Devoted and Disgruntled 3: What are you doing about theatre?
I've just spent the most fantastic weekend I've had in ages. I feel more alive and invigorated and happy than I have done in some time.
This weekend has been the third annual Devoted and Disgruntled meeting. It's an open meeting for anyone who wants to come and talk about theatre, what they like, hate are frustrated by, what to change, what to keep the same.
It works on an open something or other plan. Anyone is able to propose a topic to discuss. Whoever wants to turns up to discuss it. The slots are set at an hour and a half but there is no compunction for them to last that long. They last as long as they last. They can finish early or continue on late. People can get up and leave at any point they want to, and did and without any feeling that it was somehow a bad thing to do.
It was completely democratic and egalitarian, largely because at no point did anyone have to stand up and say who they were, where they worked or what they'd done, though people could if they wanted too. It was strange to suddenly realise that you were sitting next to and discuss with a well known theatre critic, the head of theatre at the arts council or someone who ran a rep theatre. But that didn't matter, because everyone's opnion was equally valid.
I went in feeling a bit low. I want to make theatre, but I also want to be able to afford to live independently and go on holiday and at the moment I can't see how that is possible. I don't have any direct answers to how I'm going to do that, but somehow it matters less and I'm not quite sure why.
And what was so energising was all the passion in the room, people who love hugely varying theatre, except Lee who says he doesn't. I am going to start compiling a list of suggestions for him.
This weekend has been the third annual Devoted and Disgruntled meeting. It's an open meeting for anyone who wants to come and talk about theatre, what they like, hate are frustrated by, what to change, what to keep the same.
It works on an open something or other plan. Anyone is able to propose a topic to discuss. Whoever wants to turns up to discuss it. The slots are set at an hour and a half but there is no compunction for them to last that long. They last as long as they last. They can finish early or continue on late. People can get up and leave at any point they want to, and did and without any feeling that it was somehow a bad thing to do.
It was completely democratic and egalitarian, largely because at no point did anyone have to stand up and say who they were, where they worked or what they'd done, though people could if they wanted too. It was strange to suddenly realise that you were sitting next to and discuss with a well known theatre critic, the head of theatre at the arts council or someone who ran a rep theatre. But that didn't matter, because everyone's opnion was equally valid.
I went in feeling a bit low. I want to make theatre, but I also want to be able to afford to live independently and go on holiday and at the moment I can't see how that is possible. I don't have any direct answers to how I'm going to do that, but somehow it matters less and I'm not quite sure why.
And what was so energising was all the passion in the room, people who love hugely varying theatre, except Lee who says he doesn't. I am going to start compiling a list of suggestions for him.
posted by lecoqblogger at 11:45 pm
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