In which some thoughts are laid down and a start is made.

The estimable Josh Coates recently blogged in response to new Mancunian theatre project Theatre Gap (http://joshdoesthings.tumblr.com/), partly it seems to me in bafflement and partly in frustration.  If I’m wrong in that, then I shall claim the bafflement and frustration for myself, but not with Theatre Gap.  And yet it set me thinking.

I have nothing against Theatre Gap.  It has pretty much passed me by.  I only heard about it a couple of weeks ago in a pub discussion when someone rolled their eyes at the mention of the project.  No one has asked me to be involved, or attend as audience, and there is no reason why they should.  It doesn’t seem to be for me, and that in itself is no bad thing.  And you can investigate and support it here:- https://www.gofundme.com/theatregap

But the bafflement; what is it for?  Maybe I should have been at a discussion/debate they had; but it wasn’t mentioned to me and not clear that it’s intended for me.  So let’s assume that the issue is to tackle some problem with the Mancunian theatre scene; let’s interrogate this and see if we can’t pin it down.


FINDING AN AUDIENCE

Nothing like starting with the big issue is there.  However, I get the impression this isn’t what Theatre Gap are aiming to tackle.  In fact, I might suggest that they would argue there is already a strong audience; they aren’t being catered for adequately.  This is difficult to argue against, especially as I don’t know what the artistic agenda of Theatre Gap is but I’m inclined to agree that the potential audience for theatre in Manchester is exceptionally strong, and that if you present them with strong work they would come.  That begs the question, therefore; why don’t they?


BUILDING AN AUDIENCE

So while the potential audience is strong, and the establishment theatres get consistently good houses, why do mid-range independent and fringe companies often struggle?  I guess if we could answer that we wouldn’t be experiencing a phenomena like Theatre Gap.  And yet, I don’t think this is what they want to tackle.  There are only really two indie theatres in Manchester that host regular shows and could potentially build an audience; 3MT and the Kings Arms.  Others, such as Bury Met, Waterside Sale, the university venues, could all do so but seem to have chosen not to.  And yet there seem to be issues with both 3MT and the Kings.  Not to denigrate the amazing work they do, supporting artists and hosting shows; it’s the things that they can’t or haven’t done that can feel like there’s a space for another space.


REACHING AN AUDIENCE

So maybe Theatre Gap are looking at those venues that have the audience, and wondering how to get work in front of those audiences, into those venues.  Venues such as Lowry Quays, perhaps, Royal Exchange studio, the studio at HOME.  I actually can’t comprehend how the space at HOME has had, I believe, just one show in it since the venue opened.  The Royal Exchange studio has been empty all summer.  These things are heartbreaking, and yet still I don’t think this is what Theatre Gap are concerned about.


AVAILABILITY OF VENUES

So maybe they’d like to open a new venue.  It’s not that Manchester is short of quality studio spaces in Manchester.  Apart from Halle St Peters, where Theatre Gap was staged, and the second spaces at Rex and HOME, we have the John Thaw studio, the Lowry studio and Quays theatre, the RNCM studio, Bolton’s Bill Naughton space, Manchester college’s studio, Salford Uni’s Adelphi space, Waterside Arts Centre, Bury Met, while Man Met builds a new space, and I’ve no doubt there are others you can tell me all about.  I don’t think Theatre Gap are after a new theatre.

There is an issue for me here, however.  All of these spaces are very fine but to my mind criminally underused.  As I say, I believe one thing has been staged in HOME’s second space since it opened in the spring.  Halle St Peters and Salford’s Adelphi have never responded to any of my emails enquiring about use as a theatre space.  The other spaces are either programmed to within an inch of their existence, or extortionately expensive for no-budget theatre makers.  It’s this control of space that I find so difficult to deal with.


ACCESS TO PROGRAMMES

So maybe Theatre Gap are wondering why the current programming of the spaces that are used don’t include more of the work they’d like to see.  I don’t even know where to go with that attitude.  I’m not a programmer, I don’t have a venue.  If that is what you see as the issue then I have other things to think about.  I actually don’t understand the question.


ABILITY TO WORKSHOP WORK

Two things more precious to me than money; time and space.  All of those amazing spaces above could be filled all day every day with local artists making work; testing, workshopping, experimenting, sharing.  I do not understand, especially when these buildings are open anyway, why this isn’t standard.  It seems that not even Manchester University students can book drama rooms unless they do it through the drama society, which is mental.  Locally the Royal Exchange have really taken a lead by example on this, making their Swan Street space available to anyone who signs up to their Open Exchange network when it’s empty.  The Lawrence Batley do a similar thing.  The huge disadvantage of these schemes is the nature of the booking process, which is by necessity short notice availability.  Nevertheless, it’s a valuable resource.  Not only would it be wonderful for other empty rooms to be made available like this; I really frustrated that they aren’t.  And I don’t see why this would cost much money.  The space is currently sat there empty, in occupied buildings.

That said, this ties up with another frustration about the Manchester indie theatre scene; the severe lack of workshop spaces.  This could well simply be my lack of awareness – the only high-quality spaces I am aware of suitable for theatre workshop projects are the Exchange’s Swan Street and Waterside Chambers.  As wonderful as the many landlords of pubs across the city, and however grateful we all are to them for enabling work to take place in their function rooms, I really feel that this is limiting the scale and ambition of many local theatre-makers.  I’d love to rent a room that could be used as a rehearsal and workshop space, fitted to the right spec; if I ever find one I’ll let you know.


MARKETING AND SUPPORT

This doesn’t seem to be on the radar of Theatre Gap at all; and yet this is surely one of the fundamental issues with theatre in Manchester.  Marketing should be collaborative and proactive.  There are dozens of active companies in Manchester, thousands of active social media users.  As an example, each of the companies that post about their shows on social media could garner dozens of retweets and shares from other companies.  But they don’t.  All the venues in Manchester could share their programmes with other venues who could circulate it to their mailing lists.  But they don’t.  I have a calendar of all the interesting shows that I hear about, and people could let me know and I could post them up.  But they don’t.  The Royal Exchange and HOME and the Lowry will share each other’s shows but don’t, as far as I’m aware, help independent shows in a similar way.


MONEY/FUNDING

Ah.  Here’s the crux.  Josh Coates quotes Alex Swift; “just give us the fucking money and let us get on with it.”  But someone is getting the money, somewhere.  And they might well be just getting on with it.  I will wait to see the results.  Theatre Gap have a crowdfunding campaign.  It’s not very clear to me how the money is to be used, or who is to decide.  Such is the nature of funding, I guess.  I’m not going to argue against more money, but it’s not where my heart is.  I would love someone to be able to explain to me how funding applications work, and I don’t see funding as a closed shop.  Just so complicated as to seem to deliberately exclude people.  Theatre Gap I would think have the expertise in this area, so maybe that’s what they’re trying to work on.  But this isn’t a gap, except in the imagination and inventiveness of the community to utilise the resources


I’ve been on the cultural scene in Manchester for some time now, hopefully my thoughts have some foundation in experience.  I was hoping for these posts to be evidence-lead rather than opinion pieces; inevitably I fear that my own views on the scene will colour my conclusions.  I’m going to try and think more deeply about each of the issues above, speak to others, take feedback and try to outline what I see or what others recommend as practical actions to help.  Please let me know your thoughts.