All Schools Should Be Art Schools

Starring Holly Lucas

The first run of the show was to mark the 170th anniversary of the NTU arts school, where did the decision come from to rerun the performance?
I suppose because it went so well. It was really busy, we were turning people away for tickets and there was a lot of interest in the subject matter in terms of history of the city. I spoke to the vice chancellor and said "You’ve invested in the script, the set and the actors who have learnt it all and we only did two performances, so why not do it again?" And this time in the Waverley theatre, in the very building the play is about. Now the play will be part of the new students Fresher’s experience, Which was crucial is that not that many students were able to see it the first time around, when actually that’s who the play should be for because it’s about the institution they are about to spend three years in. We are reshaping it to make it a little bit shorter, a little bit more contemporary in feel and really targeting an audience of young people.

How will the play adapt to the new location, having been moved from The Castle to the Waverley building?
One of the beauties but challenges of the original production was that it was held in the long gallery at the castle, which is as the name suggest is a very long gallery. It was beautiful and actually had hung on the walls some of the paintings that are mentioned in the play, but from a theatrical point of view it was difficult; it has got a terrible acoustic making sound tricky, and because of the long thin shape we had the audience stood up in a promenade. With the new space the sound will be better, people will be sat down and more comfortable; all of the same messages get put across but in a more focused way.

What can first time viewers expect when they come to see this performance?
It’s genuinely fascinating history but told with a vibrant theatricality. We’ve put songs in it and the characters are larger than life. Even If you’re not into history but you like interesting characters and the madness you can expect from the type of people involved in an arts school then come along.

 

What specific ideals does the play aim to provoke in the audience in terms of the importance of arts in education and how do your personal thoughts tie into this?
The play came about at a time when the arts were under attack by the government, so it was a good time to put together a play with the message it has, and as you can imagine as someone who works in the arts I completely subscribe to that. I think an important part about this piece is it is particularly about young people and emerging artists and that if we are not nurturing and inspiring them then it is a dereliction of duty and our amazing culture will die. It is a blunt message I guess, and it’s bluntly said. There are some great examples of plays that put across both sides of the argument and tease out their point, but this pretty much from the beginning says ‘art is great, all schools should be art schools.’

This play is quite unique in that it tells the story not through one seamless narrative but through a selection of moments over time. Did this make it a challenging piece to direct?
This was not so much challenging for myself as much as it was for the actors. We’ve got four actors playing about twelve parts, so it was a challenge for them in terms of embodying all the different characters. I think one of the challenges, which I’m sure Michael Eaton (writer) would acknowledge, is keeping the piece flowing and keeping it sharp because when something is episodic like that, you can tend to switch off if each new chapter isn’t bringing something fresh and interesting, so I hope we have avoided that with this piece.

How important was it to get current students of art involved in the production?
It was important to the university as well as to me that the students were as involved in the creation of it as much as possible. This time around we have stripped it down to only the four professional actors, but the first time around we had about eighteen students in the play, a student designing with an assistant, I had two assistant directors and we had a student photographer, students’ videoing and students creating the projections. There was lots of students from various departments and it gave it a vitality but also it would have been bonkers not to. We were creating a piece of art, in an art school, about the importance of young people creating art, so if there weren’t young people involved it would have been madness.

You have been involved in a number of performances at Nottingham theatres. What is your favourite thing about the city?
It’s difficult to pick just one. I love both of the universities, having done work at both. I actually love the trams. They are terribly efficient and a great way to get around, and they’ve opened a new line which runs to the lakeside which is great. Do we have as vibrant an arts culture scene as id like? No. There’s things I’d like to see done better by some of the larger organisation, but there is a lot going on and I’ve always enjoyed being a part of that and trying to make new projects happen, particularly for emerging artists, small scale theatre work and new writing. There is a lot happening culturally but there’s room for improvement.

Starring Stephen Godward
 

Could you give any advice to our readers who might be young/emerging artists trying to break into the arts scene?
No one is going to do it for you. People will help you, they will want you to do well, but in the end the people who succeed are the people who really work their arse off. If you are a writer, write, send it out. If you are an actor, practice your craft. Don’t worry about impressing other people, just be awesome and success in whatever form will come.

What has been the best part about working on this project?
I’ve really enjoyed finding out stuff that I had no idea about. I wasn’t aware of Laura Knight, one of the schools most established alumni, before I started the play. Michael Eaton, the writer, is a great researcher.

Do you think this is it for All Schools Should be Art Schools or would you like to see it shown again in future?
There aren’t currently plans to do any more. I’d like to see it have a future, it would be great to do it every year for the new fresher’s coming in, but I suspect this will be the end of it.

Is there anything else you would like to say to LeftLion readers?
The play is about a really important part of the history of this city and anybody who lives here should come and see it.

All Schools Should Be Art Schools