Cultural Storytellers: James Wilson
By Renee Liang
As I park my car, whoops of laughter can be heard coming from St David’s Church hall, Newton. When I walk through the door the noise nearly deafens me. It’s Havoc in the Garden all right. Massive Theatre Company are playing warm up games, and as they move, lean, fall and catch each other, I feel as if I’m crashing a particularly boisterous house party.
Several company members come over to say hi and before too long I’m seated in a circle with cast members, director Sam Scott and writer Lennie James. With a magician’s flourish, Sam produces a cake for birthday girl Nicole Thomson and there’s a spontaneous round of singing. But soon afterwards everyone becomes quiet and focussed, as Lennie and Sam discuss new script changes. Lennie’s been up late writing; the actors are open in their admiration of this quiet English playwright. I’m amazed at his grasp of Kiwi jargon and youth slang from the scenes that I hear being read aloud, and he doesn’t seem to avoid the dark places either.
Massive Company have been around for a while; in fact, next year they ‘come of age’, turning 21. Originally they were a ‘youth’ theatre company but as they made more work the older company stayed on. In the current cast, actors’ ages range from 18-32 (arguably still young!). Havoc is Lennie James’ second collaboration with Massive; his first, The Sons of Charlie Paora, was nearly ten years ago but he has kept close to the company for the last decade (happily one of the original cast members for the last play is also in the new play).
I spoke to producer James Wilson about the culture of this unique theatre company and why they’re doing the biggest show they’ve ever done.
How did you first become involved in theatre?
I trained as a theatre director at Rose Bruford College, which is a drama school in London. I grew up just outside of London, so was hugely lucky to see lots of theatre whilst I was growing up. I often used to get up really early to go and queue up outside the National theatre for the cheap student tickets they released every day at 8am, so as a student I saw a really diverse range of work- but I was most excited by large cast, ensemble productions.
I never wanted to perform - but I was really excited by how a production came together and the collaboration of a group of people to create work. I did some work experience in the West End when I was aged 15, assisting the stage management team of a play at the Whitehall theatre- and I was hooked!
What is it that draws you to the medium of theatre?
The fact that it is a live experience. I get hugely excited by what happens when a group of people come together to watch a performance - arriving as individuals and then having a collective, shared experience.
Why, of all the roles in theatre, do you choose to produce?
I didn’t really choose to produce. I kind of fell into it through wanting to get the kind of work I believe in made. When I left college in London, I formed an ensemble theatre company with a group of actors from my year, and learned the roles of producing with that group, very much through trial and error. Now that I’m working with Massive Company, I love that my role enables me to work on a production through every stage - from commission and development, through to performance. I really enjoy that my job allows involves me working with a huge range of people in a variety of roles- from writers, directors, designers, musicians, actors, photographers, graphic designers, stage management - every aspect of my job is about collaboration, which is something I thrive on.
Should producers be creative – and why?
The producer’s role does vary greatly depending on the work, and the group of people you are working with. At Massive Company I really value the creative collaboration that I have with our Artistic Director, Sam Scott. We’ve developed a very strong trust in each other’s work, and I think that as we both share the same vision for the company, it enables us to challenge each other to work for excellence. As I’m involved at every stage of the work, I do consider my role to be a creative one - when you are so closely involved in the creation of a work, it’s impossible not to have creative input.
You’ve said that Massive wants to tell the “story of a company” – what is Massive’s story to date?
Massive is a constantly evolving ensemble. The company began as a youth theatre, at the Maidment in 1990, but quickly grew as people wanted to stay with the company and develop their work. Massive is a home that many practitioners return to, and it soon became clear that the company could not be defined as a ‘youth’ theatre, in that many people who had began working with the company were now working professionally. ‘Massive’ is a name that I think reflects the range of people that we work with, from very young emerging artists, through to established professional practitioners. I think that the ensemble approach to making work defines our company- everyone involved has a responsibility to the work, and an ownership of it. All of our work is inspired by personal stories and experiences, and whether we are devising, or working with a writer, it is the stories of our ensemble that drive the work. All of our work is new work. All of our work is told with an authentic voice.
What’s your role – and has it changed along the way?
I joined Massive Company as Producer in 2007, and this role evolved into that of General Manager, a position which I took up in Jan 2010. This new role has enabled us to employ a new full time producer, Kitan Petkovski, who has himself come through the company, as an emerging artist performing in Up Close Out Loud, and it’s been fantastic having someone who knows the company so well this role. My new role has allowed me to focus on several areas of growth for Massive, such as our new Development strategy, and engaging further with International partners and collaborators.
How has participating in the Art Venture program changed your view of your role?
Participating in Art Venture has come at the perfect time for me - just as Massive Company embarks on a period of change and growth, and it’s been fantastic to have Art Venture to encourage me to focus my thinking through this time. Art Venture has encouraged me to be specific about my vision and values for the company, and has helped me to spend time working ‘on the business’ rather than always being ‘in the business’. This is about ensuring that the company is in a position to respond to the great opportunities that are coming from our work, whilst not losing sight of the fundamentals of the company.
Has it helped you in a practical sense as well?
I’ve learned lots about ways of working- practical tools around planning, time management, cash flow and strategic thinking. The programme places a great deal of importance on presentation - and I’ve grown in confidence when it comes to having to make a pitch, or give a speech about our work. The participants and the facilitators for the programme are drawn from across the creative and business sectors - so it’s been immensely helpful to have such an amazing pool of knowledge, support and advocacy to draw on.
What are some of the key things you’ve learned about accessing philanthropic funding sources?
I recently spent some time in Sydney, under the Mentorship of Richard Evans, who is the CEO at the Sydney Opera House. I researched some different approaches to philanthropy and individual giving that arts companies in Sydney are undertaking, and met with some amazing people having some great successes in this area. I think one of the key things that we need to do is to tell a clearer story about how and why we make work, how much it really costs, and how it is funded. We need to share the outcomes of our work - not just the numbers and statistics of what we achieve in the arts - but the individual stories of the impact that our work has on audiences and participants. This work starts by having better communication with our existing supporters - our audiences - and making sure that we share our vision with them, and let them take an active role in growing the work. We also need to make sure that any approach to philanthropy is authentic to our company. We have a very specific way of doing things at Massive, and it’s important to me that these values and practices are also central in our fundraising work.
Why does Massive choose to do mainly large ensemble works (with all the attendant headaches for the producer?)
When we start making a work, we often have no clear idea of what the size of the work is going to be. With Havoc in the Garden, we knew that Lennie wanted to make a work about family- and so we put out a call to our ensemble for people interested in that provocation to come together and share responses and stories. This process engaged a large group of 30 practitioners, so it quickly became clear that Lennie was going to write for a large group, and a group that was representative of the range of people (in terms of age and experience) that we work with. I think that working with a large and dedicated ensemble is actually a really powerful way of working - and that this provides lots of levels of support for a producer (as well as a few headaches!). For example, each of the younger, emerging artists in the company is being mentored by one of the more senior actors, which has been a fantastic way of encouraging development and confidence amongst the ensemble.
Why the commitment to a long (at least 2 years for most works) development process?
As our work is informed by the whole ensemble, this extended development period allows for ideas to grow, to be tested out, and for a work to have space to breathe and evolve as we make it. The long time frames allows for us to take time building a sense of ensemble in our casts, where the work is not cramped into a short rehearsal period. Development periods vary depending on the work and who is making it, but the longer development process enables us to plan a work thoroughly, to build support behind a work, and to ensure that when we present work, it has been rigorously developed, and is ready to go on stage.
What are the benefits to have an “open” company, and what does that mean? Are there any disadvantages?
Our open access policy means that anyone is welcome to come to a rehearsal, or to take part in a workshop. This means that the company is open to anyone- people who may not have had a formal training, people who are curious about how we make theatre, or people who want to explore the idea of working in an ensemble. It’s hard to think of disadvantages as such, as I am so used to this way of working - our open access policy was the way that I first got involved with Massive Company, after I moved to Auckland from London in 2005. Sam Scott was the first person to invite me in to a rehearsal to see how the company worked- and I was made to feel very welcome by Massive Company. I think that the open access policy allows people to quickly get a taste of how we work and to find out if this is for them or not. Coming to a rehearsal, or taking part in a workshop is a great way to experience first-hand the commitment and hard work that is demanded of performers by Massive - but also allows you to see the sense of play that is central to the way in which we work.
Having an open door policy is something that all of our company members are aware about when we are rehearsing a work - so they are used to people visiting rehearsals. It really helps to have fresh eyes see our work during its development, and I think that the open policy creates opportunities for our performers to engage with valuable input and feedback whilst they are making work.
What’s your approach to engaging with younger practitioners, and keeping them engaged? Why do you think they stay with the company?
We have the same approach to working with young performers as we do with any performers- and I really believe that young people appreciate the respect and status that the company gives them. We always strive for excellence in our work- and I think that young people respond really positively to this drive and ambition- they can smell bullshit a mile off - and I think it can be refreshing to work in an environment where you are challenged to raise your game constantly. A reason that they stay with the company - it could be that there is always food available at Massive - Food is a big part of making work.
How do you engage with writers, and what kinds of writers do you want to work with?
I think that Massive Company offers a unique proposition for a writer- in that we can give writers access to a group of practitioners who are already in tune with working with each other, who know and trust each other, and whose commitment to developing work is clear. Writer Gary Henderson describes it far better than I ever could- One of the big advantages of working with a “development ensemble” is that they have evolved a shared sensibility and language. There’s already an established trust between the players, so for an outsider coming on board it’s like hopping into the driver’s seat of a car that’s already warmed up, with the motor running. They are open and fearless.
This way of working can also be a big challenge to a writer however- Massive Company ensembles are very used to giving their input to a development process- and I think that a writer working with Massive has to be open to respond to this - and that takes a degree of confidence.
What are some of the new ways Massive is trying to engage with its audience?
For me, going to the theatre is about the complete experience- from the moment you set foot in the foyer, through to talking about the work with friends in the bar afterwards. When you come to a Massive Company show, I’m really aware that people are making a choice to come and see our work, and I want to make sure that our audiences are welcomed and looked after in a Massive Company way. We’ll have Massive Company staff and members of our ensemble at every performance, and I’m really looking forward to talking with our audiences about the work, and hearing what people think of it. We hold free post show forums, where audiences can find out more about how the work was made, and there will be opportunities for audiences to record their own feedback on the show directly after they’ve seen the work.
We are also hosting a bit of a social media experiment with Havoc in the Garden, where we are opening up our dress rehearsal as a ‘Social Media Call’- where people are encouraged to tweet, blog, take pictures etc during the dress rehearsal. It’s an extension of our open access policy, and it’s going to be interesting to see how people respond to this way of allowing audiences to review work.
What is Massive working on next?
We are gearing up for a year of celebrations in 2012, which will be our 21st Birthday. I can’t reveal too much at this stage, as we’re still putting plans together, but we are looking at a series of events that will bring together lots of people that we have worked with over the years- there will be heaps of opportunities for people to engage with workshops and residencies, and you can bet that there will be lots of food as well! Later this year, we also start development work on a new commission for Gary Henderson, who is currently spending time working on material with each of our development ensembles, Massive South, Massive Central, and Massive Professional Practitioners.
- Havoc in the Garden
A play by Lennie James and Massive Company
Havoc in the Garden is a new play from acclaimed British writer Lennie James and Massive Company, the team behind The Sons of Charlie Paora. Directed by Sam Scott and featuring an exciting cast of New Zealand’s emerging and established actors and a soundscape designed by accomplished musician Tama Waipara, Havoc in the Garden is a play about families - about the lies that parents tell and children reveal; what holds families together and what tears them apart.
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre: Wednesday 2 - Sunday 6 March
Mangere Arts Centre: Wed 9 - Sat 12 March
The Pumphouse, Takapuna: Wed 16 - Sat 26 March
Directed by Massive Company’s Artistic Director, Sam Scott, the ensemble cast of Havoc in the Garden is- Fasitua Amosa, Olive Asi, Loretta Aukuso, Scott Cotter, Wesley Dowdell, Joe Folau, Ash Jones, Beulah Koale, Kura Forrester, Miriama McDowell, Jake Toaga, Tuyet Nguyen, Bree Peters and Nicole Thomson.
The production will be designed by Sean Coyle, with Lighting Design by Jane Hakaraia, and Music and Sound Design by Tama Waipara.
