Category

Artist Development

Feb 21
0
Jessie Addinall Lighting Designer

Shadowing opportunity for a lighting designer

By | Artist Development

Lighting designer Jessie Addinall is offering an opportunity for somebody based in Hull to shadow them on the production of Baby, He Loves You.

The opportunity is for people who are in their early career or who have no experience and would like an insight into lighting design.

You will be able to spend as much or as little time as you like following Jessie as they provide a window into the design process, from rehearsals to production meetings, design development and finishing off with technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals.

Whether you’re interested in the process as a whole or would like to know more about certain parts, Jessie can tailor the experience to your interests. As the shadowing opportunity is unpaid there will be no expectation around attendance or a time commitment.

Jessie has worked on previous Middle Child shows, including Modest and Us Against Whatever. Their other credits include Pinocchio (Hull Truck Theatre), We Could All Be Perfect (Sheffield Theatres) and Brief Encounter (New Wolsey Theatre; Wiltshire Creative). See their website for more information.

If you are interested, please contact Jessie direct by email.

  • Brief Encounter PROD-1073
  • IHN29154
  • Paragon Dreams
  • Modest - Photo by Tom Arran for Middle Child 5 copy
Nov 16
0
Fresh Ink Hull Playwriting Festival at the Fruit Market

Revealed: Fresh Ink, a new Hull playwriting festival

By | Artist Development, Fresh Ink, News

A new playwriting festival is coming to Hull next summer, supported with funding from founding partners Wykeland and J F Brignall Charitable Trust

Fresh Ink will support writers from Hull to create and develop new plays in the city, while giving audiences a glimpse behind-the-scenes of how theatre is made.

Inspired by ‘scratch’ nights, the festival will stage script-in-hand performances of early-draft plays over one weekend in July 2024.

Performances will take place at venues across the Fruit Market, including the outdoor Stage @TheDock.

Six new plays of varying lengths will be commissioned for the festival, with applications now open to writers.

A company of actors will perform the plays and be made available to other theatre makers who have work they’d like to share with an audience.

This first festival will be a pilot, so Middle Child can learn what works best and improve on it for the following years.

Middle Child have launched the festival to address the numerous threats to new writing in theatre.

Artistic director, Paul Smith, said: “Edinburgh Fringe is becoming impossible for many companies, Vault Festival’s long-term future remains uncertain and challenges abound in finding financial deals for ‘risky new work’ that suits both touring companies and receiving venues.

“Theatre makers must also contend with rising costs, reduced audience numbers in the face of covid and competition for funding, while freelancers bear the brunt of low pay and fewer employment opportunities, especially in Hull.

“While these are massive, industry and country-wide challenges, we at Middle Child want to do everything we can to increase opportunity, employment and access for theatre workers in our small corner of the world.

“That is why we’re launching an annual new writing festival, to directly fund and support the grassroots development of new plays in Hull, bringing new ideas to the stage and inviting audience feedback on early work to shape its future.”

Collage of four images. Top left, a Black woman in orange sweat and purple shiny wig dances. Text says six new paid commissions. Top right, two young white actors perform with scripts. Text says script in hand performances. Bottom right, an outdoor wooden amphitheatre, set in an old dry dock, with an audience watching a show. Text says venues across the Fruit Market. Bottom left, a white non-binary person with curly mullet sits at a desk laughing. Text says give it a go workshops.

The six commissions up for grabs include two 15-minute pieces, two 30-minute plays and two more up to 70-minutes.

Writers with a connection to Hull are invited to apply for one of the commissions, with a new idea, before the deadline of Monday 8 January.

Chosen playwrights will then work with the Middle Child literary team to each write a new script, which will be performed at the summer festival.

Audiences will be able to enjoy the lo-fi sharings, then share their thoughts and feelings with the writers and creative teams.

Paul Smith added: “All of this is only possible thanks to the incredible support of founding partners Wykeland who are funding the first three years, and the J F Brignall Charitable Trust, who are funding the first two years of this exciting new event.

“Working with these brilliant local partners has already been incredibly liberating, as both demonstrate a genuine desire to make Hull a better place to live, work and play, and we thank them for their trust and support in making this dream a reality.”

Read more about the thinking behind the festival in artistic director Paul Smith’s blog post or find out all the details for the commissions on our commissions page.

The commissioned writers will be revealed at the Middle Child season launch in March 2024.

The full festival programme will be finalised, with tickets going on-sale, by June 2024.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or join our mailing list to stay up-to-date with plans for the festival, alongside our various other projects.

Jul 12
1
Theatre For All

Get into theatre with Middle Child in 2023

By | Artist Development, News

We may be in the thick of our London run of Modest, but we’re not forgetting you, Hull.

With our big show of the year firmly on its feet, we can now turn our attention to our development programme, which is about to step-up a gear over the summer.

Read on for a lowdown of all the ways you can get involved in the world of theatre making over the next few months.

Writers’ Group

Our annual introduction to playwriting scheme, led by Tom Wells, kicks off with the first of five weekly evening workshops on Tuesday 5 September.

Applications are now open for anybody in Hull who has always wanted to have a go at writing a play and close on Tuesday 8 August.

1:1 Script Support

Literary manager Matthew May has another bunch of one-hour meetings up for grabs for writers, unaligned with any other project, to receive free dramaturgical support on a script you’re developing.

Out Loud

Our scratch night, in association with Silent Uproar, returns 28-29 July with a double-header, featuring Shit Life Crisis by Olivia Hannah and 1988 by Hannah Scorer.

Pay what you decide tickets are now available through Silent Uproar, while another edition in October will feature Cuckoo by Chris Pearson.

Acting Gym

Our always popular playground for performers to flex their acting muscles between work is also back, with a focus this year on monologues for auditions. Applications open Tuesday 8 August.

Take Your Seat

Fancy a free ticket to see a piece of new writing, along with a free drink, at Hull Truck Theatre? Our series of group trips to see new plays has been running since April and is a great way to enjoy a night out at the theatre in the company of others.

Our next trip is to see Better Days on Saturday 23 September and tickets are dished out through a lottery system. Keep an eye on our social media and mailing list for news on when you chuck your name in the hat.

Book Club and Library Talks

Two new features of our Theatre Library launch in August with our Library Talks and Book Club, taking place on the same Friday each month.

Book Club, our much-anticipated script-reading group, starts with a discussion of Tabby Lamb’s Happy Meal on Friday 4 August. Copies of Tabby’s script are now available to borrow from the library, to read in advance.

Meanwhile Library Talks are an invitation into our space to discuss some of the hot topics affecting the theatre world and wider society.

The first, also on Friday 4 August, will cover the online actors’ network, Spotlight and how you can make the most of it, led by artistic director Paul Smith.

Theatre Library

Our collection of over 2,000 plays and theatre reference books is free-to-use and open every Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon. Alternatively you can arrange an appointment to come by another day by emailing literary manager, Matthew.

Our Play Prescriptions service also continues, where you can ask us for recommendations of texts to read if you’re stuck for a starting place.

  • See our Theatre Library page for more information, including a link to view our entire collection.

Use our space

Finally, a reminder that Bond 31, our space in Hull’s Old Town is not just ours to use, but also yours. Our rehearsal room, writing room and hot desks are all free to book, subject to availability. Rehearsal room bookings are filling-up fast and info about all available spaces, including how to request a booking, is on our website.

We also recently benefitted from a £5,000 grant award from the Equity Charitable Trust to improve our space for actors. Read more about how we plan to use the money, with people already starting work to develop library reading lists.

Jun 30
0
1988

Out Loud scratch night returns with double-bill

By | Artist Development, News, Shows

Tickets are now on-sale for our second edition of Out Loud, a scratch night in Hull for new writing, produced in collaboration with Silent Uproar.

Following last year’s sharing of Casino by Larner Wallace-Taylor, we’re back with a double-header over two nights – Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July – at our rehearsal space on High Street.

1988 by Hannah Scorer

In 1988 two young women fall in love with each other and the idea of changing the world. Motivated by the horrors of Section 28, they find themselves pushed apart as one tries to fight the system by becoming part of it and the other takes an increasingly radical route.

Shit Life Crisis by Olivia Hannah

Grace has beaten cancer, but she doesn’t feel like a winner. As she holds a memorial for her best friend, Abbie, who helped her through the illness, Grace reveals all the ways in which chemo saved her life by tearing it apart, and questions whether what’s left was worth saving at all.

Hannah Scorer came through the Middle Child Writers’ Group, while Olivia Hannah has come through Silent Uproar’s Making Trouble programme.

A further edition of Out Loud will take place in October, featuring Cuckoo by Chris Pearson, another writer from the Middle Child Writers’ Group.

Out Loud is a showcase for new writers to see early drafts of their plays performed for the first time, in front of a friendly audience.

Tickets are available on a pay what you decide basis, meaning you reserve your seat for free, then pay on the evening after the performance, with sharings at 7pm on both Friday 28 July and Saturday 29 July.

Apr 26
0
A purple square with turquoise letter Ls in a pattern and yellow text on a white rectangle which says £5,000 fund for Hull actors

Equity Charitable Trust award Middle Child £5,000 to support Hull actors

By | Artist Development, News

We are delighted to have been awarded £5,000 from the Equity Charitable Trust to buy equipment and provide infrastructure to support local actors in the advancement of their careers, from our space in Hull’s Old Town.

This is a quick blog to let you know what we’re planning.

First thing we did was ask. Thanks to all those people who filled out the survey we posted: we really hope that what we’re planning reflects the needs of the acting community of Hull. So here is what we’re going to do with the money.

Create a self-tape space

This was the most popular request, so we are going to spend a big chunk of the money creating a soundproof space that has all the equipment in it you might need to create and edit your self-tapes to the highest possible quality. This will remove financial and practical barriers to allow you to do your best work. A big thanks to local actor Matt Sutton who is advising on the best possible setup.

Update the technical equipment we can offer

We’ve been delighted with how much use our rehearsal room has had already this year but we’re also aware that some of the equipment that you have to use when you come in is… knackered. So, we’ll be replacing some of those old faithful bits of kit with stuff that doesn’t turn off when you turn the lights on, as well as also making sure you have access to computers for both creative and administrative work.

Improve the library

We’ve got such a big stock of plays that it can be overwhelming to find what you need, so some of the money will be spent creating a database of monologues and duologues to help you find the piece you need as quickly and easily as possible. We’ll also be making sure the library stays up to date with the most contemporary plays from the best writers worldwide.

It’s also worth noting that quite a few of the responses were about continuing to offer things that Middle Child already provide, so to be clear, our spaces including the rehearsal room will remain free to book and can be done so through our website. Our Acting Gym will return in October, and we also have some new sessions starting this summer, including talks about issues within the industry and a book club, where artists will get a chance to read and chat about contemporary plays.

Also, our Take Your Seat initiative is now up and running where, with our friends at Hull Truck Theatre, we offer free tickets to see new plays and then a chance to come and chat about them afterwards.

Hopefully if you’re an actor based in Hull, this all sounds good, but as ever this is just the start of the conversation. Do keep talking to us about how we can improve our offer and hopefully we’ll see you all soon taking advantage of the new self-tape space.

Jan 20
0
A woman in a baggy yellow sweater with her back to the lens reads from a script to a man in the distance

Photos from our 2022 Writers’ Group sharing

By | Artist Development, News

Huge congrats to our 2022 Writers’ Group who shared their first-ever scripts with a wee invited audience at our rehearsal space on Wednesday.

Erin Anderson, Jessica Davis, Matt McCloud, Jim Norris and Samuel Sims have all been working on their short plays since taking part in workshops with Hull playwright, Tom Wells, in September and October.

They were performed by professional actors for the first time in front of friends, family and guests of Middle Child and deserve a huge round of applause for all their hard work 👏

We can’t wait to see where everybody goes next on their writing journeys and look forward to the return of our Writers’ Group in the autumn.

Thank you to Maureen Lennon for directing the scenes and Alice Beaumont, Jack Chamberlain, Sophie Clay, Jack Fielding, Marc Graham and Sarah Penney for performing.

Photos by iWilburnArt.

Dec 08
0
Four performers wearing overalls with hoods contort around each other as they paint a large square upright canvas

“My queer heart is full” – Assistant directing the Modest R&D

By | Artist Development, Blog

Evie Osbon writes about their recent experience in the rehearsal room with Middle Child and Milk Presents at the National Theatre Studio, developing new show Modest.

Hey – I’m Evie (they/she)

I had the best time working with Middle Child and Milk Presents for the R&D week of their new show, Modest by Ellen Brammar. As a Genderqueer, Nottingham-based, early career theatre maker/director, it was personally and professionally a gift to work on:

  • celebrating queerness (tick)
  • championing regional theatre makers (tick)
  • supportive, collaborative, welcoming (tick, tick, tick)

It was my first time assistant directing for the National Theatre Studio as part of the Kindling scheme, nurturing early career directors to develop their practice through assisting established directors. 

Any nerves and ‘need to prove’ was quickly washed away when, on our first morning, we did a check-in led by co-directors, Leo Skilbeck and Paul Smith and, although I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, it felt that we were all genuinely heard.

Everyone would share their pronouns each morning, which is inclusive of gender fluidity and acts as a gentle reminder so that no one is misgendered. Open to my suggestions around varying the check-ins, I led some breathing exercises and grounding techniques to encourage a ‘self’ check-in, ahead of sharing feelings and checking-in with others in the space. 

Two favourite check-in examples: 

  • If I were the weather, I would be…
  • If I were a drink, I would be…
Four performers wearing overalls with hoods contort around each other as they paint a large square upright canvas

The R&D cast play with paint in the National Theatre Studio. Photo by Evie Osbon.

A little intimidated by the assignment of assisting two directors, I fulfilled a variety of roles including ‘vibe assessor’, time-keeper, researcher and collaborator, navigating the requests and needs of both directors.

Thankfully they made this pretty easy, because what a duo Leo and Paul are: respectful of each other’s skill sets, boundaries, ways of working and access needs. This harmonious partnership set the tone for the most non-hierarchical rehearsal room that I have ever been in. One that I hope to replicate in my future projects.

Phrases I observed that encourage collaboration and equality:

  • I would like to offer…
  • Could we try…
  • Let’s test/explore…

I was able to flex my creative muscles and use a range of skills on this project. I directed a monologue that was performed in the work-in-progress sharing at the end of the week, entrusted to work one-to-one with a performer, discussing context, subtext, characterisation, exploring body language and movement. I also carried out research including checking historical dates and finding music from specific time periods. Lover of spreadsheets – no irony – I was also thrilled to fill in a scene tracker to help track the characters’ journeys, clearly showing when they were on and off-stage. 

As we unpacked the first wave feminism story of painter, Elizabeth Thompson, examining scenes, characters and intentions with a queer lens, we used music to celebrate queerness, compiling a collective playlist that served as backing tracks to warm ups, improvised scenes and movement exercises. I will definitely use music in this way in the future.

Overall, I will remember this R&D week for its playfulness and its celebration of process over outcome.

My queer heart is full and inspired. Thanks for having me!

Modest is a Middle Child production in collaboration with Milk Presents, developed with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme.

Oct 25
0
Two men and two women pose in the theatre library

Reflections on Concrete Retreat

By | Artist Development, Blog, Uncategorised

Earlier this month our Concrete Retreat writer residency returned for its first in-person gathering since covid-19 upended our artistic programme in 2020.

Joe Hakim, Natasha Brown, John Booker and Lydia Marchant joined us at our rehearsal space and theatre library in Hull for four days to explore new ideas, without the pressure of having to create any actual work.

Below, John and Lydia share their reflections on their time in Hull, developing new ideas from scratch, discovering chip spice and visiting The Deep.

Two men and two women pose in the theatre library

Clockwise, from top left: Joe Hakim, Natasha Brown, John Booker and Lydia Marchant

John Booker

Having never been on a retreat before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I tried to approach the week with an open mind. I wanted to end the retreat with some developed ideas on work I’d like to write in the future. I had a long list of thoughts, ideas, and musings, but I wanted to turn them into something concrete.

It took me a day or two to get my head out of regular work annd other projects and into the room. A lot of the first day was taken up fighting the urge not to spend the time replying to emails for that small serotonin hit.

Morning walks through Hull, chatting with either Joe, Lydia, or Tash, felt like a perfect start to the day and got me thinking creatively from the off. Check-ins on arrival helped bring clarity to how I would structure my day and a check-out to wrap the day would help to track my progress.

Having artistic director Paul and literary manager Matt on hand to ask questions and get dramaturgical support made a huge impact on my work. With their help I was able to sort my ideas, organise my thoughts and I left with a new creative outlook. Ideally, I would have taken them back home with me, but unfortunately, I couldn’t fit them in my suitcase. Instead, I had to make do with  a shaker of Hull’s famous Chip Spice. If you haven’t tried it, you really should.

I had a chance to work out what’s important to me as a creative, why I do it and where my dislike of Paddington Bear comes from. Sometimes the process of creating can feel lonely and like you’re just screaming into an empty void, hoping someone will respond. I was lucky enough to share the space with three talented artists, who helped to create a comfortable and relaxed environment, where ideas and conversation could flourish. Having the chance to discuss different topics, problem solve and vent felt like the perfect relief.

After reflecting on the week, it showed me how important it is to stop and think. How rare it is for a person to just be allowed to exist and think, rather than have the weight of expectation on their shoulders. In an industry going a million miles an hour, with constant deadlines and pressure, this couldn’t have come soon enough, and I didn’t know how much I needed it until I was there. The only thing that could have improved the process would be more time. Having felt so at home, I had to fight the temptation not to bring my pillow and stay for another week.

Lydia Marchant

Early on in the Concrete Retreat week, we were asked to think about what did well as writers and what we felt we struggled with. For me, without doubt, one of the big things I struggle with is coming up with ideas. It feels like we’re expected to sit on ten brilliant ideas we can pitch at any moment, when it can take me a year to come up with one.

But, during the Concrete Retreat, there was no pressure to come up with or pitch ideas. In fact, there was no pressure to do anything. In the mornings we kicked off with a walk-and-talk conversation, with prompts ranging from “How does where you’re from influence your writing?” to “What does success look like for you?”

After the group discussion, the time was ours to do whatever we wanted – and I mean whatever we wanted. I read plays from Middle Child’s incredible library, had research chats, made spider diagrams and went to The Deep – research, I swear! For whenever we got stuck, Paul and Matt also gave us insanely useful folders full of writing prompts.

In this environment, which was so creative but without pressure, I found, for the first time in months, that nuggets of two or three ideas started to form. Sometimes in the room; sometimes at 2am when I was trying to get to sleep. Most of them are just bullet points in the notes section of my phone but, for one of them, I managed to come up with a two page treatment.

On the last day, I took this treatment to Matt to chat over. Because I’m so used to pushing things forward to meet tight deadlines, I was really hung up on what the story structure could be, but Matt pulled me back into thinking about what the story I wanted to tell was, really interrogating my central dramatic question. This really deepened the characters and a much richer story began to emerge from there.

If we want to pay bills working in the arts, we have to be working on loads of things at once. We never get time to just pause and think. Or certainly we never get paid to pause and think. Until Concrete Retreat, I didn’t realise how much I desperately needed that and I’m so grateful to Middle Child for giving me the opportunity to hit ‘creative refresh.’

Oct 03
0
A photograph of group of young people in an active drama session smiling at each other.

National Youth Arts Trust bring drama workshops to Middle Child

By | Artist Development, News

Sessions begin at Bond 31 on High Street in Hull, from Monday 10 October

A photograph of group of young people in an active drama session smiling at each other.

Exciting news for young people in Hull aged 14-19 with an interest in theatre – the National Youth Arts Trust (NYAT) are to bring free weekly drama workshops to our rehearsal space beginning October 10.

NYAT is an organisation that exists to unearth emerging talent, make bold and exciting work, give a chance for young people’s voices to be heard, and offer a practical and accessible springboard to further education, including a potential theatrical career.

They run theatre trips, masterclasses with industry professionals and perform for the local community and help widen access to youth theatre and the performing arts for teenagers from low-income backgrounds.

After providing a series of taster workshops in schools around Hull, NYAT will begin hosting workshops on Monday evenings, 4-6pm for young people aged 14+ to explore their creativity and try their hand at a new craft.

For more information or to sign up, email admin@nationalyouthartstrust.org.uk or call 07891 835589.

Aug 30
0
A young white man in a Hull City shirt writes in a notebook

The Warren launches Three Minute Monologues campaign with Middle Child

By | Artist Development, News

Middle Child and the Warren Youth Project are excited to reveal a new campaign to support young people in Hull to talk about mental health through theatre.

Three Minute Monologues is a year-long project sharing creative writing skills with young people to bring their work to life on stage with professional writers and actors.

It’s inspired by the Warren’s Three Minute Heroes campaign, in which young people devised lyrics for local bands to turn into songs that were then released as an album.

This new project aims to help disadvantaged young people under 25 to find their voice and express what is on their minds through a creative outlet.

A young white man in a Hull City shirt writes in a notebook

Jodie Langford, creative writing and project coordinator at the Warren, said: “A lot of young people that use the building come from a variety of complex backgrounds, most have been challenged immensely by society, education and domesticity.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing how the young people involved express themselves through creativity to improve their own mental health.

“It will also give others a better insight into the pressures young people encounter in day-to-day life.

“We’re incredibly honoured to be collaborating with Middle Child and can’t wait to see the fantastic work that comes from these inspiring sessions.”

The first series of workshops, for people aged 18-25, start on Thursday 1 September at the Warren.

Later workshops for younger writers will take place at a future date.

Middle Child will then take participants’ words and turn them into short pieces of theatre, to be performed in public in the summer of 2023.

Three Minute Monologues

Paul Smith, Middle Child artistic director, added: “We’ve been huge fans of the Warren’s brilliant work since the early days of Middle Child.

“It’s a real privilege to be working with an organisation who truly listen to young people and offer authentic and impactful opportunities every single day of the year.

“Working with them on a project of this scale and ambition is a dream for us, and we can’t wait to work together to create some electric live theatre shaped by the experiences of Hull’s young people.

“Alongside helping young people to share their thoughts on mental health issues, Three Minute Monologues will give them valuable experience of working in professional theatre and offer the chance for them to see their story being told to a live audience.”

The first six workshops run every Thursday afternoon, 2-4pm at the Warren, from 1 September until 6 October.

For more information about Three Minute Monologues, contact Jodie Langford by email or by calling 01482 218115.

Three Minute Monologues is funded by Comic Relief.

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