A group of grads from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are determined to stick around in home waters and make some waves in the sou’west. Rina Vergano puts her oar in.

“The BOVTS tagline is: World Class Training – Made in Bristol. We’d like to extend that to: World Class Training – Made in Bristol – Staying in Bristol,” says Melanie Zaalof, a BOVTS graduate and emerging mover ’n’ shaker who did such a fine job of marketing this year’s excellent Director’s Cuts season at the Alma back in April. So, Melanie, you mean Bristol’s latest crop of young thesps aren’t all rushing off to the bright lights of London, clutching their diplomas and a suitcase full of panstick and wigs? “Well, each year the majority of BOVTS graduates do make a beeline for London. But we’ve decided to stay in Bristol because it has such a vibrant arts scene. In London the competition is so fierce that artistic decisions are often compromised by financial constraints. By staying in Bristol we’re able to keep our production costs down, and we have the space to experiment and play with new ideas without compromising the artistic product.”

That sounds like a plan then. And actually, it’s a plan in action, as Melanie has teamed up with others to form two new companies – Monty Till Productions, producing new work by Floor to Ceiling. The companies are headed up by graduate-stage-manager-turned-producer Monty Till and BOVTS graduate (and prize-winning) director Hannah Drake. Hannah has already made a mark directing shows such as ‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me’ at the Alma (“a wonderful production” – Whatsonstage.com) and ‘Eddie King’s Unforgettable Tour of the Forgotten’ (“a tour de force” – Venue; “directed with style” – Bristol Evening Post), and assisting on SATTF’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (“a sharply intelligent and promising young director” – Andrew Hilton). One of the key aims of both companies is to offer paid work to recent graduates and, in doing so, retain local talent from BOVTS, UWE and Bristol Uni in the city.

These sound like really good aims, but surely it can’t be easy trying to set up something new in these tough times? “Actually, there’s a huge amount of support in Bristol and we’ve been overwhelmed by people’s generosity,” says Melanie. “So far we’ve been offered free rehearsal space, lots of advice and guidance from Tobacco Factory, kind use of Clive Minnitt’s photographs for our publicity, discounted graphic design… the list goes on.” It seems that when the going gets tough, many people on the theatre scene in this town are willing to pull together: a far cry from the icicle days before Theatre Bristol started a thaw going.

The creative partnership of Floor To Ceiling and Monty Till Productions aims to produce theatre by, with and for the communities in and around Bristol, providing opportunities on both sides of the curtain. Having grown up in and around the city, Hannah is passionate about the theatre scene in the South West. “Engaging with new writing and old traditional theatre spaces and more unusual locations, established actors and recent graduates, Floor to Ceiling’s work is united by its interest in the human condition – however simple, sentimental or absurd.”

In November they’ll be staging their inaugural production at The Brewery theatre: ‘86,400 Seconds’ (aka ‘The Pier Project’) is a debut piece from local writer Jo McAnish, inspired by the brass plaques on Clevedon’s historic pier. After the collapse of the pier, its supporters were encouraged to buy a plaque engraved with a message of their choice, as a way of raising funds to rebuild and maintain it. These range from simple names to more complex, and sometimes cryptic, private stories. To date, there are over 10,000 of these plaques, many of them quite moving. As someone who lives not far from Clevedon, I’ve often spent a Sunday afternoon wandering up and down the pier myself, wondering at the personal stories behind the words on those plaques. “While our story is essentially fiction, it’s inspired by the people we’ve met and experiences we’ve had on the pier,” explains Hannah. “During our research the writer and I met with some members of the angling society, hearing their stories and learning the basics of sea angling. With this in mind, we’ve created an intimate two-hander about one man holding a three-day fishing vigil on the pier, until he’s rudely interrupted by a stranger who won’t leave him alone. We’ve also been working closely with the pier mistress, Linda – her passion for the pier and her support and enthusiasm for the project has been invaluable. We hope that our production will encourage more people to visit the pier. In fact, we hope to have one performance for all the volunteers, trustees and plaque holders – a celebration of the pier, so to speak!”

86,400 SECONDS WAS AT THE BREWERY, BRISTOL FROM TUE 16-SAT 27 NOV. FOR REVIEW, CLICK HERE.
 

Copyright Rina Vergano 2010

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