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youngvicneighbourhoodtheatre · 5 years

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Carnation for a Song - 11th April 2019

Carnation for a Song returned this week for a run of public performances for four days, as part of the Young Vic’s main programme. Carnation is a community show made last year in response to the Young Vic’s Main House show, Fun Home, and originally performed in August 2018 to an invited audience only. It was performed by, and told the stories of, people who identify as LBTQ+ and are over the age of fifty-five. As the director of the piece, Megan Cronin, points out, “whilst the show is not a verbatim piece, it explores how, in one lifetime, our Carnations have lived through decriminalisation, Section 28, and the legalisation of equal marriage”.

The show is made up of songs and speeches based on individual and common experiences of those performing in the piece, but also other people who were interviewed as part of the project and shared their stories, but were unable - or felt unable - to perform or tell those stories in public. It is a truly beautiful piece, interweaving personal stories and setting them in the context of an experience shared by many even if they didn’t know each other at the time. In this way it felt very connective and truly communal, setting the historic alongside the personal. As Joseph Atkins, Musical Director of Carnation, says, “while the speeches seek to capture snapshots of experience, the songs are less personal and more discursive; musical attempts to explore themes, anxieties and preoccupations that emerged in the interviews Megan and I conducted with the company”.

The piece also felt universal, so that however audience members identified, the stories told a common tale of the struggle and/or determination to own oneself and one’s identity whatever that happens to be. This is reflected by director Megan’s hopes that “audiences of all ages and identities see this work and are reminded of one thing; that we are all on our own journey to become the person we are meant to be. Nothing or no one should stop us becoming that person”.

Carnation for a Song will return at the Tate Late at Tate Modern on Friday 26th April at 7:15pm. It was initially conceived by Imogen Brodie, Director of Taking Part, and Kirsten Adam, former Two Boroughs Project Manager. It was written and directed by Megan Cronin with music and lyrics by Joseph Atkins.

#carnationforasong #neighbourhoodtheatre #community #communitytheatre #communityshow #lgbt+#megancronin #josephatkins #carnation #greencarnation

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youngvicneighbourhoodtheatre · 5 years

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Quarterly Meeting #1 (Year 3) - 9th October 2018

There was a good turn-out for the first meeting of NhT’s third year, and lots to update members on, including meeting new Head of Neighbourhood Theatre, Shereen Jasmin Phillips.

Firstly, Imogen talked about some of Taking Part’s recent projects which NhT members have participated in and/or advocated for. Carnation for a Song, which was performed at the end of August (see previous posts), included NhT members Seamus and Val, who shared some of their thoughts about the experience at the meeting. Both were very positive, and proud to have been a part of a show giving voice to LGBTQ people aged fifty and over. These are voices of people who were often “on the front line of the fight for cultural acceptance and equal rights”, but who are not often heard. The show featured original songs by composer Joseph Atkins (who also composed the songs for Sing Before You Speak Again, an earlier NhT show), and was a response to the Young Vic’s Main House show, Fun Home.

Many of the NhT members have already seen Kwame’s inaugural production as Artistic Director of the Young Vic, a musical version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The company of Twelfth Night includes a 60-strong community chorus (some of whom are NhT members), a clear signal from new Artistic Director Kwame that community will remain right at the heart of what the Young Vic does under his leadership. As is always the case with the Young Vic’s work with the community, the chorus have been treated throughout as professionals, and this is clearly reflected in their performance - NhT member Mathilde said that, as an audience member, she “had to remind myself the chorus was made up of community”. Several of the NhT members present at tonight’s meeting are in the Twelfth Night company, and shared their thoughts on the experience, including Jennifer, who said that, “for me its been an extraordinary experience. Once in a lifetime. I’ve learnt so much”. She also talked about how the experience “really bonds you as a group as well”. Not all 60 members of the chorus perform every night - smaller groups rotate throughout the run - but on press night, all were invited, and those not performing watched the performance together on relay in the Maria.

Imogen also spoke about the release of films for the My England project. There will be a private viewing at the Young Vic on 20th November, as part of a night of celebration of the project. My England is a celebration of playwrights from across regions of England, hosted by the Young Vic. It will explore what it means to be English through video monologues, released in January 2019, that will be shown on the Young Vic social media channels. Half the monologues are performed by professional actors, and half by young people and members of Neighbourhood Theatre. Although these monologues are written by professional writers, another strand of the project - Our England - involves nine writers selected from the community, who have written monologues to the same brief as the professional writers, and each been mentored by one of those writers. These writers will come back together in January for their plays to be rehearsed and given a reading by actors. Our England is, in part, a response to the request from many NhT members for more opportunities to write, and develop their writing. It is the first step towards hopefully hearing more voices from the Young Vic’s immediate neighbourhood on the stage there; and something that will be further developed under Shereen, who has a particular interest in new writing.

There was also a discussion around work experience, which many NhT members are interested in doing in order to gain more insight into various areas of the theatre profession, alongside performing. There will be an opportunity for someone to shadow the Stage Manager of Twelfth Night - more such opportunities will now become available, and members were invited to get in touch if interested in a specific area.

In the latter part of the meeting, Shereen introduced herself to the company in more detail (you can read more about Shereen in a profile above), and talked about her ideas and aspirations for Neighbourhood Theatre going forward; and there was the opportunity for members to ask her questions and make suggestions. Lots of the members are keen to continue their work with refugees through Neighbourhood Theatre’s Kitchen Conversations, and there was positive feedback about the event with Migrateful earlier in the year. Taking Part are closely in touch with the Southwark Welcomes Refugees project, and members have been invited via email in September to a meeting in October on this subject, as well as given more details on how to become involved in social events to welcome refugees into the community.

Other suggestions and ideas included working with older people through intergenerational projects; giving opportunity for audiences to interact with the cast after community shows; making a piece about the Windrush Scandal; an African drumming session; combining with other community theatres; learning different acting techniques, such as Meisner; and finding ways of responding quickly to events and other communities - this latter being linked to the kind of civic building that Kwame is passionate about developing.

Members were keen to know more about The Jumper Factory, which was made and performed at HMP Wandsworth in May - Taking Part have been back to Wandsworth with Young Vic Unpacked, and The Jumper Factory has been performed by young men outside of prison at risk of offending. NhT member Mathilde has just completed training with the Youth Offender Panel, and raised the idea that she might be able to connect this with the production in some way.

There was also a discussion about the need to continue to keep some community work off the Main Stage - to continue to make work that will only be performed to invited audiences. NhT member Joyce talked of how, if people are always rehearsing for shows performed to the public, they “could get trapped into people feeling they have to bring their ‘A-Game’ - and not everyone can”. Joyce’s views on this are already reflected in Taking Part’s policy, but it was good to have the discussion played out amongst NhT members and Young Vic staff. NhT member Carol also raised the point that it would be great to take community shows out into the community more, to extend the (usual) current run of two or three days.

As always, the meeting included lots of active parts. Shereen and Imogen led several games, and there were snacks for the members to enjoy whilst they mingled. Shereen asked members to get to know five people they didn’t know so well, which gave structure to the latter activity, which was particularly nice for anyone who might feel shy or struggle socially. Once everyone was back in a circle, we went round each person, with the people that had just chatted to him or her chipping in with their new knowledge of that person.

#neighbourhoodtheatre #takingpart #community #communitytheatre #youngvicunpacked #hmpwandsworth #thejumperfactory #carnationforasong #twelfthnight #kwamekweiarmah #youngvic #myengland #ourengland #writing #newwriting

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