Lockdown diary – week two: Reaching out to the community, virtual tea breaks, and Christmas preparations!

27th April 2020

In this week’s diary, we shine a spotlight on the fantastic work New Vic Borderlines are doing to keep in touch with our community of participants; and look forward a little to Christmas!

We know many theatregoers are working to keep us safe and healthy and providing the services we all rely on, we are indebted to all of you. We hope that you are all keeping well. Stay safe and we’re looking forward to hopefully seeing you back ‘round’ ours soon.

An update from our Artistic Director…

“Every year on 2 January I start work on the New Vic’s next Christmas show, and continue working on it between other shows throughout the year.  There is an unwritten law of nature that any day I spend working on the Christmas show will be blessed with blisteringly hot weather, and this I think is why James Atherton and I surprised ourselves by writing a sunny calypso number as the act one finale in 101 Dalmatians; and I remember sitting with him in 35 degree heat in an attic rehearsal room with no air con and sealed shut windows, trying to remember what it feels like to be cold, so that we could write a song about ice skating for The Snow Queen.  Last summer, whilst opening Around the World in 80 Days in the US, I turned to writing The Prince and the Pauper whilst floating on a lilo in a Florida pool, having discovered the existence of factor 100 sunscreen.
 

So it is that, as my thoughts have turned from emergency planning to Christmas, I find myself digging out my sun hat and settling down on the bench outside the front door to think about Beauty and the Beast.   I’ve been reading the original version of the story, which features a wicked fairy and a pair of mean spirited sisters who leap off the page in all their overdressed glory. And there is a magic mirror too, which in the original story plays a role a bit like a telly or a computer screen, providing a window to the outside world.  In one chapter from the novel, Beauty, without leaving the enchanted palace, actually goes to the theatre by watching it in the magic mirror.  I think we can all relate to that right now.”

Reaching out to our community…

Engaging with participants now brings new challenges, as the people that we work with through Borderlines often don’t have access to technology that others might take for granted. Access to computers and the internet is even more difficult now that many public services like libraries are closed. We are available for help and support for those who need it – we’re sending out weekly emails to our groups, having fun reminiscing on Facebook, but for those without internet access we’re also keeping in contact with our groups with phone calls and messages, and letters in the post.

While we have had to reorganise a lot of events we were due to work on over the next few months, looking ahead, we’re very excited to continue work on our next Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theatre project.  This will be an adaptation of Thursday’s Child by Noel Streatfield! Many of the themes within Thursday’s Child, which tells the story of a child in care, will resonate with the young people we are working with. In the meantime, of course, the young people will be doing their own research by reading the book! And we look forward to sharing their work with you when we can.

Spotlight On… Read more about Rachel Reddihough, Outreach Project and Technical Manager for New Vic Borderlines here.

Show your support for the New Vic at this time…

At the New Vic we pride ourselves on having a healthy mix of income from lots of sources to sustain the theatre and the many community and education projects that rely on it. As a registered charity we also rely on the generous support of individuals to help us continue to create groundbreaking theatre-in-the-round and work within our local community, creating work that has a positive social impact.

The current public health crisis is testing our resilience to the maximum and donations being made to the theatre recently are more important than they have ever been. Regular support for our work will help us to continue what we do. If you’ve been thinking of how you might be able to support us at this time, why not consider becoming a New Vic Patron? Giving a regular monthly gift to support us would make a massive difference at this time. Find out more about becoming a Patron here.

In other news…

All the staff at the New Vic are making sure we get together for regular ‘virtual’ tea breaks so we don’t feel quite so isolated working from home. Here’s some of us enjoying a brew ‘together’ for National Tea Day…

Stay positive – this week why not…

Listen to Dirty Laundry – The Podcast. Our friends at Claybody Theatre have created a podcast version of their 2017 production and will be sharing one episode every night for a week, from Monday (27 April). Set in the Potteries, this thought-provoking play will have you gripped. Don’t miss it. Download it from their website here.

Also, our friends at the Royal Shakespeare Company have released six of their shows to watch for free on BBC iPlayer from this week, in honour of Shakespeare’s birthday, as part of the BBC’s ‘Culture in Quarantine’ initiative. Watch a whole host of shows here.

We can’t wait to welcome you back through our door as soon as we are able to!

Until next week, take care and stay safe!