A comedian and a theatre-maker are joining forces to put on theatre in a Bristol hostelry. But this isn’t yer bog-standard ‘pub theatre’. Steve Wright gets in a round.

As Mark put it the other day, we are expecting something like The Rovers Return meets Royston Vasey.” The Mark in question is Mark Olver – comic, compère and tireless promoter of Bristol’s stand-up comedy scene. The speaker is Emma Callander, Bristol-raised theatre maker and long-time Olver associate. The two of them are telling Venue about a new project they’ve thought up, which could just be the most unusual and beguiling theatrical evening you’ll have next year.

“Mark came to me and said, ‘let’s do theatre in a pub’ and I said ‘no, that’s boring’,” recalls Emma, who’s just returned to Bristol after a year working with Glasgow’s National Theatre of Scotland. “Then we got to talking about the pub theatres that already work so well, the Alma Tavern Theatre in Bristol being a fine example. Mark explained that he was more interested in having a night of theatre based on the stand-up comedy model, where a number of writers would present short pieces of work in the pub itself. That’s when I became more interested.”

And that, folks, is the duo’s big idea. Audiences would enter a Bristol boozer for an evening’s theatre – a mix of monologues, two-handers, sketches and more, some pre-programmed to happen at a given instance, others triggered by audience/performer interaction. Mark and Emma are already in the midst of creating the background details, an immersive story of life in a fictional Bristol boozer. They’re then hoping to create a series of these events that tour to different historic pubs around Bristol and Somerset, with a running narrative akin to a TV soap. For now, Clifton boozer The Eldon House is to host the nights, which Mark and Emma plan to start in February.

“We want to create a way for writers across comedy, music and drama to collaborate within one story, working as a tapestry of voices telling one common thread,” Emma explains. “I enjoy creating work inspired by social and personal history. Local pubs have been such a vital part of Britain’s communities, but they’re now closing at an alarming rate. I wanted to create an experience that celebrated their importance, history and unique eccentricities.”

So how would it work? “All the staff in the pub, starting with the bouncer who takes your tickets, would be actors,” Mark explains. “But inside, it would feel just like a normal pub. We’d do it midweek, when pubs are fairly quiet anyway. You’d buy your ticket, sit down and order some food. The person who brings your food might be [the actress playing] the landlord’s wife. Perhaps she’ll whisper ‘Rescue me!’ in your ear as she puts your plate down. Another time, she’ll be sat in the toilets crying, or perhaps she leaves a little note under your plate with the words, ‘I’ve never loved him’. Or you’ll go to the bar for a drink, where the barman will be spouting about the problems he’s having with the brewery.”

“Mark knows precious little about theatre and I know hardly anything about how the comedy world works, so we are learning a lot from each other,” says Emma. “Having never touched a drop of alcohol in his life, though, Mark does know a surprising amount about pubs. It’s important to us that this is a completely accessible event, where people who might feel intimidated or uninterested in going to a regular theatre will feel more comfortable, sitting in a pub with a drink watching a story unfold around them.” Mark: “It’ll be immersive theatre, but there’ll be a narrative, rather than just a series of characters in costumes doing tricks. It’s that mix of immersive theatre and showcasing new writing that we’re after.”

And here’s where you come in. Mark and Emma are putting the call out for writers, designers, theatre makers and musicians to get involved. Just send a short scene, an idea, sounds, images or whatsoever, inspired by a pub, landlord/lady or regular that you have known, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and they’ll see about staging it. “If you fancy writing something, say a two-minute sketch, email it to us and, if it’s good or even just shows promise, we’ll figure out a way of putting it on and you’ll get your work seen,” Mark explains. “The reason football is the most popular game in the world is because it’s so simple. You just need two jumpers, a ball and a tree. Even a plastic bottle and a couple of socks will do. Stand-up is like that too – you just need a mic and an audience. If you fancy doing a slot, it’s simple: you can drop me an email and I can find you a gig the following Sunday or so.

“With theatre, it’s not quite that easy. You have to have access to actors, a director, scenery, a venue. If you’re a kid in Kingswood or Avonmouth and you’ve written something, how do you know how to go about putting it on? I want to bring that democratic element to theatre.” Emma: “The framework is in place, now all we need are the creative folk of Bristol to come and join us in writing this story.”

SEND YOUR SCRIPTS, IDEAS ETC TO This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , AND CHECK FORTHCOMING VENUE ISSUES FOR MORE INFO ON PERFORMANCES.
 

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