A few weeks ago I joined Sofie Mason, who has launched a website called offwestend.com that consolidates all the major London fringe theatres to promote them free under one banner, to extol the virtues of the fringe to a group called the London Ladies Club, a group who gather weekly at Chelsea’s Sloane Club for a talk and coffee. We found some spirited theatregoers amongst them, including one American woman who spends a couple of months at a time in London and whenever she does, spends every single night at the theatre with her husband. But this group, who gather under a banner of natural, spirited curiosity in which they actively seek to have their horizons expanded, seemed definitely up for more, and yesterday Sofie organised a three-stop coach tour of some of West London’s best fringe theatres to bring them close-up and personal with them.
With some 25 ladies on board, I joined them on their visit to the Lyric Hammersmith, the Bush and Gate, and although they are venues I seem to have visited all my theatregoing life, even I found out new and fascinating perspectives on them all, as each theatre laid on staff to provide background and a guided tour of each. At the Lyric, for instance, we were led through the pass door and actually onto the stage, for a close encounter with the set of the current production of Metamorphosis that I had only seen last Friday. Having seen the astonishing Gisli Orn Gardarsson apparently flying free of gravity and footholdings for most of the performance, it was intriguing to see how it was achieved in the grips of the cut-out holes dotted throughout the set. The infinite mystery of theatre is actually enhanced rather than diminished by seeing the ingenuity with which its effects are achieved.
And when I visited on Friday, I had already admired the beautifully refurbished main foyer and bar area, that now resembles a swish boutique hotel foyer with soft lampshades and comfortable leather sofas dotted around, rather than the functional tables and chairs of old. Yesterday I discovered that this impressive act of interior design was commissioned from stage designer Ti Green.
On to the Bush, and I finally saw for myself the outdoor fire escape spiral staircase from which Bush actors have to descend from their single (but comfortably appointed) dressing room to make a backstage entrance. And at the Gate, the Ladies were able to quiz the all-lady team – “the sisterhood”, someone referred to them as! – who comprise some of the theatre’s senior staff, from its producer and literary manager to education officer and development manager.
Allowing potential audiences to make personal connections in this way is a sure-fire way to inspire them to visit the venues in the future. And offwestend.com is a brilliant tool for leading them to what to see.
