The potential of Pocketfull
“I hope that each Pocketfull sparks conversation, whether that’s within the theatre community or between people as humans.”
Over the past few months, I have been working hard alongside the rest of the Haywire team to bring back something very special: The Pocketfull Project. This is a series of online monologues about anything and everything, with the aim of collaborating and connecting with new artists. With the relaunch of the Pocketfull Project coming this week, I want to take the time to reflect back on the journey so far, and look ahead to what Pocketfull may be in the future. This has been a whole new experience, taking the reins on such a large project and challenging myself to see how much I can do with a team of fantastic creatives, some incredible writing, and a camera. So far, I have had the pleasure of reading all different kinds of stories from a variety of different writers. It’s been fascinating to take a look into different people’s lives and perspectives, reading their stories and being given the (really quite scary) responsibility of sharing them with others.
“I hope that Pocketfull allows artists to build each other up, making new connections and supporting one another artistically and personally.”
Before we get into it, I’d like to reflect on my first experience of Pocketfull in 2020 as an actor. Liv and Lucy reached out to me with a phenomenal script by a brilliant writer about what it’s like to be a student nurse, and how experiencing death on a regular basis can traumatise and numb you from emotion. This felt like a relevant and important story to tell in the midst of lockdown during a global pandemic as, there was a lot of conversation at the time about NHS workers and the dangers they put themselves through to save other lives. Furthermore, I was intrigued by the online format, excited to finally be making theatre again, even from afar and even in front of a camera. Watching the rest of the Pocketfulls in the series really brought me back to the days at university where work was being continually produced. There’s an atmosphere and a culture between theatre makers that Haywire had managed to bring to the digital world. Now, 2 years later, this sense of togetherness is something I’m keen to take forward, and I’ve got some big ideas about how to make digital theatre relevant even now, post-lockdown.
For me, the most important element of digital theatre is that you can work with all different kinds of creatives from all over the country (and all over the world!) all from the comfort of your home. It’s a great way to make connections between artists and practice honing a craft that we previously thought needed a stage and a live audience to succeed. It’s also generated some interesting questions about what makes theatre, well, theatre? The key point being that this isn’t like film. In my opinion, at least, it should still obtain some of that liveness that comes with theatre. It’s rare that a performance has multiple takes because often the whole thing is taken in one shot, not lots of little cutaways and scenes. The actor is feeling their way through the scene as we are watching them. This is quite freeing, because, unlike live theatre in front of an audience, if they do make a mistake, there is the opportunity to cut and refilm however many times they need to ensure that everyone involved is happy with the final shot.
“I hope that you, the audience, enjoy watching each and every Pocketfull and see the collaboration and hard work that goes into each one.”
On the note of being able to work with a variety of creators from anywhere and everywhere, it has provided a fantastic opportunity for us to work with artists we may not have otherwise had the opportunity to. New artists means new stories and new perspectives. I have had the pleasure of reading some really fantastic work from writers I’ve never met or worked with before. Some of these stories I’ve had a personal connection with, but most are completely different. My aim with Pocketfull, however, is exactly that: to provide a platform for new writers from all backgrounds with all different levels of experience and to connect artists that could go on to produce more work together in the future.
With this in mind, I’m excited to continue collaboration with new artists, discover more about everybody’s stories and share those stories with you, our audience. I hope that each Pocketfull sparks conversation, whether that’s within the theatre community or between people as humans. I hope that Pocketfull allows artists to build each other up, making new connections and supporting one another artistically and personally. I hope that you, the audience, enjoy watching each and every Pocketfull and see the collaboration and hard work that goes into each one. Pocketfull may have been started by Haywire, but it is made by the artists.
Lisa x