Whether it’s home-grown Kent theatre troupes taking their productions around the county, the facilitators who make those shows happen or gorgeous venues that host them, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to the delights of outdoor performance here in Kent. We take a look at three local outfits keeping us entertained
The company: Changeling Theatre
Set up in 1997 by actor Robert Forknall - recently delighting audiences as Frankie Howerd in Sky TV’s Funny Woman - Changeling champions Kent actors wherever possible and performs each summer primarily at venues around the county. Explains Rob, ‘I grew up in Chart Sutton and having set up the company locally as its artistic director, it made sense to approach the owners of the ‘big house up the road’ – Boughton Monchelsea Place – to ask if we could perform in their beautiful garden as a business deal. Fortunately for us, they said yes – and the relationship has continued, even as the house has come under new ownership. Current owners, Marice and Dominic Kendrick have been brilliantly supportive, and the place really does feel like home. It’s always where we start and finish our season, with venues at all sorts of different places within Kent – from the beach at Margate, to Biddenden Vineyards - from then on. We’ve got favourites that we go back to year after year, such as Walmer Castle, but we get invited to new venues, too, which is always exciting: this year, for the first time, we’ll be at The National Trust’s Scotney Castle and we’re teaming up with Shepherd Neame to perform in a couple of its pub gardens: at The Belle Vue Tavern in Ramsgate and The Three Mariners at Oare.’
The appeal of those outdoor venues when combined with the energy and imagination of Changeling’s nine-strong ensemble make for a winning formula: ‘We’ve staged events in theatres that haven’t pulled in the same sizes of audience that our outdoor performances achieve – being in the open air definitely makes all the difference, even though it’s sometimes raining!’ says Rob – who’ll only ever cancel a show ‘if it’s torrential’. Audience feedback is essential when it comes to honing performances and planning for the future ‘We give those who come to our shows a choice regarding what they’d like to see in future seasons, and their response always has a bearing on our programming.’
Like any other professional theatre director, Rob auditions for actors for roles in his productions – this year we can look forward to a ‘Bridgerton-inspired’ Loves’ Labours Lost and Sheridan’s razor-sharp comedy, The School for Scandal – with the company rehearsing in London throughout June, then on a farm in Chart Sutton for what’s known as Production week. ‘This is the part I love best,’ says Rob, ‘Plotting everything out, working with the cast – it’s a very creative time and a lot of fun’. The cast then has only a couple of hours to walk through the show at each venue before the performance begins. ‘We have to be very flexible – and if there are certain features where we’re performing – fountains, for example – we’ll try to weave them into the staging, even if we get wet!’
Changeling’s Catapult scheme means plenty of support for aspiring talent: ‘Our Catapult apprentices are exclusive to Kent, and the scheme springboards many young people into the profession, whether it’s as actors, technicians, composers or directors. They include Charlie Oscar, who featured in our 2016 season, went on to the Royal Scottish Conservatoire and then appeared in the last series of Doctor Who, and Ellie Kendrick [Twelfth Night 2005], who now writes for the Royal court and appeared in many films and TV.
It’s great to see those to whom we’ve given an initial start go on to train professionally or to other jobs within the theatre. That and seeing how each audience reacts to our performances, the buzz and the sense of achievement, are the real joys of being part of Changeling. We’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy funding from organisations including the Arts Council and SAGA, as well as our wonderful Companions scheme, and we rely on people’s kindness for things like on-tour accommodation. So if anyone in the Maidstone area’s willing to house an actor over the summer, do please get in touch!’
Venues across the county June 30 – August 20, changeling-theatre.com
The facilitator: Applause Rural Touring
Set up more than 20 years ago in West Kent by Dawn Badland in response to a local authority initiative to take arts experiences to rural areas, perhaps the best way to think of Applause is as a ‘match-making’ service that links local need with arts productions. Explains marketing and communications, Julie Oliver, ‘Funded by organisations such as the Arts Council and Kent County Council, we put together several wide-ranging programmes each year – in summer, it’s shows that can be staged anywhere: in a churchyard, at a village fete, in the corner of a field' These shows could include anything and everything, from drama to comedy, dance and magic. 'We choose from some 150 professional performance groups that pitch to us, selecting around 12 companies who we then commission to make new shows especially for our outdoor programme,' says Julie. 'We then ‘match’ those shows with location ‘hosts’ who put out a request for a performance. Say you’re staging a local community event and want a show to keep people entertained, you could go online and see what you can find, but how can you be sure it’ll be quality, will have the right appeal for your audience? That’s where we come in: we’ll guide the ‘host’ towards choosing the show from our top-quality programme to fit well with their community event and helping to ensure everything runs smoothly. Every season our programme is different, keeping things as fresh and diverse as possible – that’s what our audiences want, and of course it means more opportunities for up-and-coming performers if nothing stays static.’
Key to the success of Applause Rural Touring – a registered charity – is its mandate to send productions to rural areas across not only Kent but Sussex and Essex too that might otherwise face challenges when it comes to accessing cultural experiences, such as a lack of transport links, perhaps, or issues with affordability. Says Dawn, ‘In these instances, community hosts will receive a subsidy to eliminate financial risk, so that tickets are affordable for all. Our performers, though – who are all professionals – continue to be salaried, so it’s about supporting them as much as it is about supporting audiences. Taking the arts to those who don’t normally get the chance to see productions live makes a real difference in terms of alleviating loneliness, bringing communities together and enhancing a sense of wellbeing.’
To find out more about the range of shows on offer and where they’re appearing this summer, or to find out about booking a show to appear in your Kent community in the future, see applause.org.uk
The venue: Hever Festival Theatre
It’s forty years ago this summer that Hever Castle first began hosting alfresco arts performances, inviting audiences in to enjoy them. Heading up Kent Rep theatre group, Richard Palmer kicked off proceedings with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, staged in the magical setting of Hever’s Italian Garden. Actor Richard Hodder says that he remembers performing at Hever with great affection. ‘It started with a few chairs in front of the lake and by the time I arrived as part of the Hever Lakeside Players it was a 500-seat theatre with a special atmosphere; the pre-show picnic adding to the experience. Yes, the weather and planes overhead were sometimes an issue - but an audience would always appreciate a subtle (or not so subtle) reference to the aircraft slipped into the script! My favourite role? Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, of course, back in 1999…’
Since those early days, hundreds of performers have brought their talents to Hever Festival Theatre, with almost every genre of music and theatre represented. This year’s festival, opening on 27 May and running until the end of August, continues that idea of something for every taste, from Horrible Histories Barmy Britain to The Last Night of the Hever Proms, plus Shakespeare, opera and events that that make the most of Hever’s unique place in history. There’s Heritage Theatre’s world premiere of The Sphere of Light, for instance; a play by Ann Henning Jocelyn that centres on the life of the Boleyns.
heverfestival.co.uk
