Alice here, just dipping in for a guest post but it's a massively exciting one. North are being spoiled by meeting lots of theatre makers, decision makers and all round creative geniuses across the region. In the past few weeks we kept being told about the thriving community of artists in 70s/80s Newcastle. People fondly talk of how alive, political and community driven companies were prospering in the city. One in particular, Bruvvers; a successful company taking popular theatre to the community for more than 35 years. If that's not an inspiration for NORTH building a future together then I don't know what is!
So I decided to grab 5 minutes with Artistic Director and co-founder of Bruvvers Phil Clark and chat to him about how his work with Bruvvers has shaped his career, what it meant to him at the time, his views on the cultural identity of the North East (particularly in the current political climate) and his top tips to a new company starting out. He gave me some honest and brilliant answers, a man with a lot of care, thought and heart. He has just opened the national tour of "Horrible Histories", The Vile Victorians and The Terrible Tudors. A regular at the Southwold Summer Theatre, previous Artistic Director at the Sherman Theatre and Crucible Theatre and a proud promoter of working with people like us, Phil has always supported and worked on several youth programmes. If you want to know more, have a look at the kind of work he's doing here or have a read of his blog. Anyway enough background, here beginneth the interview...
How did Bruvvers begin their journey?
Bruvvers was the brainchild of Mike Mould...and still is...40 years on. His vision was clear. After working in various theatres in the 60s Mike wanted to create a theatre company that was dedicated to new writing and the work would be performed in non-theatre venues and created collectively by Artists.
When Bruvvers began would you say you were part of a very politically driven artistic community?
We established the company in Byker in the early 70s, our immediate community was Byker and the east end of Newcastle. We all lived there and created the work there. We toured it throughout the North East. Newcastle was thriving with Community Theatre and Theatre In Education companies. It was a very exciting time. There was always a healthy rivalry between us all. In those days there was Live Theatre, Mad Bongo, Uncle Ernies, Wearabout, Tynewear TIE , Stagecoach, Them Wifies, Cleveland Theatre Company, Skin and Bones...to name a few. There was also a very pro-active community arts movement. Alongside non funded Theatre Groups run by professional artists like Sugar and Spikes and Public Gaze. Yes the NE was an exciting time for community theatre until the Northen Arts radically cut so many of the companies. Very few survived. It was a fantastic place and time to create theatre for the community. It was my first job out of Drama School and I stayed for ten years. All the work was political in diverse ways. I remember one of our statements as Bruvvers was..."We exist to raise questions but not to provide answers...".
How did Bruvvers change and develop as a company?
I think Bruvvers remained loyal to its original ambitions. This was because Mike was constantly in charge of the company and drove its Artistic vision throughout its funded years.
NORTH are extremely concerned about the looming cuts from the city council, we believe that in difficult times comes something good, do you agree?
It's interesting to note that when the local authorities and the Arts Council withdrew funding from the Tynewear Theatre Company it was the Artists who occupied the Newcastle Playhouse and fought for its future.
Would you like to see a kind of fringe theatre movement build in Newcastle again?
Fringe theatre will always exist regardless of funding. The authorities never know how to relate to it or whether to fund it because it is constantly re-inventing itself. The funders are threatened by this. You cant label it, contain it and put it in a recognised box. But Artists will always find their public voice and have done so for hundreds of years. What we have to realise is that for the people in that community centre or hospital or home, or for the young person in that school or youth club, this is not a "fringe" event. This is an event within itself. Often this is central to that community. The great and exciting thing about Newcastle is that it is made up of numerous strong and active communities each with its own identity. This is probably as a result of trades. Each has a pride, an honour and often a cultural identity that comes from story, song, dance and a need to express itself and themselves through artistic invention. I think that is what excited me the most in my ten years of working in the NE. I know it is still there. I know it cant be suppressed. The difference is it is no longer funded. What's interesting to reflect upon is the fact that all this work existed alongside the traditional Rep at the then University Theatre...then Newcastle Playhouse...now Northern Stage, The Theatre Royal Newcastle and Empire Theatre Sunderland etc. There was also a pioneering amateur company...The Peoples Theatre and numerous high quality amateur companies throughout the area. Add to this a thriving and passionate Youth Theatre movement. When I left Newcastle in 1984 I had, for three years been Artistic Director of the Tynewear Youth Theatre Festival which was part of the Tynewear Theatre Company. We produced the then largest Youth Theatre Festival in Britain. A real celebration of young peoples talent, committment and imagination.
What does Newcastle's culture mean to you, and how have you seen it grow and change?
A big difference for me now as I observe Artistic expression in the NE is the way it has achieved an international reputation. In the 70s we always took our work in Bruvvers to Holland on an annual basis to Newcastles' sister city of Groningen in Northern Holland. We would create a Geordie Week which would pack venues and communitiy centres throughout the city. We would take with us folk singers and companies like the Killingworth Sword Dancers. It was clear to us that the culture of the North East had an international currency and the dutch were happy to celebrate that culture. Interestingly two years ago I took a production of David Almond's beautiful play "Skellig" to New York to play in a theatre on 42nd Street on Broadway. A geordie play for young audiences playing to packed houses. Also playing on Broadway at the same time was "Billy Elliot" and Live Theatres' production of "Pitmen Painters". Three plays by Newcastle writers in the heart of the worlds highest profile theatrical centre. How exciting. AND THE COUNCIL WANT TO STOP FUNDING THE ARTS! On what grounds? Surely it should be the other way round. The Arts have played a significant part in raising the profile of the North East. Doesn't that deserve investment? Doesn't it demand investment? Most other buisnesses would invest in their international market.
How would you say that has changed and developed you as a director?
I do know that what I experieced, learnt and became passionate about forty years ago in Newcastle has stayed with me and influenced me as an Artist and a person. It continues to do so.
And finally, if you could give us a top tip for making our own way as a company what would that be?
If I was to give any advice to an Artist or a Theatre Company it would be to remain loyal and inspirational to your audience. Invest in your audience and you invest in the future.
Thank you Phil. You've got us thinking. What has stuck with me is that we, as North East artists, have a commitment to each other and our audiences and we just have to keep making, striving and fighting. Whatever happens with our funding we know we have a history to reflect on and to be inspired by. Whilst a lot of these companies lost their funding and struggled, their vision, values and drive remained. We may have to find our funding elsewhere. We have to be savvy, business minded and proactive. Thank goodness for organisations like Northern Stage investing in emerging artists and supporting a scheme like NORTH. We hope that NORTH goes on to be funded again next year, and if not, we hope that the region takes note and stands up to support it's future. We're standing on good ground so let's make it better!
Thanks for reading,
Love from the NOFFICE,
North_NS
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