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What can amateur dramatics do for the arts?
Brian Logan at the Guardian investigates the power of amateur dramatics.
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Amateur dramatics is especially important in rural areas, such as Cumbria where i live, because there is often a shortage of professional theatre for people to be involved with in any shape or form, whether that be participating or often just even being an audience member. By having local amateur dramatic societies it gets everybody involved with theatre and so therefore directly profits the professional theatre as people feel that they have a link with the theatre and so go to see productions.
Richard Morris has had three plays produced on the fringe, one gaining a Critics Choice from TimeOut.
I have sent out more than one hundred invitaions to amateur companies throughout Britain asking if they are interested in performing or just reading a "new play" Not one reply. So Amateur theatre stays in its groove of safety,complacency and revivals.
Did you read Brian Logan's report on Amateur Theatre ?
The potential to do something more daring, more radical should surely challenge the amateurs. I have a play Bitter Fruit of Palestine (12 parts) which dramatises the conflict between Isralis and Palestinians. When I workshopped it with students from Mountview Acting Academy not one student knew the background to the conflict
If there are some people out there, a group of seriously skilled amateurs interested in a dialogue on workshopping and talking to me about my work ( with the eventaul aim of putting on aproduction then look at my web site and call me
www.richardmorrisplaywright.co.uk
Polarised positions about what is 'good' work and who is more deserving, the innovators or the amateur participatants is not very useful. I can see the huge value in amateur companies, their interest in live performance, their contribution to the creative nation. I think ACE and the professional community need to work harder at offering ways into contemporary theatre. Of course money is contentious because there is never enough for all the professionals that want it, but perhaps funding partnerships between professional and amateur groups might be a way forward and may help the isolated communities. Good collaboration means both sides need to be open enough to meet. I have similar experiences to Richard Morris trying to get amateur groups involved in professional projects and yet can see snobbery on both sides of an unhealthy divide. We professionals need to find enticing ways to provide access to new ideas; valuing craft, innovation, creative process, best practice and promote the use of these to whoever wants to get involved.
WHAT CAN AMATEUR DRAMATICS DO FOR THE ARTS?
Brian Logan of the Guardian writes: -
"When the Arts Council was founded in 1946," he says, "it said that it was only going to fund excellence, whereas the Sports Council, for example, said it was going to fund participation. It seems to me that at that point we created an elite view of art.
The title of this debate insinuates that 'amateur dramatic' is in a realm outside of 'The Arts'.
I wonder who wrote the title? Probably some 'elitist', paying for their 3 holidays a year on the taxpayers' money. If the arts outside of amateur dramatics is so elite and so wonderful, will the Arts Council of England please STOP funding it. If elite art is that great people will pay for it, it does NOT need charity.
I agree with what MR Logan has said, over the years we have lost many fine companies due to under funding and will continue to do so if we continue to dismiss the amatuer productions/society.
companies Such as The National Youth Theatre have struggled to survive and yet introduced many talented young actors to the profession. They coninually go cap in hand to many organisations to keep Michael Crofts vision alive.
with out the dedication of the amateur groups many people would not be introduced to the world of our acting heritage, from Shakespeare to Stoppard including others to many to mention.
by Denis Carlton 2007 soon to be in Macbeth at Christchurch Priory
I agree with what MR Logan has said, over the years we have lost many fine companies due to under funding and will continue to do so if we continue to dismiss the amatuer productions/society.
companies Such as The National Youth Theatre have struggled to survive and yet introduced many talented young actors to the profession. They coninually go cap in hand to many organisations to keep Michael Crofts vision alive.
with out the dedication of the amateur groups many people would not be introduced to the world of our acting heritage, from Shakespeare to Stoppard including others to many to mention.
by Denis Carlton 2007 soon to be in Macbeth at Christchurch Priory
I agree with what MR Logan has said, over the years we have lost many fine companies due to under funding and will continue to do so if we continue to dismiss the amatuer productions/society.
companies Such as The National Youth Theatre have struggled to survive and yet introduced many talented young actors to the profession. They coninually go cap in hand to many organisations to keep Michael Crofts vision alive.
with out the dedication of the amateur groups many people would not be introduced to the world of our acting heritage, from Shakespeare to Stoppard including others to many to mention.
by Denis Carlton 2007 soon to be in Macbeth at Christchurch Priory
I agree with what MR Logan has said, over the years we have lost many fine companies due to under funding and will continue to do so if we continue to dismiss the amatuer productions/society.
companies Such as The National Youth Theatre have struggled to survive and yet introduced many talented young actors to the profession. They coninually go cap in hand to many organisations to keep Michael Crofts vision alive.
with out the dedication of the amateur groups many people would not be introduced to the world of our acting heritage, from Shakespeare to Stoppard including others to many to mention.
by Denis Carlton 2007 soon to be in Macbeth at Christchurch Priory
I am truly disgusted at the whole attitude of the arts council; as well as arts funders in general. As artistic director of a progressive company, which takes classical, heritage texts into workshop and develop fresh textual pieces involving music and movement, we aim to combine heritage with the contemporary; a goal, I hope, many would consider worthy. We aimed to expand our work and potential of touring yet when we approached the arts council for a grant we were rejected due to us being what is termed 'profit share'. We are only profit share due to the lack of support in our work from that so called 'elite'. Two of us are theatre graduates and at the time we were working with a PHD composer but due to our situation, no Joy! I was horrified to then hear that one of the main city theatre's, which only takes on large scale (almost 100% musical) commercial theatre, had received a shockingly large amount that would keep a small company up and running (and paid) for up to five years! There are not only the two divides of Pro and Am-Dram; there is a sad group of us stuck in the middle, desperate to progress. It does make me angry, all this talk of trying to push unresponsive amateur actors into projects, when there are thousands of graduates and semi pro's breaking their necks for any opportunity going. These amateur individuals mainly have jobs and practice theatre as a hobby (I know I have many friends who do Am-dram) and they are very happy that way, thank you. Where as we have trained and studied, for a minimum of three years, travelled nationwide to auditions on next to no money. We could easily have taken a job in a bank, grabbed a bit of security but we are determined to carry on for our passion. What about using some of the money as a starting block for companies etc who have trouble making that leap up to what 'they' consider acceptable in the financial set-up of a project.
Lastly what is this term 'excellence' which is used so often used in their description of what is needed to qualify for funding, surely that is absurdly objective yet and the same time promoting elitism. “One man’s champagne is another’s cat water!”