A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT This autumn the Royal Exchange welcomes back award-winning, internationally renowned theatre company Paines Plough in association with Òran Mór. They bring their successful series of A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT to Manchester audiences offering 45 minute long performances that come with a side order of a tasty pie and a refreshing pint included in the ticket price.

Featuring three world premieres by the UK’s hottest playwrights – Leo Butler, Katie Douglas and David Watson - the format is informal and the

productions are ‘stripped down,’ ‘bite-sized’ and ‘unplugged’, but the quality of writing is far from sparse. This allows the individual voices of each award-winning playwright to come to the fore. A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT is already a successful lunchtime theatre series that has become a weekly event at Òran Mór, a vibrant Cultural Centre in Glasgow’s West End for a number of years. The Royal Exchange is one of the regional venues presenting this popular event as part of a national tour. Paines Plough is a leading new writing company with a proud banner for commissioning and producing new plays and helping playwrights develop their craft. Collaboration with companies like Paines Plough is one of our priorities as the Royal Exchange builds on its reputation as a centre for new writing. The informality and flexibility of A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT is an accessible entry point for people that have never been to the theatre before; offering a non-intimidating theatre going experience for all. The three pieces - all world premieres and directed by Paines Plough Artistic Directors George Perrin and James Grieve - complement our core programming and commitment to new writing. A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT is playing lunchtimes and early evenings, and in these wallet tightening times what could be better value than a play, a pie and a pint all for a tenner? 19-22 Oct DIG by Katie Douglas 26-29 Oct YOU CANNOT GO FORWARD FROM WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW By David Watson 2-5 Nov YOUNG OSAMA By Leo Butler

Weds - Sat. Pies served from 6.30pm. Performance 7pm Matinees Thurs & Sat. Pies served from 1pm. Performance 1.30pm Tickets £10/£7 IN THEIR OWN WORDS Your support helps us in areas of work stretching beyond what you see on our stages. We thought you might like to read some feedback from some of our recent projects as an example of how your support really can make a difference. Behind the Scenes Work Week … takes place twice a year and provides young people with a real vocational experience. “My daughter has just had the best time with you. Every day she

returned home brimming with enthusiasm… this has been a

wonderful opportunity that I know she will never forget.” Parent Feedback

Young People’s Theatre Workshop … offers young people aged 14-19 the opportunity to further their own creative development by investigating approaches to making theatre in a professional environment.

“The group has made a great deal of difference to Archie …His

confidence has increased so much. He is really like a

different person I know it gave him a much needed boost. I am certain the skills he has learnt with the group will carry over into other

areas of his life.” Parent Feedback

Songlines …The Royal Exchange Theatre worked in partnership with Manchester Camerata on a distinctive project to engage young people aged 10-14 who were diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder specifically Aspergers. “Harrison has enjoyed the company of the other children and has improved his socializing skills whereby he can join in more freely with people he doesn’t know………..The value in my opinion is that it has helped my son to express himself musically and socially. He has also bonded with the other group members………l hope you can find the

funding to keep your good work going, it is an enlightening experience that should be available to all children. It can help them

achieve their potential.” Parent Feedback

The Royal Exchange Theatre Supporters’ Newsletter Issue 10 – August 2011

Backstage

New & Renewed Support ‘Backstage’ would like to thank and welcome all new and renewed supporters

Trusts and Foundations N Smith Charitable Settlement The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust

Individual Membership Stephen & Judy Poster

Floor Plaques Doreen and Bert Dawson Bryn Owen

Spotlight Backstage – Page 2 NEW WRITERS DOMINATE THE BRUNTWOOD We are thrilled to announce that 2,188 plays have been submitted for the 2011 Bruntwood Prize. This is a record number of entries and it is particularly exciting that over half of the writers entering this year had never written a play before. The competition now embarks on a reading process that shapes the 100 strong list of writers who will receive detailed feedback and a report on their work, from which a shortlist of ten will go forward to the judging panel for the awards. The winners of the £16,000 first prize and the three further awards of £8,000 will be announced at a special awards ceremony on the 15th November 2011.

Since its inception in 2005 The Bruntwood has resulted in nine prize winners and six productions, including some that have toured to London following premieres at The Royal Exchange Theatre.

‘New writing is crucial for the future of theatre and for attracting new and younger audiences. Already this year over 30,000

people have seen a Bruntwood-winning play and we are extremely proud to be involved

with such a prestigious prize.”

Michael Oglesby, Chairman of Bruntwood and competition judge

FIVE MINUTES WITH… ANDY SHERIDAN ‘Backstage’ caught up with Andy Sheridan, one of the winners of the 2008 Bruntwood playwriting competition and author of WINTERLONG.

What other writing projects have you been working on? I’ve just finished my next play called Hope Light and Nowhere which I’m really excited about. I’ve just started an attachment with The National Theatre and have been asked to write a play for them in eight weeks. I’m quite a slow writer so the prospect is quite daunting. I might be collaborating with Rupert Goold and his company ‘Headlong’ on their play Decade which marks the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. There are other projects closer to home. I’m working with ‘Cheapseats’ on a Halloween project which will go on in The Studio at The Exchange and also ‘Fink on Theatre’ writing a site specific play that will hopefully take place in the underground tunnels of Manchester city centre.

What are the plans for WINTERLONG? WINTERLONG is getting its Swedish premiere in Gothenburg in November and its Norwegian premiere in Oslo early next year. It is also getting a lot of attention in Germany, Finland and Denmark as well as in the U.S.

Why do you think it’s important to support and develop new writing? New writing is the writing of tomorrow and we have a duty to develop and support those playwrights. It is that philosophy that has made this country the epicentre of theatrical brilliance throughout the world. If we don’t carry on supporting this rich heritage I believe there is a real chance of it suffering irrevocable damage under the savage and short-sighted cuts this coalition is fostering. What motivates and inspires you to write? Observations of life, wanting to get a message out there…Everything I suppose. WINTERLONG was performed in The Studio at the Royal Exchange Theatre in February 2011 followed by a run at the Soho Theatre, London in March 2011.

Interview Backstage – Page 3 IN CONVERSATION WITH…POLLY FINDLAY

Award-winning young director Polly Findlay will be making her directorial debut at the Royal Exchange this autumn with C. P. Taylor’s modern classic GOOD. Polly was the recipient of the prestigious JMK Trust’s young theatre director award in 2007, an award set up to give directors under 30 the opportunity to stage a show. She was also awarded the 2006-07 Bulldog Bursary award at the National Theatre Studio. Polly has previously acted at the Royal Exchange as Natasha in THREE SISTERS in 2008.

What has been your Royal Exchange journey?

It'll be the first time I'm directing in a theatre that I've performed in, which I'm very much looking forward to. I think that being on stage every night really fast-forwards your understanding of the relationship between the actors and the audience, and so the chance to stage a story in a space that I know from the inside out is a real gift. I hope that it'll

allow me to be bolder and to make stronger choices than I might otherwise have felt able to. The Exchange has been absolutely instrumental in helping me develop my own practice; working as an actor in the building gave me an invaluable insight into how a production can grow and refine over the course of the run as well as the rehearsal period. I hope that these discoveries are something that I've been able to take into my own work as a director.

Why is it important that the Royal Exchange Theatre is working with directors under 30?

It makes all the difference in the world to be given the chance to work in big spaces while you are developing your craft. The tendency is for younger directors to be given smaller studio spaces to work in, which of course makes sense up to a point: but you reach a stage when you need to start running marathons rather than keep practising your hundred metres! Giving younger directors the chance to flex their imaginations in the main space is an incredibly valuable thing to do - the Royal Exchange Theatre is equipping the next generation of theatre directors with the tools to do their job properly.

How do we ensure classic pieces of theatre are relevant today and appeal to new audiences whilst meeting the expectations of established audiences?

I think that the defining characteristic of a classic is that it has the potential to speak both to completely new and more established audiences. The director's responsibility is to

unlock that potential by opening up a fresh perspective on the play. That's not to say that every new production should necessarily be zanier or more avant-garde than the last, but rather that as a director your job is to be ruthlessly honest about what the play means to you, and to your cast. I think that when you see a classic piece that has been put together with that kind of integrity, then there is inevitably a freshness to it which does make it accessible to audiences across the

board.

What can we look forward to with GOOD?

I hope that GOOD is going to be an exhilarating evening in the theatre. The play charts the journey of one man from being a professor of moral philosophy in 1930s Germany to becoming one of the monsters of Auschwitz - but although the subject matter could not be weightier, the play's treatment of it is incredibly deft and surprising. The location changes every half page or so, and as a result the story moves very fast and very fluidly. Because the play is set inside the lead character's head, the stage is populated with all kinds of weird and wonderful characters, and the narrative is punctuated by strange events - one minute we are watching Halder talk to a hybrid of Hitler and Charlie Chaplin, and the next Marlene Dietrich pops up out of a coffee pot to sing Falling In Love Again. With any luck it should be a roller-coaster for the audience.

GOOD will be performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre 12 October – 5 November 2011

Introducing Backstage – Page 4 REGIONAL THEATRE YOUNG DIRECTOR SCHEME Introducing Max Webster

The Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme is the UK's longest running and most influential training scheme for young directors. The purpose of the scheme is to provide exceptional training for the directors of the future. Every year up to three directors are awarded bursaries enabling them to spend one year based in a UK theatre. This year the Royal Exchange is thrilled to be one of three participating theatres and looks forward to working with young director Max Webster. During his twelve month attachment at the Royal Exchange Max will gain experience in all aspects of the theatre's operations and will undertake a programme of training to include assisting on productions. ‘Backstage’ catches up with Max as he embarks on his year long attachment. What has been your Royal Exchange journey so far and what to you hope to gain from the experience? So far I’ve only ever been in the audience at the Royal Exchange, so I’m very excited to meet everybody who works here and

see what goes on behind the scenes. Being on the ITV Regional Young Director Bursary means I get to really learn about how the theatre actually works: not just how different actors and directors rehearse, but also the whole process of programming, putting together creative teams, casting, marketing and all the extraordinary backstage and education work that goes on throughout the year. As a freelance director you move so fast from project to project that you don’t often get to grips with how a theatre is run on a day to day basis. I hope my time at the Royal Exchange will give me a fuller understanding of what it means to lead a theatre, develop my practice as a theatre director, and give me the opportunity to get to know a whole new set of possible collaborators for future projects. Why do you think it’s important for the Royal Exchange Theatre to be working with young directors? Theatre is such a practical, hands on thing that you can’t really learn to direct just from studying or from books, you have to get stuck in and be involved in making it. So it’s key that flagship theatres, like the Royal Exchange, actively engage in training the next generation of theatre makers. Opportunities like this are really scarce and precious. I can’t think of a better place to learn than the Royal Exchange, alongside some of the most experienced and inspiring actors, directors, writers, as well as an extraordinary production team and education department. And in return, hopefully, we young directors bring something fresh to the place where we are training: lots of energy, optimism and new ideas

about the future of theatre. I suppose it’s about passing on a tradition - but at the same time also injecting new life into that tradition. What are you most looking forward to during your time at the Royal Exchange? I’m looking forward to all of it! I am lucky enough to get to work with a huge range of theatre-makers over the year, and I’m looking forward to getting to know all of them - as well as the home team at the Royal Exchange. It will be fascinating to watch how The Bruntwood unfolds and get lost in all the different imaginative worlds proposed by the writers. I think Truth About Youth sounds like a really important and inspiring project, and I can’t wait to be involved. I am also looking forward to getting to know Manchester better. A couple of years ago I spent a few months here teaching drama and really enjoyed the city. It feels like a place with a lot of energy, where many things are possible. I think it will be exciting. ‘Backstage’ will be back to revisit Max as he nears the end of his attachment. Watch this space! Did you know? Amongst previous Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme trainees is Jo Coombs who was awarded a bursary to the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2002. Jo then went on to become an Associate Director at the Royal Exchange and is currently working for the BBC.