Photographer: Charlie Hopkinson
REPORT
Christina Baily and Marcus Romer accept the TMA Award for Best Show for Children and Young People for Looking for JJ from Catherine Comerford, Managing Director of The Stage.
This has been a truly momentous year in Pilot Theatre's history. Not only have we toured extensively throughout the UK with over 260 public performances, but we have found inspiration, developed new relationships and forged exciting partnerships across the world through a range of international projects. These have taken us to the USA, Russia, China, Malaysia, Poland, Norway, Germany, Slovakia, Portugal and Holland, in addition to Lord of the Flies touring to the islands of Bermuda and Jersey. In our awareness of being increasingly part of a global community, Pilot Theatre continues to embrace the opportunities presented by digital technologies for connection, engagement and distribution. The first Shift Happens conference in 2008
was a watershed event for the industry, and we are delighted to be developing this through an extended second event in summer 2009: Shift Happens 2.0. Recognised as pioneers in this area, Pilot Theatre have begun to deliver training to other organisations; a great opportunity to share our knowledge and experience. With 42 freelance staff employed this year we have created more opportunities for our artists, stage management and technical team than any other year in our 26 year existence. We have been reminded of just how much Pilot has developed by celebrating the tenth anniversary of Lord of the Flies, which, after a fantastic ten years, with 6 full productions playing to nearly 500,000 people, we finally brought to a close. This was a tremendous project for us as a company, and undoubtedly helped us to where we are today. I would particularly like to thank the most recent touring team, who brought a freshness and new interpretation to the show. They have worked incredibly hard to maintain the profile and standing of Pilot Theatre; it is they who are the Company to the public and our audiences, and I want to extend my thanks to each and every member of the teams who have worked with us over the last 12 months.
The opportunities for us to be able to connect and communicate and therefore to engage with our audiences, artists, staff and colleagues has never been greater. We look forward to developing new creative partnerships and to embracing the changes and shifts that will happen in the year ahead. It is the duty of all of us to not stand still, but to be part of developing thinking and effecting change within the sector for the benefit of all. It is why here at Pilot Theatre our mission of inspiring creativity is at the core of all the work we do and it informs all our practice. On behalf of the core team and the Board I would like to thank you for your continued support; onwards and upwards! Marcus Romer, Artistic Director Pilot Theatre have had an exciting, creative and productive year managing to both produce engaging and creative theatre for young people and also pioneering the use of digital technologies in our work. I'm looking forward to the continued creative growth of Pilot as a theatre and digital pioneer over the next few years. Dave Moutrey, Chair, Pilot Theatre Board
TMA nominated production M.E.N. Award winning production
By William Golding Adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams In association with York Theatre Royal By arrangement with Robert Fox Ltd., and Faber and Faber Ltd.
TEN YEARS OF LORD OF THE FLIES
900 performances by 33 actors supported by a creative and touring team of 45, seen by an audience of nearly ½ a million at 83 venues. And the only one to work on every show is the pig…
“Outstanding, unforgettable theatre”
“William Golding meets Quentin Tarantino”
“Terrifying and exhilarating production...heart stopping”
Daily Telegraph
Financial Times
The Guardian
THIS CHILD
RAYMOND BRIGGS’ FUNGUS THE BOGEYMAN Adapted and directed by Marcus Romer A co-production with artsdepot, London
★★★★Time Out “You will have the slime of your life at this fabulous show” York Press “a gorgeous production” BBC
By Joel Pommerat translated by Nigel Gearing Directed by Suzann McLean for Pilot Theatre In association with Company of Angels, and The Junction, Cambridge: each company worked with a different cast to produce their own version of the play and contributed to a ‘shuffle’ performance at Theatre Café 2008 on 13th November.
“By British standards, this is astonishingly grown-up and hard-hitting theatre for young people... British theatre companies for children and young people should take note.” The Guardian on co-production
INTERNATIONAL
EUROPE
Magic Net 2009 saw the final year of our six year European project, Magic Net. This collaboration of European theatre companies was funded by the European Commission under Culture 2000. The project’s final co-production One Day in Europe was devised in and toured to Palmela, Portugal; Bratislava, Slovakia; Jelenia Góra, Poland; Schwerin, Germany; Zaandam, Netherlands; Molde, Norway. EunetArt Annual Festival Amsterdam 2009 A week of workshops, discussions, performances and training for the European Network of Arts Organisations for Children and Young People
Development meeting for Platform 11+ in Pilsen, Czech Republic, a new European Project for 2009-2012
USA, NEW YORK Meeting with the New York Metropolitan Opera who then presented at Shift Happens. Research and development week for Catcher in Their Eye
MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR Project Connect: Commonwealth Youth Exchange In partnership with Soho Theatre, London, Cloudbreak and Dram Projects, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and York Theatre Royal. Inspired by their immediate environments and boxes of treasure exchanged by participants in Kuala
Lumpur, London and York, young writers, directors and performers came together to create new, challenging theatre.
RUSSIA Samara Theatre Festival Workshops, Volga Federal District, Russia Practical Workshop programme with teachers and students as part of the Samara International Festival
BERMUDA Lord of the Flies performed at Bermuda Festival of Performing Arts
CHINA, BEIJING ACAMIS High School Fine Arts Festival in partnership with Don Valley High School, Doncaster
ENGAGEMENT One of the country’s leading companies dedicated to theatre for young people, Pilot Theatre creates work that is relevant to our target audience. Our productions are supported by a programme of education resources for teachers and students including a national programme of schools’ workshops aimed to encourage active participation and give young people direct contact with professional artists. We are continuing to develop the application of digital technology to extend opportunities for engagement beyond these live sessions, including a well-used
website and a presence on the social networking sites familiar to young people. This year we ran over 60 workshops in schools in the UK and Bermuda to accompany our production Lord of the Flies, which also inspired participants devising their own work in our summer Play in a Week projects at York Theatre Royal and Helmsley Arts Centre. We also took Play in a Week to Beijing, China where students took Kafka’s The Metamorphosis as a starting point.
“The students really enjoyed the session, and it was lovely for me as their teacher to see them working maturely and creatively in a professional atmosphere.” Holyrood Community School
DIGITAL
Pilot Theatre are always keen to embrace the potential of new and popular technology and have an ongoing commitment to exploring the creative and engagement opportunities the new digital technologies allow. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter help us keep in touch with audiences and colleagues, and the Pilot website continues to be a well-used resource. We are looking at ways of using the technology to overcome restrictions on time and space and minimize our impact on the environment without compromising the live performance: live streaming and virtual environments such as our hub in Second Life are exciting developments. We are proud to be one of the organisations spearheading this digital revolution in the arts, and as such are working with York Theatre Royal, Creative York and Arts Council England, Yorkshire to develop a conference to debate its potential for arts organisations.
FORTHCOMING PRODUCTIONS
FEVER the
At York Theatre Royal Shift happens in digital technology. Building on the success of the first Shift Happens conference last summer, this two-day event is produced by Pilot Theatre in partnership with York Theatre Royal, Arts Council England, Yorkshire and Creative York. With inspiring speakers that include Charlie Leadbeater, Bill Thompson, Andy Hobsbawm, Lyn Gardner, Lucy Wurstlin and the National Theatre, delegates can find out about the latest developments and applications
in digital technology, try them out in workshops, learn from case studies, network, find partners for future collaborations and explore how working digitally can open up new areas of funding and sustainable working for organisations. Includes a live streamed performance of Pilot Theatre’s work in progress Catcher in Their Eye by Richard Hurford, directed by Suzann McLean. Find out more and book your place at shift-happens.co.uk
chart
THREE VISIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Adapted by Nick Lane Directed by Amanda J Smith York Theatre Royal in association with Pilot Theatre
By Naomi Wallace Directed by Katie Posner and Marcus Romer In association with York Theatre Royal
Thu 11 – Sat 27 June 2009
Autumn 2009
York Theatre Royal Studio
York Theatre Royal Studio and touring
in development for stage and screen By Anthony McGowan Adapted by Marcus Romer and Kit Monkman Spring 2010
5CIRCLES2012 The 2012 Olympic Games will be accompanied by a national Cultural Olympiad. As part of the build up Pilot Theatre are working with KMA on the first phase of research and development for a project funded by Yorkshire Forward: 5circles2012.com. Launching in Yorkshire but with a global reach this will be an interactive choreographed light and performance space that will engage, entice and inspire.
5circles2012.com
PLATFORM 11+
BACKSTAGE PASS
Our seven year involvement in Magic Net was inspiring, and gave Pilot Theatre and the young people we work with many opportunities to develop and collaborate. We are delighted therefore to be embarking on a new international project funded by the European Culture Programme. Platform 11+ will create a many layered portrait of a young European generation between the ages of 11-15. It will explore and facilitate their expression through activities such as theatre commissions, conferences, festivals, training and seminars. Participating companies come from Italy, Norway, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Estonia, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
We’ve just launched a new Membership scheme that gives you the chance to come behind the scenes, work with our creative team and much more!
platform11.net
pilotbackstagepass.com
Pilot Theatre would like to thank all the Actors, Stage Management and Freelance staff who have contributed so much to a fantastic year’s work.
Ali Allen Lucy Benjamin Melody Brown Helen Cadbury Dominic Doughty Mark Elliot James Farncombe Stuart Farnell Ebony Feare Francesca Finney Eamonn Fleming Davood Ghadami Vicki Hackett Tony Hasnath Karl Haynes Asha Kahlon David Kendra Mark Knightley Michael Lambourne Victoria May Lachlan McCall
Suzann McLean Rhiannon Meades Carl Moir Sarah Musk Anthony Ofoegbu Caroline Lena Olsson Philip D’Orleans Naomi Parker Katie Posner Hannah Priddle Elliot Quinn Marise Rose Rebecca Ridley Ben Sewell Michael Sewell Charlotte Stanley Cathy Stewart Ivan Stott Joanna Swain Pete Watts Oliver Wilson
Partner organisations
Total Performances:
Artsdepot Company of Angels KMA Magic Net Soho Theatre The Junction, Cambridge York Theatre Royal
Total audience members:
Raymond Briggs’ Fungus the Bogeyman Performance weeks: Number of shows:
Education sessions: Education participants: Website visits: YouTube Channel: Members of Facebook groups: 12 87
One Day in Europe Performance Weeks: Number of shows:
4 13
This Child Performance weeks: Number of shows:
3 7
Lord of the Flies 08/09 tour Performance weeks: Number of shows:
21 153
Awards: Winner, TMA Theatre Awards 2008, Best Show for Children & Young People Nominee, Manchester Evening News Awards 2008, Best Studio Production (Contact) Nominee, Yorkshire Digital Awards Best Application of Internet Technology & Best Entertainment Site
260 54502 100 1805 330759 25 videos 49526 views 1191
Twitter followers:
480
Actors employed:
19
Freelance staff employed:
23
Work experience placements:
10
PILOT TEAM Marcus Romer Mandy Smith Sarah Seddon Katie Fathers Charles Moore Jackie Raper Tracy Cochrane Richard Hurford James Molyneux Hannah Priddle Helen Cadbury
Artistic Director Administrative Producer Company Administrator Projects Co-ordinator Finance Director Finance Assistant Marketing Consultant Associate Artist Production Manager Education Associate Education Associate
Board Chair – Dave Moutrey Geoff Alvy Tim Evison Stephen Mason Kully Thiarai Jenny Ward Pete Whelan Ann Wishart Tina Wright
Patrons Stan Barstow Melvin Burgess Judy Carver Anne Cassidy Reece Dinsdale Dolly Dhingra Jonathan Harvey Ayub Khan-Din Philip Ridley Nigel Williams Roy Williams
With special thanks to all the staff at York Theatre Royal
Pilot Theatre York Theatre Royal St Leonard’s Place York YO1 7HD 01904 635755
info@pilot-theatre.com
Registered charity no: 1003677, registered in England no: 1956167
pilot-theatre.com
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