Making it count.
Hello everyone!
We’re quite a bit late to the party we know, but we wanted to wish everybody a Happy New Year and congratulate everybody on making it through the last 12 months. Everything feels like it has been so upside down for so long now, it’s hard to imagine (or remember) what normal life is like, and here in the UK it’s looking like that’s still quite a way off, but we can’t help but head into 2021 with a positive outlook. We know we’ll all be in agreement that 2020 was a shit year, for everybody all over the world, but more specifically for the theatre industry. What possessed us, back in June, to look at the state of the world and go ‘ahh yes perfect timing for starting a company’ we will never know. But here we are six months later and in our opinion in a pretty damn good position. There’s still a long way to go, for everybody including us, but we’ve been looking ahead to the next year and reflecting back on what we’ve done so far, and we can’t help but be a little optimistic for what the future holds.
Yes, we have had some struggles. It’s not hard to explain how restrictive zoom meetings (and, on occasion, ridiculously slow internet) are for a theatre company trying to rehearse and plan. We’ve definitely come to realise how much we took for granted being able to see someone every day without having to make the effort to. There’s a simplicity in being able to discuss production details over a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table, or create a rehearsal schedule over a coffee with everyone involved. Right now, when you have to organise a meeting or find time to video chat with each other every time you need to discuss anything in detail, everything feels incredibly slow. We’ve also been working on a live show (which will hopefully be announced very soon) which hasn’t had the easiest process, mainly due to the continual need to push back performances because of our good friend COVID-19.
But it's not all doom and gloom, there have been some positives to our lockdown life. We have successfully been able to navigate the digital space with our most recent Haywire Christmas videos, as well as the Pocketfull Project. This online presence has now become something we can carry through into 2021 (and beyond) when we have a lull in rehearsals for other projects. Extra rehearsal time has also meant that we’ve been able to dedicate some time to a full and complete R&D process for a project for later this year. We’ve used the additional time that we might not have had otherwise to deepen our practise and lay some fundamental groundwork for the company. Overall, we’d say that as a company we’re heading into 2021 in a pretty comfortable position. That being said, that comfort is about to be completely disrupted by all the goals and targets we have for this year. 2021 is Haywire’s first year of official, live performance, and we’re determined to make it count. We’ve been restricted so far by the virus, but should all go to plan COVID-19 should be mostly under control by summer, right in time for the fringes. That’s a huge opportunity we’re keen to capitalise on, but doing so requires us to raise our focus, work ethic, and productivity.
As such, we’ve decided to make some resolutions as a company, to not only give the year some structure but to also continue to challenge and push ourselves to be even better. There are some smaller goals, which are more just things that would be nice to achieve (case and point, meet up in person- we’ve not actually seen each other since last March). But there are also some bigger ones, like how hopefully by this time next year we’ll be in a position to look at taking on a new member. Documenting them here not only allows us to keep an open line of communication with all of you and create an honest detailing of how we found our stride in the sector, something which has been a goal of ours since we began, but it also creates a list of achievements to hold ourselves to. Being only two people, it’s hard sometimes to ensure we’re making tangible progress, keeping a ledger like this will allow us to see how far we’ve come. We’re phrasing them as ‘Resolutions’ for the sake of that classic New Years branding, but think of them more like targets, public admissions of our goals to keep us on track, and you in the loop.
The Resolutions
Meet up in person
Do we need to explain this one?
2. Some proper photo-based branding (Haywire photoshoot?)
We can’t tell you how much we’ve missed actual photos of rehearsals and meetings, pictures of our computer screens don’t quite accomplish the same thing. We’re looking to do a rebranding of our social media and website, with some actual photos of us together, as well as some shots of rehearsals and (eventually) live shows. The absence of these things are something we’ve been feeling since we started, so getting them is pretty high on our list of priorities. Any photographers out there, get in touch!
3. Create some original work, and take it to a major Fringe Festival
A major goal for us, and one of the ones we’re most excited for. We’re currently in the early development stage with a really talented writer, and what we’re working on with him is something that gives us opportunities to do things we’ve never been able to do before. We’re opening new doors and challenging ourselves in ways we can’t do with pre-written pieces, and we’re ready for where it will allow us to take our work.
4. Take another show on a country-wide fringe tour
Another major goal, and one we’ve been working towards for a while. We were originally aiming for a fringe tour last summer (before COVID-19 hit) which never happened, and have been debating attempting an independent tour at some point throughout the pandemic. But we’ve never felt like the country was secure enough to risk touring the show fully while the virus was still widespread. The upcoming summer fringes, even if they are a complete year after we’d initially planned, give us a great chance to showcase our work across the country, hopefully once the pandemic is more contained.
5. Apply for funding from an external source, and put it towards elevating a piece of work in a way we couldn’t do without it
While this might seem like a slightly minor thing right now, securing external funding would be a huge step forward for the company, and would radically change how we could approach our work. It opens up the possibility to increase the limits of what that show could do and, in turn, build up a solid foundation to move onto larger projects. It’s horrible to say, but money controls a lot in the world of theatre, and securing funding dramatically changes your prospects. Getting our foot in the door early on is vital to us.
6. Register as a UK CIO AND begin the steps to becoming a working, profit-generating company
Taking steps to register as a charity was a recent decision, but one we’re really keen on. Not only does it open up new avenues for how we approach funding and business structure, but it also acts as a public statement of intent. It’s always been our goal as a company to serve the communities around us, as it probably should be for every company, and registering as a charity makes that aim clear. As much as our incomes are important, we’re creating work for other people to enjoy, and dealing with that comes first.
7. Take on a new member AND/OR start outreach focused on helping others entering the industry this year
Perhaps ambitious, but important to us nonetheless! It’s a goal of ours to, through Haywire’s work, make available to other entry-level creatives the opportunities we didn’t have when we graduated, and we’d like to start the groundwork for this in 2021. Even if it’s just bringing someone additional on for touring season to get additional experience, it’s vital to us that we start cultivating that environment for the company, so that it’s infused throughout our work as we grow.
Overall, is it too much? Who knows! That’s the beauty of documenting goals this way, come January of 2022 (which is terrifying to think of) we’ll be able to look back and tangibly measure how much we achieved, and how much we didn’t. This kind of measurement will in turn keep us continually working, and being transparent about our goals with anyone who chooses to follow along with our progress keeps us true to our intentions. Maybe we’ll achieve a lot more than this, maybe we’ll achieve a lot less, either way we’ll be able to see how much we’ve done. And that kind of assessment is, in our opinion, what will ensure Haywire survives its first few years.