So, it's been six months since my last interview with C&D Productions, and with an incredibly busy summer coming up for them, I thought it was about time I interviewed Chris again to get all the details on what the company have been up to recently and what they have planned for the rest of the year.
Hey Chris, welcome back to my blog! It sounds like you and the theatre company have been pretty busy since you last appeared here, what’s been happening?
First of all, thank you so much for having me on here, it’s always a pleasure! Regarding theatre and life in general, it's more like what hasn’t happened?! It’s been a busy few months since the start of the year and it’s seen C&D Production solidify itself as a growing staple in the local theatre community here in Northants. We’ve already performed two plays this year, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Sleeping Beauty, and next week we embark on our latest and biggest adventure, Macbeth.
So that brings you up to seven plays since the theatre company was established last year? What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced putting on so many plays - finding a cast?
Surprisingly that hasn’t been an issue at all. I’ve seen groups suffering that issue with productions being cancelled last year and this year due to lack of cast. We’ve never had that problem as I think we cater to a very different group of performers. Typically we haven’t had many musical theatre performers come along and audition which is a mix of two things in my opinion. First of all, they enjoy singing and that’s their main focus of enjoyment when performing and they want to replicate shows and musicals we’ve seen online or on the West End. Secondly, I think that ‘just acting’ can seem quite daunting when you’re used to singing as with a song you’re given a way of singing it via the music that accompanies the piece. With acting you’re given words on a page and it’s down to you to interpret what to do with the script. Of course you need to do this too with lyrics, but you do have a helping hand and also you’re typically told what to do physically via chorography. Also our audition process is very transparent and I’m purposefully not auditioning for any of our shows this year - with the except of maybe Dracula - to put that point across and establish the right working ethic.
You mentioned Macbeth earlier, what’s happening with that? Seems a far cry from Frankenstein and A Christmas Carol which you did last year?
I think the right opportunity came across our path and the right time, which is so often the case in life when things go your way. I had floated the idea of Shakespeare mid last year and we agreed it was far too early and we should probably look at it in 2016-2017. Then a contact we made from the Camden Fringe passed our details to someone in Brighton and the next thing we knew we had the chance to perform at the Brighton Fringe Festival 2015. I wanted to take something that would be a challenge to the production team and especially the cast as you have to remember Shakespeare just isn’t done much locally at all. I had gained a good level of directing experience since starting the company but I had the sense to realise I needed someone on board who knew Shakespeare. John Whitney had approached us not long before offering his services and after an email exchange and several meetings I offered him the job of co-directing with me.
Casting a Shakespeare play sounds like a very different beast to the usual productions you've staged?
Very much so, but I think we’ve established ourselves as the straight acting theatre company in Kettering to offer open auditions. As soon as I started mentioning the project to people the reaction was unanimous excitement and that wasn’t just from people interested in auditioning, but from people happy to see the group moving full steam ahead. We held two audition days which is our standard practice and after some tough decisions we picked our cast which even includes several people out of county. We had people from 50-60 miles away come to audition and that is a testament to our reach online and the portfolio of varied productions we’ve done since our inception.
The Brighton Fringe has already begun and seen a sleuth of productions being staged across the city. Looking online the sheer scope and scale of the festival is enormous, how have you approached preparing for next week?
In the same way we do for every other production, in a professional way. We’re very strict on being off-book early on in rehearsals as clinging onto a script acts as a barrier to the character being fully realised. We are also blessed with having one of the most dedicated and talented casts I’ve worked with and it really has turned into a collaborative project as I think gaining cast input and suggestions is key to any rehearsal process. Neither John or I will be on the stage with them, so they really have to take charge of their characters and get into their own skin so that the movement, lines and performance is theirs and not them simply following a predetermined route. I purposefully don’t do a great deal of setting early on in rehearsals as I really do encourage actors to think for themselves on stage but instead help them make decisions about what their characters would do at any given moment.
I remember us speaking a while back about your last experience of fringe theatre and you telling me that pushing ticket sales was much more difficult due to heightened competition. How have you fared so far with Macbeth?
This experience has been a revelation on that front. A month before the festival started we had nearly sold out one night and with a week to go before our first performance we’ve entirely sold out that night and have 10 tickets left for another, with the other two dates selling well too. You have to bear in mind that with Camden we were bringing new writing to the table which is always a risk, be it locally or at a big city festival. We’re fortunate that we’ve always made a profit on all of our shows to date and that trend will definitely now continue with Macbeth and also Sherlock Holmes – A Study In Scarlett, which is being performed locally at the end of May. We’ve broken our own record for pre-sold tickets with Macbeth and our aim will be to break a few records at the Rialto Theatre too!
What does the rest of the year hold of the theatre company? Are you going to slow down and have a well-received rest?
Not a chance! We’ve already auditioned and cast our next play which will be a series of three well-known stories performed July 9th-11th in Kettering. The stories are Alice in Wonderland, which sees me carry on working with Abbey Scrimshaw who I’m co-directing Sherlock Holmes with, Hansel and Gretel, which sees a joint C&D directing debut of Trisha Lynch and Scarlett Jordan and lastly Red Riding Hood which Liv Norris is heading up after her success with Sleeping Beauty. John Whitney is directing The Seagull, by Anton Chekov in September, with an assistant director soon to be announced and for October and Halloween we’ll be performing Dracula. We’ve also got some fantastic new schemes starting over the summer and our first ever contracted engagement too.
It really sounds like you’ve got a great team around you at the moment?
None of this would be happening without the truly amazing and dedicated people who make up C&D Productions. The theatre company isn’t about myself or Dan, who will be looking to start a Manchester branch at the start of 2016, it’s about the people that make up the fabric of the group. We work hard and play hard, which can clearly be seen by the quality of productions we produce and by the retention rate of keeping people involved with us. I’m always in touch with Dan to bounce ideas off and he’s usually the voice of reason when I come up with any ideas that we quite aren’t ready for, though I am pleased to say this has become less and less as we’ve grown and our ambitions balance with the talent we’ve amassed. The family we’ve formed is very unique in that we continually welcome new people into the fold and everyone is always accepting of them, whether they are a new director, someone new to acting or an addition to the backstage team.
Anyone in particular you’d like to give a mention to, or is that putting you on the spot too much?
There would be far too many people to name who have had an impact on me personally and on the theatre company and I’m sure I’d end up missing someone! I can summarise some of the people who have helped and make C&D what it is, but if I miss anyone I’m sure you’re in my thoughts! My mum Trisha is an absolute rock and has done wonders sorting props for all of our shows and helps tremendously online getting our posters in front of people, and I’m really proud that she’s taking her first step with us in directing H&G with Scarlett. Pete Bing is an utter C&D warrior and does far more than most people realise, with us discussing ideas and options throughout the rehearsal process. He’s done everything from recommending lighting for us to get or fixing swords! We’ve got a great backstage team that has featured Tyler, Jade, Molly, Dani, Naomi, John, Damien and many others, some of our best costumes have supplied by Steve Lack and then there’s the directors..
Liv Norris who I met doing my first ever theatrical show and has been a welcome addition since moving back to the area, John Whitney who has been a great asset with Macbeth and who I’m sure will continue to deliver with The Seagull and beyond and the new directors coming up through the ranks. Abbey has been great to work with on Sherlock and who I think has a great future ahead of her in whatever she does. Scarlett, Georgie Cunningham and Tom Heritage are going to be coming into the foray this year and I can’t forget Becky Hawksbee who is an amazing support and is an asset to me personally and professionally, and who is making a great return to the stage as Lady Macbeth, having occupied a smaller role in Dorian. I won’t name the 80+ cast who have been in our productions, but I have honestly enjoyed working with all of you and look forward to the doubtless years ahead still working with you.
Very quickly before we finish up, you mentioned some schemes starting over the summer, care to elaborate?
As most people know I am very passionate about theatre having no barriers or obstacles to entry for those wanting to get involved. These of course vary from group policy to membership fees to groups using the same directors for 5-10yrs on the bounce. That's their choice and they are of course entitled to it, I however want to ensure anyone locally wanting access to theatre has that chance. This is why over the summer the first of the initiatives we'll be launching is 'New Voices', which will focus on new writing, mainly aimed at the theatre, but also just generally about encouraging people to write as it can have so many benefits to people's well-being too. The idea will be to get some short plays written as the process develops and then the theatre company will put them on and those received well will be transferred to the various fringes we'll be visiting. I was careful to give it an open name as this scheme will be open to anyone, regardless of age, so it will be exciting who gets involved.
The other program which we are starting will be 'Future-Proof' which is aimed at developing new talent in other elements of the production process. The main focus will be on directing and other elements of backstage, with people teamed up with experience individuals to give them support. The ideal situation would be for a new director would get to work on some of the new material coming out of 'New Voices' and build up relationships with others learning their trade. Again this won't be age restricted so if there's a 17yr old coming through the ranks like Abbey or people who retired and want to take up a new interest.
It certainly sounds like the future is looking bright for C&D and for theatre locally to you in Northamptonshire. What's the plan for the next week in Brighton?
We're travelling down early on Tuesday, book into the hotel and get to work selling the remaining tickets, which as I said earlier aren't many. I've got a few interviews to do with various reviewers and bloggers in the Brighton area and I'll be looking to meet up with Ditch The Label, an anti-bullying charity based in Brighton which we will be supporting while we are down there. The important thing to focus on though is to put on some quality theatre and have fun while doing it. We're there for six days and it's important to make them memorable and gain as much from the experience as possible, as well as seeing other shows that are on too. The family feel that you get from performing at a fringe festival is very different to the feeling you get when performing locally as no-one knows you but the support is a great pure passion to encourage each-other which agendas or motives. Someone comes to your show and sees it, if they liked it they will tell you, if they didn't like it they'll tell you, that level of honesty rarely exists at an am-dram level. Let's hope for some favourable reviews and a fantastic experience for the cast, John and I, and everyone else performing down there throughout May!
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Chris Lynch
Artistic Director
C&D Productions Ltd
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