London Theatre Consortium (LTC) submission to the CMS enquiry

Transcription

1 London Theatre Consortium (LTC) submission to the CMS enquiry About LTC LTC represents 13 leading London theatres: Almeida Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Bush Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Greenwich Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Tricycle Theatre, Unicorn Theatre and the Young Vic. 12 are Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations. LTC works collaboratively on cross-consortium projects that are beyond the capacity of a single organisation to achieve or deliver. We also aim to provide replicable learning, good practice and opportunities to share learning. Join projects include: Our three-year partnership with Julie s Bicycle has achieved substantial improvements in energy and waste management, with combined savings of 75,000. Our apprenticeship programme will create 38 jobs by September 2014 and is acknowledged as a model of best practice in accessibility, reaching traditionally underrepresented demographic groups. The LTC itself has one part time member of staff and a part time creative apprentice, focusing on priority areas identified by the Executive Directors of LTC members. These include workforce development, shared services, sustainability, digital work (marketing and content) and shared work. LTC members: have a combined turn over of over 50 million, sell nearly 1,400,000 ticket a year, employ 1,500 core staff, not counting artists, performers, creative teams, stage management and other freelancers. On London and the regions We have prepared a map (please see attached) to give a brief snapshot of partnerships between LTC members and venues and companies outside London. It gives an overview of the quantity of work that goes into the regions from London or comes into London from the regions. The majority of this work is commissioned and produced in collaboration between an LTC theatre and at least one regional co-producer. The map also selects one case study from each theatre to give an idea of the broad range of

2 work from large scale, Number 1 tours to commissioned pieces touring festivals, middle scale tours and NTLive screenings, and all points between. It shows that, in the year 2012/13, the 13 LTC theatres: worked with 51 regional theatres, worked with 67 non building based companies from outside London, co-produced 32 productions with partners outside London, originated or received 63 tours with dates outside London. Each one of these 32 co-productions will have toured into many more theatres across the UK and been seen by audiences all over the country. On Arts Council England The LTC was created as a direct result of strategic funding from the Arts Council five years ago in recognition of the value of closer working between a group of geographically proximate theatre organisations with similar business models, but distinct roles and audiences. It is important that ACE is able to identify and respond to such sector needs and we are concerned that ACE s ability to do this is being compromised, primarily due to funding cuts and reduced resources but also due to the loss of skilled, experienced and committed staff - the corporate memory. As numbers of experienced staff are dramatically reduced and those in post are stretched and less able to build and maintain quality relationships, there is a threat to ACE being able to identify and act upon those strategic requirements. We value and appreciate ACE s commitment to strong relationships throughout the sector and urge that its capacity and ability to maintain them be protected. This submission was prepared by Emma Rees, Senior Coordinator, London Theatre Consortium, ereesltc@gmail.com, LTC Chair LTC Vice Chair David Jubb, Artistic Director, Battersea Arts Centre Jessica Hepburn, Executive Director, Lyric Hammersmith LTC Feb 2014

3 France London Theatre Consortium LTC creative partnerships across the UK LTC members have strong networks with theatres and companies based outside London, and work to develop and support artists and companies across the UK Palestine Luxembourg, Belgium, USA 8 11 Germany, Belarus LTC is: Almeida Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Bush Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Greenwich Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre, Stratford East, Tricycle, Unicorn, Young Vic (KEY: refer to the star number for case study detail)

4 This graphic and case studies give an overview of LTC members theatre s activity outside London, focusing on creative partnerships resulting in productions and touring work during 2012/13. It does not attempt to reflect the depth and quantity of informal support and development these theatres provide as part of their contribution to the theatre ecology in the UK. None of this work has been additionally funded but has been created from core resources as part of the commitment shared by LTC theatres and regional partners to make and distribute work of the highest quality for UK audiences. In 2012/13, LTC theatres: co-produced 32 productions with partners outside London, originated or received 63 tours with dates outside London, worked with 51 regional theatres and worked with 67 companies based outside London, internationally, LTC theatres worked in partnership with 20 companies and 4 theatres. 1 Production: It Needs Horses/Home For Broken Turns Commissioned by Almeida Theatre and The Place from Brighton based Lost Dog Dance as part of the Almeida Festival Home for Broken Turns was commissioned by the Almeida and The Place as part of the Almeida Festival from Brighton-based Lost Dog Dance. It was presented with It Needs Horses, a piece from Lost Dog s repertoire. The double bill was produced by Lost Dog, The Place, Danshuis Station Zuid and Mercat de les Flors, in the framework of Modul-Dance with the support of the CULTURE programme of the European Union. 2 Production: The Odyssey Co-produced by The Paper Cinema and Battersea Arts Centre and Cocommissioned with Parabola Arts Centre in Cheltenham. The Show ran at BAC and then toured extensively throughout the UK. Bournemouth and Bristol based The Paper Cinema, toured as part of BAC Take Out. The show toured to 19 national venues in Autumn BAC Take Out sees some of the best shows developed at Battersea Arts Centre presented nationally and internationally. In 2012/ 2013 BAC Take Out presented 10 different productions nationally, with 120 performances, seen by 22,000 people Production: Money the game show Co-produced by Bush Theatre and Leeds based Unlimited Theatre ran at the Bush and then toured theatres in the north of England Bush Theatre and Unlimited Theatre co-produced Money the game show in a new version commissioned from writer Clare Duffy. It ran for six weeks at the Bush and then toured northern England including the West Yorkshire Playhouse where Unlimited Theatre is a resident company. Money was originally developed as part of the Platform 18: New Directions Award, supported by The Arches, Traverse Theatre and National Theatre of Scotland. Production: Coriolanus presented across the UK by NTLive The Donmar Warehouse's production of Coriolanus was screened live by NT Live. It was seen by over 80,000 people across the UK in many locations including Aberdeen, Bath, Birmingham, Blackpool, Derby, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton and Reading. 5 Production: Woodlands Commissioned by Greenwich Theatre from Cambridge-based Associate Company GOMITO Cambridge-based Gomito are an Associate Company of Greenwich Theatre who offer support and recourses for Gomito s artistic and organisational development. Woodlands was commissioned by Greenwich Theatre as a Christmas studio show. The production, a show for under 5s, went on to tour the UK. 6 Production: The Judas Kiss Hampstead Theatre toured nationally After success at Hampstead Theatre The Judas Kiss transferred to the Duke of York Theatre in London and then toured to large scale theatres in the UK and Dublin. The Judas Kiss was written by David Hare and directed by Neil Armfield. The show starred Rupert Everett who won a What's On Stage Award for Best Actor.

5 7 8 Production: Theatre In The Square programme A programme of work for open-air performance by Les Enfants Terrible, Leeds based RashDash and Curious Directive, Tangled Feet and Nabokov. Theatre in the Square was a programme of commissioned work: Anyone For Tea? by London-based Les Enfants Terrible, Set Fire to Everything by Leedsbased RashDash, Inflation by South East-based Tangled Feet, Symphony by London-based Nabokov, Olfactory by Leeds-based Curious Directive. Following performances outside the Lyric, the whole programme toured festivals including Latitude in Suffolk, Watford and the Greenwich and Docklands Festival. Production: Love, Love, Love Co-produced by Royal Court, Paines Plough and the Drum Theatre, Plymouth, London run and tour Love, Love, Love was a co-production between Royal Court Theatre, Paines Plough and the Drum Theatre, Plymouth. The production toured nationally before the run at the Royal Court Theatre. Love, Love, Love was written by Mike Bartlett, and directed by James Grieve Production: Egusi Soup Co-produced by Menagerie Theatre Company, Soho Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester, London run and tour Egusi Soup was a co -production between the Menagerie Theatre Company (Cambridge), Soho Theatre (London), and the Mercury Theatre Colchester. A well as playing the Soho Theatre it also toured the UK at venues in Colchester, Cambridge and at The Albany. Egusi Soup was the winner of the VBA Shortlist Writer Award 2011 and was developed through Soho s Writer s Centre. It was written by Janice Okoh and directed by Paul Bourne. Over 50% of entries to the VBA were received from outside London. Production: Wah! Wah! Girls Co-produced by Theatre Royal Stratford East, Sadler s Wells & Cornwall based Kneehigh (as part of World Stages London) regional and London dates A co-production between TRSE, Sadler's Wells and Kneehigh, it played at the Curve Theatre in Leicester and Hall for Cornwall as well as the Peacock Theatre and TRSE in London. Wah! Wah! Girls was written by Tanika Gupta and directed by Kneehigh's Artistic Director Emma Rice Production: One Monkey Don t Stop No Show An Eclipse Theatre Production, originally co-produced with Sheffield Theatres, rehearsed and opened at the Tricycle prior to a national tour One Monkey Don t Stop No Show was a production by Sheffield-based Eclipse Theatre, who had originally co-produced the show with Sheffield Theatres. This production was rehearsed and launched prior to a national tour at the Tricycle Theatre where it ran for 4 weeks. Its subsequent tour included Colchester, Hull, Derby and Coventry. One Monkey Don t Stop No Show was written by Don Evans and directed by Dawn Walton. Production: Monkey Bars Co-produced by Chris Goode and Company and the Unicorn Theatre, extensive UK tour, Edinburgh Fringe and London run This was a co - production between Manchester / London-based Chris Goode and Company and the Unicorn Theatre. Before its London run, the show toured the UK extensively and at the Traverse as part of the Edinburgh Fringe where it won a Fringe First. It was written and directed by Chris Goode. 13 Production: Mad About the Boy Co-produced by Iron Shoes and the Unicorn, UK and London tour including run at Young Vic Mad About the Boy was an Iron Shoes and Unicorn Theatre Production. It toured the UK including the Bush Theatre, the Unicorn Theatre, North Wall, Oxford, The Milton Rooms, Contact Theatre Manchester, Lantern Theatre Sheffield, Rose Hill Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic. It was written by Gbolahan Obisesan, Directed by Ria Parry. LTC 2014