MThe:UK

Conference follow-up: The Next Steps

2010-06-24T22:56:00.002+01:00

by Jenifer Toksvig

I’m incredibly excited, in a first-day-of-rehearsals sort of way. The MThe:UK musical theatre conference at LIPA was a huge success, and it inspired some brilliant opportunities for musical theatre in the UK.

We gathered with no set agenda, and let our passions guide us within Open Space Technology. The group represented further and higher education, universities and drama schools, regional theatres and London-based producers, actors, writers, directors, composers, and song, dance, drama.

Within that room we had the potential to create a West End show, but what we discovered was a longing to find something else, something beyond the West End and reality TV.

Not that we don’t love those just as much as everyone who wants to see who could be Dorothy, anyone who gets those butterflies in their stomach standing in the foyer of a big London theatre…

But there is so much more to musical theatre in the UK. I listened to Laurie Sansom of the Royal & Derngate in Northampton passionately discussing musicals with Susie Dumbreck from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and with Sally Ann Gritton from London’s Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and they all seemed to be saying the same thing: we all need to collaborate.

There is a constant struggle for funding in the UK. Mercury Musical Developments struggles to find the money to fund the development of new writing. Musical Theatre Matters struggles to fund the nurturing of new producers. Educators fight to pay additional creative practitioners, and theatres fail to put on shows.

Never mind the practical problems, though. The most frustrating thing about the lack of funding is that it creates the worst kind of emotional environment in which to develop and nurture the genre of British musical theatre.

You have to keep fighting just to stand still.

What if we could forget about funding? What if we already had everything we need to turn that negative energy into a celebration of musical theatre in the UK?

Call me crazy, but I think we should try it. At the conference, several institutions offered to host smaller satellite conferences around the country, to which we can invite anyone, everyone who has an interest in musical theatre.

Using Open Space Technology, we could actually create musical theatre in that short space of time: re-stage a bit of a traditional musical in a new way, or create a new short musical from scratch! We could just have a bit of a sing-song, or we could design an outrageous set for an imaginary production of something in our local park.

… and what if we’re then inspired to take that crazy design and see if the council will let us actually do it? What if the creation of that short musical involves a regional theatre director who offers some studio space to see if it can be developed further?

What if a director gets to try a bit of writing? A producer get to direct something? In Open Space, anything is possible: the sign on the wall says “Be prepared to be surprised”.

Now imagine a weekend in which every regional venue in the country, and every drama school and university, opens their doors and gives some time and some space for a nationwide Open Space creative musical theatre event.

Imagine the whole of the UK gathering wherever they are, to create and explore and devise and experience musical theatre in all its glorious forms, with no set agenda other than our passions and our creativity.

We’d be bringing storytelling through song and dance back to its roots: in the local community.

We could call it Reality Musical Theatre!

Let’s do it, for real. Spread the word. If you have a venue and could be part of this event network, drop me an email at jenifertoksvig [at] gmail [dot] com or pass this information on to your local theatre, drama school, college, youth group or NODA society and tell them to get in touch with me.

Everyone should join in! This isn’t just about musical theatre. This is about British Musical Theatre.

A new national strategy for musical theatre

2010-06-17T12:43:00.001+01:00

Titles of sessions called: What should a training for musical theatre creation contain? (Nick Phillips) and How can we facilitate collaboration between our students and regional theatres to promote non-West End opportunities and rep style training? (Susie)

Participants: Nick, Susie, Jen, Sally, Sally Anne, Amanda, Onur, Helen, Luke, Louisa, Katie

All musical theatre practitioners should have a grounding in all areas, because we are about integration.

Arts Ed are just introducing a post-grad for collaborative directors, choreographers and MDs – is this about the technical aspects of those crafts, or is it about collaboration and the collaborative process?

In the room, the director, choreographer, MD, composers, writers, librettists are all equal partners in the process.

We’ve all been talking about what we mean by musical theatre. Working at FE and being committed to looking at new work, finding collaborations, making new stuff, seems incredibly important.

One proposal might be that each of us could offer something together as a collective of institutions. Trying to make it a formal academic qualification would force it to be institutionally based which might make it a problem. Could we bring a bunch of us together and learn in one central place?

We’ve talked about mentorship. Can we find a) a place where this could happen and b) mentorship of some kind.

Level of quality is variable. What we need in educational terms is maybe a national strategy.

Should we not use the word training. Sharing each others’ work, not about having a central governing body who dictate what we do. It’s about development. About gathering and sharing our passions collectively.

Projects that come in are underwhelming because of lack of understanding of craft. A discovery of craft is what we need, not teaching.

It was great that students came to the conference too.

OST that includes students is a big thing we all get chucked into. Industry engagement too. Not a showcase, but bring in agents too so their voice is part of it.

We will do this annually, and everyone will be invited, but it will remain focused on education / training / the start of people’s career.

Can this be part of courses? Part of the course handbook? Week-long conference for everyone. Sample of students from everywhere. Also practitioners who are out there doing it.

Esp useful for post-grads who only have a year to do as much as they possibly can.

Internal OST, also smaller collabs. Playground weeks between two or three institutions.

Every institution is doing their own thing, in an excellent way, but can we have regular staff swaps? Can we share our techniques?

How does HE engage with FE? That could give students more info about auditioning for HE, which empowers them.

Musical theatre is changing, dramatically. The sadness is you still get people who do external exams that are nationally validated, but they don’t cover the reality of the crafts, yet people invest in that.

National Strategy could include:

-    Annual OST for everyone – a talking one for three days

-    Practical OST creative project: Joe Public can come and join in or watch or collaborate with us as we all use OST to create small / big continuous creative collaboration projects that are ongoing throughout one week. This would give opportunity for Joe Public to comment and express what they like or don’t like.

Would we have a bit of banging head against wall with some institutions? Yes, for a while, but eventually they would join in if we make this open and supportive.

Producers might be focusing on West End product, that’s what they’re focusing on and filtering for, let’s look at developing producers to access the regions, where there are people who love musicals but don’t get to go to London and see shows.

Regionals – how can we work with them?

Dundee have their graduate places, so there are ties with RSAMD, but these places sort of need to be open to the whole country. Having done rep and learnt craft in rep, that was the best training ground you could have. The West End is not a good training ground.

Health and safety has been part of stopping rep being training grounds. Stopping being producing houses has also inhibited that. Instead of trying to find funding for our institutions, could we find funding in order to place students in rep?

Theatre companies should be within education. Some educational establishments have theatre company structures within the student body. That allows for a different kind of vocational, hands-on learning.

Is there private sponsorship outside the weekend?

Would West End angels sponsor this kind of thing? These regional collaborations.

Regional Theatres used to have two Equity cards they could give away. Now that doesn’t exist, it’s allowed them not to have that responsibility. Shouldn’t that be part of their funding requirements?

But we don’t have to be limited in physical space. We can do this in the streets. Let’s take this to the doorstep of the regionals and use their venues as our space.

NODA use Leicester because it’s right in the middle of the country. Should we stay away from London?

This coming semester, one at LIPA, one at RSAMD, one at Mountview: a weekend.

LIPA:        Last week October into first week November – Everyman?
Mountview:     Second week of Sept
RSAMD:    November

Jen will try to arrange these gatherings, and others regionally.

Royal Society of Arts: headquarters on the Strand, which would be a central London location.

Laurie in Northampton: might do a one-day mid-England gathering.

Connect up with internationals like MTEA.

Individual word-spreading about collaborating with regionals.

Talk to some of the major institutions and do some cross-over work. Workshop exchanges. Won’t cost a lot of money. Part of professional development.

Are we getting enough support to AD in the regionals so we’re doing practical work as well as teaching, so we get time out to go and really do the work.

We’re all practitioners and we should be out there doing it and remaining current. You get stuck in the world of modules sometimes.

Part of a national network. We should all be part of a national network.

Funding could be tiny bits from different places.

Opportunity to re-explore well-known works to get that recognition with which to draw in audience, but to show re-invention.

The way young opera singers are developed: touring opera and such, smaller scale opportunities. Smaller regional opportunities help students develop their careers.

Re-envisaging new work: could we as practitioners come together with students and break away into pockets, explore different aspects of well-known shows. Bring in regionals, inspire them with that.

Part of this big creative collaboration event could be the reinvention of old shows.

Is the big creative collaboration event a day or a weekend at every regional venue in the country? Do we all get involved using OST to create stuff?

We do regional satellites first, some collaborate relationships, and then we do the national weekend.

Keep it live. No TV. Let’s generate some live theatre electricity. Do we ban cameras?

Everyone is going to start individually spreading the word about this, to empower the regions so they embrace the opportunity when we come to that area.

SPREAD THE WORD!

How Can Support Organisations Support New, Developing And Up-And-Coming Producers And The Production Of New Musicals

2010-06-17T12:38:00.001+01:00

Convener: Laoise Davidson (pronounced Lisha)

Participants: Donna Unwin, Chris Moore, Lauren Murphy, Andrew Tilling, Matt Finch, Mary, Andrew Guervin, Gail,

The aim of this session was to find some practical ways that Musical Theatre support organisations can help new musical theatre writing get produced…

Several themes emerged:

Musical Theatre Website
Development of a new “DEDICATED MUSICAL THEATRE WEBSITE” to share information, stimulate collaboration and signpoint to different resources – to include:
•    A centralised database to make it possible/easier for producers and educational productions to access new writing and create collaborations with new writers:
o    The database will enable anyone to access work from different sources – eg Weinberger etc
o    The database will include practical Information such as number of male/female parts and voices required to be easily visible / searchable / comparable
o    The database can be peer reviewed – eg audience members or producers can give their opinions on the work and give them a star rating
o    Peer reviewers to have an E-bay style system to show what shows they have liked / not liked etc (will help stop crankpots)
o    Audience reviewers section – as with peer reviewers but for non-industry members
•    Create a list of resources for new musical theatre – including resources for new writers and producers etc.
•    Online Forum to discuss new work
•    Create online “dating” site for Musical Theatre. Members to have profiles similar to regular dating sites. Match people based on shared values, opportunities etc. Creating opportunities to meet different professionals – promote yourself and your talents online
•    Ideas Central – a section of the website where you can post your great idea that you will never see happen, but someone else just might!

Writer specific training and opportunities
•    Need for Musical Theatre specific writing courses – this should be proposed as part of a National Strategy. There are many courses for screen writers, creative writers etc, but none that anyone in the group knew about specifically for writers apart from short courses like AMOS or those run by MMD. Courses would be specifically tailored for:
o    Book writers – most in need of these!
o    Lyric writers
o    Composers
o    Choreographers – too often left out!
•    Masterclasses / Pitching Events for new writers to present their work to producers. Dragon’s Den style events with feedback and possible contracts up for grabs.
•    Better feedback loop required for new work from audiences and industry (possibly introduced in new website – see points above).
•    Make it easier to workshop new material – take it to Educational institutes – gives students opportunities to perform new work and gets airing for new work.
•    Business courses for new writers – to help them focus on delivery.
o    EG CGO’s AMOS (A Month of Sundays) course at LAMDA
•    TIE – Theatre in Education – encourage new writers to make more use of TIE – to cut their teeth as new writers by writing for schools (as part of curriculum). Good place for feedback.
•    Ideas nights - for writers wanting to get some new ideas.

Producer specific training and opportunities
•    Need to develop creative producers – those that are ready and willing to gamble on new work
•    Courses for producers
o    how to build backers
o    How to lead as a producer

o    Developing collaborations
o    Finding the right people to work with (those who have shared values) – see “Online Dating for Musical Theatre” above
o    Developing shared goals
•    Set up Action Learning Networks (eg Surrey Creative Network) of new / developing producers (see Andrew Tilling)

How can we develop the use of dance in musical-theatre storytelling?

2010-06-17T12:35:00.001+01:00

Convener: NICK PHILLIPS

Participants: Nick Phillips, Laurie Sansom, Andrew Grivan, Jennifer Toksvig, Andrew Girvan, Sarah Baker, Onur Orkut, Kit More,

We agreed to discuss the uses of dance that we recognise and try to distil the properties.   Some participants admitted that lack of expertise in dance meant that they found it difficult to conceive in terms of the ‘writing’ process.

THE DREAM BALLET
It shows what is not said – non-literal.

TENSIONS IN SPACE – conveys matter of great import.
What ?
There is limited perception of ‘musical theatre’ dance style. What does this mean ? Usually theatre jazz – “jazz hands” !

We also label ‘dance theatre’ - pure dance which uses production values of musical theatre for the purposes of storytelling – Matthew Bourne.

Dance - the most heightened form of expression because of its abstraction.

Music aural abstraction – dance visual abstraction.

What does dance add to our expressive vocabulary as storytellers ?

What are the possible functions of dance ?

Can convey:

•    Setting
•    Time/Period
•    Ethnicity
•    Crucial social interactions –
•    Separation
•    Confrontation – martial arts
•    Attraction/desire
•    Tribal identity
•    Manners/etiquette
•    Celebration/ecstasy

With dance two worlds can exist simultaneously.

The dream ballet allows for subversion.
    It is the ideal or subversion of that ideal – the ultimate vision

Dance is on a continuum of physicality.

It offers access to a world of transcendence – (tarantella/dervishes)

DANCE AS METAPHOR

CATS – not narrative really – intensification/decoration/amplification.

Dance allows us a freedom to join the dots.

DANCE ALLOWS YOU TO SEE THE MUSIC

Interesting when in film – the grammar of the camera is part of the choreography..

Questions arise about training – how truly diverse is it ?

We returned to the question – how do we include dance/physicalisation in collaboration ?

•    It takes time
•    It’s hard to put on paper
•    It’s about creating the visceral thrill if a physical dynamic in space
•    This about making work on its feet

WHAT IS THE FIRST SPRING FOR THE CHOREOGRAPHER/MOVEMENT DIRECTOR ?   Recognised as massively diverse according to organic response to the idea.

KEY QUESTIONS

•    How do we ‘set up’ the language of dance ?

•    How do characters earn the right to dance ?

NP. 17/6/10

The expense of AmDram & Educational performances of Musical Theatre works

2010-06-16T16:03:00.000+01:00

Convener: Matt Finch

Participants: Matt Finch, Helen, Mary, Luke, Katie, Louisa, Andrew

For a youth group to perform a “Named” show – it costs them a minimum of £1000 for the rights to perform + 15% box office takings. This initial expense means that the groups end up creating juke box style musicals OR not at all. It costs £300 a time for Mary to hire scripts and scores to study (not even perform) in her classes. All these expenses mean that the Education of Musical Theatre, particularly at the grass root level, becomes limiting and does not challenge and excite the young.

We recognise that Licensing companies (Samuel French etc) are not going to reduce their fees for such education purposes.

Proposal:

But can we encourage NEW writers that when they ‘sign up’ to such companies (or set up on their own, which is becoming more familiar) that they might consider making some special concessions to the groups either financially (reduced rate), in restrictions of backing tracks/bands, venues etc compared to the Pros. This may encourage new work in the local theatres and schools, which in turn will increase the popularity of the show and new shows in general.

Online Conference Session

2010-06-16T15:59:00.001+01:00

Lydia Bates: welcome all

Lydia Bates: adobe connect pro (wot this is) does all sorts of fantastic stuff with webcams and microphones and stuff, but for tonight we'll probably just do chat.

Lydia Bates: please feel free to introduce yourselves

Patri: Hi, Patricia Raine from the University of the Arts in PHiladelphia here. Sorry not to be with you in person. How is the conference going?

Lydia Bates: Hi Patricia, it's going really well. I'm going to try to upload some of the reports from the first sessions for you to look at. It should appear in the box to the bottom right.

Lydia Bates: in fact, I'll move this box so you can see where it will go - hold on a sec

Lydia Bates: ok, over in the file share box you will see half a dozen or so files. these are the quick notes written up after some of the sessions that have been held so far.

Lydia Bates: we have also had a fairly indepth discussion on the subject of ''why do people hate musical theatre?''

Lydia Bates: feel free to download, or not - the whole report will be available at the end of the conference

Patri: Thanks - just reading these. DO people hate the musical theatre?

Lydia Bates: some people do (in fairness, that subject was raised by our webeditor, who may well be on here later, but we're trying to change her mind.)

Lydia Bates: the discussion became quite a cathartic session, where people got to vent about what they saw as 'giving musical theatre a bad name'

Lydia Bates: so words like 'trite' 'shallow' 'contrived' and so on came up once or twice

Lydia Bates: and then discussions of what can be done to change the perception as well as changing musical theatre itself.

Lydia Bates: just to let you know who we have here in the room at the moment, we have representatives from FE (both students and staff), HE (Students and staff), performers, directors, writers, and press

Lydia Bates: and, not to make you jealous at all, but we're also about to tuck into bowls of scouse over here.

Lydia Bates: so who else do we have in the virtual room?

LozKaye: Ah the good old 'cultural cringe' about Musical Theatre question!...

Lydia Bates: we had quite a good discussion about whether it was a new art form that was finding its feet, or an old art form that was on it's last legs

Patri: Sorry - I had to take a minute to look up scouse before i could become jealous. Such an american!

Lydia Bates: scousers are named after the dish rather than the other way round

Lydia Bates: it's derived from a skandinavian dish called lobskause

LozKaye: Interesting, for me one of the key things about musical theatre in its various incarnations is that it has an 'popular' musical language.

LozKaye: Does this inevitably to 'trite content?

LozKaye: Or is it a way of communicating clearly and openly to an audience in a way that other forms of theatre could learn much from?

mark smith: I would love for more contempoary musicians to write for musical theatre e.g. neil hannon from divine comedy...thoughts

LozKaye: I suppose one of the things that feels like it needs renewing to me is musical language, to make it more contemporary as Mark says.

Lydia Bates: is the problem that musical story tellers are more attracted to 'pop' than theatre?

mark smith: probably so but would it not be possible for producers/venues to take a risk and commission pop artists in between albums? remember a pop career on the whole has a limited shelf life

LozKaye: There has to be a tie up between musical language and the story you are trying to tell.

mark smith: I agree but does the musical language represent what most people listen to on there i pod? wordsmith's in pop are numerous and may break the rythym of what has become quite a safe and stale art form. It also does not help that poor quality ideas transfer quite so easily from Edinburgh...Insert Current topic of the day stick musical on the end ?

LozKaye: OK signing out here. Pasta calls :D

Lydia Bates: ok, just trying to get a couple of delegates here signed in

Lydia Bates: ok, we now have Girv in the room - say hello girv, introduce yourself

Lydia Bates: and mark shenton (of The Stage fame) is also here

Andrew Girvan: Evening

mark smith: have been follwing marks tweets today very interesting as always

mark smith: Evening Girv

Mark Shenton: Thank you Mark. I've barely tweeted today, as have been up here....

Andrew Girvan: Hi, Patricia I managed to get to UArts as part of the LIPA exchange when I was in my first year

Andrew Girvan: I've recently finished LIPA's Music, Theatre and Entertainment Management degree

Mark Shenton: just catching up on discussion so far... see that Mark Smith suggests more contemporary writers should write musicals....

Mark Shenton: there are already plenty, actually, from Elton John, of course, to Boy George and Phil Collins....

Mark Shenton: but its a process, and they don't always ''get'' it....

Mark Shenton: (Elton John turned up to THE LION KING at the first preview, not the first rehearsal....)

Andrew Girvan: The concept of the contemporary musical is also an interesting one. What are these contemporary writers creating?

Mark Shenton: On the other hand, Rufus Wainwright really immersed himself in the process of creating PRIMA DONNA, an opera....

Mark Shenton: (behaving like one himself, of course!)...

Mark Shenton: To answer Andrew, Phil Collins writing TARZAN for B'way is hardly a good use of his contemporary skills...

Mark Shenton: It's opportunism... putting one well known name with another.... Collins meets Tarzan....

Andrew Girvan: The likes of Spring Awakening apparently broke the Musical theatre mode? But did they? Are the exciting musicals which have been so lauded at ceremonies just plays with songs?

Mark Shenton: The songs in SPRING AWAKENING were minutely embedded in tthe book...

mark smith: it was a suggestion of a slightly different approach in regards to Loz suggestion of the muscial language and my suggestion of does this refelct what most people listen to. Obviously each artist needs to believe in the story otherwise you will end up with rubbish

Mark Shenton: AMERICAN IDIOT -- based of course on a pop album -- is exactly what (some) people listen to.... I'd never actually heard it before I saw it in the theatre....

Mark Shenton: so it was all new to me....! But not rubbish at all. A really visceral howl of youthful musical angst....

Christina McDermott: We're discussing whether improvised music can only ever be applied to music.

Christina McDermott: I mean comedy!

Kit Moore: HELLO

Andrew Girvan: Hi KIt

Andrew Girvan: *Kit

Kit Moore: MORE

Kit Moore: NOT MOORE

Kit Moore: IM SHOUTING

Kit Moore: I CANT TURN CAPS LOCK OFF

Kit Moore: fixed.

Lydia Bates: Sorry Kit - my apoologies, i've spelt his name wrong and put him on an unremoveable capslock. he's not shouting, really

Lydia Bates: aah well done

Kit Moore: we are discussing how theatre companies, professional and in eduction can forge partershipsto create work

Kit Moore: hey esta!

Mark Shenton: am going to join one of the live discussions....

Kit Moore: yes do!

Kit Moore: onur is speaking

Patri: Hello Andrew, sorry I didn't respond earlier. I was out for a few minutes.

Mark Shenton: just joining session on whether we are training creative, thinking practioners in our actors?

Kit Moore: these people know what they are talking about... help!

Esther Dix: hey Kit, and hi all

Andrew Girvan: Hi Esther

Andrew Girvan: Thanks for the Twitter list of CANDE participants

Andrew Girvan: Patricia, it was wonderful to see a Musical Theatre course churning out such talented graduates

Andrew Girvan: to be able to sit in on proper MT classes and masterclasses was great

Kit Moore: I dont understand what my group are talking about

Christina McDermott: I'm telling lots of BTEC students about how great LIPA is.

Christina McDermott: Because it is

Kit Moore: GOOD!

Kit Moore: Dr Nick Phillips is the best teacher I have ever had

Kit Moore: come here for him!

mark smith: signing off dinner is ready have a good night

Mark Shenton: Jenifer Toksvig suggests students should be able to choose what they're interested in... but a teacher suggests that in the industry, you're required to do what you're told....

Kit Moore: nom nom

Mark Shenton: One student has realied that you've got to be carefully subversive, to deliver what is required, but can bring own artistic integrity to the role

Kit Moore: esta why aren't you here?

Mark Shenton: Where is the Improbable or Frantic Assembly of musical thatre, asks Jenifer Toksvig?

Patri: I was just catching up on the reports of discussions for the day. I was struck by one group's lament that there were too few passionate teachers of musical theater. I have to say that that is not my experience over here. On the other hand, I could certainly sympathize with the concerns of another group that we are rutning too many students out for the industry to handle.

Andrew Girvan: There was a rather interesting moment earlier when the tutors around the room counted how many graduates just they would be putting out into the industry at the end of the year

Andrew Girvan: then combining that with each of their years and the other schools around the country

Andrew Girvan: very suddenly we're counting MT graduates in the hundreds each summer

Andrew Girvan: and wondering where the jobs are for them

Andrew Girvan: The other side of that being the possibly thousands who have applied for the courses initially and might not have got in

Andrew Girvan: but may still therefore be trying to get work, the only difference being that they haven't been through the training

Andrew Girvan: the main feeling in the group I was in was that we should not feel guilty for training actors who might not be able to get acting jobs, they will still have been taught valuable transferable stills

Andrew Girvan: Which contribute to their ability to gain work in any number of fields, in the world of portfolio careers we are now faced with as graduates

Patri: I agree with that statement. There is a focus here currently on training students with a strong sense of entrepreneurship who could be able to create their own (and perhaps non-traditional) paths in the theatre.

Andrew Girvan: I think entrepreneurship is a very good way of looking at it

Kit Moore: we need the talking stick

Andrew Girvan: we might perhaps be looking at a ''multi faceted practitioner'' or some such nonsense over here, but it is a true realisation of entrepreneurship which is needed

Esther Dix: Perhaps we need to create the forms first, then see if they develop or break into mainstream musical theatre

Christina McDermott: I'm giving some students a pep talk. I feel like I should have some pom poms.

Christina McDermott: Also - someone has just told me that they like the web site. Which has brought a smile to this web editor's face!

Esther Dix: What I mean is, groundbreaking practitioners created their work, and because it was groundbreaking, it then shaped theatre for the future

Esther Dix: I mean people like Peter Brook, just for example

Patri: A change in topic: I was just reading the report on the ''belt'' group. Is it common in the UK for teachers to follow a certain vocal technique (i.e. Estill)?

Patri: I wrote a dissertation on musical theater vocal stules a few years back and think the profession owes a great deal to Jo's advances in understanding the science behind the belt voice.

Esther Dix: My experience is of classical teachers who I didn't expereince teaching a certain technique but more passing on their own experience, and then Estill. Both were vaulable but

Esther Dix: the understanding that Estil has given is so valuable to me

Esther Dix: in terms of actually understanding what is going on and in terms of knowing how to work in a sustainable and healthy way

Patri: However, one of the things I like so much about teaching musical theater singers is that there is no ''one size fits all'' approach - it is about bringing out the unique and individualsound in each performer.

Esther Dix: What about in the US? Is a certain technique usually followed?

Patri: There are several; there are many Estill practitioners as well as Seth Riggs (those are probably the most popular) but, generally, I think most teachers put together their own ''tool box'' of methods and pull out what is needed for the individual student.

Patri: I do quite a lot of clinics demonstrating for teachers how to teach belting and I find it tremendously useful to ''de-mystify'' the subject matter and be able to say what needs to happen with laryngeal position, pharynx space, tounge position, etc. That is the great contribution of researchers like Estill.

Esther Dix: Yes, that was so helpful to me

Patri: I'm not sure how much of that information is really useful for the student themselves to think about.

Esther Dix: Just depends on personality probably

Patri: I try to make the technique for the student reflexive and instinctive so that they can concentrate on the communication of the text, but you are no doubt right - it may be useful for some to have more technical awareness.

Esther Dix: The concrete physiological things that I realised my body could do created a belief that I would be able to do it

Esther Dix: But it would definiately depends on the individual as to whether that would help them

Patri: Thanks for your input!

Esther Dix: Patricia, I feel like everyone else must be engaged in some heated live debate!

Esther Dix: But it is good to hear your thought!

Patri: Seems so - it's pretty quiet out there.

Patri: I guess I'll sign off. Good to hear from you all - I wish you a productive time at the conference and am looking forward to reading the final reports!

Andrew Girvan: Very good to talk to you Patricia

Esther Dix: Ditto

Andrew Girvan: Who else is in the room?

Andrew Girvan: Any topics to be raised?

Esther Dix: I'm still here Andrew

Esther Dix: I would have loved to have been at this conference!

Andrew Girvan: Are you at home Esther?

Esther Dix: I'm just visiting my parents for a few days - home is Liverpool now!

Esther Dix: They live on Tiree so a bit far to come to the conference! Back on the 19th though

Esther Dix: Would you say their is a concensus of opinion or shared goals at the conference so far, or more of a divided debate?

Andrew Girvan: Thats a nice way to be able to look at this Northwest outpost of humanity! I mean Liverpool btw, not Tiree

Esther Dix: This has got me thinking about future-shaping in general

Andrew Girvan: There are a really mixed number of people here, so there are all sorts of opinions in the room

Esther Dix: I know it is idealistic but I think it is also true that people who change things care so much about making the world or their artform better

Esther Dix: that they do it whatever t takes

Esther Dix: I wonder if those people will emerge in musicla theatre?

Esther Dix: I believe this online debate ends in 2 minutes, so thank you and I will log on again if there is another one!

Patri: Goodbye Esther and Andrew! Hope our paths cross another time!

Andrew Girvan: Thanks Esther

Andrew Girvan: And Patricia, although I thought you had already left!

Lydia Bates: thanks all, I'm going to close this room now - thank you for logging on

How does one find a writing partner?

2010-06-16T15:54:00.002+01:00

Convener: Matt Finch

Participants: Dr. Nick + Andrew

Do I need a writing partner? No – but we do need :

Time to Impro
Time to play
+ mentoring.

Without mentoring and feedback from a true audience (not just family and friends) the work does not grow and we do not learn – which are 2 big reasons for writing.

Mixing different styles of composer, lyricist, book writers can produce something different and possibly break the convention of 2 people make a writing partnerships

ACTION: Possible sharing of resources, mentors, performers, audience – in summer months

Rather than thinking about the “How” will I go about writing a musical – we should ask the question “Why?” or “What?”

Need a Producer who will risk. Get the artists together and throw them in a room and give them time to play, create and learn.

Why Are Musicals Rubbish / Why to people hate musicals?

2010-06-16T15:53:00.000+01:00

Structure of way shows produced needs to change – find new ways to engage, tell stories thru songs

Sluggish to respond, so much money, risk, conservative

Metamusicals – writtena nd performed for other aficionados

Exploring authentic chracter and story. Not complex enough, sophisticated enough.

Executed badly – development hell

Musicals rubbished – demands of modern musical, triple threat, create performers lack. Acting challenge (Sondheim, sung material, subtext); how many give something to actor to mine for it.

Sung at Les MIs – group of good singers – hijacked by voices.

Preconception of musicals, trite, sentimental, banal, production driven sensation – musicals are all Greek theatre, Magic Flute, Shakespeare;

Complex, ironic Drowsy Charperone

Hairspray, works.

Most plays crap – didnt' take long.

Intervention of a lot of people. Real time in theatre. Play can exist on stage.

Pot of gold fascination, doesn't drive drama.

Blockbuster dead?

Are right people writing them?

Money driven

Royal Derngate, not money to workshop and delveop a musical that may find an audience --- equiavalent three or four plays.

Infrasture – how connect up people to share risk, expertise. Best catalyst building based theare company with remit to produce and develop new musicals.

Community of people, six new musicals every year in one building, also artistic development, seeing at different stage of development.

Give up writing – writers take responsibility to get own work on – regional theatres, dedicated company, writers power to get work out there.

Slowest to respond to technology.

People only see one type of musical – stifled by conventions.

Venue – Parade.

Stratford East – funding, outreach

Emotional connection over intellectual connection – people resist.

Lack of something important to say, and why musicals are the way to say it.

Knowing what to say, and how to say it.

Musical theatre, focus on what result will be.

Are British people afraid of musicals because songs are undeniably emotional, and the moment emotion enters the room, they exit?

Book, score, lyrics: what makes a good musical?

2010-06-16T15:48:00.001+01:00

Conveners: John Topping Nick Phillips

Participants: Convenors, Mark Shenton, Jeni Toksvig, Sally-Ann Britain, Lydia Bates, Andrea Tilling

•    The book is central: ‘the three problems are book, book, book’
•    What comes first is problematical: book or lyrics? Both can work
•    The holding form is vital. Interestingly, many successful musicals have not only an overt theatricality but also use theatre itself as the crucial holding form (e.g. CABARET, KISS ME KATE
•    The notion of the book is constantly changing
•    Narration through song is often imperative; character through action; can be driven by narrative
•    Folk music and pop music: useful inspirations for staying in the moment
•    A good musical possesses the ability to generate a moment of theatrical electricity which demands music
•    In a musicl the story itself needs to sing and dance
•    Jusitification is often thematic (cf. film under-scoring)
•    Music involves ‘knowing through feeling’
•    Musicals are a collaborative artform; authors can include original directors and artists: arguments for all stakeholders to be credited with authorship, e.g. Mackintosh, A CHORUS LINE
•    Broadness of constantly changing genres; ground-breaking musicals often spawn imitations of increasing redundancy
•    Pastiche, style and wit often characterise successful musicals

The New West End Pay Deal…Can MT be a long term career choice or is it a graduate stop-off before a 'real job' presents that pays the bills?

2010-06-16T15:46:00.000+01:00

Convener: Amanda Goldthorpe-Hall

Participants: Gail, Ed

1.    Astounded that with a room filled with MT students all about to graduate, that not one of them was interested in the standard of remuneration for the job they intend to do in a matter of months time! This raised the following question for a subsequent session
‘Do students ‘get’ what they are being trained to ‘do’?’

2.    Are institutions brainwashing students into the love of the art form and neglecting the need for employability, and a proper understanding of the career into which they are being catapulted?…not everyone can be Fantine straight out of college! What are the other skills as a performer and individuals students need to develop and are we helping them do that?

3.    Is there still a whiff of the amateur in the approach to being an MT practitioner? Is it seen on some level still as a bit of fun, an all consuming hobby, rather than a ‘proper job’… would a room full of architects or lawyers be as disinterested in what they can hope to achieve/earn? We believe not! None the less it is a ‘hobby’ that graduates will find needs to earn them a viable living…shouldn’t there be more attention in training to making your art work for you?

4.    Is it that the art of being a performer is debased by a consideration of the commercial demands upon them? Or can one’s craft be enhanced and informed by appreciation of the innately commercial concern that is large scale musical theatre?

5.    Can one successfully be that ‘malleable pawn’ on the chessboard that is for example the 12th /13th /14th takeover cast in a long running musical… and retain ones integrity and originality (and ability to earn alongside that) through their wits and innovation…and how are we equipping students for that?

6.    Can one be the ‘pawn’ and also retain ones individuality and drive to generate another income alongside, also through performing …and not as a waitress?...the fact of the matter is most of these students will need to, even if in WE at the top of their game, even with the revised pay and conditions deal struck last year, and are we equipping them for that…?

7.    The discussion was brief but it was felt that the themes raised would be returned to in subsequent sessions around other related topics!

Are musicals sexist?

2010-06-16T15:44:00.001+01:00

Convener: Mary Hitch

Participants: Mary Hitch, John Topping, Sally Anne Gritton

Are musicals sexist? Does it matter? The answer to both is yes.

Lots of women’s roles are stereotypical and one-dimensional.
Women redeemed by the love of a man.
Women succeeding by using their sexuality (Grease, Chicago)
One dimensional ciphers – Christine in Phantom.
Tart with a heart – Jekyll and Hyde.
Women are either good or evil – not complex.
Does the show `Wicked’ give the message that if you’re not pretty you choose to be evil?

Reasons:

History: musicals are from a vaudeville/burlesque tradition, dancing girls…
Most writers are male and the core story is written from a male perspective.
The books that musicals are based on are rooted in a male dominated society – eg Oliver. Is `As long as he needs me’ sexist or is it a real portrayal of how beaten women function?
Musical Theatre reflects society rather than revolutionises it?

Training

Students are very different from 20 years ago. Less aware of issues of sexism and get confused by sexual messages. Training sector is influential in accepting students with unusual body shapes and trying to attract more black/asian actors. Also part of training should include challenging students to see beyond the physical in all work, including commercial music theatre.

Producers

Too powerful in the commercial theatre and might prevent from making directing decisions which undermine the `tits and teeth’ aspect of musical theatre.
.
New writing

Should be encouraged. to challenge these prejudices. Sondheim is morally complex. All we ask is more shows with complex characters which are neither good nor evil but flawed.
Society has regressed since the 1970s and 80s because young people have little awareness of these issues but they are still important because of the influence music theatre can have. We decided that consumerism and materialism were damaging young people and making it hard for students in theatre to work in depth.

Strategies.

1. acknowledgement and contextualization
2. choice of repertoire
3. commissions, professional productions of quality and complexity!

Is there enough musical theatre training in government education?

2010-06-16T15:42:00.000+01:00

Convener: Helen Weekley (Backstage Academy of Performing Arts)

Participants: Helen Weekley, Luke Emery, Louisa Harrison, Katie Chapman,

We discussed the lack of passionate teachers within schools and why they aren’t passionate, which we felt was due to them often settling for teaching instead of performing. However, we then made a point of saying that performing arts teachers tend to be very passionate about their jobs but there are just very few of them as most tend to go into teacher after their performing career or teach to pay the mortgage then realise they actually love teaching and seeing youngsters achieve in their education.

Passionate teachers can be found in performing arts but the heads of schools can often be less passionate about musical theatre and the arts and so if the support isn’t there from the management that musical theatre can often be pushed to the side with funding and support and therefore making the life of the passionate teacher disheartening and difficult.

We discussed teacher training courses and how PGCE’s aren’t always the most affective qualification as they don’t teach you how to teach exactly and more courses like City and Guilds teaching certificates should maybe given more credit. Also that if refresher courses in various aspects of training were to become more readily available that the teacher would become more confident and develop along with the education e.g. if a department only has a teacher in one style of dance but they wish to expand into other styles, training should be available for the teacher to learn more to pass onto their students.

We discussed the Backstage Academy and how it works in terms of us creating new musicals for the youngster by the youngsters. Children from a very young age are very passionate about musical theatre but are not always given the opportunities to apply their own creativity. If schools offered more opportunities for youngsters to apply their own creativity musical theatre may grow in every aspect from writers, composers, performers etc.

We discussed funding at length. Government cuts seem to have hit musical theatre and the arts heavily and these cuts create problems within the education system, often making education in the arts existent in some schools. There are also no standardised for of curriculum for young children which means that children are not being motivated or educated in musical theatre and their only means of training is often from the private sector.

If the curriculum was developed to include musical theatre that would mean more youngsters would want to do musical theatre in the future rather than make the decision at age of further education when often students join courses thinking they want to do musical theatre but then discover it isn’t quite what they thought it was going to be which is due to lack of previous training in the schools.

Licensing for productions is too expensive for amateur production and can be too expensive for schools and put private schools in debt. Discounts or possible restrictions of licensing for schools should be in place.

More groups like Youth Music should include musical theatre so that government funding could fund practitioners to go into schools and teach the younger age groups which will then encourage them onto HE.

Skills throughout musical theatre should be advertised so that career options are made clear to parents so parents can see that musical theatre is not easy and not just dancing and prancing around but is a serious career.

There is a lack of boys in musical theatre! This could be because of the image they perceive as musical theatre is incorrect. Should the image of boys within musical theatre be looked at?

Boys who do train in musical theatre tend to be more successful at a quicker rate than the girls and therefore have longer careers making them teach after their performing career later giving role models for the younger boys very difficult to find within a teacher. There aren’t as many male musical theatre teachers as female.

Could undergraduate students teach within their degree training as opposed to post graduate teacher training as this would enable them to teach the youngsters whilst they train, equip them with teaching skills earlier as this is often where performers can earn money and also opens up the role models for the younger children by getting them into the schools and mixing with children.

Is musical theatre a legitimate artform? - Are jukeboxes valid?

2010-06-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

Convener: Laurie & Chris

Participants: Laurie, Chris, Jen, Mark, Gemma, Christina, Louisa, Helen, Luke, Gail, Kam

Musical theatre defined as theatre that uses song to tell a story, to define it as something different from dance.

Why song? Relationship between words and music. Powerful emotive tool.

Counterpoint between what words are doing and what music is doing can be more complex than straight drama. Well-known music form can be used a device to subvert.

Is irony a characteristic of a lot of musical theatre? Does the fact that there’s a complex relationship between words and music make it able to be more dramatically complex?

Musicals have been self-referential about musical theatre. Musical theatre maybe talks only to itself at the moment?

Self-referential musicals were retro, comedy, but maybe that reminded people that the craft, the artform is actually a great storytelling form?

Jerry Springer – is actually deeply powerful and moving.
Buffy the musical episode.
South Park the musical.

This comedy can, as all great comedy, take you to serious questions.

What can song do dramatically?

Showboat / Oklahoma, classical American book musical telescopes narrative and emotion. “If I Loved You”: in three minutes, she falls in love. It does stuff to time frame. Because essentially unrealistic, it allows you to make jumps and accept things that you might not be able to do in such a short time in drama. Stage time is warped.

Song is great at theme. It distils into something potent, easy to access, emotionally direct, linguistically authentic: coming out of young people’s language, for example.

Taglines under titles = apologetic? Or does this come from film?

Musical theatre is really good at genre-bending. Whatever you write musically makes reference to other musical idioms and sensibilities. The music genre is the strongest definer. The style of music defines the audience.

Some people see that as watering down of their favourite music genre. Some people hate the thought that their favourite band has done a musical. Suddenly they become less legitimate.

Like Boy George writing Taboo, catalogues don’t have to be existing songs.

Shortcut for audience: they know the style of music they’re going to see. You go and see American Idiot because you’re interested in that music, but Lion King is the film, so there are various reasons.

Pet Shop Boys music (for example) can’t convey the subtlety and delicacy that that kind of music might inspire.

Pop music does something very specific. It needs to be repeatable, mixable, bite-sized.

Songs in musical theatre convey emotion, they carry narrative. Folk songs tell a story within one song.

When do we sing? God Save The Queen. Football ground. Last night of the proms. Reverence / ritual / religions. Burials, funerals, birthdays, celebrations. You sing when you’re expected to.

Happy birthday is a celebration that marks a turning point, a ritual. Where are the celebration songs in musicals?

Types of musical theatre song: story-telling songs, heightened emotion, ritualising a moment, celebrating something.

If you sing something that is normally mundane, you’re automatically superimposing the celebration we associate with singing.

Making it sing makes it ceremonial.

We laugh at that when it’s done emotionally, if the gap is too wide between style and emotion.

Operetta = something simple becomes so big that it becomes laughable.

Musical theatre song brings ghosts up, merges two worlds. Seemingly really easy to find a theatrical framework to break conventions etc, like Carousel dream ballet, etc. Bring people back from the dead. Give voice to ghosts, shadows.

Singing and not being aware that you are singing = different plane of existence.

Jukebox musicals find reasons for people to be singing anyway. Pick a convention and stick to it! Mamma Mia doesn’t. Hedwig is about a performing band.

In training, built into you that actor needs to earn the right to sing. But partly, maybe that makes it formulaic. What about singing to deceive? Singing to hide what you’re feeling?

That moment is not necessarily about when you break into song. You need to be able to justify the heightened emotion that runs through the song. If you’re singing to lie, you need to lie more than speaking, you need to earn the right to sing as a lie.

Sung-through musicals = no light or shade. What function is song playing?

Good recitative is just prosody enhanced.

Shakespeare verses nouns as verbs. As we explore how song can tell story, that’s us talking about musical theatre as an artform, as opposed to received conventions, which is more about (artful and skilful) entertainment.

Charm songs that are just there to entertain are also art.

It’s all art. Or not art.

Is there bad art and good art?!

What are we selling when we sell musical theatre? Merchandise!

Jukebox musicals – what are people’s opinions on it? How does an actor feel about performing back catalogues of pop music?

Are Jukebox musicals running out of steam?

If you can see Barry Manilow still perform, the show does badly. If you can see the real thing, what’s the point of seeing the facsimile? It’s almost got to be commemorative.

When ABBA came out, it wasn’t hip to like ABBA.

Does jukebox musical have a life in amateurs? Kids love it because they need some recognition.

Has it done damage, or kept musical theatre alive? Kept alive: people still want to see musicals because of jukebox shows.

Is it a bit about where we present the show? Radical musicals find an audience at the Young Vic.

Mixing great stuff doesn’t necessarily make a good cake.

There’s a danger that people give undeserving rave reviews. The power of the critic.

The smaller London venues (Meuniere etc) might revive musicals not done so often, but what they do that is compact musicals to make them appear fresh, like actor/musician shows.

Where would we like to see musical theatre go as an artform?

Inter-disciplinary shows, to include some more contemporary artforms, eg: Frantic Assembly.

Devised musical theatre, inter-disciplinary from the ground up, starting with creation.

Urgent contemporary issues in musicals.

Do people come to musicals to escape that issue-based reality?

If there was a show that properly tackled a serious subject, it would find an audience.

Want writers with something to say.

People write blockbusters hoping that they will appeal to everyone. With internet, everyone is getting niched down now. Next To Normal isn’t going to connect with everybody, which is fine. Let’s stop writing shows that everybody has to see.

Nowadays, it’s good to be more personal. Forget HUGE target audiences.

A lot of new musicals are book adaptations, or backward looking in terms of history.

The majority of musicals aimed at huge venues fail horribly. They’re trying to second-guess what an audience want, but then are bored rigid by Gone With The Wind. This seems to be blocking interesting work. What the audience want is quality and authenticity.

There’s THE WEST END and then there’s nothing else.

We don’t have a developmental space in London. Not just London-centric, but as the centre of a national network.

Mentorship is vital.

Our theatre culture is based around energy being generated by buildings. We’re never going to develop musicals as an artform if we have no centre.

Artistic Director and artistic associates, to keep a diversity of voices. Musical theatre as an artform is inter-disciplinary, but we are often not willing to share.

MMD / Perfect Pitch don’t have a central building.

Bridewell didn’t quite work.

Greenwich Musical Futures didn’t quite work.

Stratford East works really well. Kerry knows the area and does that really well.

Musical theatre has a lot of wanabes. Loads of groupies.

We lobby the Arts Council for a building. Get a high profile patron. Building should be autonomous but share with a national network of institutions.

If the work is done well, and interesting artists are working there, inevitably something will have a commercial life.

Say this mythical space is set up in Stratford at the end of the Olympics. A producer would be better? Creative producers – we lack these in the UK.

Veronica Wadley is now Chair of the London Arts Council. Neil Dallarson = head of London Theatre.

There is no money, that’s the problem. Could use education more, to get funding. Good model for developing shows: using educational establishments to workshop new material.

The Soho Theatre should be the musical theatre building! It’s Arts Council funded.

Improvised Musical Theatre

2010-06-16T15:33:00.000+01:00

Convener: Ed Croft

Participants: Ed Croft, Lauren Widman, Helen Foster, James Thorne, Donna, Lauren. Jen, Eddie Lundon, Martin.

We talked about improvisation both as a tool for devising and as a live art form in itself. Jen mentioned that most people have an inherent knowledge of Music and musical theatre and letting them improvise brings this out. Good hooks and chorus’ can be created through improv.
However we are looking at Improvisation as a live performance as apposed to a tool–
would people find a fully improvised musical; live and different every night appealing? Would they see it as viable or too ambitious? Would an improvised musical ever get to the west end or do people and venues find it too risky? – ‘Showstopper’ do a very successful improvised musical in London and there are a few in the States.

Martin felt that good songs are never random and stated that even improvised music eg. Jazz is based on some form of structure. Donna commented that as a dancer she feels some of the best work you can do is improvised movement.

Eddie felt that improvisation can work for comedic songs but can never create meaningful content or good lyrics. These need to be worked on and considered. He felt that anything made up on the spot is just random and can work if everyone is there just for fun. He stated that there has got to be empathy from the audience. They need to connect.

We discussed how sometimes people have ideas of what musical theatre should be and this makes them reluctant to enjoy new styles. It is also possible that people who work very hard in musical theatre, have a lot of respect for it and are aware of the difficulties in writing good material, might be sceptical of a group who claim to do all this on the spot. Perhaps people feel that an improvised musical doesn’t take musical theatre seriously, trivialises the process and mocks the genre. However the members of Show-off certainly felt that we are simply creating in a different style. It is almost a different genre in itself, but It does not aim to trivialise or make fun of musicals – rather to create something different in a different way. It might be beautiful heartfelt or comedic. It could be anything.

We discussed that people improvising musical theatre need to connect firstly as actors. If you engage in the material and come from a position of truth you can surely improvise things that are moving, deep, poetic and funny because we all have the ability to say and do such things in real every day situations.

How can companies, practitioners and education forge partnerships to make new work?

2010-06-16T15:32:00.000+01:00

Convener: Nick Phillips

Participants: Nick Phillips, Laurie Sansom, Andrew Panton, Sally Rapier, Gillian Lemon, Helen

The discussion opened with a recognition of perceived barriers between the three groups (and other stakeholders).

•    Finance – because the perceived form is ‘audience’ dependent lack of investment in risk
•    Different objectives – the need to find a commonality
•    Lack of knowledge about respective functions/networks
•    Perceived division – suspicion of motives and stakes
•    Hidden agendas
•    Time management – split commitments
•    Planning schedules – and delivery timetables
•    Issues of parity in education
•    Mismatch of potential work
•    Writer egos – fear of collaboration
•    External agencies conditions of participation.

The discussed positives each has to offer were discussed relating to development level:

EDUCATION
•    Human resources
•    Material/Production resources
•    Faculty Creatives
•    Student openness to risk
•    An arena to try/fail - security
•    Research base
•    Ability to work at scale
•    In-built audience
•    Immediacy of feedback in resident community

COMPANIES
•    Real world experience
•    Access to material
•    Professional networks
•    Money (Sometimes !)
•    Kudos
•    Performance Exposure

PRACTITIONERS
•    Access to material
•    Role models
•    Craft/expertise
•    Talent
•    Generosity
•    Personal commitment/focus
•    Inspiration

SHARED
•    Expertise – sector specific but recognised
•    Relevant exposure
•    Mutual inspiration

THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF A COLLABORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE/PRACTICE

•    Networks – social & professional
•    The sharing of expertise
•    Kudos/exposure – mutual marketing opportunities
•    Inspiration
•    Pooling of resources
•    Learning new values/ethics
•    Skills Development/professional development
•    Possible match-funding – expanded sources
•    Expanded audience reach

Combining to provide
MOMENTUM
Leading to
CREATIVE SYNTHESIS
And hence

NEW WORK/FORM

There was a large consensus regarding the desirability of fostering such partnerships on both a local and national level.

The connection to the development of an Arts Council strategy regarding new musical theatre was discussed as was the need for creative producers/business managers to administer/broker partnerships. The people in the group recognised their own roles in the ‘creative production’ process but almost all recognised that other demands upon time often made it hard to follow through in terms of actions.

The group went on to discuss projected action points – achievable and measurable - for initiatives to facilitate the development of both infrastructure and national strategy – ambitious but necessary!

Educational institutions to set their own specifications for writers – ie. A on hour show for 2 men and 18 women !

Companies to work to partnerships with different producing stakeholders very early in the process.

Training providers to find more commercial models for this activity rather being hindered by purely curriculum drivers.

Continue to develop a database for range of funding sources

Look for in-kind support

Develop proposal to Arts Council re: national strategy

Consider framework for national network with no dominant individual institution

Explore possibility of building- based target – all agreed this was a mid-term goal rathe than an immediacy.

Look to develop and fund a range of seed-projects to grow scrath practice and craft development.

Aim to make these self-supporting as a target for the sake of stakeholders.

NP.

Can the critic and the showman be friends?

2010-06-16T15:27:00.001+01:00

Convener: Mark Shenton

Participants: Mark Shenton, Jen Toksvig, Chris More, Sally Ann Gritton, Laurie Sansom, Lydia Bates, Kate McKenna, Graham Casey

Reason proposed: often look at each other suspiciously. There is a dialogue that can take place, and thanks to modern tech, there is more conversation going on anyway. Critics engage much more than used to.

There used to be an arm’s length thing going on. People didn’t want to upset critics.

Some critics don’t necessarily understand musicals, but some do, and you might learn about musicals from critics who appreciate the artform.

Critics are not God. It’s only one word amongst many. Some people like what others hate. It’s great in this country that we have a wide range of critics.

If you’re not doing a show in London, you might get a couple of national notices, whereas in London you get a very broad cross-section of reviews. A critical consensus often emerges.

It is a good thing in general that no one critic wields the knife.

The death of newspapers is official: New York Times is read by less than million people now. Critic reviews of musicals in newspapers is fairly irrelevant now.

One can set oneself up to be critic-proof. You can be critic-proof but you’re not public-proof.

Blog critics have power because they’re ahead of the game in that they go to previews. Do blog sites reflect public opinion more than guide it? “Paint Never Dries” – has become a meme for the show. They were not given tickets for the press night, so they went to a preview. Keeping your independence is an advantage. Going to previews can be very useful.

“Critically acclaimed”: what does that phrase do? Spring Awakening got great reviews but nobody went.

We Will Rock You got slated but is still running 8 years on.

For “Love Story”, new musical, is very dependent on what critics have said. “Paradise Found” is now dead forever because of bad reviews.

Producers read reviews, and transfers can hinge on good or bad reviews. A producer won’t visit your show unless it’s on the back of a good review. Also very important to investors. Good reviews give them confidence.

Some people won’t re-review a show that goes into town, which can hurt the show.

Do people read reviews? They’re online.

Some are interested more in global commentary on the business than specific review. Blogs give you more space to write overview commentary.

Because musicals are not taken so seriously, critics may tend not to know so much about them?

Long-term life of a show: work when it’s first produced might get good reviews but not be a popular success, but then revived a few years later and a critical mass develops where it becomes popular because it had good reviews.

Sweeney Todd started out with bad reviews, closed three months later, critics now repent that.

Les Mis will get great reviews when it goes back to the Barbican. Cameron will close the West End one and take the Barbican one into the West End.

Awards affected by critics? No. They run on their own bizarre rules.

We come from a tradition where practitioners and critics – never the twain shall meet. Very conscious of avoiding talking to anyone on press night because don’t want to affect it.

New generation of directors and artistic directors, very much in the room, will walk up the aisle, talk to everyone, make everyone feel part of it.

Schmoozing, glad-handing of critics: does it work? Some people are born charmers.

How much affect does it have on how critics receive work? Many people are flattered, of course they are.

Feeling like you’re being treated like a valued part of the industry is important for critics.

Can use critics dramaturgically – happens a lot in Europe. Why does that not happen more over here?

How do critics become critics? Some British critics who would be good dramaturgically, and maybe some not. It’s a particular type of person who becomes a critic. There’s no training, there’s no rule, everyone has a different route.

A lot of critics are Oxbridge.

Press nights: everyone comes to the same performance. Make-up of audience is a bit bizarre because all critics or whatever. False audience. How do actors respond to a press night? Pressure, melt-down.

Sometimes there is choice of performance to which critics are invited. Papering the house, manipulation still goes on. Do you feel that sometimes you want to be a Mystery Shopper? Yes, sometimes good to go to a preview or see it before the ‘official’ visit.

Supposing a relationship develops between a critic and a show?

Has a show destroyed a critic? Yes, it has been the case that a review has got someone fired as critic.

Is there pressure on critics to follow the critical consensus? But you can’t if you’re over-nighting, although you can try to guess what it will be. Huge advances might influence you to give it a good review.

Second-guessing your readers is not good! Is it a kingmaker power thing?

What’s the difference between critic and critique? – Word count!

Too many critics write the review of the show they wanted to see rather than the show they’re seeing. The job is to review what you’re seeing. Some pay more attention to the content of the show rather than the production.

Most UK critics don’t analyse performance at all.

It’s difficult to engage with a performance and whether it’s truthfully letting in and taking you on a journey when you’re taking notes and doing analysis during the show. How can you be in the moment, and do your job?

You can go back without a notebook and enjoy, or not enjoy.

If they’re truly bad, you need to work out why.

Critics shouldn’t tell people not to go and see a show. You can discourage them from spending a lot of money on something.

Is there anything that would make the system better? How would critics like to collaborate with the rest of us? Be part of a dialogue in some way. Critics are aware that they don’t write in a vacuum.

We are still scared of critics!

Critics do have to exercise responsibility. There are feuds when it becomes personal.

It can create a context in which it’s very difficult to do good work. Do you try to do what you think will please the critic?

Doesn’t it just come back to focusing on doing good work? A bad relationship with the critics can turn around just with a good show.

Brilliant performances can create a good show.

How many critics are there who would welcome more dialogue and sharing of over-view about where the industry is, with practitioners?

Non-theatre journalists who are now populating our field more, they are less likely to embrace it. They might see it as a bribe more than collaboration.

Some of us can be friends.

Can we identify what makes a British Musical?

2010-06-16T15:23:00.000+01:00

Convener: Nick Phillips

Participants: Nick, Chris, Katie, Mary, Onur

The discussion centred around the difficulty in trying to pinpoint cultural identity through geography alone.   Rather we centred upon trying to identify key features that make any ‘label’ valid.

We eliminated British setting of story alone as a valid identifier –
Many examples of British stories being set by non-British creators (and the reverse too).

The nationality of the creators too, though perhaps having some validity, is not a necessary identifier.

For audiences it is often a sense of ownership through original UK production, regardless of subject matter. This was true of the ‘Brits are coming’ period in the 1980s.

One person recognised ‘sing-ability’ as a feature. Discussion tried to tease out what this meant, regarding identifiable British vocal/singing traditions: these included Gilbert & Sullivan, British choral chnturch traditions, Music Hall, folk traditions (including specific regional ones),
60s British pop sounds (Mersybeat etc.), community singing repertoire, Victorian/Edwardian drawing-room ballads, and, in non-vocal music, British light classical traditions and its melodic bent.   In addition, the use of UK regional dialects in singing was seen as a possible key, though variable, feature. Most recently this recognises that the current place of music for individuals in a technological and global culture, as well as the evolving multi-cultural languages of all arts in the UK as reflective of diversity of population, means that many of these traditions were collective/shared experiences are less valid today. The work at Theatre Royal, Stratford East recently has sought to discover languages and conventions to reflect this in new musical theatre work.

This brought us to the question of authentic musical style.   How to utilise recognisable traditions and enhance them, without falling into pastiche, wrongly used, or mere imitation.

Ultimately, we felt that the most identifiabl feature was story theme/character arc that did not follow the path of individualism triumphant as per the American Dream. British story often still seems to involve issues related to class.

Blood Brothers, The Hired Man, Spend,Spend,Spend and, in spite of its commercial pop score, Billy Elliott utilise these recognisable vocal and musical traditions, have class status and regional specifics, including vocal and lyrical idioms at their heart.

This may be a limiting set of factors if we wish to try and create the new British musical, but they are possible stimuli for those wishing to break out of the ‘generic’ tendencies of much of current musical theatre writing.

How high do you want to belt? Is music theatre vocal technique too prescriptive?

2010-06-16T15:20:00.000+01:00

Convener: Mary Hitch

Participants: Mary, Abi, Katie, Amanda, Lydia, Matt, Michael, Onur

Main method of teaching music theatre technique is Estill – three practitioners present – Amanda, Abi and Michael.

Creates a common language for MTH directors and trainers

Attempts quality control through licensing – although license system can be abused.

Is Estill too narrow a model? The discussion ranged around other techniques available to teachers such as Nadine George, Roy Hart, Linklater etc

Contrast the commercialism of Estill with the more open knowledge-based learning available in Universities and training college. We concluded that what although the Estill method had worked brilliantly as a method for understanding individual voices it depended on good teaching and that the little bits and pieces that people picked up were unhelpful. This was particularly true of Musical Directors who instructed actors on their vocal technique without understanding what they were asking for.

Discussion moved to question of belting.

Music theatre getting obsessed. It can be a horrible noise! Also spoils the climax if there are too many belt notes.

Really serious stamina issues. Discussed training and decided that there was no way that Training institutes can replicate the profession.

Went off the subject slightly and discussed how to keep people in employment and “portfolio” careers.

Producers and impresarios seem to think that the belt voice is the money spinner – we question this and think that beauty of voice and expression is v important too.

We also discussed the character of modern vocal singing and wondered if the training given to singing is making them sound too alike – instance of a touring show of Oklahoma when both girls sounded exactly the same.

MDs should know Estill technique properly – a little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

Are institutions training for the "West End Alumni Pride", and are we training too many actors for MT and related industries?

2010-06-16T15:17:00.000+01:00

Convener: Onur Orkut (Lecturer in Acting @ LIPA) and Andrew Panton (Head of Musical Theatre @ RSAMD)

Participants: Onur Orkut (Lecturer in Acting @ LIPA)
Andrew Panton (Head of Musical Theatre @ RSAMD)
Sally Ann Gritton (Head of Acting for MT Programme @ Mountview)
Sally Rapier (Lecturer @ LIPA)
Andrew Girvan (Acting Deputy Editor of What’sOnStage.com)
Sarah Baker (Head of Dance @ LIPA)

It has been discussed that money seems to be an underlying issue both in training and in the industry. The earning scale of the West – End can be attractive for prospective students so publications geared towards them and their funders (who potentially are their parents) such as the “Alumni Gazette” would borrow the brands that are the West End shows to attract them onto the programme. The training is also expensive and needs to be justified.

It has been discussed that the glorification of West End employment can be evaluated in more than one way. On one hand, the publications such as the alumni news have a marketing purpose and are partly geared towards the readers who are not specifically trained in the area for whom the brand could be a selling point. On the other hand, once these publications are used as a “hook” to attract students, the training actually provides them with an alternative that is to exist as a creative artist who could be more than “a robot that fits into a costume”.

It has been suggested that although not glorified explicitly, there is an “invisible pride” about any alumni who go ahead and work in paths other than the West End or similar engagements. The institutions will often offer support to their graduates who are working on various projects in creative ways other than simply performing in large scale shows/productions. Often these projects will be “good” and/or “successful” but not always financially rewarding. Also, it has been discussed that graduates who go into “big” productions often express their disappointment/dissatisfaction while doing it and after leaving that particular contract, having secured a bit of financial stability, they tend to work in other productions or other kinds of work that excites them or challenges their creativity. Works of this kind are often good/successful/creative/exciting and it has been established that the institutions do not glorify these as “success” and/or explicitly as the “big West End Contract” (probably due to the reasons mentioned in the first paragraph).

Overall it has been discussed that the institutions acknowledge the variety of “good/successful” work out there and they encourage and enable their students to walk a varied path, but for particular readers of particular publications certain aspects of the industry and related contracts are glorified more than others.

The other title that was discussed was related to the number of students that a training institution admits into a first year and the relation of these numbers to the number of jobs available. Between the training institutions it has been guessed that over 300 graduates are produced every year in MT and related industries with the prediction that not enough jobs to go around. The idea of the students existing in a micro-cosmos within their institution was talked about and the necessity to remind them the number of people graduating every year, with a back-log of unemployed previous years’ graduates was also touched upon. Guilt was mentioned in admitting too many students into programmes but some discussion also took place about what a “good” job is and whether the institutions are capable of “empowering” their students while in training to be independent and not waiting of an outside force (i.e. a phone call from an agent) to create employment.

It has been discussed that some “breathing space” and un-institutionalized yet constructed time to enable students to exercise their “tools” of empowerment are often useful in giving the students a chance to find out what they really want to do and what path they would follow.

Are we training creative thinking practitioners?

2010-06-16T15:14:00.000+01:00

Convener: Sally Ann Gritton

Participants: Sally Ann Gritton, Jenifer Toksvig, (University of Cumbria), Andrew Girvan, Amanda Goldthorpe-Hall, Mark Shenton.

A square box is not a creative thinking practitioner.

A random squiggle is a creative thinking practitioner.

Intelligence in action – trying to define what we mean by creative thinking.

We talked about the mind and the body working in unison.

The skills that we therefore need to be giving them. The toolbox is very important but it needs other things with it, like the ability to apply those tools creatively.

Reflective practise, opportunities to reflect perhaps, in future, using some OST.

One of the ambitions being that students are achieving creative potential, and that we’re not prescribing the limits of that potential.

Academia vs creativity: the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Intellectual and creative curiosity – if we train them to be curious, then they will go to those texts that we direct them to, and beyond. If we’re making them read the book but not helping them to be curious, there’s no point in them reading the book.

Carefully subversive = artistic integrity in a world where there is no opportunity for unique self-expression such as commercial musical theatre.

We’re not proposing that they all turn round and say fuck off to whoever their working for. We’re just saying that there are ways to create these creative-thinking practitioners, there will be an artistic integrity that is inherent in their work.

It’s about actors having some ownership – not authorship, but ownership – over their own creative contributions.

Conservatism (small ‘c’) = a majority of musical theatre students seem to be so when they arrive, possibly because of the levels of discipline required in early stage ballet, church choirs, quite a formal discipline tradition. (Do we need to encourage these people to be more creatively free and trusting with their students, so that when we get them, they already have an inherent understanding of that kind of creative freedom?)

Funding: there is a history of the arts council not recognising musical theatre as an art form outside of the commercial aspects of it, which they don’t fund.

Nominally, there is that small pot of funding which we think will be scrapped now.

Does technology = the end of actors? No, live theatre stayed through TV etc, and will remain because of the risk element of live performance.

More and more theatre will be live-streamed, so that it’s more of a 24-hour phenomenon, young people will have more access to live theatre through live-streaming, it might give us a resurgence of interest in theatre.

Examples of alternative variations of genres, eg: Improbable and Frantic Assembly, but there’s no experimental musical theatre company. We need to open up the genre to be able to incorporate other stuff. Music Theatre vs Musical Theatre is semantics: why can’t it all be Musical Theatre, like all comedy is comedy, and all drama is drama? Let’s not be scared of that evolution.

Do we need to be using contemporary music in new writing? Flash mob, YouTube?

What is our highest dream for our students? That they can create their own work, that they can innovate without needing that key arts council funding, but also that we give them the tools not only to innovate creatively, but also to creatively be human beings.

The ability to make connections within the training and therefore with-out the training.

The Press

2010-06-12T21:43:00.000+01:00

A couple of brilliant blogs in the press about the subject of the 2010 MThe:UK conference at LIPA:

Mark Shenton @ The Stage

Lyn Gardner @ The Guardian

We're very excited about the conference next week! Don't feel that it's too late to arrange to come along. It's an open space event: you can just stop by, if you like, for however much or little time you fancy.

If you can't join us in person, on Tuesday June 15th, from 7-9pm we'll be hosting an online conference session that anyone can join. Please email l.bates@lipa.ac.uk for the URL link (which only requires that you have Flash installed).

MThe:UK / LIPA Conference 2010

2010-05-22T15:52:00.003+01:00

MThe:UK in collaboration with LIPA as part of their CANDE conferences

Creative Collaboration:
How are we shaping the future of Musical Theatre?

When? 15th - 17th June 2010 
Where? The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts

This conference has an ambitious aim: to explore a new strategy for teaching musical theatre in higher education.

In the process, we plan to bring together anyone who is passionate about musical theatre and interested in shaping its future. So: the performers and artists, the directors, the creators, the writers, the facilitators, the musical directors, the choreographers and the educators, whether from Higher Education, Further Education , secondary schools or stage schools.

As educators, we all want to help our students realise their individuality as creative artists, but we are somewhat limited by the demands of the work available to them in the musical theatre industry. This conference proposes that through creative collaboration, between educators and between the people working in musical theatre, that higher education can actually change the future of the musical theatre industry.

Instead of just preparing students to meet commercial demands, there is the potential for us to nurture creative collaborators who can make their own demands on the industry, to accommodate their creative needs and abilities. We want to empower them and enable change.

Open Space Technology
The conference will use Open Space Technology, which is a very simple way for the delegates to self-organise the entire event. Over two and a half days, everyone who has a vested interest in the education of musical theatre students can:

- design the conference agenda: raise whatever issue you are passionate about, and address it in discussion with others who are passionate about that same issue. 

- design the conference schedule: choose your own timetable, so you spend exactly the right amount of time on everything.

 - design the future: call action groups on the things about which you are most passionate, and ring the changes. 

This conference has no keynote speakers. It has no expert panels. There is no call for papers. And the best part is: you don’t have to do anything except be passionate about whatever you are already passionate about.

Who should come?
HE and FE institutions are encouraged to bring multiple delegates including current students or graduates. Individual performing arts teacher are also welcome to attend as is anyone who works in musical theatre to from those who perform to those who make the musical theatre performances possible.

If there’s anything you’d like to change about musical theatre education, then you are the right person to be there. If you’re just passionate about musicals, then you should be there. If you think you have something else going on that day and you’re not sure: cancel that thing, and be there! We literally cannot do it without you.

What does it cost? Delegate fee is £117.00 (inc vat). This covers all sessions, breakfast, lunch, tea/coffee and evening meals during the conference.

To get involved, go to the booking information or contact Lydia Bates, Conference Co-ordinator
 Email: l.bates@lipa.ac.uk
 Telephone: +44 (0) 151 330 3136

What are we doing?

2010-05-22T15:28:00.001+01:00

A while ago, Dr. Nick Phillips from the Acting department invited me to come and have a look around LIPA. As I looked around the amazing facilities, he explained that the building was once Sir Paul McCartney’s school.

Sir Paul is very supportive of the college, and has brilliantly arranged for top-notch equipment for the students to use. Which is amazing for them, Dr Nick explained, but they do find that their first few professional jobs are in places not quite as well equipped.

I imagined students having a go at studio owners about the shoddy quality of their equipment and somewhat impatiently pointing out how that affects the quality of the work they can produce…

… but I thought, actually, isn’t that how it ought to be?

I’ve heard a fair few drama school graduates bemoan the fact that they didn’t get an agent straight away. Some of them got together and formed their own theatre company in order to generate their own work, and it seemed to me that this was perceived to be something less successful than being signed by an agent…

… but I thought, actually, isn’t it a bit more exciting to do it that way?

As educators of musical theatre performers, we teach them to sing, dance and act because there are musicals that demand singing, dancing and acting. Traditional musicals. You know: Wicked, and that.

It seems that a fair few musical theatre performance students would like to be in a Broadway or West End musical, singing, dancing and acting. A traditional musical. You know: Wicked. (Which is one of my favourite shows, as it happens.)

And I love that they want that! I’ve been in West End musicals myself. They’re brilliant! But is it our job as educators to prepare our students for the demands of the industry, and send them out ready to slot neatly into West End-shaped holes?

Or is it our job to enable these young artists to discover their own unique creative skills so they can follow a more unique musical theatre path of their own design? A path that is forged by the unique collaborative contribution that only they can make?

The answer is both, of course. I just wonder how much we do the latter. I wonder what other skills we could give them? What skills could stand in the syllabus as equals with song, dance, acting, yet suddenly broaden career possibilities?

What would it be like if we could send our performance students out into the industry with such a wide range of skills, with such creative collaborative abilities, having such broad expectations for their careers, that the musical theatre industry has to learn to accommodate their needs instead of the other way around?

Because if we could do that, and I think we can, it would be…

Wicked.