The national conversation about the performing arts
We combined two discussions, one about what it was to navigate the world of theatre with a female body and the other about what it was to navigate that world with a working class voice. There are many parallels. Read more
I called this session because we had a lot of people comment on the lack of a female signatory on the event invitation. I felt this probably said something bigger about the opera industry. I’m a relative newcomer to working in opera, but am very aware of gender imbalance in theatre, so I was curious to find out about similarities and differences. Read more
A session which wanted to look at the importance of having an ensemble ethos in Opera and Theatre Companies and how that worked as an established model in German Theatre and Opera. Read more
Large and small opera companies can share information, especially when programming is related. Large companies can benefit from mentoring small companies by getting foreknowledge of talent coming up and from start-up practices, which are responsive and fast moving. Small companies are more reactive and therefore it pays for large companies to keep tabs on them, which they can do most effectively by supporting them! Read more
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Discussion on the definition of the term opera and what we use it for. Read more
Conversations around diversity are happening but the steps are not being taken to put into practice ; is it a question of programming, to include operas that are representative of other cultures to different audiences? Read more
There is a small repertoire of work - trying to make things work and be current / accessible / contemporary / relevant to people here and now - done right it enhances the story Read more
What is a magical performance? The space sets the tone or mood of the Opera To be a magical performance the atmosphere often starts at the threshold of the building - the arrival and build up to the performance are important. Read more
We thought that people might not want to talk about this subject because most of them are powerless to change the amount of rehearsal time available, and it's quite depressing. However we reached two useful (and connected) conclusions about what we could do as youngish directors Read more
Bigger opera companies looking to small companies for inspiration Difference of scales for production of newly composed work Small opera companies are niche and not in competition, so they should share more - skills, funding, Producing high quality work will get a company noticed by bigger companies Read more
I was a butterfly most of the time, on the lookout for practical suggestions that stood a chance of being implemented in the near future. Read more
I am both devoted and disgruntled in relation to opera. I have been a consumer/opera goer/lover/collector for thirty years. I have written about, commentated upon and reviewed opera in both print and on radio during that time and for the last seven years opera has been the subject of my academic study and detailed research – which has been singer focused – leading to a rigorous three year period of research for my PhD. Read more
In short, it is. In general, we discussed the ‘supremacy’ of music in opera, but the importance of collaboration between the librettist and the composer. Read more
-Which collaborative models exist between opera companies and Higher Education? -What are the opportunities for transition between the two sectors? -Which issues do we need to consider to make collaborative ventures successful? Read more
The term ‘Arts Ecology’ was mentioned a lot in this discussion, reflecting the recognition that we need an arts landscape with different-sized organisations. Leading question - What would the ideal relationship be between an opera company & those companies and artists in its local environment? Access – what do we mean by access? Make a company’s work accessible to others? Allow access to interact with programming and making? Read more
This conversation centred around the idea of creating original, new opera for the medium of film. Something quite different from streamed or filmed staged operas or even opera films such as Kenneth Branagh’s Magic Flute: an entirely new original work of art MADE expressly for film (although it was noted that this didn’t stop piece’s that had been written for the stage being adapted as films) Read more
modernizing for the sake of modernization? vs classical staging - is one allowed to change the words & music when modernising or is it just the set and costume and that makes it “ok”? Read more
Report by John Fulljames, 7 June 2015 1. Collaborating with opera, theatre and music sectors. 2. Diversity not Homegeneity of companies and approaches. Read more
Jean called the session to explore three key points: 1. the art doesn’t really exist until it meets the audience 2. we need to nurture and grow them because unless they are prepared to pay – tickets, tax or donations - opera won’t exist in its current form 3. some of the existing audience is the problem – too clubby and competitive with knowledge Read more
I posted the session on the first day, on the second day I realized the session of introducing a new concept is not important to talk about. Instead I realized keeping music, words and vocal all in conversation to each other going is far more important. I think this is the key of what opera is about. Read more
The session was solved outside the session, it was informally exchanged conversation during the break time in the last two days Read more
The questions came up when I woke up before coming to this #DDOpera event and my reflection seeing Beckett's plays at Barbican Centre on Beckett's season last night. Beckett's works seems so easy to understand now in comparing the old time, I believe. It was simply working with dimensions of time in a literature form. Then I became curious what music, words, visual arts would make from dealing with dimensions of time that we experience the world. Read more
I asked the question because I really want to hear this music performed so it can sound at its best. I may not want to hear opera in a site-specific setting, or from 2 feet away. Read more
Making operas and putting them on for the public is huge fun. Sometimes, though, we can lose track of that and it can become the opposite. I called this session to talk about how to keep it fun. Read more
Key outcome of the meeting was to set up a network for librettists to meet one another and share skills, for composers and others interested in making opera to find collaborators, and those interested to ask advice from others on how to get a foot in the door. Read more
Currently, there is not much opera specifically *for* the internet. –Some smaller, unfinished extracts on soundcloud etc., possibly make opera for this - short extracts with animation (Toria was working on a project called ‘Minute Opera’ along these lines, currently seeking funding) - What are the benefits of opera for the internet? Read more
Funding from the public sector and corporations is declining, and it is becoming increasingly difficult and competitive to attract donations and philanthropic funding. The discussion was mainly about: the diverse sources of funding now proving necessary for opera companies; some of the issues and challenges in attracting this funding; and some of the approaches that might be adopted including a more systematic understanding of the concerns of the donor communities. Read more
There exists an enormous amount of good will and loyalty to the company. All participants involved in the discussion praised several recent artistic successes and expressed the hope that this can continue and grow at a time of ever greater financial pressure. Read more
Mayou, Laurence, Anne, Alexia, Joe, Anna, Catherine, Lila, Tim, Sarah, David, Li and three more people that I don't know the names, helped me to put dreams and hearts into the dolls. On Saturday I ran out of dreams but on Sunday there were plenty of them as people brought me their pillows. We made 15 dolls. Read more
Alexia called the session because she feels that some composers (not all!) don't understand/ respect the text in opera. Read more
Discussion moved from the differences between the UK and US systems to the wider issues within the industry itself Read more
We started by looking at two issues: 1 Can and should opera companies always pay the living wage - as opposed to the minimum wage or asking people to work for free? 2 Should we aim for pay ratios between the highest and lowest members of the team, for example where the best paid person is paid no more than 10 times to lowest paid person? Read more
The session started by asking 'why is opera perceived as elitist?' One particularly strong strand of discussion concerned perceptions of ‘what is opera?’ The media and critics often see opera in opera houses as ‘proper’, and opera in regional theatres, pubs, cinema etc as somehow lesser. Also what the Arts Councils see as opera engagement is important - do cinema and digital count? Read more
Wide-ranging discussion around the topic of how conservatoires train singers in preparation for their entry to the music industry, with some emphasis on working within contemporary opera following graduation. There was a general consensus amongst participants that conservatoire vocal studies/opera departments Read more
Underlying this session title is the question of the limited vocabulary we use when describing opera. This has an impact upon how people who are hearing the marketing therefore perceive the art form prior to encountering it (if we consider the issue of attracting new audiences). Read more
The idea of this session came out from the session yesterday “opera is not about words”, and inspired by the idea about conversation, Improbable's ‘mini-pockets of dandd cards with the open space principles’. I am also very curious about the relationships between each discipline working in opera. Read more
How do people use music in their home games; what could be better? What could we do for stage shows? Read more
From the D&D Satellite, What can role play games and theatre learn from each other? - why do people watch other people playing games, either online or live? What's the appeal for an audience member? Session called by Matt and attended by Amy, Olivia, Chloe, Juwel, Grace and Luke. Read more
Key themes from: Devoted & Disgruntled: What action can we take as the arts sector in response to the proroguing of parliament? Written for a meeting of the What's Next? Young Vic chapter Read more
We live now in information - it is our environment. An aspect of what we can do in response to current events is the information we have about what's actually going on. Perhaps if we can clean up the information environment we will make better decisions about what to do next. Read more
Changing the narrative between politicians and artists by using the super powers of each. Read more
"Withdrawing labour as a freelance Artist" Is this useful? How can we do this? Why would we do this? What are the barriers? To what end? Read more
Discussion about the stat that successful rebellions happen when 3.5% of a population are mobilised (which is around 2million people in the UK). How to do it? What it is? Read more
The right is very good at controlling the narrative – how can the Left tell better stories? Read more
How we can marry street art and 'taking to the streets'. Call out to those who want to join tomorrow's (7th Sept) protest outside Downing Street at 2.30pm Read more
A simple proposal for a symbolic political action: a synchronised banana-waving mass happening that will convey in a visually powerful way opposition to the strategic project of Boris & Co, namely, turning the UK into a hard-right banana republic. Read more
A session at the 6/9/19 D&D gathering at Battersea Arts Centre looking at the arts sectors' response to the proroguing of Parliament. This quote from a Yeats poem is one that is used very heavily as a provocation in the literature sector - I wanted to see what would happen to it when most of the people in the room were from other sectors. This is a rough chronological account of the conversations which took place. Read more
Our question was one of many, posed, by those that attended Open Space event at #physicalfest2019 the focus being working-class females and their access to leadership in the arts. Read more
Schools still run on a 19th Century industrialised model; how can improvisation support a more holistic approach to education that helps young people tackle the complex challenges that the future holds? Read more
To get more diversity in our arts scene we will need to deal with the emotional undercurrents that are fueling our behaviour and impeding progress. What solutions do we have for addressing this? We did focus on what it means to be a woman who is doing this. What is below is not a prescription, rather a record of our discussion. Read more
"How do we improve female working class visiblility in the arts?" was the question posed at the start of day. As a female arts sector leader (Festival Director - therefore a programmer, fundraiser, commissioner, debater, network lead/contributor, ambassador, etc), I felt it was important to ask what people wanted or needed from me, as someone who has a voice -in certain spaces- to offer. I was trying to buck the assumption that I would already know what women wanted from their peers and lead Read more
We are improvisers who are working, playing and researching with kids across a range of settings - community projects, camps, schools, families, impro classes. We shared our experiences and wondered about working and playing with mixed groups of adults and kids (eg families, communities) with impro. We thought about responsibilities and care associated with working and living with kids. We asked questions, also raised elsewhere at the Symposium, about perceptions of "accepting" or "blocking" in Read more
How can we better develop the connection between main stage and education/participation work? Is there a stigma attached to participation work from an audiences perspective that means they don't attend performances with this at its heart? Do audiences fear it will be of lesser quality therefore not want to risk wasting their valuable money? Read more
A wide-ranging discussion about the role of the Vocalist within Opera Read more
The use of co-productions between opera houses across different parts of the world is claimed to be a way to pool companies’ resources and save money. However, is a consequence of this practice that such productions are likely to communicate less effectively with the audience of any single theatre because they are trying to reach too many different audiences at the same time and because taste varies so greatly across the world? Read more
Charlotte called the session because, not being a musician herself, she often wonders whether she is really an ideal opera critic (her reviews coming from a dramatic, rather than musicological standpoint). Michelle also called the session, having identified several unanswered questions about critics and their working process in the course of her professional experience. Read more
In this session, we explored the prospects for opera in the coming decades and discussed its sustainability as a form. Read more
This session is created by accident. Read more
We discussed the concept of “Regietheater” - what it means. Some people had heard the word ‘Eurotrash’ also applied to this type of opera production which seemed to provoke some strong reactions. Read more
This is an open space session I facilitated at the G I I symposium on Friday morning 17 May. How I introduced the session: I am a racist. Not because I intentionally discriminate or harm people outside my own race, but because I was brought up in a racialised system. Because of this, I may behave and speak in a discriminatory and hurtful manner without noticing. Some call it “unconscious bias“. I think it is time we take responsibility and become conscious. To experiment with new and un Read more
This Open Space covered a wide range of subjects including gender, ethnicity, stage allies, pre- and post-show ally-ship, awareness, play and best practice. It was convened by Stephen Davidson (Author: Play Like An Ally and Improvising Gender; Artistic Director: Improvable; Nursery Theatre: Training Centre Manager), Minder Kaur Athwal (Facilitator), Victoria Hogg (Founder: DDG Improv and The Offer Bank). NB. These notes are not perfect! They were taken long-hand in the moment and are a startin Read more
This is added to Richard Coaten's report of this event: https://www.devotedanddisgruntled.com/blog/you-be-me-mental-health-improvisation-and-dementia-1317 Read more
Why was there an absence of younger improv troups & artists? What generation is GII tailored for? Does time & experience equate to best practice? How can we make this an intergenerational space and open up the 'inner circle'? Will that create better opportunities for both emerging artists and established improvisers? Read more
A discussion about how to create a genuinely safe and open atmosphere in improv classes from the first class someone takes. How do we protect students from potentially harmful experiences which can arise from the rigidity or literal interpretation of 'Yes, and' ? Read more
These are notes taken as Guy Hartnell shared about the Oogly Boogly project, where performers improvised with babies by copying their movements and sounds, while the babies' parents watched. It took place inside a large inflatable venue. The notes were taken by Catherine Ryan. Read more
This was an experimental workshop combining the work of Frank Torino and Richard Coaten who met on the pavement on the way to Day 4. I discovered Frank had an interest in mental health and in improv work with theatre students in Denmark, mine was in how carers of people living with dementia might benefit from having access to improvisation and its role in maintaining their resilience, quality of life and relationship with their loved ones...meta theme - great link made between Franks' You Be Me' Read more
A session at GII 2019, aimed at looking at how we look after the psychological, spiritual, social and physical needs of ourselves and our students/participants in improvisation classes and sessions. Read more
I went to a talk at the Italian Cultural Institute featuring an English playwright and an Italian playwright, each speaking their own languages. I sat in the audience wearing headphones, and a ‘simultaneous translator’ hid behind the curtain with a microphone, speaking English in my ears while the Italian playwright spoke. It felt like I could understand Italian. I want to make a show that feels like that. Read more
Voila! Europe Theatre Festival cultivates European theatre in London. Beyond our annual festival, we want to help artists connect and collaborate, and create opportunities for cross-cultural exchange. Read more
Deptford Lounge 'Writting: what do you need, and what can you share?' Read more
This was one of the most incredible Devoted and Disgruntled sessions that I have attended. It was at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the discussions featured a heartwarming group of individuals whose collective experiences, knowledge and intellect on the issue of inclusivity in training fed a really important and intriguing session. Read more
The challenges faced by emerging writers, and ways to approach them Read more
Day 3 of D&D 2019 - A practical discussion about how we can organise physical meet-up for 'Awesome women in the Arts' and what format etc that meeting should take. Read more
We talked about the practical reasons why only 1% of theatre in the UK is in translation, and tried to identify barriers to getting non-UK work put on here, then find some practical approaches to overcoming them. Although we may have asked more questions than we had answers, we began with frustration and ended feeling actually quite practical and hopeful! Read more
An action group to introduce artists and venues/programmers Read more
Exploration of the Ethics of working with audiences and breaking the expected theatre space. Read more
A range of views and experiences: how to sustain work within the current funding structures and views on future problems. And a proposal via Equity for a future new structure based on Provision and Distribution of arts, on providing work to a good level for those trained and aspiring to work in the the arts, and on properly paid work rather than on the restrictive "portfolio" and "excellence". Read more
Skill sharing session of simple body, mind, spirit practices. Read more
The Change of Art collective wanted to call a session exploring the ways in which creatives can work with local people, communities and stories. Read more
How can theatres commissioning devised work + work created through experimental processes better support and facilitate the practical realisation of that work? A proxy session called by Ellan Parry, hosted at DandD14 by Kath Burlinson Read more
“How can the ancient symbols of clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds animate your work practices? You’re doing your best with the hand you’re dealt but things can feel limited no matter how lucky you feel or how strategically you play. Don’t come to brush up your bridge skills or practice your poker face but to unpack the archetypes that are hidden within your own story. Enjoy digging into fresh ideas and discover a trove of diamonds right under your feet! Elspeth Murray brings to the table over Read more
Having produced a sell out show called "Ferguson's Gang" at The Yvonne Arnaud's Mill Theatre in Guildford last September I am looking for the best way/s of being able to take it to wider audiences without losing my shirt! Read more
The majority (perhaps all?) current conversation within our sector around access for Neurodiverse people, concerns audiences, and artists. And predominantly that conversation centers around individuals or groups who have additional learning disabilities. It is no surprise that we consider that a lack of intellectual disability means that there will be no barriers to access, but it is disappointing that this is still the prevailing belief. Without taking anything away from those important conver Read more
Over the last few years the reliance on the producer model for independent artists has become ever more prevalent. What are the current conversations we're having about the producer model in the freelance/independent arts Read more