Committed and Contented. Are we really that disgruntled?

Convener(s): Matt Trueman 

Participants: Emma, Zoe, Rowena, Jenna

Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or recommendations:

This came out of the thought that perhaps this weekend had seemed quite far from being disgruntled as a whole entity. Other than the Arts Council issue, perhaps people hadn’t got all that worked up about things; no one seemed to be calling for a storming of the palace gates; no one was raising issues that seemed to call for real, urgent action.

Instead we had a call for a revolution on a whim, which seemed not to know what it wanted to revolt against, essay help, calls for advice dotted around the space.

However, as this session went on, it became apparent that there were things to feel disgruntled about, that perhaps we just weren’t all that clear about what they were or who/where ‘the enemy’ was. Though we can be content on an individual scale, the overall picture is far less satisfactory: we are entitled to feel disgruntled without being labeled as throwing our toys out of the pram.

What about the support we don’t get? What about disappointment in the work of highly funded bodies?

“This is as much about making better theatre as it is about solving the problems that we face as a body of artists.”