theatre club

I had the idea for ‘Theatre Club’ in 2012 when I was running what is now known as Neighbourhood Theatre at the Young Vic. Part of my role was giving away free tickets to local community groups and individuals. Many came alone and it got me thinking about the whole experience of going to the theatre, how it actually begins when you learn about the show, book your ticket, chat to your friends, and doesn’t end for weeks, months, maybe years afterwards as you talk about it with other people who saw it, too. But if you go to the theatre alone, and aren’t part of that kind of artistic community experiencing the same types of art as you (and there are many), then you only get a slice of the experience. You only get the show. Another part of my thinking stemmed from my hatred of post show Q&As. They are just so awkward because the creative team are there. You can’t tell them what you thought of their work for fear of offending them, plus there’s always the person who wants to prove how much they know: ‘This isn’t a question so much as a…’

So Theatre Club solved all of these problems.

The name was because I explained it like a book club: you read the book in your own time then come together at a specified place, having digested it at your own pace, to chat. Theatre Clubs were never post show events in their first iteration. The other vital vital rule was that no member of the creative team was allowed. This was a space where any opinion went (and we got a lot). For this reason I also wanted someone else other than me to facilitate the space, so that no one felt I was the theatre’s eyes and ears. I reached out to the great Maddy Costa who I had seen talking about theatre criticism on Twitter. It was an odd, cold intro but to my relief she was into the idea. She even made cookies for our first meeting. We always provided free drinks and snacks but not often of the home made variety. And then we would settle in for a chat, making it super clear that there were no right or wrong answers, opinions, language.

Theatre Clubs are joyful, beautiful things because they are about exchanging ideas, listening and community. I would love to run them with young people and with children. If you would like to talk to me about that, hit me up.