With casting and rehearsals soon to be underway for York Theatre Royal and Riding Light Theatre’s latest community production His Last Report, we caught up with co-director Paul Birch to find out more about the process of making a show on this scale…
Paul is Artistic Director of Riding Lights Theatre Company with a background in playwrighting, improv, directing and applied community theatre.
This year’s summer community production at York Theatre Royal will focus on York’s famous social reformer Seebohm Rowntree, whose reports on the causes of poverty helped to lay the foundations for the welfare state. Hundreds of local people will be involved in the making of the show – both off and on stage.
Here’s what Paul had to say about the show…
How do you feel about co-directing a production with so many volunteers involved?
In short, very excited! How many times in your professional life do you get to work on a show of this scale with so many community artists? There is a real joy in seeing how people flourish when they get involved in this kind of opportunity. I am co-directing with Juliet [Forster] and it’s so brilliant to be working with her again on such an ambitious creative project. There’s a real delight in knowing that there will be so many people who will get to be a part of the project and to see it come to life together.
On behalf of the whole team at Riding Lights too, we are just delighted to be back making work with York Theatre Royal after previous community productions Two Planks and a Passion and the Mystery Plays. Community theatre is just so special and I feel incredibly proud that here in York we have built a tradition of making these productions on such a grand scale.
What has the process been like so far?
It’s been brilliant to work with Juliet and the writers Misha and Bridget on the early drafts of the play and the process of working it up into a production draft. We had over 100 actors joining us for the introductory workshops and it was an absolute joy to meet them all and to start to delve into the world of the play in creative and playful ways. Next up, we have a series of workshops focusing on physicality and movement and character development which will be great opportunities for our volunteers to try out some new things and learn new skills.
What are you most looking forward to about directing His Last Report?
There is something so special about what happens in a rehearsal room – the relationships that develop and the joy that making a piece of community theatre brings. The rehearsal process can be such an empowering and liberating experience, and I can’t wait to go on that journey with the cast. I also can’t wait to see the effect the show has on our audience members. The play has a lot of important things to say and it’ll be great for the cast and all the volunteers to see how they are part of saying something really powerful for now!
The show also includes a cast of young people and this intergenerational aspect will be really wonderful to see develop. It’ll be great for the young actors to work with older people and to learn from each other. I am looking forward to seeing all the energy, vigour and skill the young people bring to their roles!
What can audiences expect from His Last Report?
I would say that every good period drama is really saying something important about the present. The writers, Misha and Bridget, have done a brilliant job of talking about poverty in way that I think will surprise audiences. It’s not just a dramatised historical record of the struggles of the time. We all know things were bad, but what the writers do with the play is to deal with the subject matter in a really creative way. Audiences can expect comedy, theatricality and spectacle – and to definitely be surprised!
What would you say to anyone thinking about signing up to be involved in the backstage volunteer teams for the show?
Please do come and get involved! We need your help to make something really brilliant happen. The play talks about the importance of Seebohm Rowntree’s wider team who helped in tackling the problems of poverty and supported the family, and the same is true for a community production. It’s about everyone coming together both off stage and on to make a show on this scale a success. It’s a really wonderful opportunity for people to try something new, be creative and be a part of something bigger.
His Last Report is at York Theatre Royal from Tue 22 Jul to Sun 03 Aug.
Find out more information and book your tickets here.
Volunteer opportunities will be announced across the YTR social media channels – sign up to the newsletter to hear the latest news on how to get involved.
Photo credit; Natasha Sinton
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