Comments on: Theatre talent quests: who wins?

By: Kate Foy

Kate Foy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:32:08 +0000

Hi Noel,
good to hear from you and to get your response. It’s always good to get a balanced view of these matters, so would be happy … not necessarily to ‘debate’ anything right now as the full picture remains to be coloured in … but to hear your side of things. Perhaps you’d oblige with more details of the outstanding professional development you mention that was part of Short+Sweet. Flloyd notes that she is curious as to the feedback given to the participants; you can see this above. I’m equally interested in the process, and as a long-serving trainer of young professionals to hear about the kinds of collaboration in the artistic future of the country that this terrific new generation of arts workers is already working at. Cheers.

By: noelSheridan

noelSheridan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:10:56 +0000

Kate and Ffloyd now one could be more cynical than me as a 25 year career actor and yes my NIDA was Ambrosians and Arts where I directed my first festival play 25 years ago my second Short and Sweet 25 days ago and the professional development was outstanding and I am now aware that indeed the next generation of me’s exist and are more than ready to collaborate in the Artistic Future of this country
The chance merely crossed my table
a bit like this and am happy to debate the ???? at any time
Regards Noel Sheridan

By: Flloyd Kennedy

Flloyd Kennedy — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:10:12 +0000

Thanks for this, Kate. I think this subject would greatly benefit from more open debate and discussion. It seems pretty clear to me that simply being involved in putting on a short play does not lead to higher levels of artistic quality. On the contrary, it leaves open the possibility for inexperienced, inexpert participants to come away with the idea that they are somehow more skilful and effective theatre makers than they actually are, simply because they took part.

Of course experience of making theatre over time is a great learning exercise – it is how I got my ‘training’ – but one swallow does not make a summer (or some such cliche). And I had the benefit of working as a young, inexperienced actor with highly experienced directors and writers, learning my craft as an apprentice. When I was ‘emerging’ my work was either moulded by masters, or presented honestly in the company of other unskilled, ambitious ‘emerging artists’ as the experiment in making theatre that it was. This is a very different animal to what is considered to be ‘experimental theatre’.

I, also, am curious as to what feedback the participants in Short + Sweet received, and how they were subsequently pointed in directions that would facilitate their further development.

I would appreciate more accountability on the part of the organisers. Someone is making money out of this, why not admit it?