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    Interview: Turning Those Dreams Into Reality

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    Make It Beautiful Theatre Company on their improv show, The Dream Machine

    Lovely to meet you, why don’t you introduce yourselves and tell us a little about Make It Beautiful Theatre Company.

    Hey there. We are Make It Beautiful Theatre Company. We’re a London-based theatre collective, made up predominantly of Drama Centre graduates. We have a passion for dark comedy and improvisation. Our 5 star show The CO-OP recently performed at the Park Theatre, as well as our new show Sniff performing at Theatre503. We have also performed at the Norwich Theatre and the Black Box Studio in Slovenia. But the play we are bringing you this Chtistmas is The Dream Machine. 

    That show, The Dream Machine, will be at Golden Goose in December. We assume this isn’t a stage adaptation of the 1991 film of the same name? What is it all about instead?

    Unfortunately this is not a stage adaptation of the 1991 film – not that we even know what that is. Instead, it’s the Dream Machine. This is a long-form improvised show, based entirely from audience suggestions. Each show we ask an audience member to recount a weird dream they had and, from that, we create an entirely improvised full-length performance. We build a world full of crazy, funny characters and heartwarming stories based entirely from a stranger’s dream. We have performed the show for around two years – staging it at the White Bear Theatre, Space Theatre, Trestle Arts Base, the Cockpit and the OSO Arts Centre. Its next venture is the Golden Goose Theatre. 

    You say the show is made using improv and Russian-theatre techniques; we know about improv, but what’s the Russian-theatre technique then? What is the Russian connection within the company then?

    Whilst at Drama Centre we were lucky enough to travel and study at the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute in Moscow – this was where we got a lot of our Russian theatre inspiration from. This can come in the form of magical realism; something natural suddenly becoming something much more magical in a matter of moments. This is the Dream Machine in a nutshell. In 2019, we were invited for a residency at the Southern France Au Brana Theatre, with the aim of making a new show. Instead, we ended up delving into long-form improvised magical realism for 2 weeks. It was a hypnotic experience. Nevertheless, we ended that residency without a play. What we did have, however, was a new devising technique: the Dream Machine. This soon became our new improv show. 

    Isn’t improv just an excuse not to prepare an actual show, you know, roll up on the night and just make it up on the spot?

    Haha I think we wish this was the case. Oh the beauty of having lines to fall back on, pre-hearsed fight scenes and songs to bust out. Instead, we all have to trust in each other that we – as a group and without any conferring – are going to somehow make a sensical piece of theatre out of the ridiculous dream we have just heard. That is, I suppose, where the comedy comes from. We didn’t consider ourselves real improvisers for a very long time, but over the last few years we have a new found respect for them. 

    You’ve put this show on before, how weird are the suggestions thrown at you, any you care or dare to share? Do you ever get any suggestions you just have to pass over as too ridiculous?

    There’s never been a situation where we have had to deny someone’s dream. We can’t really imagine this ever happening. But there have been many gloriously odd ones. We have taken cats to space, birthed chickens, gone into the depths of the Earth to meet with a worm council – you name it, we’ve probably done it. In every dream there is a story, even if it seems impossible to find at first. We know that, eventually, if we continue to go down the path of ridiculousness, we will land on it. 

    And if you had to share your own dreams for the show, what oddities would that throw up?

    Honestly, our dreams always end up being far less weird than the audience’s. We will use our own for inspiration during rehearsals but they never have the same randomness or surprise as they do when we’re doing a real show. The bigger the group of people, the more odd dreams to choose from. 

    The show’s on just before Christmas, does that mean you will be throwing in a little seasonal theme here and there?

    Oh yes of course! The christmas spirit will be sure to have a firm place in the show. There will be Christmas bells and chocolates, all with powers to change the course of the show. Mark our words, you will feel the snow practically falling upon your head. The Dream Machine will be christmassy! No doubt about it. 

    What’s harder for you, putting on the improv of Dream Machine or staging a scripted production?

    If you’re talking about before the show, then the Dream Machine is definitely harder. The nerves you feel before a performance is unlike anything scripted. We literally have no idea what’s going to happen. But once it’s started and we’re moving slowly down the path of ridiculousness, then it’s usually freer and funner than a scripted production. 

    We’ve been full of praise for your previous works (Co-op and Sniff), are we going to see a new scripted production from you next year? What else have you got planned for 2023 so far then?

    Both Sniff and the CO-OP are our babies and we had a great time performing and making those. 2023 brings more excitement. We will be performing Sniff at the Jack Studio in early February – a dark comedy about drugs and addiction, set in a pub toilet. What’s not to like? And we will also be working on our new production. This play will be about a haunted pub. We developed it at the Norwich Theatre earlier this year and now plan to finish and perform it in 2023. Keep your eyes peeled for that! 

    And as it’s a Christmas show, if anyone is thinking of bringing along a gift for you, what would you all like?

    Just a pint. Please, for the love of god, if you feel like getting any of us anything, make it a pint at the end of the show. We’d love that. 

    Thanks to the team at Make It Beautiful Theatre for taking time out of rehearsals to chat to us. You can catch The Dream Machine at the Golden Goose Theatre between 19 – 21 December. Further information and bookings here. More

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      Interview: Bringing Oxbridge to Camden

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      Katherine Stockton on her play Colloquium, playing as part of Camden Fringe

      We all know the phrase Oxbridge, a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. It’s a phrase that will conjure up different images to different people. To some a mark of quality, to others it may mean elitism.

      Katherine Stockton’s Colloquium takes us into that world, exploring the lives of stuffy Professors, pompous Candidates, and struggling Students, all suffering under the regime of pressuring higher education.

      The play is one of the first on at this year’s Camden Fringe, with performances 1 to 4 August at Hen and Chickens Theatre. It also then plays for two nights at Kensington’s Golden Goose Theatre (5 and 6 August). Tickets for both venues can be found here.

      Always wanting to further educate ourselves, we thought we’d put on our finest gowns and mortarboard and spend an afternoon in the study with Katherine to talk more about her play.

      The play takes us into the world of our finest places of study, what can you tell us about the play and the characters we’re going to meet?

      The play is most essentially a pulling back of the curtain on the mythic and hidden world of these elite institutions, yes. We are going to meet Alfred; a Professor of English in his last year before retirement, obsessed with leaving a form of legacy behind, Bennett; a junior Professor of English hoping to take Alfred’s job next year, Ben; a seventeen-year-old applicant who has been all but groomed for the interview process, Alice; an applicant to whom this world seems bewildering, George; a PhD student struggling to reconcile his relationship with his working-class, pub quiz loving step-dad, and Anna; a PhD student whose mental health is suffering to the point of giving up on her academic dreams.

      And is the play a one-person show portraying the various characters we encounter, or do you have an ensemble?

      We have a very talented ensemble who are able to bring their own distinct voices to each character who struggle with the pressures of elite education in similar ways, yet often take very different approaches to coping with those pressures.

      You didn’t study at either of the Oxbridge universities, what made you decide to set a play there?

      It didn’t matter so much to place a play where I’ve known. To me, and to most teenagers who go through the UCAS process, Oxbridge is a symbol – a monolith – of excellence. You either make it – become part of the symbol – or live forever outside it. It is the great divider of applicants. Therefore, it felt natural to set a drama within its walls.

      There’s talk of balancing the conflicting hopes of education: to teach for the exam, for success, or to teach for life. Does the play answer which you feel is more vital or just highlight the contradictions that exist?

      The play highlights how impossible both of the strategies are. Under capitalism, under our data-driven, results-driven society, where everything must be quantified and scaled, you cannot teach for life. You must teach for an exam. But you also cannot hope to produce educated, well-rounded citizens of the world if you only take this method. Whichever is ‘better’ cannot be discerned until we realise how to actually do either.

      Do you feel as a country we often give too much reverence just because someone studied at one of the elite universities?

      As someone who did not study there; it is almost impossible to say. Maybe the undergraduates of Oxford did get much better quality teaching than I did at Warwick. I will never be able to know for sure because I wasn’t there. I think it’s that wall that separates the two worlds that the play wants to look at most.

      You’ve clearly looked at their processes deeply to put this play together, do you feel that the universities have changed or is there still a lot of unnecessary tradition at play within them?

      The pomp and ceremony, razzle dazzle of the place is absurd to me. Almost cultish. I am sure those memories of sitting down in gowns and hats to banquets stay with you for life, embedding in you a network and a sense of loyalty that will carry you through your career for as long as you choose to tug on the strings of that network. I feel as though the ritualistic nature of Oxbridge is very much still in place.

      The show has already performed at Bread and Roses, has it changed much since then? Did you learn anything at that run?

      I certainly did. That run was a comedy with dramatic elements. I realised that the themes I want to tackle – how we venerate exceptionalism, the authority of tradition vs. the inevitability of progress, elitism, class, politics, etc – they all leant themselves much better to a drama. A drama with hilarious bits, but a drama nonetheless.

      Why should we come and see Colloquium then?

      Currently, there’s nothing quite like Colloquium out there. It dissects, with wit, and intelligence and humanity, a certain place and time that has yet to be visited on the British stage since the works of Alan Bennett. Come and see it for that.

      And as it’s Camden Fringe, with so much else going on, do you have any recommendations of other shows we should see as well as Colloquium?

      Boiling Frog is a digital event and so accessible to all. It explores the trauma of witnessing the horrific Australian Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/20 using the monologue form. Definitely one I will be looking out for.

      Thanks to Katherine for finding the time to chat to us about Colloquium. You can find out more about the play and book tickets at Katherine’s website here.

      Colloquium plays as part of Camden Fringe at The Hen and Chickens Theatre, 1 – 4 August. More details here and Golden Goose Theatre 5 – 6 August, more info here. More

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      Interview: Chewing The Fat with Chewboy Productions

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      Chewboy Productions on DJ Bazzer’s Year 6 Disco

      Our first podcast features our recent interview Chewboy Production‘s Artistic Director, Georgie Bailey alongside actor Jack Sunderland. The pair talk about their upcoming show DJ Bazzer’s Year 6 Disco, which will be playing at Golden Goose Theatre between 7 and 17 September, plus we discuss their previous works, online theatre, their involvement with Lion and Unicorn Theatre, and their published poety book, Poems While You Poo.

      You can book tickets for the show here.

      The podcast features the full version of the interview. An edited version was originally broadcast on our Runn Radio show on 1 September 2021.

      You can download this podcast by clicking on the forward arrow and selecting the download option. You can also follow us on Spotify for future editions of our interview series.

      The ET Podcast Series

      You can read our previous interview with Georgie Bailey talking about their show Tethered here

      You can read our reviews for their online shows The Zizz and The Process. More

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      Interview: Georgia Harris smells A Rat, A Rat

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      Georgia talks about the play and opening Golden Goose during lockdown

      Listen to our interview with Georgia Harris first broadcast on Runn Radio on 18 August 2021. Georgia is the Artistic Director of Golden Goose Theatre, which is one of London’s newest theatres, having opened first between lockdowns in 2020. She has also directed A Rat A Rat, playing at the theatre until 28 August.

      You can also read an interview we did with Georgia in 2020 just before the venue opened here.

      Part 1: About A Rat A Rat

      Part 2: Directing A Rat A Rat

      Part 3: Golden Goose Theatre – opening a theatre during lockdown

      Part 4: Golden Goose, how it is going so far

      Part 5: What is an Artistic Director

      Part 6: What else is happening in 2021

      Part 7: Back to A Rat, A Rat

      A Rat, A Rat

      Shortlisted for the inaugural Women’s Prize for Playwriting from Ellie Keel and Paines Plough, this play will feature an all female cast and team.

      Charlie has just turned 18. Whilst most would be out enjoying their newly-found adult liberties, Charlie is stuck in a white room with a bed without sheets, a window that doesn’t open, and a rat. She has to adapt fast to this new, sterile world of the adult psychiatric unit if she is to convince anyone that she is well enough to go home to her waiting mum, Vicky. Under the care her over-worked and under-trained key worker Jenny, she learns quickly that she is pretty much on her own. Until Kim turns up.

      This electric new play shines a piercing light into the gaping structural holes of our mental health system, questioning how we as individuals care for one another when our institutions fail us.

      A Rat, A Rat plays at The Golden Goose Theatre until 28 August. Further information and bookings can be found here. More

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      Interview: Natalie Beran tells us about getting Now.Here.This to the London stage

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      Choreography was worked on in the park and (on rainy days) a well-ventilated basement carpark!

      Now.Here.This., besides being a nightmare title to type correctly, is also the latest show from the creators of the big Broadway hit [title of show]. It’s just hit the UK with its professional premier at Golden Goose, before heading to both Chiswick Playhouse and Ram Jam Records in the next month. So, what better time to catch up with one of the show’s producers, Natalie Beran, to find out how the show came to be and the joys of rehearsing in car parks.
      First things first, what’s the show all about then?
      The show follows the evolution and adventures of a group of friends on a day at the Natural History Museum, as they journey through time – from the present to the past and back again. They share their stories about friendship, hoarding, hiding, laughing, living, dying and middle school in an attempt to step directly into that elusive “present moment”: the Now. Here. This.
      And as a Producer, what’s your role in getting it to the stage then?
      Apart from the usual planning – schedules, budgets, grant applications, liaising with venues etc, this time round we’ve been watching a lot of news! Something changes almost every week with covid, what you could do last week or last month, you can’t do today, and depending on restrictions and government announcements we’ll see what happens next week. A lot of adapting and discussions with venues and figuring out how the rules apply to our work. Socially distanced rehearsals and choreography in the park or well-ventilated basement carparks was where you could find us, as rehearsal spaces were not open.
      This sees the shows UK professional premiere, quite a privilege, how did that come about?
      We loved the creators previous production [Title of Show] and felt the characters and stories of Now.Here.This. resonated with life at the moment. With covid restrictions on social distancing etc, we felt the piece could be staged without the cast getting too close to each other but still show their connection. In line with the restrictions that were in place at the time we were looking at rights and small cast shows, Now. Here. This. was available for us to perform across multiple venues and we were able to discuss with the licencing team all the ‘what-ifs’ if there were further lockdowns, postponements or cancellations. 
      The cast and crew seem to have quite an international feel, with members from New Zealand, Sweden, USA as well as a little closer to home. What brought you all together?
      It just so happened that Griffin Jenkins (co-producer) and myself are both in London at the moment, we’d worked together on another musical a few years back in New Zealand. Through each other’s connections, we easily had a great cast and crew ready to get cracking on a project and itching to be creative after lockdown.  
      We couldn’t get through an interview without mentioning lockdown and social distancing, how has that impacted on getting the show ready for the stage?
      Producing during a pandemic is a new one! When we began there were no rehearsal spaces open, so we started with zoom meetings and socially distanced music rehearsals to begin learning the songs. The cast have been fantastic learning everything with masks on. Imagine singing masked up for a full day!
      When the museums began to open again with new booking systems, we went on a ‘character field trip’ to the Natural History Museum. Choreography was worked on in the park and (on rainy days) a well-ventilated basement carpark!  Someone’s workmate was alerted of possible contact with someone with covid, so we self-isolated and got tested, continuing rehearsals online with music tracks and choreography videos recorded to learn with. Everyone thankfully tested negative.
      For stage set/props we’ve kept this very stripped back to both keep things sanitised and for when we move from venue to venue. For marketing we’ve focussed more on social media and our networks, rather than traditional poster / flyer printing. We did some but have been limited in where and how we distribute them. We’ve also made a digital program attached to a QR code for the audience to scan on entry, to reduce the number of things people touch.
      Being really flexible and having an ‘it’ll be alright’ way of working meant we and the venues could adjust how this was going to work every time something changes with the rules. Reduced capacity means a highly reduced budget, so we’ve also done “Crowd-Not-Allowed-Funding” where people who are not comfortable with travelling to a theatre and sitting with strangers at this time can support the production by buying an empty seat from us. (you can find more info on this at www.nowherethisuk.com)
      The show has already opened at Golden Goose, how has that been? Especially given you’re the first big production to hit their stage (the opening show having been a much more simple one-person performance)
      Opening a show at a new theatre space is always exciting and for the Golden Goose team to persevere during covid to get this new theatre up and running has been great to be part of. There is a real buzz from people who are super keen to get back to see some theatre and also interest from other groups to see how the new space may work for their own shows. To see the venue in action the week before we opened there was great, Mark’s show (Living with the Lights on) allowed us to see how the lighting worked, how the seating layout for social distancing and capacity would be worked out each night and how the room sounded. 
      You’re taking the show to Chiswick Playhouse and Ram Jam Records (Kingston), are you going to have to make adjustments given the stage area of those are a lot smaller than Golden Goose’s incredibly generous space?
      We will have to make adjustments and reblock movement and cues for each venue – Golden Goose has a high, larger stage, with the audience on the floor on positionable chairs. The lighting rig is stocked with LEDs. Chiswick (Playhouse) has a slightly smaller stage area but performers will be on the floor with the audience in theatre seating with every second row blocked off. Lighting will be traditional theatre lighting (eg; parcans, gets etc). Ram Jam is very different, traditionally a music venue, so the stage area is smaller again and the audience will be seated pub style at tables and chairs, lighting will be bare / ambient with what’s available usually for musicians/bands. We will adapt as needed to fit the space but keeping the show as much as possible similar to what we’ve rehearsed in each space. 
      Like any touring production we will adjust and keep being flexible to fit the spaces.
      Given the pedigree of the show writers we assume there must be plans to take it further after this run, anything in the pipeline yet, or if not, what are your hopes for it?
      We do hope to take it further and expand our mini-tour. There has been some interest at other London venues as well as outside of London but nothing locked in as everything is hugely dependent on how each region is coping with the new tier systems and ever-changing local restrictions. Some favourite spots just aren’t in a position to plan very far ahead, for fear of further lockdowns or just can’t afford to run on limited capacity etc, so remain closed at this time. With all the uncertainty that also affects the planning for transport, accommodation, marketing, budgets, etc. To work the show into a venue for a lengthy stint would be great, to offer audiences more opportunities to return to more opportunities.

      Our thanks to Natalie for finding the time in what must be a very busy day to chat to us.
      Now.Here.This is playing at Golden Goose until 24 October, before heading to Chiswick Playhouse between 27 and 31 October. It then goes to Kingston-Upon-Thames’ Ram Jam Records from 3 to 8 November. Hopefully further dates will be added later. Check the show’s website for further information. More

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      Interview: Welcome to London’s newest venue

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      Personally, I think you can never have too many theatres, but perhaps I’m biased.

      You may think that the midst of a pandemic might not be an ideal time to open a brand new theatre, but that is exactly what is about to happen in Camberwell’s SE5. So we thought we’d have a chat with Georgia Leanne Harris, Golden Goose’s Artistic Director, to find out about the theatre, what we can expect from them, and of course, what Covid-19 has done to their plans.
      What was the initial inspiration for a brand-new London venue?
      Personally, I think you can never have too many theatres, but perhaps I’m biased. In reality we stumbled across a space that had such great potential, and that wasn’t really being used, and thought, ‘this could be something special’. The inspiration for the venue actually started with the venue itself; it was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss, and all of our plans have grown from there!
      What does Golden Goose offer that may not be available in many other venues?
      I suppose the obvious thing is that we’ve got quite a lot of space! With a lot of fringe theatres having small, black box rooms, we’re hoping to offer another option. We’ve got space and height to allow for those slightly larger casts or a band that some venues just don’t have the room for, and (when we’re allowed to be at full strength), we have the capacity to allow in some good crowds to share the work. 
      How has your thinking had to change due to the current situation?
      It’s absolutely changed how we launched this theatre. We’ve had to adapt like everyone else and look at how we can sustain and support artists and work with the new ‘normal’. We can’t currently host enormous shows, so instead we’ve sought out shows with smaller casts that we can offer space to. This means we’re still supporting artists and actually launching a theatre.
      We’re so incredibly proud of all the artists in our opening season. They are shows that are touring safely, that have come from cancelled events, that are revivals with important things to say. Our building and our community are going to build slowly and safely, but we’re thrilled to be able to adapt so that we can still exist as a new building at all!
      What can we expect to see at Golden Goose?

      I don’t think you can expect a certain type of show from us. We want to become the kind of venue where we ask artists what they want to say and work out how we can facilitate it. At the moment, we’re looking at runs ranging from a couple of nights, research and developments, rehearsed readings, all the way up to runs of 3-4 weeks for fully funded shows who feel they can sustain them.
      We do want to produce in-house shows once or twice a year as well, and this is something we’re looking to do in the spring. But for now, we have an amazing revival of Mark Lockyer’s Living With The Lights On which is full of chaos and hope. We have a UK premier of the musical Now. Here. This‘, and a poignant comedy Howerd’s End which looks at the life of Frankie Howerd and how he was forced to keep his love life a secret.  
      We also can’t wait to welcome Eating Myself by Pepa Duarte, which explores nurturing ourselves, women’s relationships with food and what it means to be Peruvian. And we have lots more coming this year that we aren’t even telling you about yet!

      How are you going to become a vital part of the local community?
      We really want to engage with the local area and provide a space that feels welcoming. Whilst it just isn’t safe or practical right now to have an ‘open doors’ policy, we would love to find a way of creating a place for people to sit and work in our bar during the day, and welcoming local artists into our space.
      We’re also planning further down the line working with teens in the area; offering drama classes and workshops about careers in the creative arts, as well as workshops for locals of all ages from practitioners in various fields. While our community engagement is likely to really kick off in the new year (when we can hopefully start to gather a little more safely) we will still be reaching out this year and making contact to say, ‘we are here, what can we do?’.
      All set for opening night then?
      Of course, we’d love to have a big launch night but that just isn’t feasible right now! Perhaps we’ll throw a delayed welcome night when we host our first in-house production, just so we have some excuse for a party! To me, just welcoming audiences into a building for the first time, especially after so much time apart, and having that first shared experience is a party in itself! 
      Thanks to Georgia for taking the time to talk to us about Golden Goose. The venue opens the doors to its first show on 13 October. We hope to see you all there. More