Why is there so little affordable cheap free rehearsal space in Birmingham and what can we do…
- Convenor:
- An amalgam of Katerina Pushkin’s and Rachel Sambrook’s questions
- Attendees:
- Kaz Luckins + conveners
- Description:
Why is there so little affordable cheap free rehearsal space in Birmingham and what can we do about it?
It’s easy to find spaces that are wildly expensive / out of reach for small scale work, but are there cheaper ones in Brum? How do you find them? Do you need friends in big places?
Lack of affordable rehearsal space is the single biggest barrier to me, my company and other people I know making work. The situation’s a lot worse here than in London or Manchester.
One thing that’s come out of lots of discussions today is the need for better communication, and the possibility of using the internet to facilitate communication.
How can we use the internet to pool / share resources, be they space, lights, equipment, actors, whatever?
A website with:
● a forum/message board where you can ask other people where to find resources (like the genesis directors network, a brilliant resource for young directors but a very London-centric one).
● a rehearsal space database
● an ‘equipment for hire’ database with companies like vivid but also where individuals/practitioners can offer up their own equipment for super-cheap/mates rates
● could include ‘whatson theatre listings’ for brum, discussed in various discussions earlier, and a central theatre mailing list
● an ‘available for work’ / member profiles database● a company profiles database
Midlands DEFINITELY needs a central database/forum for theatre-making – is this the job of midpoint, or scenecentral, or does it need to be a separate, more organic thing??
Monthly casual open space / pub (like Shunt but MUCH less cool) – you learn where to find stuff by talking to others
RE: the massive ‘Taking Risks’ discussion earlier:
Not being able to afford the time and space to play stops people taking risks. If you’re paying £100 for a day, you want to know you’ll have a worthwhile outcome aswell as a worthwhile process. We can encourage / optimize risk-taking by enabling people to find a place to play.