A review and a restart
Hello all, and Happy New Year! I know that technically our last blog post premiered at the start of January, but I didn’t want to take any emphasis away from Isaac and his wonderful exploration into theatre in the dark, so I thought I should hold off on the well-wishing until this one. Especially as we’ve known this blog post would be coming for a little while, anyone who has been keeping an eye on this page since its conception would know that we did a similar one this time last year. The purpose of a post like this, placed at the start of each year for maximum effect, is essentially to reflect on the last 12 months of practice and set goals for the next year. This time around, I’ll also reflect on the goals we set last year, assess whether they were achieved, and why they may not have been as viable as we thought. You can find all of that information below, but before that, I think it’s important to provide a bit of an overview of the year just gone.
Haywire has changed a ridiculous amount in the last year. At the start of 2021, we were yet to have the chance to perform any live work and weren’t certain when we actually would. COVID-19 remained a constantly shifting black cloud over the public service industry, we were (and still are, it’s worth mentioning) in a period where companies were closing shows at a moment’s notice because of cast/crew infection, or cancelling whole performance runs because limited capacity made profit impossible. In short, we had absolutely no idea how the theatrical landscape was about to change. As such, a lot of the planning we did at the start of the year was idealistic dreaming, an idea of the best possible place we could imagine being in come December. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that a lot of what we hoped for last year hasn’t come to be - or has, but in a way we weren’t expecting it to. I’m glad to say that we’re now in a position to plan effectively and correctly, in such a way that is actually achievable. This year’s list of goals is, for the most part, a much more realistic list of options, and much more achievable than some of our 2021 goals were. I’d like to think, as well, that they’re more far-reaching than the old ones were. After a year of work, we’ve not only got some much stronger connections and working partners, but we’ve also gained a much more realistic picture of what Haywire stands for. We’ve built into our goals for 2022 several pointers that angle the company in a direction more aligned with what we stand for as artists: an accessible sector that supports relatable, yet innovative, work for artists of all experience levels. Now we’ve got a stronger period of work under our proverbial belt, we can shift our focus onto company practice and ideology. I think - I hope - that in the new goals below, there’s a much greater sense of identity than there was in the ones for 2021. From the position we’re in now, we understand how to mesh our artistic intent with company projects, and utilise our professional presence for more than just performance runs. Personally, I believe that this is a feeling shared by the rest of the company. I think it’s a wonderfully exciting place to be. Never in a million years did I think we’d be in this position at this point in the company. While 2 years of work might seem like a long time for other companies, for a theatre company established in a pandemic, it’s really not. We’ve had limited time to access spaces that actually worked for us, and limited funding to achieve performances of the scale we’d like. When you’re starting out, trying to form company policy, creating first connections, and establishing your identity as a group, that’s a heavy workload in a difficult climate. To have conquered all of that and be in a position where we can continue to progress forward is an incredible achievement, and I’m phenomenally proud of the whole team for getting us here. I’ll also be eternally grateful for all the artists we worked alongside that supported us and helped us grow. I think we, as every independent artist and company has over the last 2 years, have achieved an amazing feat by surviving this pandemic.
Our most recent trio of videos in the Pocketfull Project (available to watch here on our YouTube channel) are a wonderful set of monologues written by upcoming writer Elissa Nicholson, which deal with the ideas of the past, present, and future. We knew that we wanted them to be released around the New Year period and it seemed appropriate to have them looking back and forwards, just as the company is at this point in time. They deal with those concepts in their own way, and it doesn’t necessarily translate directly to this post, but I think it’s important to draw links between them. These periods of reflection, of considering what has come before and what can come later, are vital for longevity and genuine work. I firmly believe that you can’t create properly if you aren’t in touch with the successes and downfalls of your own practice. Even though we haven’t achieved everything we set out to do 12 months ago, and even though it’s likely we won’t achieve everything laid out in this over the next year, I look forward to these moments of consideration. I can feel where we’re making tangible progress and where we’re lagging behind and adjust accordingly. All in all, it’s one of the most exciting parts of my role.
But all that aside, I’ve rambled for long enough. Onto the Resolutions. I’ll start with assessing last year’s, so if you’re only interested in where we’re going next, feel free to scroll on down.
A look back to 2021
1. Meet up in person.
Done and done! Not only did we conquer the metaphorical mountain that was working in-person during the pandemic, but we also managed to deliver multiple live performance runs while also respecting government guidelines and mandated performance restrictions. Not too shabby.
2. Proper photo branding.
I’d also give this one a resounding success. Both ‘buckets’ and our work with Welsh charity Well-Fed came with official photography and branding. Admittedly, many of the rehearsal shots for ‘buckets’ were taken against the backdrop of our living room, but it’s certainly better than nothing! We’re just lucky that it worked out that we have some incredibly aesthetically pleasing red-brick walls.
3. Create original work, and take it to a major fringe festival.
For this one, I’d give us a strong B+. We did achieve both goals within this one but not for the same project, and not in the way we’d intended when we first set it. Originally, we meant for this resolution to reflect the piece of new writing we were planning on touring across the country that summer. So, while we did create completely new work (Well-Fed’s Community Festival), and attend a major fringe festival (‘buckets’), I wouldn’t say it was at the scale we were hoping for. The reason? I’d honestly put it down to a combination of time and money. Tours of the scale we were hoping for are expensive, and we weren’t in a position last May to pay for one. Combine that with the fact that everyone in the company was also working other, full-time jobs to pay the bills because we didn’t have the funding to employ anyone, and it’s pretty unrealistic to achieve this one fully. It’s also worth remembering that many fringe festivals were responding to changes in pandemic policy in real-time, which made it hard for any companies to set realistic expectations as to what they would be getting out of attending. That’s no disrespect to the companies who did. In fact, I tip my hat to them for their commitment. But we simply weren’t in the right place to take those kinds of risks.
4. Take another show on a country-wide tour.
Yeah, this is a hard failure. Honestly, when I look back on these resolutions, it becomes incredibly clear that we had no idea how difficult 2021 would be for us. Dreams of running, and funding, multiple shows and tours? “Of course, why wouldn’t we be able to do that?'' said January 2021 Haywire. Alas, we really had no idea how stressful delivering successful performance runs would be last year, for reasons already mentioned. All in all, I’m glad we didn’t stretch ourselves too thin by trying to achieve this one too. It would have pushed the company to a breaking point in a climate that wouldn’t have led to our best work. Tension-filled subpar work isn’t something I ever want to be creating.
5. Apply for funding from an external source, and use it to elevate a show in a way we couldn’t do without it.
Ahh, we really were sweet, innocent summer children, weren’t we? Look at how confidently we included this, as if not only it would be simple to find a funding avenue that works for us, but also that we would definitely receive said funding! Look how much the last 12 months have brought us into reality with a hard crash. We have made progress in the realm of funding, we’re much more familiar with its pitfalls and tricks than we were last January, and we’ve got more of an understanding of how to generate income and raise money for projects in ways that don’t involve funding boards. I’d argue we have a much brighter funding future ahead of us. We’re more aware of how to succeed and when we’re setting ourselves up for failure. I definitely think this resolution will be something we subconsciously keep in our minds, but I’d be keen for us to remember that it isn’t a parameter to create good work. Funding isn’t necessary to make strong art, and it’s definitely not required to be successful.
6. Register as a UK CIO and move towards working as an official company.
This is a tricky one to reflect on. While we didn’t register as a charity, 2021 has absolutely seen us set up Haywire as an official company. That decision, to set up as a company instead of a charity, was made for a multitude of reasons, but I think it’s important to make it clear that we haven’t forgotten why we wanted to be a charity at first. I spoke about it briefly in last January’s resolutions blog post, and in there I described it as a “...statement of intent…”. Those aspects, of wanting to ensure that Haywire’s focus is always on serving and working with the communities around us, are still as strong as ever. In fact, I’d argue it’s even stronger than it was at the start of last year. We’ve actually worked on community-focused performance, and are currently in the planning stages for a widespread period of community outreach and community-led performance creation. We’ve just made the call that we were better off starting out as a Limited Company, as opposed to fitting ourselves into the boundaries that come with some charity registration. It’s important to us that we give our practice time to grow and find its particular niche before we pigeonhole ourselves into a certain kind of creation. But the knowledge that the communities that surround us are always the most important factor in our work? That’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
7. Take on a new member and/or start outreach working towards helping other emerging artists.
This one, I am incredibly happy to say, is also a resounding success. Not only did Lisa Jayne join us as our newest company director in the latter half of 2021, but we also expanded our circles and networking to include a wider variety of artists and creatives in our process. The outreach work, aimed at creating a more accessible industry for entry-level artists, is something we’re working on at the moment, with more details of that to be released over the coming year. I’m very excited to see where that will take us. Also, from perhaps a more personal position, this resolution is probably the one I care most about, so I’m thrilled we’ve made steps towards achieving it. I don’t think there are many more blissful feelings than watching other artists be empowered by the work we do, and I can’t wait to start infusing this into our practice in more concrete ways.
Now that I’ve looked back, let’s switch focus to looking ahead. Some very, very exciting stuff below.
2022’s Resolutions
1. Tour the summer fringe festivals with a piece of new work
A continuation of last year’s resolution, but more focused. Last year we were looking to do everything at once; multiple summer shows, multiple tours, all in the same 2 months. Entirely unrealistic, all things considered. This time around, we’re concentrating our efforts on a single show and a single tour. It will allow us to create the best work possible, and ensure that the whole process is as rewarding as it can be for all involved, be they cast, crew, or audience.
2. Extend our community work to include a wider network of people and a greater level of participation, to grow our understanding, and bridge the gap between artistic performance and community work.
We’ve done some really incredible community work in the last 6 months and have built genuine links to charities and public organisations. As we look ahead to this next year, we’re aiming to continue this trajectory to work in an even more hands-on capacity with the public, and use this to demonstrate the benefit the arts can have in strengthening communities and bridging divides.
3. Get back to York.
It’s been a while since we’ve returned to York, which is technically where Haywire met. While we’ve been based elsewhere for the majority of our work, we’ve always had York in our minds as a home base, somewhere that feels familiar to us. This year we’d like to return there in some capacity, whether it’s with a show or something else entirely. Plans are still very much in the works, so unfortunately I can’t confirm too much yet, but rest assured we’ll be returning soon to make our stamp on our original home.
4. Work towards cultivating a more resilient working practice, with prioritisation of artistic growth and healthy company policy.
Now we’re set up and operating as a company, we’re keen to turn our attention to how we work. There’s a lot to consider in terms of what that means for us, and I’d be hesitant to pin too much on paper now. But I can say that it’ll look like a working practice that prioritises artist consideration. Designating periods of rest, being keen on reflection in all aspects of our practice, and being attentive to a multitude of working practises that adapt to fit individual artist needs are all included. It’ll be designed to guide us towards a way of working that is sustainable and creates teams that can continue to thrive even amidst the pressure of a changing arts sector.
5. Connect with a permanent writer.
This one comes with similar energy to last year’s resolution to expand the company to include a new artist. We have writing talent within the permanent Haywire team, but no one who would call themselves a writer first and foremost, and that’s something we’d like to amend. I think it’s important to have a writer so that our work can be reactionary. As much as it’s wonderful working with new writers on every single project, it also makes it hard to start projects without months of notice. Having a writer as a permanent part of the team means we always have writing talent we can call upon, it means we can be slightly more spontaneous, and we also get to give a freelance writer a company they can always call on should they want to put a script on stage or through an R&D process.
And there we go! An incredibly long post, as they usually go, but an important one nonetheless. Lots of exciting stuff to look forward to, and, from our perspective, a great opportunity to reflect back on the last 12 months of work with an analytical eye. Obviously, we can’t be certain how the next year will shape up, but I’m looking forward to where we may go. This kind of assessment is what will keep us going, and stop our practice from becoming stale and outdated. Bigger and better things are on the horizon, and I can’t wait.