Thoughts for November: Why we’re ‘Playing it Safe’

The majority of us get into this work because of love. Because creating art is a really fun thing to to.

It’s empowering, playful, joyful and so satisfying to have your job be creation.

But it is absolutely work. And like anyones job it can be frustrating, overwhelming, busy, boring and difficult to manage.

But fairly uniquely for your work, it requires you to constantly take a lot of risks.

Of putting yourself up for rejection and critique.

Of trying things constantly that don’t work for you to find the things that do.

Of being entirely vulnerable.

Of speaking your mind.

Of staking a claim.

Of getting things wrong.

The work is constantly a tight rope balance of risk and reward. Teetering between the two. Knowing one doesn’t come without the other.

These are things you embrace as a key part of the creative process. But sadly, working in this industry has too often meant that your work makes you feel unsafe.

Last month, Union Bectu published some truly horrifying statistics from their Big Review, identifying that:

71% creative industry workers say that behaviours that would be considered toxic and inappropriate in public life are often tolerated in the creative industries.

A couple of months ago, the legendary multi-award winning lighting designer Paule Constable wrote a brilliant article for The Stage, addressing the issues of unbalanced power dynamics and how they enable cultures of bullying and harassment, she brilliantly observes,

“In discussing how I have survived difficult situations with a colleague recently, I acknowledged that while I might be able to bite back with the privilege of my age, reputation, experience and skin colour to support me – I am still witness to the fallout experienced by less-advantaged colleagues. Often, even by entering these spaces, we are colluding in a culture that continues to be hugely problematic, and therefore we all have to share responsibility for our broken system.”

So from this provocation of sharing responsibility for our broken system, we wanted to make this a blog, in hope, that spaces can be made safe.

This is something we are constantly learning and reflecting on, in full acknowledgement of not always getting it right, but always wanting to get better at it. So we reached out to some brilliant artists we’ve worked with, for them to share what makes them feel safe when making art. So we can keep learning, and share some ideas with you!

Cherie Gordon (she/her)

Cherie Gordon is a actor, writer, director and facilitator. Cherie performed as Miriam, Mel and Dana Corp Representative in Mother of the Revolution.

Transcript: What makes me feel safe as an artist is connecting with people around the world in this industry.

It could be us being on the same level, it could be that we relate to the same thing or we're different. But finding that way to build trust and relationship with these people and that's what makes me feel safe.

Another thing that makes me feel safe as an artist is that finding a text or something, a project that I could explore and express in different languages and raise the performance. Maybe through BSL, could be through dance, could be through poetry, something visual, anything that just makes work, anything that just makes work magical.

That's what makes me feel safe.

Miles Kinsley (he/him)

Miles Kinsley is a actor-musician and writer. Miles performed as Alan and Thomas Butler in Mother of the Revolution and was Creative Assistant on Shirley: An Awakening R&D.

Transcript: I think the thing that makes me feel safest in a rehearsal room has something to do with a sense of play, but not just from the actors but from the creative team and particularly the director as well.

When a director asks a group of actors to play, whether that's in a scene rehearsal or an improvisation or an exercise, it can be quite a hard cut for the actors to then jump into a discussion about what the director has just seen, particularly if that director is being quite clinical or analytical.

If the director is able to sustain that sense of play and keep that same energy throughout the discussion, it means you're not asking your actors to jump between two different energies or two different tempos too abruptly. And if you need to revisit that play in a few minutes time, they're ready to go straight away again.

As an add-on to that, not leading a rehearsal or an exercise with the desired outcome, because certainly from my experience that is almost a cue to go, ‘what I want to achieve is this’. There's not really much room for exploration because that's the sole goal and it tends to shut me off from furtherexploration into what could be more genuine or more beautiful or more interesting choices.

Dan Loops (he/him)

Dan Loops is an musician, actor, writer and filmmaker. Dan performed as Robert in Shirley: An Awakening R&D.

Transcript: So I think for me, the biggest sort of red flags in terms of creating a safe space for people to be creative are any divisions. And I think we're sort of, because we're more aware of it and we're sort of more of thinking about it, I think the issues of sort ofrace and gender are being talked about and are sort of improving. But there's still the divide of cast and crew that happens in quite a lot of productions.

And I think the sort of the idea is the cast can only know lines and blocking, and don't have any technical ideas or vice versa. The crew only understands mics and they don't understand anything creative. But I think that's that's a divide that I don't think is talked about enough. And I think that is one that is really conducive.

Because, you know, working on a project you're all a team together. You're all trying to make the best. Nobody wants to make something bad. You're all trying to make the best thing. And I think that's something that archipelago does really well. Seán and Beth are amazing at creating a good space um and limiting these lines that divide us.

Miche Pittoni (they/she)

Miche Pittoni is an actor-musician and drag performer. Miche performed as Shirley in Shirley: An Awakening R&D.

Transcript: Hi, I'm Miche. So what makes me feel safe in a room? I'd say from the off, like a warm, welcoming environment as soon as you come into a space. You know, just the chance to be able to sort of like say hi and like chat to people rather than just like, going straight in. I think it's really important.

You know, sharing like names and pronouns and stuff like that, it's very, yeah, just makes you feel nice, you know. I would also say your access needs being like, listened to and taken seriously, so walking into a room you can really tell when someone has like read your access rider or or not, basically. 

And I think, really simple things as if I'm given a script and it's in like, really tiny font when I've like really sort of requested if it's possible for it to be like in a bigger font. Things like that, just little things like that. And sort of things like stuff needing to like explained like a little bit slower and stuff like that, or like, repeated, just patience as well. I think it's a huge thing. And feeling like somebody is like really listening to you. 

Being listened to and patience I think are very good things about making me feel safe. I'd also say, just feeling creatively valued, not being afraid to share your opinions and ideas. Yeah, I think those things. 

On top of those brilliant insights, here’s a couple of things we’re sticking too that help make us, and others feel safe in running and being in our creative space and make the work, work:

Embedding Access Early

From brilliant responses we had to this question of safety on instagram both ‘bringing your whole self’ and being wary of ‘one size fits all safe spaces’ came up.

During development of Mother of the Revolution, Access Director Kirsty Pennycook built us the mother of all access forms that we send now to artists and participants religiously before starting work. Not just covering things like physical or communication adaptations we need to make in our rooms, it asks questions about time pressures and crucially ‘what else do you need to make your best work’. These are the questions we should be asking everyone.

Check-Ins before you start

Something new for the R&D of Shirley: An Awakening, is that we did an online check-in (between 30/45 mins) with each actor before we started. This was a company that was 3/4 new to working with us, so it was so invaluable to spend some time individual with each artist - that we hadn’t seen since offering them the job - to start building great relationships. But it also had such a personal impact on my (Beth’s) own feelings of safety in starting work.

Something that’s come up again and again for me is that I leave first days with a horrible migraine. I feel like I’ve spent the whole day talking way too much in an effort to bring everyone onto the same page, and set some expectations for what the approach to the work will be. After the first day of Shirley, it was like a miracle for my wellbeing. We’d done all the establishing for each artist in those quick chats. The first day was about starting to play. A revolution that I’m never going back from.

Mindfully managing time

Two of my experiences have genuinely shaped this:

1) Leeds Industrial Museum closes (you are literally locked out of the building) at 5pm everyday. To ensure you don’t get padlocked in, you need to be wrapping up at 4:30pm. As artists built to the 10am-6pm day, this was a big shift.

But we quickly realised that 1hr 30 at the end of the day is often the least useful. Now, we arrive from 9am for coffee and chats, we start at 9:30. We all finish (usually) at a point with a whole evening to give our brain space, rest or catch up on admin. Sometimes it’s even too early for the pub (horrifying).

2) Working as Paul Foster’s (literally theatre’s MVP) Assistant on the absolutely epic White Christmas a couple of years ago was like witnessing a scheduling masterclass; that I’ve absolutely adopted since as my ultimate rehearsal rhythm. Paul works fast. Sometimes in 20 minute calls. Nothing stagnates, everything is precisely to time, everything is rinsed for its use. It’s like being on board the slickest, fastest running train of your life. And he is militant on breaks. We don’t talk work in that precious time, we have tea and biscuits and chat nonsense. Then it’s back all aboard again.

Dan Loops (brilliantly above) got so tired of my demanding he take a full one hour lunch, but I’m not cutting anyone’s break short to save my life.

Showing Our Workings

The very reason for starting this blog. What we try to do for all we work with is to make the process as open and transparent as possible. Both me and Seán constantly attest that none of our work is ever about manoeuvring people to our ideas, will or approach - it would be the most deadly boring thing in the world if everyone in our room had the same ideas or just wanted to say yes to our every thought.

A big revelation on this came when I started working with previous archipelago co-director Laurence Young, who would say to me

‘What would ever make me think that I would have the best idea here?’

There are never individual ‘best’ ideas, but so thrillingly often there are sensational things brought about by the collective effort and imagination. But sadly so often it does feel like spaces are dictated by a blinkered sole vision. And I can’t cope with the ego of that.

For us there’s no such thing as a genius, but there are plenty of ingenious things to be found collectively.

See you next month for a festive special! And in the meantime…

Beth recommends:

A read: Because it’s the only Nora Ephron related thing I didn’t recommend last month - as Autumn is the spiritual season of Nora Ephron - you must read Heartburn. Thanks.

A listen: Was it an incredibly obvious marketing ploy for Florence + the Machine to release her new album Everybody Scream for her target audience - covens of Millennial Witches - on Halloween?
Yes.
And thank god she did. Here’s to me being a witch all November long and beyond. 🪄

A watch: In November, when the world is dark and terrifying enough, I only want far-fetched and far-flung fun to rid me of the gloom. So I am warmly embracing the fantastically silly second season of Palm Royale. The intense female power of Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Alison Janney and CAROL BLOODY BURNETT (plus not ashamed in the slightest that Ricky Martin was my very first crush and this is his best since Livin La Vida Loca.)

An event: New Sheff theatre company Three Compost Bins are hosting a new scratch night, featuring great local artists sharing work at the Shakespeare Pub on 19th November. I’ll be there and so should you!

Seán recommends:

A read: I revisited Q: On Producing for a lecture I was delivering this week and had forgotten how insightful and accessible this book is on opening up the musical process. Highly recommend for any emerging, or even established, musicians or producers

A listen: Nebraska (see below)

A watch: Despite being uncomfortably poorly performing on the Bechdel Test, Deliver Me from Nowhere has probably the best representation of what the creative process sounds, feels and looks like. It breaks the mould of biopics by being genuinely authentic to the process of making work in a commercial landscape whilst retaining a core artistic vision.

An event: On the theme of opening up the creative process, Yorkshire Art Space are opening up their studios for exhibitions, workshops and demos by participating resident artists on 15th and 16th November.

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