19th April – Interview with Gail McIntyre
Creative Arts and Media Diploma
Miss Woffinden
Bethany Kaye
To begin the session Gail started off by telling us all a little bit about herself. She is the Associate Director at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and is in charge of everything involving theatre in education. If something goes wrong, it’s her fault, if there’s a problem, colleagues will go to her and vice versa if it’s positive. Basically she is control of everything apart from deciding on what TIE themes to perform. For example, Gail would really like to do a piece on Child carers but she has been told that this project will not be funded and she won’t get paid, however if she does another piece about knife crime she will be paid and this project will be funded because it’s what the viewers want. I think this is really unfair, as the viewers don’t know what they want. They are roped into a performance because of the advertising and the ideas the theatre companies come up with. I think if Gail were to do a piece on Child Carers it would be a massive hit and would grab the attention of several different audience types. This is because it is such a worldwide issue but it is not as verbal as other issues for example - anorexia. I think child carers have such a hard job and unfortunately too many of them suffer in silence. I reckon that if this were to be shown in a theatre, then many different audiences would be keen to be involved. Elders because it is a more traditional issue that doesn't focus on body image or peer pressure, adults again for the same reason and maybe past experiences and young adults, to show them just how blessed there life is or maybe they are a young carer too. Any of these reasons are all just as valuable and I think that doing this piece would really be an eye opener for many people.
Gail’s responsibilities within different schools involve planning, programming and delivering. The youngest age range is 3-5year olds. She creates work with varieties of different artists eg – actors, singers, dancers, poets ect... This sounds quite cool and a challenging but fun job.
Lots of Gail’s decided age ranges have expanded due to teachers or guardians deciding that the TIE piece is suitable for another or a different age range. She has worked at the West Yorkshire Playhouse for a long time and has been in charge of the Christmas production in the courtyard for 5 years now. I think this is good that the teachers have a voice but kind of undermines the time Gail has spent deciding on the age ranges.
Her current project is called The Refugee Boy. It will be in the theatre in August 2012. This piece is by Benjamin Zephaniah but adapted by Yorkshire poet, Lemn Sissay. She said she is passionate about touring in schools. “It’s something I have always wanted to do and dreamed about it as a child. I have to say I am a very lucky person for getting the job of my dreams!” She is right here!
What styles of theatre do you use in your productions?
“It’s actually not always up to us. Some people may decline some of our ideas but give you another option. I really want to do a TIE piece on Child Carers but I have been told I would not be funded for this. Instead a piece about knife crime is wanted so I have to do this otherwise I will not get paid. I also really want to work with different cultures; Especially the Asian/ Indian cultures of theatre.” This is unfair because Gail deserves to do what she wants to do but I can see why she isn’t allowed as the funding plays a massive part in it.
How are your projects funded?
“The touring in schools work with our TIE pieces are funded by Education Leeds, but this funding stops at the end of this year (2011). The work done at the Playhouse is funded by the Arts Council but other specific productions i.e. - knife crime – are funded by The Home Office, or The Royal Armouries ect... We are also paid for commissioning monologues.” I think it’s good they get money from different companies as it is very hard to fund a project.
Is there a hierarchy for the roles/ responsibilities within the company?
“Whatever happens, I am responsible for everything! I make nearly every decision about what is happening concerning TIE. The hierarchies are led by different artists. For example the actors, playwrights, singers, poets ect... Make their own decisions about their own pieces. You have to decide who is the most skilled at individual things with their abilities. Within the theatre you have to be collaborative.” This is a massive responsibility! The idea is very flattering but scary!
How long does it take you to produce a TIE piece of high quality?
“Well... If we commission a piece in 2008, we tell the writers and they have a year to produce a script, (whilst busy with other work). We usually play for two years ahead. We then rehearse 9-5 Monday- Saturday for 3-4 weeks. Then the designers and set and props crew ect... need time to work out what’s going on in the piece. You have to work out how YOU want it to look, how YOU want people to see it and what they will see. As well as the rehearsal schedule to think about we have to book the tour and work on the workshop to follow the performance.” This is a good amount of time and personally I am finding it hard to create a good piece of TIE within our time boundaries.
Are the age groups difficult to choose?
“No they are all just different. I have to find the things that will encourage and inspire people and decide which age range it will have the biggest impact on. To do my job your really have to be in touch with any age group to connect to them properly.” I find it hard to decide what performance would suit which age rang. This is definitely not my strongest point!
Do you use songs and music in you performances?
“Yes in different ways. The music in the show First Cut portrays the life and emotional journeys of the character. In the Worm Collector we use sound effects to create an atmosphere and explain where you are without actually being there. This sets the scene whilst being versatile.
Music and sounds makes the journey unfold and tells the story. We try stuff in rehearsals to see what works and what doesn’t. Music for younger ages like Visiting Grandpa, for 3-5 year olds is more appropriate as it engages there minds in a more fun way.” I totally agree with what Gail says here and we are using our music for the exact reason too.
How do you connect with the different audiences?
“Forum theatre is a good way to get the audience involved, depending on the audience. In The Snow Queen, the actors who play the robbers rob the audience (without harassing them). This is a fun way to connect the audience with the performance and make them feel part of the story.” I do like it when the actors engage with the audience :) I find it fun and it makes me feel part of the performance.
How do you get different audience types into the theatre?
“There are different ways to do this. Advertising helps a lot. The Playhouse is a very lucky company and has a very clever and very big marketing team.
Encouraging schools and engaging with creativity is the other way to get audiences. We just have to work out what different audiences want.” I can imagine this is a long and tedious project.
Have you ever acted and directed yourself at the same time?
“No, I really don’t think anybody should ever act and direct themselves at the same time. You can tell who does this because of their expressions in the performance. They are never fully connected to the character and it’s very hard to do so when you are acting.” I have noticed this before and it kind of spoils the production a bit.
Do you gather inspiration by seeing other peoples work?
“Yes you have to otherwise it is very hard to think of something original without seeing a starting point. There are no new ideas; they are what you make them.” This is interesting and I have never seen it this way before.
Have you ever had any projects where you feel you have just ‘Had Enough’?
No, Never. Things I have worked on have become slightly tedious or challenging because of the combination of colleagues I worked with but I never ever have had enough of a project. This is a good sign and shows she has a lot of patience and doesn’t give in quickly.
Do you enjoy your job?
Yes! Very much. It’s a very challenging job. It’s very challenging to find what it is that will make a great piece. What will inspire people? You know a piece is good if the actors feel part of it. I think this is really positive and again totally agree!!!
I really liked meeting Gail. She seems like a really lovely person and she seems so approachable and really good at what she does. Gail said she wanted to come and see our TIE pieces! This excited me and scared me at the same time! I think it would be a great opportunity for Gail to watch our performances and we would more than likely get excellent feedback and constructive criticism to work on! I think that this has influenced my creative process by making me see how much time and effort it takes to create a TIE piece of high quality. I am now quite nervous as we dont have that much time left before performing and Gail said that it usually takes up to 2 years to create a good TIE piece. Now I see just how hard everybody needs to work to complete this task to make it fab! I appreciate everything Gail had to say and look forward to getting back on task to make her and Miss Woffinden proud. Thank you Miss Woffinden for planning this meeting :)
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