As New Perspectives celebrates their 50th Anniversary, The Artiscape caught up with Director Angharard Jones.
Can you tell us why you think the company has been so successful for so long?
Jones: Yes! It’s such an amazing achievement isn’t it?!
New Perspectives began 1973 after a group of Bretton Hall students created a Theatre in Education programme which brought important stories to new audiences. Though New Perspectives has been through many changes over the years (including names, locations and leadership), we’d like to think that the New Perspectives we are today still embodies the values that were set out in 1973 by our founding members.
New Perspectives ethos is that theatre reaches audiences where geographic and economic barriers may prevent them from accessing world class theatre; you could see the same production in a rural village hall, at an international festival, an established theatre venue, across arts centres and even the West End which I think is pretty special and unique.
I think New Perspectives has never been afraid of taking risks and trying new ways of working which means it’s also constantly evolving and stays relevant. During the pandemic New Perspectives swiftly adapted and ensured it was still able to engage with audiences even when we couldn’t meet in person, This came in the form of a drama over Whatsapp, a postcard series, Podcasts, dramas over the phoneline- It comes back to staying connected with an audience.
We are proud of the quality of the creatives teams we engage with through our work including playwrights, actors, designers & artists, don’t think you get longevity without creating good work consistently with heart, integrity and high production standards.
I also believe that the company genuinely wants to support the artistic ecology of the region which is why we place so much importance on our talent development programme which sees us work with a cohort of early career artists from the East Midlands to offer a bespoke programme of support.
I feel immensely proud to be a custodian of this organisation. For some of our audiences, their first and only experience of theatre is in a village hall and I often meet audience members who have strong memories of the company turning up in the van , to their community- ultimately to their home.
Audiences seem to appreciate that we come to them – they care about New Perspectives and I think that’s because we have great respect for them. So really it’s that that has probably contributed to such a great legacy.
What do you think listeners will enjoy about the new 12 part podcast series, Where I Belong?
Jones: I think Where I Belong is a fascinating project both in process and product. It really is a “Tale of two cities’ that saw us work with artists from Baghdad and Nottingham
The chosen cities are both UNESCO cities of literature, a designation that celebrates the historical and contemporary successes of writers and artists living in the areas. -and that was the starting point for a collaboration.
Writers from each city were paired together and had conversations via zoom – learning more about each other and where they call home and from that each writer created a 5 minute audio play.
I think listeners will enjoy being transported from City to City, being invited in to the nooks, crannies, the good things, the bad and sometimes the very ugly- it’s all in there and the podcasts are available in both Arabic and English.
The 12 podcasts are as varied as the background of writers we worked with which include multiple theatre makers and playwrights, an educational content creator, a poet and artivist, a scientist with a PhD in Aquatic Microbiology, and I hope listeners will enjoy being challenged to see beyond the in the stereotypes that exist about Nottingham and Baghdad.
You are about to start touring with Model Village. Can you tell us what you think an audience will enjoy about the production?
Jones: Model Village is an anarchic playful satire set in a real life model village where the miniature villagers are actually alive. It speaks to the idea of change, progress, tolerance, and rebellion asking us to examine where the power in communities’ lies and what happens when the ‘little people’ are pushed too far.
I think audiences will really relate to the nuances and complexities of communities desperately trying to co-existing- even across different scales and realities! But in our show, the audience isn’t merely a passive spectator and will vote to decide on what the outcome of the play will be.
What are you looking forward to in touring the country with Model Village?
Jones: Well, firstly we love to visit communities and spaces. There’s a unique spirit that exists on the rural touring circuit. People very much welcome us into their home’ and the food provided for the company is always wonderful ( and gratefully received by touring actors!)
I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the audience vote and if I’ve done my job well- it shouldn’t be an easy decision!
Our participation team at New Perspectives have been working with volunteer promoters to teach community members an original song which audience are invited to sing with us so I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this comes together.
As part of our 50th anniversary were very keen for people to share their memories of New Perspectives shows over the last 5 decades, so at every venue we’ll have a team member on hand and will be thrilled to have conversations with audience members old and new.
As a director, what are the challenges for you in adapting the production for different types of venues (mid-scale theatres to village halls) when you are touring the country?
Jones: The variety of spaces we play can definitely be a challenge. Village halls, welfare clubs and civic spaces come in all shapes and sizes so making a production that can sit in all these spaces and ensure that the same quality is present is essential.
This conversation starts way back at the design phase. For this tour, we very much operate like traditional travelling players where the actors, the set and a lighting rig and sound desk are all transported together. So that’s very much about the construction of the set and ensuring that it’s made in a modular way where it all fits in the van!
What can pose as challenge though can often be a helpful constraint. There’s a definitely a weigh up of practical and artistic decisions but It’s about embracing the spaces and ensuring the audience have the best experience wherever they encounter the work cementing the idea that theatre is for everyone wherever they might live.
To find out about upcoming events with New Perspectives visit their website.
