For many years now I have worked as a director and assistant director on several theatre summer schools. And while there is a lot to reflect on around this subject, the key point of this post is to provoke thought about the "artistic output" of such work. Allow me to give you some context:
This year [2012] I was employed by a venue to help deliver a summer school project. At the culmination of the two weeks training and rehearsal period a group of trustees and board members were invited to watch the performance. They gave the feedback that they though the project was slightly overambitious and that the quality of the work was not as expected. It is important to note at this point that this particular venue were concerned with ticket sales and were a commercial venue.
For such venues, performance displaces process and one must understand that projects such as this are not commercial ventures. The focus of the work should be centred around the artistic development of the young people involved as well as enriching their lives as a whole.
Projects such as this are a way of developing the self; building confidence, self-esteem and an expanded world-view.
What I am saying is that in projects such as this, if the artistic outcome is your primary concern you have missed the fundamental point of offering such projects. Of course, the final performance of the work should be of a high quality, but only within the ability of the ensemble - I was always taught that you can get only what you can get: this is not a sacrifice of quality nor is it only accepting what the group offers you initially as being the limit but it moves the emphasis to the process.
WIP
