New Projects

DOORS OPENING.. FOR OPERATING THEATRE

Operating Theatre’s new play is a new departure for the company, taking a look at health from a new perspective.

The play, called Doors Opening... Doors Closing suggests that the nation’s emotional and even physical well-being is being seriously damaged by the state of the country’s transport network - jammed roads and often inadequate bus and train services. 

It was specially written for the UK Transport Research Centre’s two-day Social Impacts and Social Equity Issues in Transport: Transport and Health Workshop   held at Newcastle University on March 17th and 18th, and performed twice at the University’s Culture Lab at the end of the first day of the conference - first for conference delegates and then for members of the public interested in the subject.

Set on a Metro carriage, Doors Opening... Doors Closing was written by Operating Theatre’s Carol Clewlow along with executive director, Dominic Slowie.  It features four widely differing characters - a  female student, a cycle enthusiast, a pensioner  and a radio traffic reporter - who, when their Metro service is held up find themselves debating the state of the country’s transport network and its effect upon their lives.

As is normal with Operating Theatre performances, a ‘hot-seating’ workshop followed both performances allowing the audience to cross-question the characters to further investigate the issues involved. Facilitated by Slowie, the hot-seating was enthusiastically entered into by both audiences, and several enquiries about performing the play at similar events have already been received. 

Doors Opening... Doors Closing was funded by Newcastle University as part of a series of activities taking place throughout 2011 to celebrate its world-leading work on sustainability (for further information see www.ncl.ac.uk/sustainability).

In the picture... keen cyclist Karl (Carl Kennedy) confronts helicopter traffic presenter Mikey Mike (Ben Van Der Velde) with, left, Lou( Louise Dearden) and Pauline (Pauline Moriarity) looking on, in Operating Theatre's performance of Doors Opening... Doors Closing at Culture Lab in Newcastle University.

THREE ACROSS TWO DOWN

Operating Theatre's latest play Three Across Two Down deals with the subject of harnessing talent and leadership potential in the National Health Service

Commissioned by the North East Strategic Health Authority - Operating Theatre's second commission from the Authority - it was presented at the 1st Regional Leadership Summit, at the Wynyard Rooms, Billingham in February.

The play is set at a conference modelled on the Regional Summit. In it the three characters, a long serving bed manager for a major hospital Trust, a newly appointed deputy head of Human Resources for the same Trust, and a young clerical officer in the Human Resources department are taking a break tasked with discussing the issues raised in the morning session. 

Unfortunately while the bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed new man from Human Resources  is keen to both discuss the issues, and take back an assortment of new ideas based on them to the afternoon session, the somewhat cynical bed manager is considerably less enthusiastic.  Claiming to have been to dozens of such conferences, and to despise all new campaigns, not to mention anything that smacks of management speak, he would rather spend his lunch-time doing the crossword. As for the lowly young clerical officer, she has to keep breaking off to take calls on her mobile from Human Resources which clearly can't manage a day without her.

Specifically designed to point up precisely the sort of issues raised  at the Summit, audience members responded warmly to the play, clearly recognising the characters, the arguments, not to mention the comical moments of which there were plenty.

Comments afterwards from those who commissioned the play included 'loved the fact it captured so many aspects and issues surround talent management and leadership' along with 'excellent' and 'well done to the Operating Theatre team.'

THE REAL McKOI TOUR

'A big thank-you... the morning was a great success...'

'Many thanks for coming... very pleased with the performance... particular relevant to our students...'

'A great success...  we would welcome any further drama like this...'

Just some of the comments from teachers following performances of The Real McKoi at their schools.

Written to inspire and motivate pupils to succeed, the play was performed ten times in schools in Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside during the first two weeks of November. 

In addition, it was also staged with success at New College Durham in front of performing arts students as an example of Theatre in Education.

Commissioned by Newcastle University with additional funding from Newcastle City Council, the Real McKoi features four young people who have bunked off school for the day, and who discuss their feelings about school and their futures.

The play was a new departure for Operating Theatre, being the first time work had been produced specifically for a young audience.  Drama workshops at two schools designed to get pupils to express their feelings about school, and disengagement in education generally, were run before writing started. This helped to give the play its authentic feel, and was one of the reasons for the success with its young audiences.

In addition, Operating Theatre adapted its usual way of working. Audience numbers, which were large, meant that instead of the actors sitting out front for the hot-seating workshops as normal, they moved among groups of pupils, along with director and other Operating Theatre facilitators, encouraging the young people in lively discussion about the issues involved.

A number of the schools at which the play was performed have requested repeat performances. In addition, there have been a number of enquiries from other schools and it is hoped that the play might tour again in the New Year.

Enquiries about the new tour should be directed to: carol.clewlow@scribbling.demon.co.uk

View our Other Projects here...

Bunking Off! The Real McKoi Cast; left to right, Lee Jones, Simon Hymers, Leah Baskaran, Gillie Kleiman.