READY TO ROAR INTO OUR FORTIES As we approach our fortieth birthday next year there’s a natural inclination to reflect on what has gone before and celebrate the many artistic highlights, but perhaps more importantly we are also looking to the future, determined that our forties will be roaring. The LH40 campaign will honour the past as we define our future by looking to invest in new artists, nurturing the next creative generation and taking our audiences to amazing new places. But we need your support to make that happen. Much as we are grateful and very fortunate to receive the grants that we do, the way we fund shows is changing dramatically. Put simply, there will be shows that we want to put on that we will need to raise money in order to do so, or we won’t be able to show them. We’ve never had to be so direct, but with big and exciting plans for LH40 and beyond we need your help to make things happen. We need to raise an additional £200,000 every year through direct fundraising to support our work and continue to present a diverse and broad range of arts and entertainments, an exciting education programme and opportunities for participation. Your donation – however large or small – will play an important part in ensuring that Lighthouse remains a world-class arts venue in Poole.
HOW CAN I HELP? Your donation – large or small – can be earmarked for a particular area of work (for instance, it can help us create opportunities for local children to learn, rehearse and perform in a state-of-the-art professional venue), or it can be made available to use where the need is greatest. However you choose to do it, by making a donation you can play an important part in ensuring that Lighthouse remains a worldclass arts venue right here in Poole.
THE VISION ISSUE
To find out more please email fundraising@lighthousepoole.co.uk or pop into the Ticket Office.
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Entertaining since 1978
LIGHTHOUSE SUPPORTS EXCEPTIONAL TALENT DEVELOPMENT
CINDERELLA SUPERCHARGED!
Knowing your audience has become something of a holy grail for venues, but while it’s vital we continue to monitor, measure and analyse the audiences that come to Lighthouse I think it’s unlikely that we’ll ever fully know who our audiences are.
It’s the classic story of a true love that’s as fit for a prince as a pauper, but souped up with ponies, tap dancing, operatic singing and an iconic 1980s sitcom character. Co-produced by Lighthouse it’s the first of a three-year panto partnership with Duncan Reeves Productions, lead by actor and former Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan and musical director Duncan Reeves, who are pulling out all the stops to follow up the success of their Aladdin last year with an even bigger box office smash.
The fact remains that if we engage with people and they want to see or take part in what Lighthouse is doing they will come here. We are as committed as ever to presenting an arts programme that reflects the cultural diversity of our nation as a whole, not just our region or the town we call home.
“We like to cast pantos in a way that is interesting and then use the particular talents of the cast and incorporate them in the show,’ explains Peter.
2018 marks the 40th anniversary of this very special venue and to celebrate we have a packed diary of events and some exciting headline moments. Lighthouse is proud to be an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and as the largest arts centre of its kind outside London, it follows that we have a key role to play in promoting equality and diversity, not only in the arts, but also in the wider social sense. In line with this commitment, our ambition to create, facilitate and/or commission 20 per cent of everything that is seen here has seen us establish new partnerships and develop existing ones with theatre companies who represent a really wide range of work such as Angel Exit, SISATA, and, more recently, Mac’s Arcadian and Diverse City’s Extraordinary Bodies Young Artists. Elsewhere in this issue our artistic producer Stephen Wrentmore sheds more light on how this aspiration is being realised as he speaks passionately about extending our relationship with the Black Theatre Live touring consortium. Stephen is bringing his expertise and talent to bear directing a new production of Phoebe McIntosh’s bold solo show Dominoes that will tour in the spring.
“For example, Lucy Kay from Britain’s Got Talent, she is an actress but has this terrific naturally operatic voice, not that Cinderella will become an opera, but we will certainly include an element of that. And Richard Gibson as Baron Hardup is an old friend who played Herr Flick in ’Allo ’Allo – this iconic character in what was the top sitcom for years and years so we’ll bring element of that in.
‘2018 marks the 40th anniversary of this very special venue and to celebrate we have a packed diary of events and some exciting headline moments.’ Elspeth McBain
“Then we’ve got two actors who are really good tap dancers playing the Prince and Dandini, so we’ll do Ed Sheeran’s Castles in the Air song and turn it into a tap extravaganza.” And what of the ponies, Peter?
All of which is Peter’s way of explaining how it’s possible to take a tried and tested story like Cinderella and find something new in it that satisfies the expectations of the audience and the creative ambitions of the producers. “It’s a big ask to get panto just right, but Duncan is a total perfectionist so every track we’ve chosen, every piece of linking music has been created with absolute care. Last year I stole some Shostakovich for a song and this year I’ve helped myself to some of Mahler’s riffs for the UV scene when the monsters come out to haunt Baron Hardup.” Peter and Duncan are relishing the creative opportunities presented by committing to Lighthouse for the next three years in a partnership Peter is certain will work to the benefit of all. “It’s a business deal so we’ll be working to increase audience numbers and, like a footballer, we work on our laurels so if we score goals we’ll stay in the team. But it also enables us to help develop a house style for Lighthouse, which perhaps it hasn’t had for a few years. And if all that works the audience will see some terrific panto. “In Poole we have to be distinctive from Bournemouth, but still produce a panto that is funny, entertaining and has some great singing and dancing, because that is what the audience comes to see. If you’re generic and do the same thing every year you can say it’s going to work, but when you are creatively adventurous it’s more rewarding to get to the point you want to get to and that’s what we’re looking to achieve at Lighthouse.”
“Yes, there are real, live ponies… live ponies!” he exclaims, clapping his hands in delight. “I mean I’m only the producer, I don’t deal with any of the mechanics of it at all. I can tell you they’re going to live off-site – the Chief Executive is going to look after them. She’s going to take them to her house and bring them in every day… because she wanted ponies, she’s got them!”
During 2018 we will be investing in artists, supporting the creation of new work and building our learning and participation programme. Meanwhile, it’s panto season and Cinderella represents the first of a new three-year partnership with Duncan Reeves Productions to deliver our pantomime. It will of course be stunning and, contrary to what Peter Duncan says in his interview, I am not looking after his ponies at my home- although I wish I could I wish you all you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Elspeth McBain, Chief Executive, Lighthouse
‘…this extraordinary version of the ultimate rags to riches fairytale is probably among the best I have ever witnessed.’ Jeremy Miles, Bournemouth Echo
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TOGETHER IN DIVERSITY In a wide-ranging interview artistic producer Stephen Wrentmore talks about how Lighthouse can realise its vision of being a venue for all
ONE FOR ALL It’s a lot to ask of any single organisation to be all things to all people, but it’s a challenge that Lighthouse faces every day in its programming, management and marketing.
The active promotion of equality and diversity has long been a cornerstone of strategic planning, programming and management at Lighthouse and that commitment is reaffirmed this spring as we partner with the Black Theatre Live consortium to present a national tour of Dominoes, the new play by actress-writer Phoebe McIntosh.
“What we show at Lighthouse has to be for everyone, whether it is stand up comedy, dance, musicals or political drama as we did with Archipelago. We are for all our communities and everyone should feel able to approach us,” explains Stephen.
Directed by our artistic producer Stephen Wrentmore, it tells the story of a mixed race history teacher as she approaches her wedding. Unusually she already shares the same surname as her fiancé, something she has previously dismissed as a coincidence until she speaks to her grandfather and asks how it can be that they have the same name.
“We are a building so the primary focus of our activity is to issue invitations to people to come inside to see what we do and feel that it is for them. The challenge is to create experiences that inspire and entertain. Our tickets are extremely good value when compared to arts centres of our size two hours away in London so we have to keep creating invitations to be part of what we’re doing, to create that diversity.”
“It’s a little story with seismic ambition,” says Stephen. “It’s rooted in Phoebe’s fascination with an enormous, on-going piece of research by the School of Oriental and African Studies about what happened to the money that was paid to slave owners in reparations when Wilberforce’s Slavery Abolition Act became law.”
may not be aware of Lighthouse and rekindling the interest of those that have stopped coming. “That’s why the partner schools model is so important – so we can take work out and go into the Rossmore estate for instance and talk about it with teenagers that feel isolated and excluded perhaps. “The danger of programming towards a known demographic is that you become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So we must be about building bridges with the community so everyone can feel they belong here and come in and find something that’s for them.”
There’s also a job to be done reaching out to new audiences that
The story resonates as loudly in Poole as anywhere and the former mansions of slave-trading merchants can seen to this day in the Old Town. “It means our conversations about diversity and our community live in the very bricks that surround us. There’s a great documentary to be made about the story and the political dilemmas but when it explodes into drama it becomes something that’s very personal and provokes us to ask questions not just of the past but also of the world today.” Lighthouse’s partnership with Black Theatre Live has previously seen it host acclaimed productions of Hamlet and Macbeth, challenging new plays She Called Me Mother and Diary of a Hounslow Girl, as well as Inua Elams’ potent An Evening with an Immigrant, but Dominoes could be seen as the partnership evolving.
“My role is more that of a facilitator – I’m like the midwife delivering Phoebe’s baby rather than the director of it,” explains Stephen. “Phoebe is an extraordinary artist I met through Black Theatre Live when she brought Dominoes to a pitching session. We started a conversation that was initially about us hosting the work but it soon became clear there was an opportunity to develop it. “So the partnership with Black Theatre Live is about exploring our common humanity and experience – and Dominoes should feel like the start of the conversation not the end of homework.”
VISION ON Since arriving at Lighthouse in summer last year to take on the newly created role of artistic producer, by nurturing existing partnerships and establishing new ones Stephen has been pursuing the organisation’s ambition to move to a position in which 20 per cent of the work that is seen at Lighthouse is created, co-created, authored or commissioned in-house.
“When you have a community that thinks it knows what it is because of a statistic or a demographic, it gets interesting when you challenge that. When we experience live art we do so among strangers of every race, every faith, every ethnicity – there is no such thing as a single homogenous Englishness or Britishness, the whole thing we call society is a testament to diversity.”
Last autumn Black Theatre Live came up with seed money to develop Archipelago, a new play by OBIE award-winner Caridad Svich.
And partnerships such as the one Lighthouse has cultivated with Black Theatre Live mean that, while continuing to engage the immediate community it is a part of, the organisation is able to extend its reach far beyond its geographical position.
“It was the first time Lighthouse had commissioned new writing in that way,” he says. “So we had an Argentine-Croat writer, a Brazilian actress, a London actor who traced his roots to Sierra Leone, an Irish designer, a Scottish designer, a Korean designer – everything about it was making us engage in the diversity conversation.” But diversity is about much more than race, gender, faith, sexual orientation or physical and mental health. It is multi-layered and multi-faceted, as much about the things we have in common as those that make us different.
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“One of the most important things we did with the Capital Project was to install a glass wall at the front so we instantly became transparent, both physically as well as metaphorically – there’s nothing secret about what goes on here, it’s there for all to see and to come and join in. “But we are the largest arts centre of this kind outside of London so our peers are not local, they are in big cities. That means when we create work we want to have a national or international impact that is beyond our local delivery.”
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WHY I LOVE LIGHTHOUSE
Last month Poole Arts Trust elected three new Board members so we thought we’d ask them to tell us a little about themselves.
Sally Crawford
Amanda Stainer
Rowena J Gaston
Nicky Oliver
Deputy Chair, Poole Arts Trust
Commercial Director, Farnborough International Limited
Development Director, Canford School
Director of E3 Consulting (Property Taxation Specialist based in Southampton and London).
When I was eight years old my great aunt took me to see the ballet at Covent Garden. It was simply fantastic. I was in love with music and dance. I moved to the Poole area in 1978 to start my legal career as a trainee solicitor. At the time there was such excitement at the prospective opening of Poole Arts Centre as it was then known. What an achievement! It was a special time in my life when we wore the strangest clothes – hipster jeans and platform shoes! I remember coming to the Arts Centre. In particular I remember the BSO Proms, Monty Python’s Life of Brian (shown then in the theatre) and I came to see the ballet – I think the first I saw in Poole was Sleeping Beauty – also various modern dance. We knew we were so lucky to have this facility. I continued my career in the area as a litigation solicitor, which can tough and confrontational so music and dance was a blissful escape. In 2012 I was swept along by the volunteering culture that followed the Olympics and as my career headed towards an end I looked to put something back. I had become aware of the proposed Capital Project at Lighthouse and felt that as a solicitor who had specialised in construction law I might be able to add something. The Board was anxious to ensure that as we got into the project there were appropriate skills available so having had such fun over the years this seemed to me to an ideal project for me. Last year I attended the re-opening after the Capital Project. So much had been achieved. I was delighted to show off to the family! What fun it was, but what stood out was the enthusiasm of all concerned. I have been asked to stay on for the time being and have gladly agreed. The performing arts enrich our lives; soothing us in troubled times; motivating us with their warmth and energy; feeding our love and joy in life.
BOARD TALK
Born in Bournemouth as are all my family and relatives, I have a natural love of the theatre, cinema and art, especially sculpture and the works of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Antony Gormley. I enjoy visiting the New Art Centre at Roche Court, which I believe is one of the region’s hidden treasures. What do you love about Lighthouse today? The diversity of what it offers to all age groups and cultures.
I am Development Director at Canford School having previously been CEO of the National Association for Able Children in Education and prior to that, CEO of Life Education Centres, Thames Valley. I am passionate about the arts and was a keen dancer from an early age involved in many amateur productions, latterly as a choreographer for shows including Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story and HMS Pinafore. What do you love about Lighthouse today?
Lived in Dorset since July 2004, having moved down from Liphook in Hampshire. Married with two teenage children. Has been interested in the creative arts from childhood – voracious reader (fiction/travel/biographies) and regularly visits galleries, museums and theatre in London and across the South East / South West. Active member of Dorset Chamber, Dorchester Chamber, Country Landowners Association, Bournemouth Property Association and Square Club Bournemouth. I am also a Trustee & NED of the Priest House Museum & Wimborne Tourist Information office.
What are you most looking forward to finding out about Lighthouse?
Lighthouse really is a vibrant light in Poole! It offers a diverse range of opportunities to engage with the arts in many forms, attracting both the local community and drawing from further afield.
Its vision for the future and how we can all play a part in ensuring that it continues to reach out to new audiences whilst maintaining its varied and creative programmes.
What are you most looking forward to finding out about Lighthouse?
The key factor that draws me to the Lighthouse is the amazingly eclectic mix of events on offer week to week.
Whilst very business minded from a work perspective, I have never been directly involved in management of the arts. It is fascinating to see behind the scenes from a fundraising and business viewpoint and I hope to be able to offer my insight from both sides of the fence!
What are you most looking forward to finding out about Lighthouse?
Lighthouse has had an eventful first 40 years, what challenges does it face it in the run-up to its 50th birthday? Like many public venues today the major challenge is funding and ensuring that we get the necessary monies to maintain its professional and respected status within the arts community. How will you be able to help Lighthouse meet those challenges? I hope first of all that my passion and appreciation of Lighthouse will hold me in good stead, as well as my strong commercial background, which includes fundraising, marketing and sponsorship, will help with the inevitable funding challenges ahead. My favourite: show, film, piece of music, artwork and book a. P erformances by Cirque du Soleil. They are amazing performers and I had the privilege to work with them when I was Show Director at Clothes Show Live in Birmingham and we created a special Fashion Circus for the audience. b. The Deer Hunter. c. I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin. I have fond memories to listening and dancing to this in my youth on Friday nights at The Third Side club in Bournemouth with my brother being the DJ. d. Any Hepworth sculpture with strings, for example Delphi. e. L ong Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela. I was fortunate enough to organise the conference for Nelson Mandela during his state visit to the UK. I was struck by how humble and charismatic he was as a person. I could not do without… A long walk along the beach at the weekend with my husband Laurence.
Lighthouse has had an eventful first 40 years, what challenges does it face it in the run-up to its 50th birthday? Lighthouse should be cherished and to continue to achieve this will take a lot of work and commitment not just from the wonderful staff of Lighthouse but with the support of the community. Funding is a challenge for all organisations at present and Lighthouse is not an exception. We hope to continue to engage the community in not only supporting Lighthouse by attending events but also creating exciting initiatives to raise funds in creative ways to secure the future of Lighthouse. How will you be able to help Lighthouse meet those challenges? My role will be to support the fundraising function at Lighthouse. Already there is a lot of good work and enthusiasm in this area. ‘Many hands make light work’ and if everyone can be encouraged to give a little, the burden will be light and the reward great. My favourite: show, film, piece of music, artwork and book Oh dear, I don’t like having favourites and they can change regularly too! Primarily I like to be entertained and challenged at times, when I’m in the right mood. Elgar is my favourite composer, having studied him at school and his Cello Concerto in some depth. I love the work of the sculptor Tony Cragg who I first saw exhibit at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. As for a favourite show – goodness, I really couldn’t say there are so many that I love and new ones popping up all the time.
What do you love about Lighthouse today?
I am looking forward to finding out about any new originated plays/ productions for 2018 and to support the wider promotion as well as the depth & true value of events and this venue across the region. Lighthouse has had an eventful first 40 years, what challenges does it face it in the run-up to its 50th birthday? The Lighthouse just like many other arts venues faces challenges of competition for attention of audiences and limited arts funding at national, regional and local levels. I think equally important is for the message to be clear to the local Poole community, across Dorset, the south west & further afield including internationally - the inherent benefit of arts – in its widest sense to the wider community through programs for schools, community groups, local charities, businesses, etc. How will you be able to help Lighthouse meet those challenges? I aim to contribute by both bringing fresh ideas & perspectives from a Branding & Marketing perspective. At the same time, having been actively a director of a niche specialist SME business, I have been involved with all areas of recruitment, induction & retention through aspects of talent management over a long period of time. Thus I hope to contribute both as a weights & measures check and as a sounding board to support with future trustee recruitment to ensure that the board is as diverse & inclusive as possible. My favourite: show, film, piece of music, artwork and book a. J oint between Victor Hugo “Les Miserables” & “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” based upon the book by Mark Haddon
I could not do without…
b. Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
Music on car journeys, chocolate, Earl Grey tea and gin & tonic!
c. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin d. Andy Warhol - Flowers e. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte I could not do without… My black Labrador, Joey, & walks in the Dorset countryside and coastline!
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