of a few well placed crates, some large white sheets, an 80s style projector and screen, and a bucket load of unrelenting energy is extraordinary.
From start to finish, they weave oddball comedy, clever characterisation and high energy, washed down with multi layered cultural references and bonkers wise cracks. The seamless clumsiness of each character and set transition is perfectly practiced and timed. Giving the illusion of hapless, bumbling fools is a challenge to master, but this trio have fine tuned their buffoon laden routine to perfection, clearly enjoying every minute they’re on stage.
As the story progresses, the sense of foreboding grows larger, and the ravenous unseen danger becomes more pressing. One by one each character is tragically picked off until just three remain, facing not only the stuff of extraterrestrial nightmares, but also themselves, before the heroic Scot-t-t stares down the monstrous stuff of legends.
Flash forward to the 21st century, and our modern world rife with misinformation: the show, despite being created long before the sci-fi esc times of Covid 19’s pithy slogans and 5G conspiracy theories, fittingly skirts over themes eerily appropriate for 2020; even touching on the we all ‘know nothing’ Socratic philosophy, albeit in a madcap manner that’ll probably leave you more confused than the famous philosopher ever intended.
The Thing That Came From Over There runs until 27th December, meaning there’s plenty of time to enjoy this alternative Christmas delight, savour being back in our happy place and witness these incredibly talented people do the thing they love the most: entertain and inspire us.
Announcing... Funky Llama Club Night At Home!
Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Funky Llama is back and like you have never seen before! This January they are bringing their funky, futuristic Club Night event straight to you in the comfort on your own home.
Funky Llama Club Night At Home is an interactive website experience that takes you on a virtual journey into the world of their infamous Club Night event. With new and exclusive footage from Funky Llama artists along with gems from the archives, a virtual DJ Disco room, cocktail and mocktail making masterclasses, a glitter bar, crafts and a photobooth area. This is the event to kick off your 2021 in style and blow away those January blues!
Sara Rhodes, Engagement Manage at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “We are thrilled to bring the Funky Llama Club Night experience to people in the comfort of their own home this January. Like many, our in-person events have been cancelled this year, so we have been working hard with our Driving Force steering group to develop an accessible, interactive virtual experience that encapsulates all the amazing features of our Club Night event.
“We have worked with some really talented local web and game developers to create something innovative and exciting that will include a virtual DJ disco room and new and exclusive footage from Funky Llama artists along with fantastic footage from disabled artists from across the country who have previously performed on our Funky Llama stages. There really is something for everyone!”
Funky Llama is on of TRP’s flagship projects that celebrates the creative talents of disabled adults. As the only project like this in the South West of this scale, it increases the amount of arts opportunities on offer throughout the region. This year has seen some changes to the project, with usual meetings and events being held online, but
they are thrilled to be able to offer this fantastic Club Night At Home event.
Launching on Friday 8th January for 3 weeks only, you can spend as much time as you like partying your days and nights away and all for FREE!
To make your experience even more funky, you can sign up for one of the Club Night At Home Packages by filling out the form by Friday 04 December. Packages are free and include lots of amazing Funky Llama goodies and merchandise including eco glitter, bubbles, glowsticks, a t-shirt, tote-bag, poster and more!
Funky Llama is made possible by the generous support of everyone who donates to Theatre Royal Plymouth and funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH PANTOMIME TO STAGE AN ALL-NEW, SOCIALLY DISTANCED PRODUCTION OF ROBINSON CRUSOE
FROM THE COBBLES OF CORRIE TO THE ROYAL PARADE, LES DENNIS AND CONNOR McINTYRE LEAD THE CAST OF THIS YEAR’S NEWLY ANNOUNCED SWASHBUCKLING PANTOMIME
Theatre Royal Plymouth and pantomime producers Qdos Entertainment have today announced a swashbuckling cast for this year’s socially-distanced pantomime, Robinson Crusoe. Thanks to support from The National Lottery this year’s unmissable Plymouth panto will star Les Dennis, Connor McIntyre, Simon Webbe, Andy Ford and Jennie Dale, running for three weeks only from Saturday 12 December.
The production is able to go ahead thanks to the support of The National Lottery, which will give thousands of theatregoers, in Plymouth and across the country, the chance to enjoy socially distanced pantomime this Christmas. The show is being staged as a result of an initiative between The National Lottery and Qdos Entertainment which is providing financial support for theatres to stage socially distanced, live pantomimes this festive season. This will make it viable for venues, including TRP, to open their doors to the general public, generating vital income for the theatre and providing work, while giving some much-needed cheer for pantomime lovers.
Television presenter, comedian and actor Les Dennis has been a mainstay of British entertainment since he won the 1974 talent show New Faces. His appearance propelled him to stardom with featured spots on light entertainment shows including The Laughter Show and Les hosted Family Fortunes for an unprecedented fifteen-year run. His theatre work includes roles in Chicago, Spamalot, She Loves Me and Me and My Girl in the West End, the UK tours of Art, High School Musical, Hairspray, Legally Blonde and The Addams Family playing Uncle Fester. His film and television credits include Intimate Relations opposite Julie Walters, Brookside, Hotel Babylon, Merseybeat and Extras. In 2014, he joined Coronation Street as Michael Rodwell, a petty criminal who met his demise at the hands of the evil Pat Phelan, played by his pantomime cast (and now ship) mate, Connor McIntyre. Les will star as Mrs Crusoe, mother of the sea-sailing hero, Robinson.
Connor McIntyre has previously appeared in The Governor, A & E, Murder City, See No Evil, Wire in the Blood, Law and Order, London’s Burning and Casualty. His film roles include The Be All and End All and Charlie Noads R.I.P while his stage work includes appearances in The Comedy of Errors, One for the Road and Harry’s Christmas. He is best known, however, as the malevolent mainstay of ITV’s Coronation Street, Pat Phelan, since he made his debut in 2013 where he was embroiled in numerous high-profile storylines solidifying his reputation as one of soap-land’s ultimate baddies. Connor will play Captain Cockle in this year’s pantomime, which will mark the third time he has starred on stage alongside Les, having played Ugly Sisters in Cinderella in both Manchester and Nottingham.
Pop sensation Simon Webbe is best known for being a member of the chart-topping boy band Blue. Between 2005 and 2009 the band took a break, which saw Simon launch his own solo albums and singles as well as writing songs. Simon’s career has also seen him take to the West End stage in Sister Act the Musical, alongside Shelia Hancock and Whoopi Goldberg. He has made numerous television appearances including Strictly Come Dancing where he was a runner-up; has endured a stint in the Australian jungle in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, and featured on ITV2’s The Big Reunion.
Joining Les, Connor and Simon will be returning panto favourite, comedian Andy Ford as Billy Crusoe. One of pantomime’s most successful comedians the Devon-born funny man has appeared on stages across the UK entertaining thousands of theatregoers with his quick-wit, physical routines and sense of humour winning rave-reviews and legions of fans wherever he performs. Robinson Crusoe marks his return to the Theatre Royal having appeared in recent productions of Peter Pan and Dick Whittington.
Starring as the crooked Pirate Queen will be CBeebies star, Jennie Dale. Best known as Captain Captain in CBeebies’ Swashbuckle, Jennie has starred in Hansel & Gretel, The Snow Queen and The Tempest, all for the popular children’s channel. No stranger to the stage, Jennie appeared in the UK and international tour of Mamma Mia, as well as in Mary Poppins, The Lord of the Rings, Sister Act, Gigi, Les Misérables (and the subsequent blockbuster film adaptation) and The Witches of Eastwick, all in the West End. Starring as the crooked Pirate Queen will be CBeebies star, Jennie Dale.
They will be joined by the Timbuktu Tumblers, an eye-popping acrobatic team who will dazzle audiences with their displays of human pyramids, flaming limbo dancing and energetic, gravity-defying routines.
This year’s production, created especially for Theatre Royal Plymouth in this unprecedented year, will be a riotously funny, one-act celebration of pantomime, packed full of comedy and laughter and allow audience members the opportunity to come safely together and enjoy the magic of the much-loved and unique art form this festive season.
Adrian Vinken, CEO at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “We are just thrilled to be able to bring Robinson Crusoe with its terrific cast to Plymouth this Christmas. This panto may feel a little different to previous years with the new measures we’ve put in place to keep our audiences, staff and performers safe. However, with this cast I’m confident that the panto spirit and fun will feel just as magical as ever. Despite the new lockdown that the whole country is facing right now, everyone at TRP is still working hard to deliver our plans. We aim to bring some much-needed laughter and Christmas spirit back to our stages, and vitality and life back to our city centre.”
This new production will be packed full of comedy routines, audience-safe participation and all the unmissable magic that Theatre Royal Plymouth audiences have come to expect from their annual festive pantomime. The previously advertised production of Aladdin will be staged in 2021 and existing bookers have already been contacted with details of their new tickets.
Up to 20,000 free tickets to pantomimes across the country, including in Plymouth, will be made available to National Lottery players to thank them for making it possible for this Christmas tradition to go ahead. National Lottery players raise on average £30M each week for Good Causes. This year has seen up to £600M in National Lottery funding being used by charities and organisations affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the arts, community and charity, heritage, education, environment and sport sectors.
Christmas is Back at Theatre Royal Plymouth
After the success of their Culture Recovery Fund application and a fantastic initiative from The National Lottery, Theatre Royal Plymouth has announced it is bringing Christmas back to the city with a full socially distanced theatre programme. The doors to TRP have sadly been closed to the public for the last seven months, the first time in its 37-year history, but preparations are now underway to bring theatrical festive cheer back to the city.
The Christmas programme at TRP will include a socially distanced pantomime produced, thanks to support from The National Lottery, with long standing TRP partners Qdos Entertainment. The all-new production, Robinson Crusoe will run for three weeks only from Saturday 12 December.
In the Drum, Stuff & Nonsense will present The Gingerbread Man for families and their little ones – the adventure of the deliciously smelling Gingerbread Man who finds his feet fast and sets off on the journey of a lifetime. Gonzo Moose will present The Thing That Came From Over There – inspired by the Horror movies of the 1950’s, a fast-paced rollicking ride, mixing paranoia, suspense and hilariously gruesome deaths – an alternative Christmas comedy.
Adrian Vinken, CEO at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “This announcement marks an exciting and really important moment in the life of TRP and the city as we welcome back our audiences in a socially distanced and safe way, hopefully taking the first step on a cautious road to recovery.
Like so many others, our Theatre has been hit really hard over the last six months. However, thanks to our loyal supporters, this bold commitment from The National Lottery and our successful bid to the Culture Recovery Fund, we can now bounce back. We can once again afford to present pantomime and our usual full Christmas programme – with something for everyone on the stages of the Theatre Royal just in time for Christmas.”
TRP have been working hard to make the building safe to welcome audiences back to enjoy the magic of theatre. A number of changes and new safety measures have been put in place for the protection of performers, staff and audience members. These include reduced seating capacities, bookings restricted to household and support bubbles only up to a maximum of six people, digital e-tickets, temperature checks on arrival, social distancing on site, plenty of hand sanitising stations and enhanced cleansing of all public spaces, including use of electro-static disinfectant machines. The full Covid-Safe Environment measures at the Theatre can be found on our website.
This year’s pantomime, Robinson Crusoe, is able to go ahead thanks to the support of The National Lottery, which will give thousands of theatregoers, in Plymouth and across the country, the chance to enjoy socially distanced pantomime this Christmas. The show is being staged as a result of an initiative between The National Lottery and Qdos Entertainment which is providing financial support for ten selected theatres to stage socially distanced, live pantomimes this festive season. This will make it viable for venues, including TRP, to open their doors to the general public, generating vital income for the theatre and helping to restore jobs while providing much-needed cheer for pantomime lovers.
Theatre Royal Plymouth receives lifeline grant from Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund
Theatre Royal Plymouth has been awarded £1,896,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced today.
Theatre Royal Plymouth is one of 35 major cultural organisations receiving the first grants between £1 and £3 million through the Culture Recovery Fund – with £75 million of investment announced today.
This follows £334 million awarded earlier in the month to nearly 2,000 organisations, also from the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Theatre Royal Plymouth is the South West’s principal centre for performing arts and has an extensive education and community engagement programme that reaches thousands annually.
The doors to Theatre Royal Plymouth have sadly been closed to the public for over six months, the first time in its 37-year history, and saw over 90% of their income vanish overnight, leaving the charity in a precarious position. This funding will enable them to continue to deliver their life-changing community engagement projects, support local communities and theatre-makers, creative freelancers and to stage live socially distanced performance.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As part of our unprecedented £1.57 billion rescue fund, today we’re saving British cultural icons with large grants of up to £3 million – from Shakespeare’s Globe to the Sheffield Crucible. These places and organisations are irreplaceable parts of our heritage and what make us the cultural superpower we are. This vital funding will secure their future and protect jobs right away.”
Adrian Vinken, CEO at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “We’re relieved to announce that our application to the government’s Culture Recovery Fund was successful and we have been awarded a £1,896,000 lifeline. This funding will enable us to continue to
deliver our life-changing projects and support our local communities and theatre- makers. It should also help us to welcome audiences back to the theatre to see live shows in a safe and socially distanced way in the near future. This news is a great relief to us, for Plymouth and the cultural landscape of the far south-west and it demonstrates that the government clearly recognises the great economic, social and creative value of an organisation like Theatre Royal Plymouth to this city and region.
“Thank you to DCMS and Arts Council England for this fantastic news today and for their clear demonstration of support and confidence in TRP. We look forward to a growing programme of activity across and beyond our stages as conditions allow.”
Chair, Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota, said: “The Culture Recovery Fund has already helped hundreds of organisations, of all types and sizes, in villages, towns and cities across the country. It has provided a lifeline that will allow these organisations to continue to play an integral role in their communities and produce new artistic work that will entertain and inspire us all.
“This latest funding, which are the largest grants to date, will support some of the country’s most loved and admired cultural spaces – from great regional theatres and museums to historic venues in the capital – which are critical to the development of a new generation of talent and in providing work for freelance creatives.”
“We’re relieved to announce that our application to the government’s Cultural Recovery Fund was successful, providing the financial support needed to secure the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s short-term future. Since we closed our doors to the public in March over 90% of our income has disappeared, leaving our charity in a precarious position. This funding will enable us to continue to deliver our life-changing community engagement projects and support our local communities and theatre-makers. It should also help us to welcome audiences back to the theatre to see live shows in a safe and socially distanced way in the near future. Despite the challenges of being unable to operate as usual, our creative ambition has remained as strong as ever and now, thanks to this award, we’re delighted to be announcing our plans for Christmas over the coming few weeks.
”Although it’s likely that there will need to be further measures to support the Arts from spring 2021 onwards, these announcements go a long way to secure the short term future for so many. A big thank you to DCMS and Arts Council England for this fantastic news today.”
Adrian Vinken, CEO
Theatre Royal Plymouth reopens for Local Artists Pop Up Performances
The doors to Theatre Royal Plymouth have sadly been closed to the public for over six months, the first time in its 37-year history, but preparations are now underway to welcome back audiences for five socially distanced small-scale pop-up performances. TRP are announcing these limited special performances as they highlight their Community Celebration Week which shines a spotlight on their Engagement and Learning projects, a big part of which focuses developing talent from community and local theatre makers.
The five pop up shows, all created and performed by South West based artists, will be socially distanced live and digital performances at TRP. The programme will include a sensory igloo experience from Above Bounds for family groups and an End of the Pier Show from Jonny Fluffypunk!
Ben Lyon-Ross, Talent Development Producer at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “This feels like such an important opportunity for TRP to keep on supporting local artists throughout this tough time. I’m really pleased that we’re able to welcome some brilliant South West based artists back into the building and I can’t wait for them to share their wonderful shows with our audiences! Talent development is core to what we do here at the theatre and this programme offers some of the most vibrant and innovative work around.”
TRP have been working hard to make the building safe to welcome audiences back to enjoy the magic of theatre. A number of changes and new safety measures have been put in place for the protection of performers, staff and audience members. These include digital e-tickets, temperature checks on arrival, social distancing and plenty of hand sanitising stations.
Theatre Royal Plymouth Community Celebration Week!
TRP sits at the heart of Plymouth and draws 360,000 people into the city centre and to its stages every year. Over the last six months the Theatre’s doors have been closed to the public for the first time in its 37-year history, but are this week celebrating their incredible Engagement and Learning projects and the communities that have been built through them.
During the Community Celebration Week TRP will be highlighting the amazing work from some of their most successful projects including Funky Llama, Our Space and Dare to Dazzle. In a social takeover their website and social media channels will be sharing theatre work, art and stories from these projects and the incredible people who make them.
Sara Rhodes, Engagement Manager at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “This week is a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on the breadth of work TRP does in the community. These projects are so important to us and the people we work with.
‘We are thrilled to be able to share the amazing new Funky Llama film as part of the week, which gives a real insight into this unique project we have developed across 7 years; a platform for disabled adults to actively participate in the creation and delivery of a programme of activities and professional, inclusive arts events.”
Although TRP hasn’t been able to welcome its groups to the Theatre in person in several months, they have continued to provide life-changing experiences to the local community through their workshops online. Each year TRP usually engages 17,000 participants across the wide range of its 60 bespoke community and talent development programmes and works with referral partners across the city and region to engage with particularly vulnerable or isolated groups of people.
Theatre Royal Plymouth Celebrates over 10 Years of Our Space
Theatre Royal Plymouth is celebrating more than 10 years of their ground-breaking Our Space project with the release of a new podcast series ‘Rehearsals for Life’. From Monday 05 October TRP will highlight the in-depth podcast series for a weeklong celebration journeying the life of Our Space over the last 11 years.
Our Space is a first of its kind creative programme that has worked with over 724 adults with multiple and complex needs. Members come from all walks of life and may have faced challenges involving homelessness, mental health issues, re-offending, substance misuse, or isolation.
As part of this celebration TRP are launching Rehearsals for Life, a five-part podcast series interviewing practitioners and participants on the journey, process and impact of this first of its kind theatre-based project which uses drama as a tool to connect with others and develop skills.
Sara Rhodes, Engagement Manager at Theatre Royal Plymouth said in her interview: “It’s that sense of community, that sense of building a positive social network and people feeling like the theatre is a space for them, that they are welcome in, that they are not going to be judged in and that they can start to build a new life for themselves around and outside of the sessions.
“We are providing a space where they can build their confidence, where they can tap into something new and exciting for themselves and we are also providing them with open doors for them to come in and build those new relationships with other people and think about new ways of living outside of the drama session, I think that is the key part of the project that is most exciting”.
Our Space participant Pete said about the project: “What being at Our Space allowed me was to be authentic, you know, it was like a safe space, what it actually did was it kind of softened me, softened my heart and it allowed me to form healthy
relationships with people. And I really needed that”.
Over the last 11 years Our Space have held over 898 drama workshops where 76% of participants felt that their self-esteem and confidence had improved, and their isolation reduced, and 68% of family and friends feedback suggested participants had better relationships and ‘ability to face the world’ because of Our Space.
The five episodes of the Rehearsals for Life podcast series see’s Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Director of Engagement and Learning, Mandy Precious, interviewing key practitioners and participants about Our Space. The series takes the listener on the creative journey the project has been on over the last 11 years and how the project really works and impacts people.
TRP will be celebrating Our Space throughout the week commencing 05 October, and the new Rehearsals for Life podcast series will be available to listen to on the TRP website and all major podcast platforms including Spotify.
September 2020
‘We’re Back!’ Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Young Company and People’s Company
Theatre Royal Plymouth are thrilled to announce that they are now able to bring some of their regular Young Company and People’s Company workshops back for the Autumn term this October! This will be the first time members of the public will be welcomed back through the theatre’s doors since its forced closer due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March this year.
The teams at TRP have been working hard to ensure their buildings and procedures are Covid Secure, allowing them to welcome back participants for this season of socially distanced workshops that are being held at their Production and Learning Centre, TR2.
Young Company and People’s Company offer opportunities for young people to work with the professional artists at TRP to develop skills for the stage or behind the scenes. These workshops cover areas such as theatre-making, performance, singing, writing, and storytelling.
Dani Hamlin, Learning Associate at Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “For me, the Theatre and our Production and Learning Centre, TR2 just aren’t the same without seeing our 5-7s coming through the revolving door, our 8-11s giving me a cheeky wave through the rehearsal room window and our older groups hanging out on the ground floor sofas before the start of their session. Getting our groups back into a rehearsal space and back together is the first step to welcoming everyone back to TRP. We can’t wait to do what we do best again!”
TRP have had to change the way they deliver the sessions for the time being, saying ‘This is all just as new to us as it is to you, so we’ll be navigating this new environment together’. The new Covid secure measures will include temperature checks, socially distanced floor markers and hand sanitiser to ensure all participants and staff are safe and comfortable in all theatre sessions and buildings. You can find out more about the courses on offer for the Autumn term on the TRP website.
Theatre Royal Plymouth and TR2 have been closed in line with Government guidance since March, the first time the Theatre has had to close its doors to the public in 37 years. Since the first announcement that the theatre would have to close TRP have been supporting staff, including casual workers, freelance artists and practitioners, and have been overwhelmed by supporters and their wonderful messages and on-going patience while they have taken the recommended steps to keep staff and audiences safe.
June 2020
Theatre Royal Plymouth begins redundancy consultations
Staff at Theatre Royal Plymouth have been advised that over 100 jobs are at risk as a direct impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that has reduced the venue’s income by over 90%.
Redundancy consultations involving the trade union BECTU began on Monday and could affect almost a third of the charity’s staff.
TRP’s CEO Adrian Vinken said: “With the Government’s furlough scheme finishing in October and no guarantee about when and how we can safely open our doors, our already depleted funds will be under increasing pressure in the coming months. This is compounded by research predicting a reduction in audience numbers when we do reopen, meaning that we’ll have to weather a significant drop in revenue even then – a situation that could last for 12 months or more. Together these factors have led us to the very painful but unavoidable conclusion that we must reduce our workforce in order to try to protect TRP for the future.”
BECTU Official Kevin Carson said “Bectu has developed a positive working relationship with TRP in helping the company become a Real Living Wage employer last year. Although this announcement about potential redundancies is worrying news, we understand that TRP have similar concerns for their survival as do most other theatres across the country. We will work with TRP to ensure the long-term future for the organisation and our member’s jobs.”
91% of TRP’s income has disappeared as the lockdown has forced it to cancel productions and refund customers since the middle of March.
But despite this big loss of revenue, the charity has supported all its staff and creative freelancers since lockdown, with most of the workforce currently furloughed.
Adrian Vinken said: “We have done everything we could to protect the jobs and incomes of our loyal workforce for as long as possible. This includes continuing to pay our casual staff members when most companies terminated contracts back in March. We have also honoured all contracts with creative freelancers working on the shows that we were due to produce despite their cancellation.”
Whilst the venue has been shut it has undertaken support efforts including staff fundraisers and the launch of an Emergency Appeal to which hundreds of local people have and continue to contribute. It has also been actively lobbying government for additional sector support.
TRP’s Chair of Trustees Nick Buckland said “We continue to play a visible role in lobbying government for additional support for the creative sector to emphasise the very real challenges theatres like TRP face and the impact closure will have on local communities. Without ticket sales or the furlough scheme we will very quickly run out of money – it’s why we’ve had to propose redundancies and plan to reduce activity in order to cut overheads and buy TRP a few more months of precious time.”
Recently, TRP’s active staff members volunteered to reduce their salaries by 20% in a bid to support the charity. Paying tribute to TRP’s staff, Adrian Vinken said “The commitment of the whole organisation during this very challenging time has been exceptional particularly the moving gesture by those still working to volunteer a 20% reduction in pay. TRP’s excellent reputation in the industry and the fierce level of public support it enjoys has been built over many years and is a testament to the quality of our people. It’s heartbreaking that what was a thriving organisation worth £40+million annually to the local economy just weeks ago has been forced to implement redundancies to safeguard the future. It’s a terribly sad outcome for such loyal and capable staff – but a regrettable and inevitable result of the ongoing crisis.”
Though an opening date for TRP has yet to be confirmed, productions in 2020 remain on sale including the Christmas pantomime, Aladdin.
TRP recently announced the cancellation of The Phantom of The Opera due to the pandemic but several new shows for 2021 are due to be announced in July, and new dates for This Land performances will be confirmed in due course.
Adrian Vinken said, “The best way to support TRP is to continue donating, purchasing gift vouchers or booking tickets for the future as normal – safe in the knowledge that if we are able to open you’ll have a fantastic time and, if the show has to be cancelled, you’ll get a full refund.”
No final decision on redundancies will be made until the consultation process is complete. Companies looking to recruit staff are asked to contact TRP via info@theatreroyal.com with any available opportunities which will be circulated to all those affected.
BLOG: It’s Time To Support Local
Whilst the glistening west end may be the heart of the theatre industry in the U.K., it is the regional theatres that are the lifeblood. On any normal year, wonderful productions would be travelling up and down the country, stopping at our incredible regional theatres and putting on shows. But, sadly, 2020 is not a normal year. All theatres have been closed since March, and many are now struggling financially with no idea when they are going to be able to open their doors again.
The Theatre Royal Plymouth is a registered charity and is of huge importance to the city. Since being forced to close its doors, the theatre has had to launch an emergency appeal in order to raise funds. Despite this, the theatre has warned that it still faces closure without government support. So many jobs are at risk of being lost, from those who work behind the scenes, to the interval ice cream sellers, the café workers. The list is endless, and it’s heart-breaking to think about.
Before all of this, Theatre Royal Plymouth was thriving. In the last few years, huge tours such as Matilda the Musical, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables have brought the very best of the west end to Plymouth, thrilling audiences and bringing an economic boost to the city. This year, the theatre was due to host many more big touring productions including 9 to 5, Mamma Mia! and Six. With the tours stopped and the theatre now closed, this is a huge financial loss for the theatre royal and this loss has an undeniable domino effect on the city as a whole.
It is no secret that when a show is running, it isn’t only the theatre that benefits. Restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels are also known to benefit. A theatre brings people in, and not only to enjoy a show. People who travel need somewhere to stay, they need somewhere to have a meal before the show and somewhere to enjoy a drink after. If Plymouth were to lose its theatre, it wouldn’t only be the arts sector that would suffer.
You don’t have to be a huge theatre fan like myself to realise just how important the arts are, and just how vital regional theatres are to this industry. Theatre is for everyone, no matter what age, no matter what interests. Even if you only attend a panto once a year, or whether you are a regular attender, theatre has something for everyone. Can you imagine what life would be like without it? Children from the local schools would not be able to experience the joy of live theatre, see books that they are studying brought to life before their very eyes. Families would not be able to share in that happiness that comes from watching a pantomime together. Those who are unable to travel to the bright lights of London would not be able to see those incredible shows without a regional base for them to be performed in. Without our regional theatres, we would lose so much.
I know that times are tough for so many of us right now, but if you are local to Plymouth and have visited the theatre in the past (or are a theatre fan in general), please find a place in your heart and make a donation to the theatre’s emergency appeal if you can. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing and spreading the word. If we continue to talk, we can keep the theatre in people’s minds.
#BlackLivesMatter
Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter to me and to everyone at TRP. We recognise that not being racist isn’t enough, we need to be anti-racist. We recognise that words are not enough, we need to take action. We recognise that we’ve made mistakes – of inaction, of not educating ourselves about the systemic challenges Black people face, and of the way we engage with Black artists and the Black community. We apologise and we will take action.
We have purposefully stepped back over the last 10 days because we needed to take time to listen and to understand how our way of working has impacted the Black community.
We know we must change and work differently, and from today our focus will be on action. Action to address the conscious and unconscious bias and systemic racism that pervades the arts sector, action that will start to make a meaningful difference, action we will hold ourselves accountable for delivering:
- To educate and inform ourselves, our board and our teams about the Black Lives Matters movement to create an awareness and understanding of why we must change
- To hold the Senior Management Team accountable for change, each with an active responsibility for creating the change needed
- To ensure our Trustees nominate a Board Member with direct oversight of the Senior Management Team’s implementation of this action plan, with enhanced reporting in this area
- To continue investment in and create space for Black voices in our creative programmes, and in our organisational learning and planning by improving TRP’s dialogue with under-represented communities – not only in Plymouth but across the South West
- To create and publish by the end of September 2020 a roadmap for new TRP organisational structures as we build out of the Covid crisis with inclusive practice at its heart.
There is more we can do, and we will actively listen to your views and those of people across the region to continually inform this action plan over the long term. This is just the start of a long overdue conversation and of the action we will take to visibly support the communities we serve across this region.
Adrian Vinken OBE
Chief Executive, Theatre Royal Plymouth
#BlackLivesMatter #ActionsMatter
May 2020
BLOG: What a difference a year makes
One year ago, wide eyed and filled with the promise of new and potentially enlightening experiences, I embarked upon the Bloggers & Critics Scheme. Fast forward to the same time this year, and I’m left reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ when the Theatre Royal’s schedule was overflowing and we were blissfully unaware of what lay just beyond the dawn of the new decade.
Since being asked to write a post about the fond memories I have, and those things I miss about TRP, I’ve been reflecting, and, in all honesty, it’s hard to put into words, but I will try.
I’ve always loved the theatre, although haven’t been able to attend as much as I’d like to over the years. Recently I decided to make sure that changed, so when the B&C Scheme opened up, I jumped at the opportunity. For me, it offered a fresh avenue to learn and grow, to experience and explore, as well as to be inspired and perhaps channel my own creativity more.
During the journey, we were extremely privileged to glimpse behind the curtain of a vibrant producing theatre that paves the way for cultural development in Plymouth. Reviewing many amazing shows, attending various workshops, meeting industry professionals, and nosing about backstage were definitely hugely rewarding experiences. However, I wouldn’t want to single out any one in particular as being the ultimate highlight. Having said that, almost certainly two of my favourite shows were ones that we were unable to write about, so I’d like to give them a little extra love here and now: Chris White with his hysterically touching Moist, Moist, Moist that, at times, felt like he was addressing you directing, whilst reaching into your heartbroken and fractured soul with his clever, mesmerising talent and boyish charm. As well, as The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, a production by Theatre Royal and Told By an Idiot that was so quirky and unique it left my jaw aching from over 90 minutes of unabated grinning.
Fast forward to today and Covid-19 has almost certainly had a staggering impact on theatre’s worldwide. One of the saddest aspects in terms of Plymouth’s cultural perspective is the knock on effect it’s had on the Mayflower 400 Commemorations. Years of hard work have been ploughed into planning this moment in history, including into shows such as This Land, TRP’s first ever international community production, which has had to drop anchor and plot a course for its new destination in 2021. It must be disheartening for those who have dedicated so much time and energy to projects only for them to be hit by the Covid storm right before opening night. But, the show must go on, and, hopefully, many events will still take place later this year or next.
So, back to the subject of what I miss. For me, far beyond one specific moment, or production, is simply leaving the theatre feeling inspired and uplifted by the wealth of creativity, talent, and teamwork, no matter how big or small the show. And when I say ‘small’, I mean purley in terms of production/cast size. Some of the most wholehearted, captivating, and emotionally charged evenings for me have taken place in The Drum, an intimate and confronting space that leaves no place to hide. And, what I long for again is the wonder of being immersed into a different world, momentarily embracing life through someone else’s eyes, finding meaning in their vulnerable narratives, then leaving with a renewed passion for digging deeper, pushing further, and striving for more authentic expression in the world around me. It’s the opportunity to simultaneously escape reality and to embrace my own more authentically and wholeheartedly.
They say time is a healer; I hope this is the case for theatres across the country. Stories are at the heart of our individual and collective journeys, and what I’ve come to appreciate more during this national hibernation is that places like TRP are exactly what give life meaning. The theatre showcases our humanity so succinctly, providing form to the expressions of our human experiences.
March 2020
BLOG: Our Space; 'How community engagement can change your life'
For the last 10 years, Theatre Royal Plymouth has been running its ground-breaking Our Space project for adults with complex lives. This creative programme brings to life the relationship between the arts and community well-being and was recently featured in Arts Professional here.
Sara Rhodes, our Engagement Manager explains: ‘Our Space’ began life eleven years ago with a simple invitation to people who were sleeping rough outside the theatre and using drugs in the toilets to come in and have a chat over a hot drink. It has developed into a creative programme for adults with multiple and complex needs. Its members come from all walks of life and may have faced challenges involving homelessness, mental health issues, re-offending, substance misuse; or they may feel isolated for other reasons. The project continues to evolve and respond to the needs of the community.’
Carol Jones, Editor at AMAculturehive, says: ‘Here we see a real recognition that communities do not exist to serve the arts; the arts exist to serve communities.’
Read the full feature here.
TRP’s Director of Engagement and Learning, Mandy Precious, was also recently interviewed for the Massachusetts-based Creative Minds Out Loud podcast, discussing how social prescription – prescribing the arts or arts activities – has impacted the organization and the Plymouth community:
‘Things like depression or anxiety are escalating, and there’s a sense that it’s an epidemic, and you can treat that in many different ways – including by prescribing the arts.’
Listen to the full podcast here.
10 years of Our Space in numbers:
862 drama workshops
690 participants
81 public performances
41 referral partners working in areas including homelessness, probation, mental health and rehabilitation
January 2020
BLOG: Girls just wanna have fun - Behind the scenes at Theatre Royal Plymouth for Priscilla Queen Of The Desert
“Check, 1,2,3,4,5…. 1,2,3,4,5”
Sneaking around the wings of the Lyric stage at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, with microphone checks echoing all around me, I was thrilled to be given an insight into the pre-show preparations for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, currently delighting Plymouth audiences. Despite being in the middle of a 10-month tour of Priscilla, Company Manager Leighton Vickers’ dedication and pride in the show was evident as he enthusiastically told me about the hard work and organisation that goes into making Priscilla the show that it is.
With changes to the set, script and costumes, Leighton explained that this is the first time any company has been allowed to change the design of the show. When the producers at Nullarbor Productions saw the latest incarnation, having overseen and managed all international versions of the musical since its Australian premiere in 2006, they tearfully pronounced, “Our baby’s a teenager!” By scaling down some of the costumes in physical size, this has enabled the choreography to be enhanced, giving the performers the freedom to dance, sashay, flounce and strut their way around the stage without inhibition.
Costumes are a major focal point of the show with Adam, played by the incredible Nick Hayes, undertaking 14 costume changes in every performance. It was fascinating to see the work that goes into ensuring all pieces are in the correct place, labelled and ordered for the show’s performers to swiftly change in and out of, ably assisted by the company and dressers, including a team from TRP.
I was privileged to be allowed to ‘drive’ Priscilla the bus, a beautifully created and very versatile part of the set which appears from several angles to the audience but which must also be re-set each night before every performance.
Leighton also told me about touring life with many of the company not seeing their families for days or weeks on end. The show is packed up on a Saturday night and re-set in a new town, sometimes on the other side of the country, on a Monday morning. This gives Sunday as the only day to catch up with family, one of the hardest elements of being on tour according to Leighton.
As the cast stepped on stage for their pre-show physical warm-up, some at various stages of their make-up routines, I got a brief insight into the camaraderie experienced by members of a touring company. News shared, jokes flowing and girls (and boys) just having fun, it was clear to see that this is a show buzzing with love and energy from all involved. Something that was confirmed when this girl got to have her own fun, watching it an hour later.
REVIEW: Priscilla Queen Of The Desert
As a self-proclaimed super fan of drag shows, cabarets and all things camp, when a trio of seasoned drag queens back in to your local theatre in a busted old bus, you kind of don’t get a choice in the matter. So I headed down to Theatre Royal Plymouth this week to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Priscilla follows the story of two professional drag queens and one transgender woman on an impromptu road trip for a spectacular one night engagement at a rinky-dink venue on the other side of Australia. Mitzi Mitosis (Joe McFadden), Bernadette Bassenger (Miles Western) and Felicia Jollygoodfellow (Nick Hayes) travel in a bedazzled bus named Priscilla, until the old girl breaks down.
Two drag queens and one transsexual stranded in the Australian outback. Sounds like the start of a bad joke.
The three performers learn new truths about each other, how to protect oneself in a dark seedy bar crawling with homophobes, and a very impressive ping-pong inspired party trick. Ultimately the story is one of acceptance – towards others and towards ourselves. Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Strictly Come Dancing winner and former Holby City star Joe McFadden lead the cast in this production, with a story of family at its heart and beautiful renditions of True Colours and A Fine Romance, and AbFab star Miles Western took us on a journey of grief and self-acceptance with his portrayal of Bernadette. However, Footloose and Legally Blonde star Nick Hayes as Felicia Jollygoodfellow was the clear stand out of the three leading roles. With powerhouse performances of club classics including Venus and a killer Kylie medley that was well worth the wait, Hayes inserted every innuendo with perfect comedic timing and showed us the darker aspects of life for all those under the technicolour flag.
No drag show is complete without an array of outrageous costumes and set and costume designers Charles Cusick-Smith and Phil R Daniels did not disappoint. Cupcakes, bedazzled capes, rubber ducks, even wigs that double as pom-poms – you name it it’s going in the costumes. The quick-changes and almost supernatural speed with which performers went from bare-faced to painted-for-the-back-row were executed to perfection: not a synthetic hair out of place. The set was almost tame by comparison. Although, I suppose you can’t really have pink sand in the Australian outback without looking a bit silly.
The show’s soundtrack (collated from classic tracks like It’s Raining Men and I Will Survive and an original score by Stephen “Spud” Murphy) was a perfectly balanced blend of drag anthems and heartfelt power ballads perfectly tailored to accentuate the atmosphere of the scene. Dance captain Nell Martin kept the incredibly fine turned ensemble in shape – every split jump and scantily clad reveal choreographed to perfection.
With the show being close to Australia’s heart (inspired by the 1994 comedy film of the same name and produced by Jason Donovan), it seemed fitting to see Bob (Daniel Fletcher) standing under the spotlight in his sparkly outfit telling the audience about two charities working to raise money after the Australian bush fires.
In times such as these, we all have to come together. Ultimately, Priscilla is a story about just that. A story of acceptance, of breaking down barriers, of putting aside your own prejudices and perhaps learning a thing or two about yourself in the process. I’m looking at you, Bob.
We’re all on our way to finding where we belong. Just try not to break down.
December 2019
BLOG: Flying high at Theatre Royal Plymouth
As a lifelong theatre fan I have often wondered what happens beyond the big red curtain, past the ensemble of talented performers and musicians. So when the Theatre Royal Plymouth invited our small group of eager bloggers to visit the Flys and see a master at work, it was an opportunity that we couldn’t possibly miss.
For those who may not have heard the term before, the Flys is the backstage area where scenery and equipment are suspended, until the time they are needed in a show. They are then expertly and safely lowered into view, just in time for the lights to go back up on the action.
Giving us this backstage insight was Head Flyman Al Shalliker, who oversees his skilled team with a high degree of attention to detail. Our first stop was the main stage, with a thrilling opportunity to look out into the audience where I have sat so many times before. Looking up, we had a glimpse of how high the Flys operation goes, gazing up into a far reaching medley of frames and ropes that are ready and waiting to be attached to scenery pieces. Courtesy of his colleague Jim, we witnessed the seamless lowering and raising of the main stage curtain, which didn’t fail to send a quiver of excitement up the spine!
Making our way up a spiral staircase of 5 floors on our journey to the highest heights of the theatre building, our first stop was on a balcony lined with dozens of ropes that run from floor to ceiling. Al explained how the lifting and lowering of scenery and props is performed by pulling these ropes, which work as part of a system of frames, weights and counterweights, paired with precision timing and working to the cues of the stage managers and of Al himself via headset. My fellow bloggers and I were lucky enough to have a go on a pulley, lifting a set frame from floor to ceiling height. It was surprisingly easy to do, although still a little heavy for us first timers even with the counterweight mechanism. However, it helped that we had no added pressure of having to be seamless or needing to keep to an exact time of execution during a live show. Not for the faint hearted, we carried on to the top floor, where we walked over slats of metal that covered the roof space. It was exciting, yet a little unnerving, looking between the slats far down to the theatre floor. This is definitely a career for someone who has a head for heights!
The size of the team required and the amount of pulleys needing to be operated depends on the type of performance. Most shows have to take into account a period of setting up and dismantling, with a large tour such as Mary Poppins requiring up to 4 days of getting ready to open. It was interesting to see how precise and detailed the arrangements need to be, as accidents could happen if eyes are wondering elsewhere.
It was fascinating to see how this well-oiled machine works, especially hearing how passionate Al and his team are with making everything run smoothly for each show. In Al’s opinion he does his job to the best of his ability for the sake of the audience, as anything less than perfect will take away from their theatre experience. I will certainly appreciate his effort all the more when I next sit down to enjoy a show at Theatre Royal Plymouth.
REVIEW: Les Gloriables
Christmas is my favourite time of year. Oversized festive jumpers. Quirky markets stalls. Wizzard and Mariah Carey staging a hostile takeover of the charts on commercial radio. And the alternative Christmas shows in The Drum.
Rioting its way on to the stage this year is Les Gloriables. Presented by French/English comedy duo Spitz & Co (Lise Boucon and Susie Donkin), this slapstick parody takes inspiration from Victor Hugo’s classic novel turned record breaking musical, as we follow the story of ‘John’ Val Jean, Fantine, Cosette, Javert and a whole host of timeless characters. Having previously seen belly-aching material from this eccentric duo, I came in excited for the show and expected a lot – and received much more.
Being an avid Les Misérables fan meant that I already knew the story, was familiar with the original characters and the original score. Therefore the campaign for Plymouth’s newest MP, the hat-juggling scene between Cosette and Javert and the nail-biting opening chapter (will Waitrose bandit John Val Jean ever escape? However will he do it?) made perfect sense to me. However, a generous helping of improvised silliness, plenty of content based around current affairs and our uncertain political climate, and even a shout out to Jacob Rees Mogg in there too, provided inclusivity. The energetic women on stage who certainly didn’t take themselves too seriously kept the entire audience, whether uninformed newbies who had never seen the show or die-hard fans who could quote the script in their sleep, laughing (and in some cases, snorting), from start to finish.
Personally, I knew I was going to enjoy the show as soon as I walked in. Whilst waiting for grade-A diva Gloria Delaneuf, her ever faithful assistant Josephine Cunningham dutifully handed out handkerchiefs, selected a few audience members to take part on stage, and encouraged us all to have a sing-song. This acted as a delightful prelude to the show, and not five minutes in, a friend of mine turned to me and said, ‘This is right up your street isn’t it?’
My favourite aspect of the show was the immediate encouragement of audience participation. I love getting involved because it makes you feel just as important to the performance as the cast are, and a different crowd makes for a different show every night. To my delight, there was no shortage of this during the performance. Everyone was such good sports and it only made the show lighter and funnier as a whole.
I would have liked to get picked on, to climb the barricade and wave the French flag. It is, I suppose, a brilliant excuse to go again. Vive la revolution!
Les Gloriables will play in The Drum Theatre until the 30th of December 2019.
November 2019
BLOG: TRP Meet and Greet for The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel
Plymouthians in 1954 were left disappointed when Laurel and Hardy, due to entertain crowds with the last performance of their final tour at Plymouth’s Palace Theatre, cancelled the show. After performing a single night, Hardy had a mild heart attack and they cancelled their run in the city and the rest of the tour. Laurel and Hardy were never to perform together again.
So it seems fitting that Plymouth is where ‘The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel’ will begin, before moving to Luxembourg and London. Those who missed out on Laurel and Hardy’s final performances all those years ago were forced to imagine the experience of seeing the pair’s inimitable slapstick in the flesh. ‘The Strange Tale…’ stirs the imagination once again by exploring what the little known friendship between Stan Laurel and that other titan of the era, Charlie Chaplin, might have looked like.
What an honour it was to be invited along to the ‘Meet and Greet’ at TRP to welcome those involved in ‘The Strange Tale…’, a Theatre Royal Plymouth and Told by an Idiot’s new production, and to get a sneak peek into the people, and story, behind it. Strictly TRP and production staff only, it was a privilege to join the circle and introduce myself as a TRP Blogger and Critic. And what a circle to be a part of; everyone from catering staff and front of house to actors, directors and musicians standing shoulder to shoulder. All had their own important part to play in the running of this amazing theatre and the production of a performance due to open in only a couple of days.
David Prescott, Artistic Associate at TRP, welcomed us and reminded everyone of the special relationship between TRP and Told by an Idiot, having co-produced seven shows together. After introductions, there was a real buzz in the air as the show’s Writer and Director, Paul Hunter, whet everybody’s appetites with promises that ‘The Strange Tale…’ is “genuinely experimental and genuinely accessible”. Accessible is something TRP does with flair without making a song and dance about it. This show will have not one, but two Saturday matinees. Having listened to its audience, TRP recognises how important matinees are to those who might need assistance to attend or perhaps even have to catch two buses just to be there.
Paul Hunter was quick to point out that ‘The Strange Tale…’ is not a biodrama but a “true fantasy”. While most shows start their lives with with a script, ‘The Strange Tale…’ came from an idea – the idea of what that relationship between Laurel and Chaplin might have involved – and evolved organically from there. As a reader, viewer and theatre goer, I love a back story or a spin-off. Jean Rhys does this brilliantly in “Wide Sargasso Sea” – telling the back story of Bertha, the ‘madwoman in the attic’ from Jane Eyre. I have high hopes that ‘The Strange Tale…’ can conjure up something as artistically credible and enjoyable. Despite being based on true events, it is an imagining of what might have been; a “funny, poignant homage to two young men who changed the world of comedy forever,” say Told by an Idiot. They explain that, “Chaplin and Laurel spent two years touring North America together, with Stan as Charlie’s understudy before they both respectively had successful performing careers. In Charlie Chaplin’s highly detailed autobiography, Stan Laurel is never mentioned. Stan talked about Charlie all his life.”
Were the two of them friends? Was Stan in awe of Charlie? Did Charlie get sick of his understudy? Speaking at Stan Laurel’s funeral, Buster Keaton said, “Chaplin wasn’t the funniest. I wasn’t the funniest. Stan Laurel was the funniest,” so perhaps Chapin even felt threatened by him. Laurel wrote of Chaplin, in a letter to a friend, “’He was a very eccentric character, composed of many moods, at times signs of insanity”. We will never know for sure how the conversations went in the cabin the two shared on their way across the Atlantic to tour America with Fred Karno’s famous music hall troupe but ‘Told by an Idiot’ are ready to mine a rich vein of comedic possibilities at the Drum which I look forward to seeing.
Tickets for the show can be purchased here.
BLOG: The Lab Company 2019/20 keeping busy!
It has been an extremely busy few weeks for The Lab Company! We have been incredibly lucky with the amount of brilliant performances we have been able to see, and the enriching workshops that we have been lucky enough to receive from some incredibly talented artists.
The first workshop that we had was from Shôn Dale Jones. As Shôn works a lot with autobiographical performance, he wanted to show us part of his process. This included us simply telling stories of a time that we have done something in our lives that we couldn’t explain. The stories didn’t have to be anything crazy and could just be something very basic. From this, we chose a story and bought it to life. Some highlights from the workshop included drawing from our own lives, thinking about how to connect personal stories to what’s going on in the world and the idea of failure and how failure means learning from mistakes.
The next workshop we had was from Tonderai Munyevu who works with Eclipse theatre company. Again, Tonderai works a lot with autobiographical performance and so we had a moment of sharing stories of things going on currently in our lives. From that we were able to connect some stories and play around with how to tell those stories. Tonderai also told us that as theatre makers who may be interested in autobiographical performance, we need to learn the art of self-care. This includes thinking about if we can talk about the stories we want to talk about, considering who may see the show and if you are willing to tell your story in front of family/friends, not forcing yourself to explore something that you aren’t ready to explore and having someone in the theatre world who can support you in your journey.
We then had a workshop delivered by Dr Sita Thomas who worked with Kali theatre company. Sita’s workshop centred mostly around verbatim theatre, the idea of taking somebody else’s words and making a performance from them. We spoke to her about some things that we had been discussing as a group and from that, we split off into pairs and chose a concept that we were interested in. Sita explained that there were multiple ways of performing verbatim including, performing it exactly as the other person said it, making a song from what they said, or creating a completely new character from what was said. She also taught us some ways in which we should approach someone we would like to interview and how to make someone feel happy to share stories with us.
The last workshop we had before the October half term was with Jenny Sealey, the artistic director of Graeae Theatre company. Graeae are focussed on making theatre accessible to everyone and by also having a diverse cast by having D/deaf and disabled artists at the centre of their work. Jenny firstly asked us to create a sign, noise and word for our name. Then using these, we created short scenes with firstly just the signs we created, then the signs and the noise, and then finally, the sign, noise and word. It allowed us as creators to think about different ways of performing that may be more inclusive. This workshop gave us a lot to think about and play with in terms of making theatre that is accessible. It made us think about sign language, audio description and the possibility of subtitles.
As well as receiving workshops from outside companies, we have also had workshops with Lucy Hirst who has also been mentoring us through this process. A lot of these workshops have allowed us to get to know each other as theatre makers and as individuals. We have also been able to have some extremely in-depth discussions that we have experienced or what we think of current events. We have constantly been creating short pieces of work to play around with everything we have learnt from Lucy and from the other theatre makers we have worked with.
We have been extremely lucky with the amount we have learnt in this short amount of time. From this focus on autobiographical making, we are beginning to use the techniques that we have learnt to create, with a focus on self, place and community, and how we can interweave this ideas to create something that is accessible.
Lots of Love,
Lab Company 2019/2020 (Name still TBC!)
October 2019
REVIEW: Won over by One Under
“One Under” is the term used by London Underground drivers when somebody commits suicide by jumping in front of a tube train. In Winsome Pinnock’s re-written version of her thriller for Graeae and Theatre Royal Plymouth, we are confronted by such an incident and then taken on a journey which untangles a web of five characters intrinsically linked to each other.
Speaking on the BBC radio programme, ‘Front Row’, Pinnock said, “It’s about grief, loss and how people cope or don’t cope with that.” By not providing concrete answers to why a young man called Sonny decided to become ‘one under’, the audience are worked hard to unravel the incident and Pinnock’s intention is effectively realised as we experience the very real thoughts, questions and feelings that occur when somebody takes their own life – in whatever circumstances those may be.
We meet Cyrus, the driver whose train Sonny jumped under. Played perfectly by Stanley J. Browne, we see him becoming more and more desperate in his search for answers and reasons behind Sonny’s suicide. Sonny, who at first appears to be a creepy sleazebag, wines and dines a girl who is later called upon by Cyrus to provide answers. Gradually layers of Sonny’s mental well – being and history are peeled away to reveal the painful depths of his character, going right back to his broken childhood. His mother and sister become entwined in the plot as we see them battle with their own grief and ultimately, the pain caused by losing a loved one.
Graeae are an innovative theatre company known for being inclusive and in ‘One Under’, they place actors of colour, D/deaf and disabled actors centre stage without it being a piece about disability. When the director, Amit Sharma said “It’s about representation but the story is universal,” he hit the nail on the head as this is a story that touches everyone. With a reputation for ingeniously accessible productions, the piece is captioned throughout with the script available for the audience to follow on the London Underground departure boards. This creative approach is non-intrusive yet enabling for everyone and particularly anyone with auditory impairment. With no hearing impairment, I enjoyed being able to dip in and out of reading the captions and it opened up a new way of experiencing theatre to me.
With the solemnity of the theme, I came away feeling hollow and sad from the pain of attempting to unriddle the complex mysteries of suicide. Sad for Sonny but also sad for the many children in our care system who are four times more likely to have a mental health disorder and four times more likely to commit suicide in adulthood. ‘One Under’ is not a play that you can walk away from without being starkly reminded that you can never fully understand what is going on in a person’s life. Hard-hitting, challenging and well-crafted,it’s recommended to all especially if you’re brave enough to admit you might have ever sighed or tutted in frustration upon hearing the news that your train is delayed due to ‘an incident’.
BLOG: One Under Meet & Greet
Two days before the opening of One Under, by Winsome Pinnock and Graeae Theatre Company, I was invited to attend my first Meet & Greet experience; something that’s usually reserved for theatre staff only.
Arriving at the wrong entrance and waiting at the Stage Door amongst remnants from last week’s fabulous Rocky Horror Show, which are due to be collected on Thursday, apparently, I realised I didn’t really know what to expect. Luckily other people knew what they were doing and soon came to find me hiding back there. Upon making our way up to the first floor mezzanine, I was pre-warned about the ‘circle time’ style introductions that might ensue, but I felt reasonably confident that I wouldn’t say anything too stupid, but I can never guarantee this, of course.
Armed with my complimentary camomile tea, I was greeted by a few familiar faces and introduced to some new ones. A crowd started to quickly gather in a relaxed semi-circle facing towards the Director, Amit Sharma. Bracing myself for the introductions that inevitably came, I can confirm I proudly managed to remember my name and my role there, thus not embarrassing myself or Rebecca and Maia who run the Bloggers & Critics Scheme. Phew.
Joking aside, it was encouraging to see such a diverse bunch of people from front of house staff, to cast members and talent developers, to production and marketing, and even the CEO, all of whom play an integral part in the day to day working of this busy and thriving theatre. No matter their role, everyone was genuinely pleased to be there and took a keen interest in what the cast and crew of The Drum’s latest production had to say, making for a humble and relaxed atmosphere.
However it wasn’t all one sided, the mutual respect was apparent. Amit declared the company’s love of returning to The Drum over the last 15 years as TRP is one of the best producing theatres in the country. So clearly they have great taste as well as oodles of talent!
After brief introductions and some background information about the company, we were invited to preview the set. Eagerly making our way into The Drum, we gathered around on the benches to witness a production that was clearly in the midst of technical rehearsals, fine tuning, and settling into the space ready for Thursday’s opening night.
The term ‘creative use of captioning’ is cited in the show’s description on TRP’s website. Beforehand I wondered what this could mean, but it became immediately apparent as we stepped into the room. The cast, which consists of disabled and non-disabled performers, and the production team of One Under will “creatively integrate description and captioning” into the show. I’m still not 100% sure how this will happen, but I’m looking forward to finding out next week.
Amit also mentioned inspiration for the set design was in part based on the DNA double helix structure as he playfully wove in and out of it light-heartedly discussing how everything was shaping up.
Unfortunately, as the play isn’t open yet, I couldn’t take any pictures to illustrate this pretty poor half-description of the set. But if you are interested, you’ll just have to go and see it for yourself, won’t you!
Running from Thursday 17th to Saturday 26th in The Drum, more information and tickets are available here.
BLOG: Hello from the 2019/2020 Lab Company!
We are a group of early career artists between 19 and 25 from Plymouth and around the South West, who have been brought together by the Theatre Royal Plymouth to devise a new piece of theatre for the 2020 Spring programme. Through this blog we want to share the journey of our creative process with you.
When considering what to write for this, and wondering how to best communicate our process of development as a company. It struck me how important communication is, as a foundation for creative practice. The exercises and activities that Ben and Lucy (our wonderful programme leaders) have been taking us through in our first two days together, have all been to achieve this aim. To establish a comfortable, playful environment in which to share.
After meeting outside stage door and basking in the Plymouth sunshine for a few minutes, Lucy brought the group into The Lab, cracked out the Macklemore soundtrack and immediately got us straight into some high energy warm ups. Having shaken out some of our first day jitters, we played some getting to know each other games. These more basic warm ups transitioned into devising activities. Lucy had us write down answers to three statements;
I want to make theatre that sounds like…. (Rather than choosing an arbitrary sound Lucy asked to choose a specific song we could play to the group)
I want to make theatre that smells like…
I want to make theatre that tastes like…
I want to make theatre that feels like….
Upon answering these questions, each company member took turns sharing their answers while playing their chosen song. Meanwhile, the rest of the group watched and wrote small notes with our responses on, (ranging from further song recommendations, writing advice and simple notes on how much we enjoyed their ideas). We shared these by scrunching them up like popcorn snacks and gently throwing them into the performance space, for each person to collect and reflect on.
We found this exercise particularly beneficial in starting to bond, and getting to know each other’s inspirations and creative styles. The combination of a performative structure, and rolling responses/feedback, allowed each company member express themselves, learn the rest of the team. Immediately engaging each other creative identities. What could have been a dull ‘getting to know each other game’ this creative communication felt like a springboard for developing autobiographical performance, whilst simultaneously building the combined artistic identity of the group.
On our second day we lost three members of our group to their graduation ceremony’s (Congratulations to Alice, James and Amy!). Although they were missed, we instead were joined in the studio, by some members of the 2018/2019 Lab Company (sharing their hints tips and advice). James from Marketing came by to give us some information and examples of how to market our show. As well as members of staff from various different departments, welcoming us to the Theatre Royal Plymouth family and providing an informal networking opportunity.
It was a lovely chance to chat to other members of the Theatre Royal Plymouth community. And reminded us that communication is not only important in the studio, but in terms of developing professionally, taking advantage of these networking opportunities and learning from all of these brains at the theatre. As well as promoting our show and engaging with the wider theatre community in the South West (which I hope this blog will begin to achieve!)
Lots of Love,
Lab Company 2019/2020
September 2019
BLOG: Production Management
When accomplished professionals implore you to be brave and keep going, it gives you hope that you’re not totally deluded and irrational to have dreams and aspirations!
On Thursday we were extremely fortunate to meet yet another crucial cog in the well-oiled theatrical machine that is the Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP). As a producing theatre that supports the production of new, innovative plays, it’s become apparent during our time on the Bloggers & Critics Scheme just how socially conscious and forwarded thinking TRP actually is.
So when we met with Hugh Borthwick, TRP’s Production Manager, it was a real opportunity to find out more about the work that goes on behind the scenes to bring such an action-packed calendar of events and creative opportunities for new and emerging artists, as well as established shows and world-wide sensations to life.
Confident and self-assured, Hugh projected an image of a calm, controlled and articulate man who’s both modest and sure of himself, yet someone you probably wouldn’t want to mess with! Unlike other people we have had workshops with over recent months, he greeted us with no plan or preconceived agenda. He kept the session open for free-flowing discussion and made sure to answer our, (my) sometimes nosey and dirt-digging, questions with openness and professionalism.
Discussing a range of topics from what the day-to-day life of a Production Manager actually looks like, to the controversial history of TRP’s journey in Plymouth since its birth in 1982, and what makes working in the industry challenging and rewarding, Hugh even managed to segway politics and topical social issues seamlessly into the conversation at crucial moments; although that’s not necessarily hard in our current climate, I guess.
Leaving personal opinions aside about particular shows, Hugh wasn’t shy in coming forward regarding what evokes pride and keeps him motivated, alongside what he finds most challenging about the delicate balancing act in a sometimes fraught environment that is a live production setting, especially when you have so many cooks simultaneously baking cakes over various platforms.
Hugh clearly works hard, often long hours, and is a very respected member of the team who strives for excellence. Highlighting what motivates him personally, and the theatre in a wider context, it’s clear that there’s a conscious push towards community engagement, which was also highlighted during our last workshop with Ben Lyon-Ross, TRP’s Talent Development Producer. It may not be immediately obvious or apparent to someone merely glimpsing aspects of the theatre’s work from the outside, but TRP actively involves and collaborates with a wide and diverse spectrum of the community making creativity increasingly accessible to ‘everyday’ people, whilst supporting emerging creative talent that bring thought-provoking and wildly original content to Plymouth, who then often successfully take this further afield.
It has been a privilege to meet a mere handful of the people involved in some of this groundbreaking work, and, what I will remember most and take away with me from the hour we spent in Hugh’s company was his message to keep going, to be brave and bold, to push for what we believe in, and to strive to make things better in whatever form that may take for us.
So thank you, Hugh. I will aim to do just that.
NEWS: Theatre Royal Plymouth Pantomime Babe Auditions
The search is about to begin to find 16 local children who will play alongside Brian Conley, in this year’s Theatre Royal Plymouth pantomime, Cinderella. The chosen children will form two teams of 8, who will then perform on alternate days.
Auditions will take place at the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Production and Learning centre, TR2, 12 Neptune Park, Plymouth, PL1 0SJ, on Sunday 27 October with registration taking place between 9.30-10.00am
These auditions are ONLY for children who can meet the following requirements:
- Team members must be of Key Stage 2 age (Currently in year 3/ 4/ 5/ 6 at Primary School)
- Team members must be no taller than 4 feet 6 inches with competent skills in modern dance. Suitable applicants will be measured (bare feet) before auditioning.
- Team members must be available for rehearsals on Sunday 10th November, Sunday 24th November and Sunday 8th December and then from Sunday 15th December until Saturday 18th January 2020.
- Team members must be able travel to the Theatre Royal Plymouth within 30 minutes of being called.
- Team members must be accompanied at the audition by a parent/ guardian who must be prepared to stay for the entire day.
Suitable applicants need to register in the reception area of TR2 between 9.30-10am on Sunday 27 October 2019.
Please bring plenty of food and drink as there will be limited refreshment facilities available.
Cinderella runs at the Theatre Royal Plymouth from Friday 20 December 2019 to Saturday 18 January 2020.
Tickets are priced from £13 and can be booked online here or by calling the Theatre Royal Plymouth Box Office on 01752 267222.
For further information on the pantomime babes auditions, please contact Engagement and Learning on 01752 230379.
BLOG: Recovery and the Arts Conference
Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. Tuesday 3rd September 2019.
A fantastic day at the conference of recovery through arts,
Listening to stories, real people fresh starts,
Journeys of learning techniques and new skills,
No longer addicted to needles or pills,
Physical dance, humour and song, poetry, writing is where we belong,
Taking our trauma, abuse and bad luck.
Creating real theatre from the ground up,
Our stories are raw ‘coz we speak the truth,
Serious emotions shot through the roof,
You are what you hide and we hide it no more,
Compulsive behaviours are channelled with awe
but beware of the illusion that twelve weeks can fix,
You can’t always cure the cough with old Tixylix.
Remember we’re vulnerable and will be for years,
Haven’t dealt with half of the stuff that brought us to tears.
Facing our lives again with all of its strain,
Self-harming and medicating no longer to blame,
If left all alone our minds become dark
The voices appear creating a spark,
This spark is enough to start a small fire, a craving or burning unwanted desire.
We need structure, support, a weekly check-in,
a network of friends for love to sink in,
a purpose, a reason and somewhere to go
Our minds become young ourselves we don’t know,
I call it rebirth because old habits must die,
Reprogram the brain,
Release the new I.
BLOG: Wardrobe Experience
Having been involved in productions at the theatre in my younger years I was always interested in how costumes are designed and made, how quick changes happen so seamlessly and how wigs, hair and make-up are all pulled together for the final look, so I jumped at the chance to have a nose around the wardrobe department at TRP.
Delia Lancaster, Wardrobe Manager, started our tour by showing us some beautifully drawn costume designs for the Young Company production ‘Influence’. It is part of her job to source the costumes from the designers’ inspiration. This can involve making, buying and borrowing to make sure the look is as it should be. I was very impressed by what can be achieved with a very small budget. Delia really knows her stuff.
The next stop on the tour was an area with a large wooden box. Delia explained that when there is a touring show who provide much of their own costumes, this is how they arrive at the theatre. With a quick flick of the hinge the clothes were exposed on a rail and ready to be worn by the actors. It was at this point that Delia showed us a costume worn by a man that is used for a quick change. She explained how the dress was constructed to make the quick change as swift and seamless as possible. “Lentils make a really good bosom” was the gem of a quote Delia gave at this point and sure enough the whole chest area of the dress was filled with lentils! Not quite what I expected to hear however, it gave me an insight into some of the hacks the wardrobe team have to come up with to make costumes as realistic as possible.
Next, we were on to the huge expanse of the wardrobe store. What an impressive room with rows upon rows of clothes, shoes, hats and accessories. I have to say I was slightly overwhelmed with the enormity of stock and found myself wondering how on earth they find anything in there. But, on closer inspection I find that all clothes are meticulously sorted into item, size, colour etc so once you know your way around as Delia does, probably with her eyes closed, it wouldn’t be a problem. Not even a brief conversation about Poldark could sway Delia from her passion. She is only interested in the costumes when she watches it unlike the rest of us!
Delia gave us an insight into make-up and wigs and we got the chance to have a go at fake embroidery. The wardrobe team really have to be able to turn their hand to anything to be able to achieve the costume they want.
Delia’s passion for all this wardrobe is glaringly evident, from the way she lovingly describes an item to her work ethic and dedication to her job. We even had the opportunity to reminisce from when she dressed me in a number of Young Company productions back in the mid 1990’s so this was a fantastic experience for me.
BLOG: Theatre Royal Plymouth Workshops
Tucked away in fairly unassuming corner of Plymouth lies the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s TR2 workshop. Somewhere between Santa’s workshop and Hogwarts, we were lucky enough to gain an insight into the ‘behind the scenes’ magic that goes in to making many of the sets for your favorite performances. If, like me, your Hogwarts letter was lost in the post, this may just be the next best thing.
Perhaps rather unusually, just before the actors appear on stage is always one of my favorite moments of any performance. There is just something in that brief window as the house lights descend and audience’s murmurs fade in to a milky nothingness that is so tantalizing. When it seems like it is just you and the stage, set ready for an evening of possibilities. It is always at this point, before my thoughts are stolen away by the performance, that I wonder about the work that goes in to making the set in front of me.
But just what goes in to making a set? I must admit I had very little idea before this workshop tour. I say ‘workshop’ loosely as stepping in to TR2 you cross in to a dizzying airplane style hanger, a room that is part Hollywood studio, part Hogwarts Great Hall, complete with almost living portraits and art, and part Santa’s elves workshop. It certainly has a TARDIS ‘bigger on the inside’ joy to it.
On hand to guide us through is Brendan (Head of Manufacturing), our very own young Dumbledore, albeit with less beard, and perhaps even more knowledge about the workings of this hidden realm.
The talents of the makers and craftsmen are clear from the moment we step through the door. In front of us lies a plethora of pieces of art. From intricate honeycomb stairs for an upcoming production, to a spray-paint mural the size of a semi-detached house, this is a kind of living museum of modern making. The design and craftsmanship on display here at TR2 certainly put my weekend struggles with IKEA furniture assembly firmly in to perspective. For those that love a trip to a DIY store will find themselves in heaven amongst the ingenious pieces of staging across the workshop.
During our tour we stumble across Anna, an old friend of mine, who also holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary Art Practice, who seems to symbolize TR2 as a place both of community and excellence. Brendan tells us that all the makers here ‘have a go’ at all aspects of construction. This is place where photographers are soldering and carpenters are welding, a real community of construction.
Unknown to me, TR2 doesn’t just build staging for the Theatre Royal Plymouth, but for Theatre’s up and down the country, demonstrating the talent, expertise, and dedication that make up the team. I was surprised to see a larger than life portrait of Sir Ian McKellen adoring the walls here for an upcoming West-End production of King Lear currently being worked on at TR2. Despite McKellen infamous ‘You Shall Not Pass!’ ringing in my ears, this really is a place where everyone is welcome.
Next up was our chance to get stuck in and have a go. Despite being worried about my lack of artistic ability, team member Dan was on hand to help. We were allowed to program and play with the workshop’s CNC Machine, a giant woodcutting machine protected by lasers. Yes Lasers. It doesn’t get much cooler than this kids. With thoughts myself as a cross between James Bond and Nick Knowles of DIY SOS firmly behind me, we each manage to draw and cut a nameplate with relative ease. The chance to play with some grown-up toys is definitely a highlight of the visit.
From cutting edge design to the actual cutting edges of the CNC machine, both young and old can relish in some artistic amazement on this tour. From sets, to props and costumes TR2 is probably still one of Plymouth’s best-kept secrets. So if you feel like your seat on the Hogwarts Express is dwindling away, there is still magic close at hand. Just remember, no muggles allowed.
NEWS: TRP New Season Announcement
We are excited to announce our new year of work with both nationally and internationally recognised theatre companies. Some of the key highlights are below:
This Land a major new work of international community theatre performed by citizens of Plymouth and members of the Wampanoag tribe from Massachusetts USA, directed by Alan Lane, text by Nick Stimson and songs written and performed by Seth Lakeman. Performed as part of Plymouth’s Mayflower 400 programme for 2020 (June 2020).
One Under by award-winning playwright Winsome Pinnock, in collaboration with Graeae Theatre Company, directed by Amit Sharma (October 2019).
CITIZEN a living breathing portrait of Plymouth devised by TRP’s People’s Company, directed by Lucy Hirst (July 2019).
Lucy also directs Influence, a TRP Young Company production, written by Andy McGregor (August 2019).
The world premiere of I Think We Are Alone a new co-production with Frantic Assembly and Curve. Written by Sally Abbott and co-directed by Kathy Burke and Scott Graham (January 2020).
The UK premiere of Amsterdam, a new co-production with ATC and Orange Tree. Written by award-winning Israeli playwright Maya Arad Yasur and directed by Matthew Xia (February 2020).
Are we not drawn onward to new erA co-produced with Ontroerend Goed, playing Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019.
2000 Stories: Now I Can Speak by Plymouth based performance company Beyond Face, directed by Alix Harris, supported by TRP (June 2019).
The world premiere of The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, a Theatre Royal Plymouth and Told by an Idiot production with Royal & Derngate Northampton and Unity Theatre, Liverpool, created by Told by an Idiot, written and directed by Paul Hunter with additional material by members of the Company. Cast includes Amalia Vitale as Charlie Chaplin, with music played live on stage composed by MOBO Award winner Zoe Rahman (November 2019, ahead of a tour).
The Ladder in association with Shôn Dale Jones/Hoipolloi (September 2019).
Funky Llama Festival, TRP’s all-inclusive flagship festival showcasing the talent of local and national disabled and non-disabled artists (June 2019).
Unsung by Valentijn Dhaenens with Big In Belgium and Richard Jordan (September 2019).
Platform, a brand new event showcasing four new shows made by TRP Lab Associates Chris White, The Narwhal Ensemble, Jane Spurr and Beyond Face. TRP’s Lab Associate scheme offers South West artists a year long attachment to TRP (August 2019).
In The Lab, TRP’s experimental studio space, new work from local artists Ruth Mitchell, Colin Davey, Alexander Rhodes and The Lab Company. The Lab Company supports the development of Early Career Artists based in the South West (July 2019).
NEWS: Theatre Royal Plymouth livestream Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre masterclass
Join Dance Consortium in association with The Space as they present a masterclass from the internationally-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Livestreamed from Sadler’s Wells on Facebook and Twitter, the class will begin at 2pm BST on Friday 13th September.
Join Dance Consortium as they share a class led by Matthew Rushing, Rehearsal Director for the Ailey company and company dancers, as they work with participants on stage at Sadler’s Wells. You’re invited to take part in the class and learn from home as they demonstrate selected choreography from their piece ‘Lazarus’ by Rennie Harris and answer audience questions.
The livestream, hosted by Hakeem Onibudo, will last for approximately an hour total, and will consist of 40–45 minutes of instruction followed by a 15–20 minute live question and answer period. This will be your chance to ask a question through the livestream on social media and hear it answered on air!
You can watch the masterclass live from Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Facebook page on Friday 13th September.
NEWS: Theatre Royal Plymouth commits to Real Living Wage
Theatre Royal Plymouth has today announced it is a Real Living Wage employer that means staff will now earn a minimum of £9 an hour instead of the National Living Wage of £8.21.
The Real Living Wage is the only rate based on the actual costs of living and is a voluntary benchmark for employers that want to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum.
The uplift will effect around 75% of the Theatre’s staff and has taken 18 months to negotiate.
Adrian Vinken, TRP’s Chief Executive said “Plymouth is experiencing a fantastic period of change and economic growth and it’s really important that all of our City’s communities benefit from that. Paying the Real Living Wage is one way to do that. For TRP it’s recognition of the value our staff create – without whom we could not do what we do, as well as we do it. As a flagship employer in Plymouth and a leader in the creative sector we believe it’s an important change to make – and one that we hope inspires other organisations”.
Following agreement from the Theatre’s Trustees to work towards becoming a Real Living Wage employer, TRP worked with BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union) to negotiate new terms and conditions with each team, and the final ballot took place at the end of July.
Debbie Clinton, TRP’s Head of HR said “We’re delighted to be a Real Living Wage employer – it has made, and will continue to make a real difference to a large proportion of our staff-members, and it makes TRP an even more attractive opportunity for people when we’re recruiting new staff”.
Plymouth City Councillor Chris Penberthy said “I would like to congratulate TRP for becoming a Real Living Wage employer; an achievement that will benefit their workforce. It is fantastic to see a high profile local employer with an international reputation making sure that their staff share in their success. Evidence shows that paying the Living Wage brings benefits to both businesses and their staff, I hope that other local firms will join Theatre Royal Plymouth by implementing the Real Living Wage.”
August 2019
This Land: The Story So Far
With This Land, we are doing something extraordinary—and extraordinarily difficult. There are four communities making this show; the Wampanoags, Plymouth citizens, the creative team, and the staff of Theatre Royal Plymouth.
But how do you go about creating a citizen’s production of 150 people, when 120 of them are from Plymouth, UK, and 30 of them are from the Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts?
I’ve been holding workshops with the Wampanoags in Massachusetts and with the community in Plymouth. And clarity has grown.
It has taken a lot of meetings to overcome the totally understandable suspicion of the Wampanoags. But at the last meeting, we had a breakthrough. The Wampanoag tribe are writing their part of the story. It’s extraordinary, because they’ve not been able to tell their story in this way before.
In Plymouth, the workshops will carry on – we need to find 120 people who want to be part of this. This isn’t an audition. It’s about building a team.
TRP are putting everything into this, which means we have every possible toy, trick and resource to make the most epic piece of theatre possible. We begin with 150 people – and that is a really good place to begin.
Want to be involved in This Land? Email us and we’ll be in touch with project updates and key dates.
Meet the Director
Learn more about the project, the creative team in a friendly and informal setting:
- Tuesday 17th December, 6pm–7:30pm; The Lab
Workshop auditions
We will be holding informal audition workshops for anyone who would like to be involved as a performer in the production:
- Friday 13th March 2020
- Saturday 14th March 2020
Information about signing up for these will be released in January 2020.
Rehearsals will take place across evenings and weekends from April 2020–June 2020. All cast members will need to be available for full day rehearsals from 8th–16th June, with performances taking place from 16th–20th June 2020.
July 2019
REVIEW: CITIZEN
Really, why does Mutley have so many barbers?!
Other than the, quite frankly, ridiculous amount of barbers on Mutley, what springs to mind when you think of Plymouth? Is it Smeaton’s Tower, Drake’s Island, Captain Jaspers, Seagulls, grey, concrete buildings, or odd looking new ones? Or is it more personal and sentimental than that for you? Is it your ever evolving story interwoven with the continually changing face of the city that makes this place so indescribably special?
CITIZEN, directed by Lucy Hirst and performed by 23 amazingly brave and talented People’s Company members, brings the city and its stories to life in a show that, no matter where you’re from or what your background, speaks to you as a member of this complex and rapidly expanding community.
Combining some familiar faces, a shed load of heartfelt stories, tales of hope and resilience, of comeups and comedowns, community spirit and individual strength, of long held pain and cathartic redemption, CITIZEN asks you to think about all those individual stories that are threaded into the very heart of the city, and calls us to hold on tightly to the ties that unite us, not to those that divide us.
Being a born and bred Janner, or a visitor that’s never left, isn’t always easy. The show highlights some of the major inequalities and struggles that we need to face head on. From ethnicity and racism to homelessness and the unacceptable levels of poverty, It doesn’t shy away from the innate issues that the people of Plymouth face on a daily basis.
But, at the very heart of each genuine and authentic story, some of which are hard to hear at times, is a tale of hope: hope for the future, hope for increased diversity and tolerance, hope for prosperity and change. It reminds us that the greatest strength we all have is each other. Whether that’s close family and friends, the kindness of strangers, the companionship of a beloved pet that gives you a reason to keep going and move forward, or the moments of epiphany some find in their relationship with a higher power.
So when asked what makes me hopeful for this city, what inspires me and what I’d like to see more of, it is brave and bold shows like this one. It’s Plymouth having the desire and courage to tell its stories; to create and expand beyond its current limits. To amplify our collective voices, and look for the wealth of inspiration and life that is all around us. It’s for individuals to come together; for us to see beyond the ubiquitous faces that walk passed us day in day out and journey into the very soul of those stories, battles, and dreams for a better tomorrow that define us all.