Midish project report to the Arts Council

Please don't let the slightly formal title put you off - although I do hope the midish word softens you in! I hope you find this blog as playful as the others, whilst serving a purpose/to inform - mirroring the piece itself...

Hugh Malyon gazing to the right of an Image taken on the first devising session in mums living room, after the amazing news that we received Arts Council England funding! Danish pastries and strawberries, some essential ingredients for a creative session

Image taken on the first devising session in mums living room, after the amazing news that we received Arts Council England funding! Danish pastries and strawberries, some essential ingredients for a creative session

So you may have gathered by now that Arts Council funding is a big deal! Notably we have their logo on all our marketing material. This comes alongside Doorstep Arts, who have match funded from their Spark and Grow pot...and have been a crucial lifeline with support and advice and Animate Theatre, who are providing support in kind with regular check-ins and help with front of house.

Graphic of flyer which you may have seen around with Arts Council England, Doorstep Arts and Animate Theatre logos

Graphic of flyer which you may have seen around with Arts Council England, Doorstep Arts and Animate Theatre logos

I think being able to put the three logos on our material is a massive deal! Firstly, it shows that ACE really did say yes after hours spent filling and refilling their online application form. Being rejected twice and crying in front of their email which said 'Unfortunately not this time' made the third time lucky even more amazing and special. It is a reminder that my art practice is valued both locally and nationally. It's a reminder that local artists and culture are continuing to be supported in the South West!

The actual logistics of managing ACE funding is a bit of a headache but a worthwhile one. Jen and I sit in front of a complicated looking spreadsheet with thousands of pounds worth of project layed out in front of us and it's our duty to spend it in the best way to support the project...I think we're doing well - we haven't quite broken into the contingency budget yet...Yet! So what have we achieved so far?

From the start of the project until now, through ACE and Doorstep funding, we have had:

Five Research and Development sessions (two hours of crazy devising, a lot of laughing, scripting and general creativity) with five local artists including: myself a disabled artist; a father of two; a female technician; and a developing artist who has never performed in front of a paying audience before.

Seven rehearsals (as above just with four hours)

Two Scratches... Both at Theatre Royal Plymouth to local artists and producers - forty and ten in the audience respectively

Three performances... Our opening night at the Phoenix with fourteen paying members of the public and two performances at South Devon College - with eighty-six and five respectively (eighty-six was a huge number for us made up of students and tutors from the college - all seats were given for free to allow local young people, in particular those starting their journey in the arts, to experience our performance)

Two workshops/CPD... One with Plymouth School of Creative Arts, eighteen participants all fourteen to fifteen years old, exploring theatre making and creativity... One with Erin Walcon and Applied Drama students at Exeter University

Hundreds of photos have been taken by Emily - a local and quite brilliant independent photographer

Thousands of Facebook and Twitter likes/reactions/retweets and comments

An infinite amount of emails, meetings, chats about the piece, introductions and much much more

And we've still quite a good chunk of the project to go!

Back to my uniqueish word midish...we're not quite mid stage but it felt like the right time to create this blog. The bulk of the work has already been done - the devising, making and rehearsing, as well as two venues - three performances are in the bag ! Much of that magic most people will not be privy to (apart from maybe these reflective blogs). All these magic moments and sessions are payed tribute to in the public performance. Yet, it is the case for all performance that those hours that are so sacred to the company will never be truly shared with the outside world - they are our moments! Perhaps this is why we feel this mid project report should being written now. It feels right now we are in the middle of our tour. With the end being the beginning of something new, the middle can be a concept of achievement rather than a fixed point of trepidation or celebration. This leads to our excitement for the next time we get to share YMMV.

See you there on the fifteenth of November at the Palace Arena or join us when we take YMMV on the road to Plymouth!