Learning Things

I’m currently involved in a huge learning curve. I consider my internship with Proto-type to be a fantastic source of artistic education; through Proto-type I’m learning a lot about how to run and manage a theatre company, how to organise rehearsal time effectively and how to promote work. The guys have been a great support to me and have really helped making the daunting step beyond university a lot easier to handle. Also I would like to sing the praises of new admin lady Lisa for offering lots of advice about working as an emerging theatre maker – she has been really great.


I recently took part in a free learning course designed for self employed artists/ art workers. It was a bit of an eye opener in some respects; I think I’ve been so busy thinking about how to go about working in theatre that I hadn’t even considered wider issues of work i.e. health insurance, pension schemes, Inland Revenue (as soon as I start getting paid to make work). Some of the advice I am willing to ignore. The course leader suggested that I should only check my emails twice a day but I mean come on, what if something important happens and I can only deal with it with a prompt email response? It caused absolute outrage when I casually said that I don’t expect to receive any money for the work I create in the next year, despite strongly believing in my company and my ideas. Maybe it’s true that if I undervalue myself then I will be undervalued by other people; maybe I should demand a fee from any emerging art events I get involved in; maybe fear does stand for False Evidence Appears Real; OR perhaps I’m more aware of what is entailed in the contemporary theatre industry than I sometimes give myself credit for.


Back in Proto-type Headquarters, the Third Person (redux) rehearsals has just taken on a whole new level of exciting. The guys performed their first work-in-progress showing of this at the most recent Sunday Lunch Club, this time hosted at Manchester’s Greenroom, and received lots of useful and positive feedback. Working with Lisa in the office has been super, apparently she finds me ‘entertaining’ to work with (sometimes I even like to think she’s laughing ‘with me’). We found that sweeping the office is a lot more amusing whilst listening to ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’, yes I do have this on my iTunes and no you should not judge me.


Is it too early to wish everybody a merry Christmas? I thoroughly recommend visiting the German Christmas Market in the centre of Manchester . If you’re lucky you might even see me on one of the chocolate stalls wearing a Santa hat and a festive smile.


Ho, ho,


Jenny G