How can we best critically engage with each others’ work rather than just being vaguely aware…
- Convenor:
- Janet Vaughan
- Attendees:
- Jane Packman, David Bennett
- Description:
How can we best critically engage with each others’ work rather than just being vaguely aware of it?
The question was framed from a viewpoint that engaging critically with each others’ work is a desirable and useful thing. The participants agreed that this is true
– genuinely believing that seeing and actively engaging with the work of other companies in the region improves your own work.
- beds you into the theatre/artistic community too…
- leading to cross-pollination; collaboration/make more interesting stuff happen.FIRST POINT
We need to see each others’ stuff more – could we have some kind of organised subsidy scheme for practitioners to get reduced/free tickets for each others’ work? (Like the ‘Night Less Ordinary’ scheme)Discussed a few of the practicalities of this – who are the actual constituent group? Midpoint members? How do you set something like this up? Fund it? Make sure it somehow includes undergraduates in an attempt to integrate them whilst at Uni? Etc etc
(We recognised links into previous sessions on Graduate Retention and How do you find the right people to work with?)
Reasons to do this:
These conversations can
- promote the establishment of shared cultural reference points which contextualise debates and explorations and can develop to be more generally about why and hows of making work;
- and therefore make you stretch your thinking and practice, affirm what’s important;
- also a way of identifying likeminded people to work with;
- way of propogating info about a show or company more widely than the immediate audience.
SECOND POINT
The other requirement is an informal networking opportunity (monthly drop in café or pub based?) where you are bound to bump into someone who has also seen the same piece and then you can start talking. Generate a culture of knowing you can meet and discuss… (As in other sessions
@ AE Harris was mentioned as hub.)This is an important part of developing a scene, although it might not be everyone’s bag – but it does need to be the right/useful kind of critical engagement.
PILOT was mentioned and also Liz Lehrman (sp??) – non judgemental methods of critiquing – facilitated showings/sharings.