Why is there no theatre festival in the West Midlands? Let’s make one happen!
- Convenor:
- Oluwatoyin Odunsi - The Drum
- Attendees:
- Paul Pilot Leah Clockwork magpie Katy Clockwork magpie Don Clockwork magpie Moqapi Playwright/Poet Orin Artist
- Description:
Why is there no theatre festival in the West Midlands? Let’s make one happen!!!
• ‘It’s a cultural wasteland’ – The reason why there is no theatre festival in the West Midlands is because people don’t want one. Otherwise there will be one.
• The theatre world is full of cliques so you don’t get invited to stuff or information is not passed on to you if you are not in the ‘in theatre crowd’.
• Everyone feels like an outsider – Like it’s all happening somewhere else and we’re are not invited.
• Why do theatre artists go elsewhere to platform they’re work? Why don’t they want to stage their work here in a WM theatre festival?
• There are several festivals happening in the west midlands region at the moment like fierce, pilot, artsfest and the likes. How can we support those festivals and build them up.
• Who do those festivals cater for? Does it cater for everyone?
• West Midlands is a huge area, not feasible to have a coherent theatre community (like theatre Bristol) across such a big area. As this doesn’t exist in Coventry or Birmingham.
• It is a lot of hard work to organize a theatre festival.
• Can we not get interested people from across the region to work on one together?
• Communication is the key! Where do people advertise these events and does everyone get to see them.
• Apathy and the reluctance of artists to support each other’s events e.g. attending the events, submitting work in these events.
• There is a sense of snobbery in the theatre world.
• It seems to be full of cliques.
• How do we get everyday people to see theatre work? It is a very small percentage that get’s to see any form of theatre work.
• Venues will only program work that will fill their spaces; they won’t program work that is too much of a risk.
• How do we bring all the regions together to make this happen?
• Do we want to make this happen?
• How do we take theatre to the people?
• Does theatre need to be in a theatre space, why can’t it take place in non spaces such as shopping centre, on the street, in the pub, nightclub, etc.
• There is one small theatre company that will be staging a performance in a shop space very soon, this will be happening in Coventry and we hope that this will open the doors for other artists/ small companies to do similar things.
• Let’s make it happen, do we need it to be approved by the theatre establishment for it to start.
• We can start off small and let it grow organically?
• If you look at other festivals across the country they started off small and it grow.
• DIY
• Anywhere
• Anytime
• Anyplace
• Let’s make it happen all at once
• It’s important for the artists (development)
• It’s important for the people (high brow and average Joe)
• The theatre festival in the west midlands should rotate to a different region each time (whether yearly or bi-yearly).
• The theatre festival should platform all types of theatre work. High quality theatre productions right through to new entry work. Something there for everyone.
• QUALITY = SHMOLITY!!!! LOL ☺