Of course anything and everything is a respite after Edinburgh; but after that massive, indigestible feast, we’re in the midst of a theatrical famine of theatrical openings in London. As always, it’s the lull before the September storm blows in again, so we should enjoy it while we can, I suppose; but it’s a perennial complaint on this blog that clashes in the first night schedules mean that we’re sent chasing our tails so often, yet right now the diary is more or less a blank, apart from the opening of three plays in the National Youth Theatre’s annual summer season at Soho Theatre this week.
It means, however, that there is time for a bit of catch-up - and a bit of relaxation, too. Last Friday, for instance, I finally got to the Scoop for this year’s free outdoor theatre season, now in its 6th year there, after I had to abort a previous attempt a couple of Sundays before owing to bad weather. And its amazing to see what a “commercial” success it is, at least in terms of bums on seats (or at any rate bums on hard stone, not much alleviated by the thin foam cushions they rent out for a pound each) - the place was packed, and though the play was Lorca’s difficult, overwrought Blood Wedding, most stayed with it, too, for the 90 minute duration.
But the most surprising thing of all is just how attentive, inclusive and eclectic this audience is, too.
By the simple act of being free - and outdoors - the atmosphere changes and is charged with a completely different feeling to a typical theatrical environment. It reminds me of Shakespeare’s Globe, just along the river - only without the annoying, intrusive stewarding.
In fact, this place is a model of good organisation: they now “hand-stamp” people in, so they can keep track of how big their audience is, and also offer some good on-site catering, too; but they’ve also put barriers around the perimeters now, patrolled by security workers, so there’s no longer the unwelcome distractions of passers-by watching from above and chatting as they used to do. But the audience, too, is actually more attentive than the one I routinely find at the Globe, partly because at least they’re sitting, but also because most of them have nowadays not merely chanced upon it but have actually made the effort to come down to this fantastic outdoor space in the shadow of a glowering City Hall leaning into it and the glowing Tower Bridge behind it.
I’m proud that I was part of the panel of the Peter Brook Empty Space Award that awarded the Scoop our vote for up-and-coming theatre in 2006, after their fourth season there; that promise now seems fulfilled, and this “found” space has become an established part of the London theatrical summer. As producer Suzanna Rosenthal and artistic director Phil Wilmott proudly boast in their programme note, “Thanks to word of mouth, enthusiastic reviews, numerous Critics’ Choice listings and a Peter Brook Empty Space ‘up and coming theatre’ award in 2006, we now enjoy the most culturally, economically and racially diverse audience in London. Each summer, that audience includes thousands of people who would never normally consider watching a play, many of them under 30; an audience other theatres can only dream of.”
It’s good to know that the award has made a difference - it may only be worth £1,500, but has given serious and proper recognition to what they are doing there that is symbolically important. But by not charging for entry, they are able to do something that is not only symbolic but has a direct impact on the work they do, too: “Without box office targets to hit, we’ve always been free to programme creatively”, say Suzanna and Phil; hence the choice of Lorca this year, and a play that resonates with some contemporary headlines, too - “His strange and wonderful play is set within a community ravaged by knife crime, giving it a savage urgency amidst this summer’s headlines.” And as Suzanna and Phil also point out, drawing on another strand of the work done here that is unseen by the wider public or critics, “Our work in schools, always informed by the plays we present, has seldom felt so relevant.”
The following evening, I was on the South Bank again, and for another free event: I previously wrote here a couple of weeks ago of the Royal Festival Hall’s free early Friday and Saturday evening cabaret/jazz performances in the Clore Ballroom, and on Saturday I went back to see Barb Jungr in concert there. Regular readers will know what a friend and fan I am already; but Barb continues to surprise and astonish me in every guise and location, since she seems to be able to command any room and audience so effortlessly. It’s surely an amazing privilege for an artist of this world-class calibre to be offered for free in a public space like this; this is truly art for all. One tiny gripe, though: it is a pity that while the audience, many of whom had come early to stake their claim to a table, were held entirely gripped, the people I had to tell off for talking during the set were a large group of Festival Hall ushers who had collected by the stairs, and seemed to think the show was background to their conversation.
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