And the first show is done.
A full house to this place. Families wanting to see their friends. People living here who have no live experience locally. Happy local audience. Let’s track it back a bit… I don’t know the full genesis of this but I know a little.
“We want to build a theatre!”
“You’ll never get planning permission.”
“What if you just plant it?”
When I was at Reading University, for a short time, we had found a way to make an incredible summer Shakespeare. Andy Hunt was an ex copper and scaffolder and very handy, and he was helping us out. We also had an excellent budget from the Uni because we would fight for membership in Freshers week. Andy had his Jewson’s budget paid by the uni on our behalf. God knows what he was skimming on the side but it didn’t matter. He made a scaffolding theatre on the campus three years running. Every year we made bank in ticket sales. We had a budget from our student union. We returned that budget to the union in sales. We were visible and bold and we were trying to do interesting things. We were also utterly clueless, and the only reason we made bank was because none of our student actors were being PAID, and Andy was handy.
I was a tyrant at times, clueless at others, but always ambitious and always supported. With practical Andy to help we made some powerful stuff. It was only when my committee treasurer clocked that he was on the Jewson account and I had to take him off it that the things that were possible shrunk. I had to tell him. He was aware of all the things he had made possible. At the expense of a little bit of embezzlement, we had a very fine structure to make plays. I could never make art now without paying the artists but in the context of university shows it seemed legit. Not many of us are still in the game. Tony is still on the hustle. Tim is still on the craft. Jake is still on the make. I’m still hacking things together.
Phil and Sue moved out here to Radnorshire after both living a career in theatre. Phil is an actor, Sue a director. I know one of their offspring is doing remarkably well in our industry. Passion breeds passion.
They literally planted a theatre. If it’s a tree you don’t need planning permission. Nobody could have anticipated such an incredible result. They’ve made this mystic and lush place out of living willow, and they’ve made it full of possiblity for the local community over time.
I’ve come and plugged in. There are all sorts in his show. They were stuck for an actor after a last minute loss, so they asked The Factory if anyone was free at short notice. I didn’t really know what I was getting involved in but reflexively said yes as I’ve had wonderful times here in the past and I always try to say yes. It’s delightful and there’s huge community. It makes me even more want to move to this neck of the woods.
We just finished our first show. I met everyone yesterday. I’m slow to make friends but quick to study. Now the white noise show has gone well we are free to start properly listening, and maybe I’ll make friends.
I’m inspired by Phil and Sue, by what they’ve done. At Reading I was lucky – I timed it well, and was well supported, to be ambitious with outdoor theatre, even though we were all clueless about acting. I think it would be disingenuous of me to dismiss the things we learned through that university experience. I remember having a certain drama school audition panel hacking into me about it. But … this living theatre is a similar shape and size to our scaffolding structure. If reminds me of it. Twenty five years of practice lends ease. I’m ready now to play the parts I played then. Playing those parts before I was ready gave me grounding to learn and front them as an adult practitioner.
AlBarclay 