A bit of a rant and rave rolled into one here. Not long ago, Sam and I gave a workshop at a well-regarded drama school, on their applied theatre course. The students were great, the questions probing, the experience invigorating: we learned a lot, and hope to bring some of these bright young things into upcoming projects. Here were dozens of bright up-and-comers devoting their considerable creative energies not to securing a spot in the ‘pure’ theatre scene but ready to deliver work into the community, whether as teachers or freelance creatives. It was fantastic to interact with such clever, inquisitive folks and particularly in this context.
Alas, all is not as rosy as it seems, at least where some of these students–and perhaps many more–are concerned. After our session, several students told us that they still felt like second-class citizens at their school…the ones who couldn’t hack it on the ‘real’ theatre scene, not, as it actually stands, the ones who are making a conscious choice as to how they’d like to use their talents. The conversation was inchoate and non-specific, in that no names were named, but it certainly reflects a common bias.
What’s disheartening is that surely, with the cross-audience, cross-arts dynamism now in play on the UK culture scene, this kind of thinking should be passe by now. That it isn’t shows that those of us who enthusiastically work across audiences, whether community or otherwise, need to continue stating our case that applying our craft in schools, prisons, among homeless, on tough estates is a positive and artistically enriching experience…not something to do just to fill the coffers while we wait for the ‘real’ work to come in. –Greg