This is my response to articles on the guardian website which can be read here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/oct/12/local-theatre-harrogate-oldham
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/oct/13/judi-dench-young-actors
It is very rare nowadays to find a town with a theatre that still produces its own work, for today Rep theatre and producing theatres have downsized drastically. This is a subject that has bugged me for a very long time, acting is a craft that needs to be learned and honed not just from reading textbooks, playing warm up games or doing a couple of shows within your training school. No you need work and the chance to explore reactions from audiences, the chance to watch more experienced actors, to talk to your peers, to study their techniques and see if they work for you. British Film had the greatest actors in the World at one point because of the fact that these young actors would be sent by the Film Studios into the theatres to learn how to interact with an audience. In Worthing where I am based the famous Rep Company, people still talk about it with reverence today, at the Connaught theatre had a deal in place with Rank Film studios and stars such as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Diana Dors were sent to Worthing for seasoning and to gain experience. Nowadays that idea is completely foreign to most people as the consensus now is that acting for film/tv and acting for the stage should be kept seperate as they are two seperate art forms. Not true, they are all linked after all look at the most famous acting method to influence late 20th century onwards cinema 'The Method' with proponents such as Brando, Pacino, DeNiro, Day Lewis (the list goes on) comes from the work of the great Stanislavski whose work with Chekov in Russia changed everything. This is a great example of why the two are similar. So I believe the decline in local theatre companies producing work has crippled our talent producing credentials in the UK and has led to the comments recently made by Dame Judi Dench.
Another issue raised by the decline of local rep companies producing work is the is a decline in the interest of the theatre. Yes the theatres can still be, and most definately are during panto season, packed with an audience but the average age of a theatre goer in a regional venue is generally old. This of course is not an issue because as long as people support the theatre part of the culture of our local communities will thrive and prosper but the fact is getting young people into the theatre to watch drama and comedies is incredibly hard. Granted the price of tickets to the theatre is an issue which many larger venues has looked at face on and invested in their future paying audience by offering free tickets to young adults, this unluckily is not an option for the majority of recieving houses that are former rep theatre hotspots as they are smaller venues and giving up free tickets is a high gamble when you need every penny from every seat to keep your venue up and running. I believe that the death of rep and producing houses has resulted in local theatre becoming rather boring and not of much interest to the general public, for example we have had in the past year at Worthing 3 murder mysteries all of which were generally received very well by the public but these are not sell out shows. I ask you why? Why would someone go to the theatre to see a Poirot or a Agatha Christie play if you can turn on your tv on a sunday night and watch it for free? Of course that argument can be torn apart by the fact that the Mousetrap in London has been onstage for 50+ years but to me that is popular because the ending is a secret and there has never been a film or tv version of the story. Now I am not advocating that all they show in local theatres is new works and young issue based plays because you need a mixed audience but I believe there is a lot more these small venues can do to get the younger person through the doors. The decline of theatre as a regular event in the town and being an affordable past time with recognisable local stars has led to people being surprised that a good show is on at the local theatre and the idea of going to the theatre is almost alien to many. We need as an industry to analyse why and try to turn this around. Regular work with local artists is something that could boost attendance and special deals which would benefit the prospective theatre attender.
Of course the death of rep has led to more small 'alternative' theatres opening up and creating new works because there needs to be somewhere to develop new work. This has led to hybrid shows and programs providing and making physical theatre, drama, comedy, dance and classics accessible to audiences. This to me is the greatest single achievement of our industry since the death of rep, it kind of still exists through the energy and passion of these passionate companies and theatres.
So today rep is pretty much dead, will it ever come back permenantly? No like the dodo its extinct, something that has been outgrown. Would it still work today? Sure to an extent after all the Music Hall Theatre in London still survives providing its niche product to willing customers. Yet we shouldn't be looking back and lamenting all the time, we should (and this includes me) stop thinking about how great the industry was then for the actors and the venues and the public and take the great ideas and techniques and make a new hybrid that promotes growth of the artform and popularity of it. The future of the theatre is what we wish to make of it and now at the end of the first decade of our new century we need to make a choice, to keep hold of our old ways that have stagnated and seen the theatres in numerous towns and cities shut down or to change and strive towards making the british film and theatre industry the powerhouse it once was all over again.
