Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Terry Victor on November 26, 2009 at 12:11

Wow. I have read the draft policy very closely and carefully. I even found a couple of typos in the last two pages. It's a good piece of work. My slight hesitation is that the document tends to be weighted towards younger artists. Yes, this may well just be my paranoia, but this is a response to the document not my experience of NTW. So, I would add just one word in the opening paragraph. That word is 'all'.
...We want to make it as easy as possible for all artists to establish contact with us and let us know about their work and ideas...
Other than that, I am surprised that I am the first to respond. It's a privilege for us all to be consulted. Thank you.

Permalink Reply by Juliet Brain on November 27, 2009 at 0:33

This is a very thorough, exciting and well thought through draft which has the makings of a flexible framework within which NTW can be inclusive, accessible and responsive. Your equal ops policy could be usefully included as part of this and also a safeguarding policy? As it is likely artists/writers will working with young artists/young people it would be useful to include safeguarding guidelines/good practice guidance especially given that creative writing practice/work can bring about 'disclosure'.

Permalink Reply by Juliet Brain on November 27, 2009 at 0:40

Another small thought. Have you considered using the empty shops movement to set up some 'creative centres' i.e. taking over empty retail spaces. Like the Turner Contemporary's Project Space which was an M&S retail unit on the main shopping street and is a meeting space, an exhibition space and a space for creating work - the beauty is that you have instant access to a town/city an its people and also that people who might not come into a theatre space are more likely to come into a 'shop' space.

Permalink Reply by National Theatre Wales on December 2, 2009 at 4:33

Thanks for the input so far everyone, and the messages. Keep the thoughts coming. We are hoping to finalise this all in January. In the meantime, don't start sending your work to Catherine yet. We will be ready to receive stuff as soon as the final guidelines are posted. Cheers J

Permalink Reply by Gary Owen on December 2, 2009 at 8:26

Hi John

A couple of thoughts -

1. In the 'submission criteria' section you raise questions of who NTW should be working with, in terms of their relationship to Wales. Do you answer this for yourself? I note in the draft outline you suggest artists contacting you should say something about what their relationship to Wales might be, but you say nothing about what it must be. Does this mean you want to avoid tying yourself down to hard and fast rules in this area? (apologies if you have given an answer to this, and I've just missed it).

2. You're characteristically keen that working processes should be shared online - and characteristically catholic about what form that sharing should take. But I'd like to make a plea for the positive value of privacy, and allowing new ideas space within which to grow to some sort of maturity before they are exposed.

I remember in that initial session on blogging at the NTW offices, I voiced some concerns that blogging would take forever - that I'd have to sit down and work out what I thought about everything construct a perfect mini-essay every time I wanted to post. Carl put forward another view - that blogging allowed you to advance thoughts that were embryonic or fragmentary, and (I remember the phrase) 'develop them in a community context'. Sometimes this works brilliantly - you throw out a half-notion, and a couple of other bright sparks kick it into shape for you. You're giving a talk on your theatre's digital offering, and a couple of twinkly-eyed charmers supply a video which illustrates the liveliness - and tricksiness - of your online community perfectly.

But it doesn't always work this way. You don't always get more and better ideas from a group than you would from a set of individuals working separately. Sometimes being part of a group limits your thinking. As artists, we often aspire to creating the new, the unfamiliar, the ground-breaking - groups can reinforce existing norms, and reject the new and the unfamiliar.

Further, ideas at an early stage often just don't work, because they're at an early stage (a song by the Mams has the refrain 'And the first draft of anything is shit' - well, exactly). Ideas that don't work can quite justifiably provoke negative feedback. This negative feedback may mean ideas are abandoned, when they might have worked if developed further.

Further still, when you share work in a digital community like this one, you have to be aware that the feedback you are getting is from this specific digital community - who are quite possibly not the community your work will ultimately be for.

I make all these points not to argue that there is never a place for sharing working processes - I'm going to try and share myself as I write my play for you - but simply to counter-balance NTW's obvious enthusiasm for it. What worries me is this: I think a person has to be incredibly robust and self-confident to be willing to present their working process to the public. I fear NTW's desire to see this sort of sharing will mean you find yourselves more excited about artists who are robust and self-confident, and less interested in the vulnerable, the modest, the lacking in confidence. Theatre in Britain already basically belongs to the massively socially privileged - let's make sure we do nothing to replicate that sort of inequality here.

Permalink Reply by National Theatre Wales on December 2, 2009 at 12:44

Thanks for this wonderfully and characteristically thoughtful email Gary. You are right of course that there must be a real and present space for the embarassed, awkward, unsure writer and writing. As you imply, that's often where the best stuff comes from.

That's why there are two options for writers in the draft policy:

One option is that a writer/artist attaches stuff to their profile where anyone can see it, and they get all that potential group wisdom, or simply someone saying 'I love your play and I want to put it on'.

But equally there should be the option to simply send your stuff in a private message (to Catherine for now as the designated person). In that case the submission will be treated as privately as a script submission to any other theatre (perhaps more so, as we promise to record our comments only on a private database and in a message to the writer).

What we have asked every writer to do in these guidelines (and I'd be interested what you and others think of this) is to create a profile. That's the only rule - you don't have to put any writing on the profile, just your name and some basic info. Do you think that's too intimidating? For us, it really helps know who's there and makes it possible to communicate with everyone. As you know, having heard me rabbit on, I have a real fear of the old-school script submission process where scripts sit in piles and writers hear little. Joining this community lets us keep in touch with you, even if you are shy and never reply!

Re the relationship to Wales - will try to clarify this in the next draft. The position we are moving towards is allowing anyone to submit, but being clear that their work will be assessed in the context of our mission to support and develop Welsh theatre artists. So, we are more likely to be excited about Welsh work, but the right Icelandic voice might sometimes be just the thing that we need.

Finally, as the 27th person from the right in the index of British Theatre privelege, I agree that there is a kind of attention paid not to those with interesting things to say, but to those who would say it in an acceptable way on Newsnight Review. I shall endeavour to shift further the the right and fall off the page once the job of shouting about our first year of work is done...

Permalink Reply by Juliet Brain on December 3, 2009 at 13:05

Well said both! Even new writing platforms can be 'elitist' either through age limitations or through lack of accessible entry/publicising. I think NTW are to be applauded for an 'open' attitude to submission and discussion/conversation. New media/social media may not be much more 'inclusive' than current theatre routes but it has been proven to garner new audiences and many theatres avoid it because they fear it, whilst non-theatre goers are expressing creativity within it; expressing ideas and shyly, anonomously or otherwise sharing work, ideas, creative experiments at all levels of the creative spectrum. Be heartened by this approach, and yes, be cautious, as with all new collaborations online and off - it needs room to grow and a structure in which to grow with confidence.

Permalink Reply by National Theatre Wales on December 15, 2009 at 9:42

Thanks to everyone for all their thoughtful and inspiring input during the birth of this policy. I think we have worked out something pretty good between us. Here it is!

Attachments:

• New Work and Artist Development Policy and guidelines.pdf, 71 KB

Permalink Reply by Robert Walton on December 29, 2009 at 1:56

You are drawing some finely thought-out responses to an expansive policy proposal, John. The proposals you are putting forward are ambitious, exciting and present both the artist community and NTW with considerable opportunities and challenges. Gary's concerns have to be taken on board, and your response indicates that they will. The proposal for a Creation Centre gives me a slight pang: so often centres generate their own justification and their walls thicken over time. What is exciting about NTW is your enforced mobility around Wales and I would recommend exploring the notion of a number of Creation Centres strategically dispersed, perhaps regularly changing. Which is why Julia's suggestion of locating empty shops could really work. It all means more work, of course, and is less convenient administratively but it offers the opportunity for plurality and reinforces the openness that is such an important principle at the heart of NTW. As someone who is in the early stages of scriptwriting, I find the the policy proposals extremely generous in the diversity of routes offered. Thanks for all this. Best wishes for bringing it together in 2010.

Permalink Reply by National Theatre Wales on January 8, 2010 at 15:25

Thanks Robert. We've incorporated a lot of the input into the version that is now posted online, so the next stage will be to start trying out what we've got, and then continue tweaking (or radically altering if necessary) as reality does it's thing. Here's to an exciting new year of new work! J

Permalink Reply by Robert Harper on January 22, 2010 at 3:32

Excellent document!

As an actor coming back into the performing and creative industry after a break, to see such an upfront and in depth document, readily available is truly remarkable and one that I would not have expected from my previous 10 years in the field. Your commitment to providing a digital (online) space for discussion, review and comment is particularly satisfying due to the barriers that you have broken down for new contact.

Having a passion for writing, one never knows how to make that initial step. And for that, I applaud yourself and your colleagues at NTW for making yourselves approachable and transparent in your objectives.

Permalink Reply by Rebecca Gould on January 31, 2010 at 14:34

Hi John

Just read this and like others here strongly support the content, as well as the clarity and openness. It reads like an ambitious yet realistic and honest set of proposals and it seems to illuminates the genuine desire to uncover and engage new artists and to bring them into the company.

I especially like the plans to give new work some development time and space.

If consistently and reliably delivered, in what ways could it add to methods of reflecting on, as well as developing, new theatre in Wales? It's certainly easy to see how other projects and collaborations could spin off from it.

Does there need to be more clarity around the definitions of emerging artists and established artists/playwrights?

I'd echo what Terry says, on first reading it seems slightly geared towards emerging artists? I need to read it again to discover what exactly made me think this.

Also, Gary's point, what about the need for a private discussion and presentation of work, possible nervousness, especially by more established playwrights, about publically presenting work online?

I've been to Devoted and Disgruntled this weekend, despite initial scepticism, I really enjoyed it, could it be time for one in Wales?

Best of luck, I'll be down to see the show.

Bec
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