Deborah Williams, 26 January 2013

Session called to talk about the lack of being able to travel through life, theatre and the

performing arts with multiple identities. Stereotypes and enforcing identity.

We talked about black, white and margins - agreeing that the need would always

remain for the extremes, but the middle bit was the most important as that is where

things come from, how we are able to have the tainting of the mainstream and the

appropriation of the exotic and other.

Being invisible can be good, playful and powerful but is that allowed within the current

structures, or is it all mournful ‘woe is me’ issue based work that drives people away

and seeks only to conform?

We wondered if the good years had made us - as a collective sector - less able to deal

with and be creative during the new lean years. If the young pups of old had actually

become the old pups of now. If there was something to be done around asking then

what they were doing to enable and facilitate the next generation, boundary breakers,

s***stirrers, challengers and people who will displace them.

Is there going to be more opportunity now that all the funding is being cut? Will more

dynamic work be created? will the margins begin to flourish again? What will all of

those people with degrees actually be able to do? How do you make and/facilitate

theatre with a BA/MA/PhD?

There is a lack of passion, of possability, of risk. Fear is the dominant feature now and

it is having an impact on how people are being able to identify and be who/what they

want to be.

We talked about money, which was inevitable. There was also some discussion about

business models and the institutionalization of creativity and questions about what the

impact of that is on the people who are able to gain work, profile, experience. There

was a mention of the ‘What Next’ group and how they were going to get the money

together to employ a lobbyist, and that they were well connected so independents and

‘others’ would have access to the group and be able to inform and influence the

process.

We did not come up with any answers at all just a hell of a lot more questions.

Tags:

Race, Theatre, Disabled, Diversity, disabled, queer, women, hot to handle, race,

diversity, crip, theatre