Hello reader. How are you? Do you need a cuddle? A cup of tea? It's been a bit of a time, hasn't it? Go on, take off your shoes, get comfy. At a safe 2m distance, though, obviously.
2020 started off pretty triumphantly for our little newborn company, but it's safe to say a big covid-shaped kibosh was put on most of our plans.
C'est la annoying vie! We're all safe, fed and watered, so that's a lot to be thankful for. It's been heartbreaking to witness the crumbling of certain aspects of the arts industry, not least the dissolving of our beloved Nuffield Southampton Theatres, just a few short weeks after we premiered our show in their studio. We stand in solidarity with the artists, administrators, technicians and creators who have suffered this year. Please, if you're in a position to, support your local venues, chuck a few quid to the artists you love. We hope the whole community can emerge on the other side of this slightly bruised but ready to recover!
We have a few positive points to share regarding our 2020:
First and foremost, we were delighted to be selected by Papatango Theatre Company to receive funding for future performances of 'My Soulmate's Husband's Soulmate!'
After attending Papatango's nine-month #WriteWest producing course in Salisbury, Plymouth and Southampton, company director Gina Thorley was one of three lucky producers to receive this endorsement, and plans to use the funds to mount a small tour of our debut play. This became impossible to achieve in 2020, but we hope 2021 will bring a bit more stability to regional venues and make this ambition achievable!
If you're not familiar with Papatango's work, give them a follow. Like us, they champion new work and mount a yearly playwriting competition that is not to be missed! Their own cancelled production 'Shook' by Samuel Bailey is due to be released in recorded form soon, and we certainly can't wait!
Meanwhile we dove into lockdown life by holding weekly play readings via Zoom, sharing our favourites with each other and reminiscing with some classics. The silver lining of distanced hang outs like this is being able to include fa flung friends who aren't often able to get involved, which was a joy. We even workshopped new scripts written in lockdown, earmarking some promising future projects! We were very thankful for The NHB Playgroup for sharing some of their impressive catalogue, definitely worth checking out!
Finally, as theatre lovers we were super keen not to miss out on all the wonderful content shared by industry giants - Bristol Old Vic, National Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Young Vic and The Globe to name a few. We can't ignore that theatre usually has some barriers to attendance - geography, affordability, availability - so it's wonderful that audiences may have enjoyed something they wouldn't ordinarily have seen.
Let us take this opportunity to wish you a very happy new year. Thank you if you've supported us this year in even the smallest way, and we sincerely hope to see you again soon.
xxxx