Interview by: Chris Baker
May 2024
Bee Jarvis and Natasha Pavey have been working as Artists for Change at Theatre Royal Plymouth for the past 12 months.
They have been aiming to challenge conventional thinking around diversity and inclusion and the climate emergency, and to develop creative solutions for the theatre and audiences that make effective change.
As these year-long roles, funded by Jerwood, come to an end, they reflect on the projects they have worked on, and what they have learned along the way.
Which projects from the last 12 months are you most proud of?
Bee: Something I’m super proud of was Pride. That was the first project I dived straight into soon after I started here. Having so many people to kick-off the city-wide celebration was incredible, as was the support from the community groups that came into perform. There were hundreds of people here and the theatre looked amazing with all the decorations. I’d never done anything like that before.
We had our Open Mic Night in February, giving a platform to emerging artists. We filled The Drum with life for two nights, and nearly selling out. I’ve never seen The Drum so buzzing and the number of applications we had was telling of the appetite there is.
Natasha: I’ve loved working with different community groups and getting people who don’t normally come into the theatre, here. I’ve done lots with Climate Action Plymouth. They came in at the start of the year and took over the gallery space. We’ve had a few climate cafés which have been great.
Declaring a climate emergency on Earth Day was probably the thing I’m most proud of. I’m grateful to have had the support of the theatre behind that. I hope we’ve started a few conversations.
What have you learned about the industry while working at the theatre?
Bee: There are so many working parts and different people that come together to work on something. It’s been interesting to see the process from concept to delivery in such a big theatre.
Natasha: It’s been interesting learning about the influence artists have within the industry. It’s very rare for artists like us to be on payroll in such a large venue. Credit to TRP for that.
What have you learned about yourselves in your roles?
Bee: I’ve had the time, space and facilities to explore who I am as an artist and the sorts of things I want to do in the future. It’s been lovely trying out new things, like producing, event planning or lighting design. I’ve had little snippets of insight into so many different areas.
I held some insecurity before this role. I’ve been working in the industry for three years now, but I hadn’t had any sort of arts education. I didn’t go to theatre school. I studied Geography as my undergraduate degree and Occupational Therapy for my Masters. It’s been nice to see that you don’t have to go through that route to get places. You can still make impactful art and get somewhere in the industry.
Natasha: This was a role that I came into after graduating drama school. Coming home to Devon after being in London for a few years made me realise how much I love and missed home. I’ve learnt how many different things I can do, and some of the things you think are big and scary, aren’t. It’s been a confidence booster.
Tell us about your end of year projects.
Bee: My final project is a musical immersive experience show that’s on in The Drum. It’s a five-movement piece that’s all about the different intersectionalities that I’ve worked with over the past year, and I’ve written one song for each.
The idea for the show is for people from the community to be immersed in joy and exploration about themselves. I’m working with two fantastic performers and with the Devonport Park Community Choir, and it’s been a wonderful thing to write and direct. It’s going to be a really great night; I can’t believe it’s happening.
Natasha: I’m working on a project in June around the climate emergency. It’s a movement project taking place across Plymouth city centre, working with emerging dance artists, and co-creating a piece with them as a call to action on the climate emergency. It’s going to be made into a documentary which will then be screened.
What’s next for you both?
Bee: I’ve just started a new role as a project manager with a South West based theatre company called Beyond Face, which is super exciting. I’ll be doing lots of the facilitation and community work that I’ve enjoyed doing in the last year, but across the whole of the South West for the next three years. I’m also looking at doing more consultancy in access and inclusion. But of course, I’ll never stop writing music, never!
Natasha: I’m going travelling for a few months, seeing the world a bit, and getting some inspiration. I’ll be continuing my work within arts, culture and climate. I’m supporting the Theatre Green Book project, and working on a show about the climate emergency, which I’d love to get funded and take on tour next year.
A big thank you to TRP and everybody here and Jerwood who’ve funded our roles. We’re really grateful. It’s been such a privilege, so early on in our careers, to be here and to have had this experience.