Les Miserables - School Edition

Not long ago, I went to see a youth production of Les Miserables, School Edition performed by my old group, the Pershore Operatic and Dramatic Youth Section (or P.O.D.Y.'s). Now this may sound exaggerated, but it was, hands down, one of the best performenaces I have ever seen in my life. And I say this as someone who has had the honour of seeing and being part of a world premiere, Choir of the Year competition and Dance Fest International, and had the honour to perform before the Duke of Edinburgh.

Each and every principal performed their character brilliantly. Their vocal range,  and dramatic interpretation were superb, and it is right that the show was nominted for a regional award. I wish members of my singing group and a great many others could have seen this. Professional doesn't even come close to describing it. They all deserved the standing ovation they got.

It is work like this that inspires me to make sure that talented people like they are given the chance to use that talent.

I hope that they pursue a musical career.

James Mcgarry

Jerry Springer The Opera

Just been listening to Jerry Springer The Opera. You know, it's a darn shame that it had to be satire, because the singers are absolutely brillant. Their dynamic, diction and control are perfect. I just can't imagine them having to rehearse singing swear words in full gospel harmony! Take away the offensive lyrics and the music is wonderful. It's a proper rock opera-cum-jazz/gospel megamix. If only Richard Thomas could write a serious version of it. And then of course, there's the controversy invovling Act 2's rather blasphemous content. Well, ok, it's hard to know where to draw the line. I just know that the music is excellent, and I really wish they'd write more modern operas this way (minus the offensive lyrics, of course).

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Networking in the arts

How do you think it should be done?

Song Lists/Repertoire

There are of course, many classic musical numbers to put on a stage, but here are some tried and tested pieces that I think are good for any show:

Solos

• ‘Anthem’ (from Chess)
• ‘Maybe This Time’ (Cabaret)
• ‘Bring Him Home’ (Les Miserables)
• ‘The Wizard and I’ (Wicked)
• ‘Mr Cellophane’ (Chicago)
• 'One By One' (We Will Rock You)
• 'If I Ruled the World (Pickwick)
• ‘Colours of the Wind’ (Pocahontas)
•  ‘This Is the Moment’ (Jekyll and Hyde)
• ‘Gethsemane’ (Jesus Christ Superstar)
• 'Being Alive' (Company)
• ‘The Sun and I’ (The Hot Mikado)
• 'Defying Gravity' (Wicked)
• 'Joanna' (Sweeney Todd)
• ‘Nobody’s Side’ (Chess)
• 'Man Wanted' (Copacobana)
• ‘I Won’t Send Roses’ (Mack and Mabel)
• ‘Nothing’ (A Chorus Line)
• ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (Sunset Boulevard)
• 'Tomorrow' (Annie)
• 'Think' (Blues Brothers) [stage show]
• 'Nothing's Gonna Harm You' (Sweeney Todd)
• 'Losing My Mind' (Follies)
• ‘No Good Deed’ (Wicked)
• 'The Ladies Who Lunch' (Company)
• ‘I Am What I Am’ (La Cage Aux Folles) [original version]
• ‘The Life of the Party’ (The Wild Party)
• ‘Happiness’ (Scrooge)
• ‘I’m Not Alone’ (Carrie The Musical)
• ‘If You Want to Die In Bed’ (Miss Saigon)
• ‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again’ (Phantom of the Opera)
• ‘Not a Day Goes By’ (Merrily We Roll Along)
• ‘Make them Hear You’ (Ragtime)

Duets/Trios

• ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ (Blues Brothers)
• ‘All I Ask of You’ (Phantom)
• 'Love is an Open Door' (Frozen)
• ‘Everybody’ (Blues Brothers)
• ‘My Own Best Friend’ (Chicago)
• ‘Last Night of the World’ (Miss Saigon)
• ‘I Still Believe’ (Miss Saigon)
• 'The I Love You Song' (Putnam Spelling Bee)
• ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ (Kiss Me Kate)
• ‘The Company Way' (How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
• ‘Masculinity’ (La Cage Aux Folles)
• 'Easy Street' (Annie)
• ‘All for the Best’ (Godspell)
• ‘Sorry, Grateful’ (Company)
• 'The Song That Goes Like This' (Spamalot)
• 'Make Him Mine' (Witches of Eastwick)
• ‘You’re Nothing Without Me’ (City of Angels)
• ‘I Wish I could Go Back to College’ (Avenue Q)
• ‘Quarter to Nine’ (42^nd Street)
• ‘Gotta Get A Gimmick’ (Gypsy)
•  ‘Wheels of a Dream’ (Ragtime)
• ‘For Good’ (Wicked)
• ‘Two of a Kind’ (The Wild Party)
• ‘Who Wants to Live Forever?’ (We Will Rock You)

Ensemble Pieces

• ‘One Day More’ (Les Miserables
• ‘Tonight’ (West Side Story)
• ‘All that Jazz’ (Chicago)
• 'No Day But Today' (Rent)
• 'I Believe' (Spring Awakening)
• ‘Seasons of Love,’ (Rent)
• ‘Climb Every Mountain’ (The Sound of Music)
•  ‘Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat’ (Guys and Dolls)
• ‘Oh, What A Circus’ (Evita)
• ‘Mamma Mia’ (Mamma Mia)
• 'Side by Side' (Company)
• 'The Circle of Life' (The Lion King)
• ‘Blow Gabriel Blow,’ (Anything Goes)
•  ‘Born to Hand Jive’ (Grease)
• ' I Got Rhythm' (Crazy for You)
• ‘Springtime for Hitler’ (The Producers)
• ‘Lullaby of Broadway’ (42^nd Street)
• 'No One Is Alone' (Into the Woods)
• ‘Be Our Guest’ (Beauty and the Beast)
• 'God Help the Outcasts' (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
• 'The Grasslands Song' (Lion King)
• 'Bring on Tomorrow' (Fame)
• ‘Suddenly Seymour’ (Little Shop of Horrors)
• ‘Hello Dolly’ (Hello Dolly)
• ‘What I did for Love’ (A Chorus Line)
• 'Rhythm of Life' (Sweet Charity)
• ‘Bui Doi’ (Miss Saigon)
• 'Stars Look Down' (Billy Elliott)
• ‘Coffee In a Cardboard Cup’ (70 Girls 70)
• 'Only for Now' (Avenue Q)
• ‘Sun In the Morning’ (Annie Get Your Gun)
• ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ (Hairspray)
• 'Shadowlands' (The Lion King)
•  ‘Bethlehem’ (Martin Guerre)
• 'One Short Day' (Wicked)
• ‘The Land of the Fathers’ (Martin Guerre)
• ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (Jesus Christ Superstar)
• ‘Come What May’ (Moulin Rouge)
•  ‘Till We Reach That Day’ (Ragtime)
•  ‘Into the West’ (Lord of the Rings)
•  ‘In the Beginning’ (Children of Eden)
•  ‘Back in Business’ (Side by Side By Sondheim)
•  ‘We Are the Champions’ (We Will Rock You)
• ’We Will Rock You’ (We Will Rock You)
•  ‘Let Me Drown’ (The Wild Party)
• ‘A Wild Party’ (The Wild Party)
•  ‘Dirty Laundry’ (Witches of Eastwick)
• ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel’ (Starlight Express)

FEEL FREE TO ADD MORE!

Teamwork vs Leadership

In musical theatre productions, are teamwork and leadership in conflict with one another, or are they part of the same thing?

What are your thoughts?

Networks: The Way Forward for the Arts?

Networks: The Way Forward for the Arts?

By James Mcgarry, LCM, LLM, LLB

Introduction

We are often told that networking is very important to get ahead in the world. To acquire the best jobs, and find a stable career, it does indeed pay to connect yourself to the right people and show them your capabilities. But the process can be harder than it looks, and networking is made harder still, if an organized recruitment operation is not in place. In a changing job market, how can we build networks to reflect the transient nature of artistic professions, and how might GMTG Birmingham be considered for an example?

The Situation

As it stands now, the job situation in the workplace is, as we all know, uncertain to say the least. The key institutions of the artistic and other professions stand like fortresses. Everyone sits defensively behind closed doors, guarding their lot. In the middle of it all, a great many of us throughout the workplace are sat there, patiently treading water, waiting for the break to come.

I liken the situation to a housing chain. Everyone is waiting for someone else to move. But if the person at the beginning of the chain doesn’t move, no one in the chain can move: because everyone is still waiting for someone else. Eventually, all will become impatient, disillusioned and give up. The same is true of society’s effect on the arts professions. Enterprise is voluntary. So is networking. For things to happen, someone has to take the first step.

This alas, is not the 1990’s. Back then, I remember that an applicant for a job, could fill out a form, and stand a good chance of being called back for interview. Jobs were what they were advertised to be. Interviews were still tough, but if you didn’t get the job, you stood a better than average chance of getting the next one you went for.

Nowadays, I am told that each person needs to fill out at least 60 applications to stand a chance of getting just one interview. Now let me be blunt here: the idea of wasting hours filling out forms for jobs that may no longer exist, or signing to agencies who always promise great vacancies, but don’t seem to deliver, is a waste of everyone’s time.

It wastes the government’s time, because the longer applicants spend filling out forms, the longer they are forced to claim benefits. It wastes resources (not the least the rainforests) because this mountain of paperwork achieves nothing. It is even a waste of the job centres and agencies’ time, because they are forced to play a number crunching game, and let’s be honest, they can’t offer what isn’t there.

The applications process is now just a number crunching maze, to disguise a very obvious fact: that the jobs simply are not there. Worst of all, the process is demoralising to the average Jo and Jane, who put in all their effort to pay their own way, only to be told time and again ‘sorry we’re not recruiting at the moment,’ when they actually need a helping hand.

This is as much a headache for resting actors as it is for other job applicants. In her play[i] Portrait of An Actress As… an acting friend of mine performs a satirical sketch that illustrates the absurdity of the applications process: which was simply not designed to consider the changing nature of artists’ professions. In many ways, our job market still has a Twentieth Century system that is now hopelessly out of date in a Twenty First Century, Globalized world.

Barack Obama himself has observed, that[ii] “we have a tendency to take our free-market system as a given, to assume it flows naturally from the laws of supply and demand and Adam Smith’s invisible hand…It’s useful to remind ourselves then, that our free market system is the result neither of natural law nor of divine providence. Rather it emerged through a painful process of trial and error, a series of difficult choices between efficiency and fairness, stability and change.” By the same logic, our jobs market as it stands now is clearly in need of a change.

This is certainly no fairytale world. We cannot simply ‘give everyone a chance’ when people need to do jobs to a certain standard. The reality is that people must take what they are given, and adapt to survive in this changing, and sometimes turbulent circumstances. But at the same time, even the toughest people on earth need support networks to fall back on and move on to the next job. Competition may be healthy, but the prize has got to be worth the fight.

Imagine an abandoned army, cut off from its supply lines with no means of communication with base. If in enemy territory, its soldiers will of course be perfectly self-sufficient, and go right into survival mode. They may fight the enemy valiantly; they may search for a rescue, and with their training, they will certainly survive a long time. But without food, water and shelter, one by one, they will all die. Artists, including performing artists, are definitely as self-sufficient, but an organized system of support networks still needs to be in place, to help them on their way.

Taking Action: Networks and Apprenticeships?

What there should be – especially in the arts industry – is a clear system of progression from education, to training right through to full time work. And that applies equally to any course and/or discipline in the performing arts. In the words of entrepreneur, Luke Johnson, (also Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts)[iii]:

“[J]obs are not a natural phenomena, invented for the general benefit of society. Jobs are a by-product of someone’s urge to build a business and create wealth for themselves.”

So therefore, if we create more arts networks, we are potentially creating more jobs.

The industry itself needs to be set up, so that when a show/project collapses, a performer can move effortlessly into the next one, as in any competitive industry. This may sound obvious, but I have read about many abandoned or collapsed arts projects, for which no contingency plan was put in place.

Looking from the outside[iv], a key fault in the arts industry, it seems to me, is that unlike sports, manufacturing or even the legal profession, there are gaps between its academic and professional sectors. In manufacturing, I am told, there has always been the possibility of on the job training, and apprenticeships. The candidates get the training, the employers get increased labour value from skilled workers, and training is given while money is earned. This kind of system is a win win for everyone. I should know: I took an apprenticeship in customer service. Performing arts is a hands on profession, in whatever discipline, and lends itself perfectly to on the job training, and hence apprenticeships: both on and off stage. In fairness, a great many leading arts institutions have made this a reality. I notice that the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, for example, undertakes a clear programme of knowledge transfer, with as much emphasis on production, and networking, as performance, so that graduates are fully equipped to find employment.

Sadly, this approach is not replicated throughout the whole industry. For example, in a debate about grassroots engagement by the arts that I attended at the newly refurbished Midlands Arts Centre, a great many issues of concern came up about the differences of community engagement. If grassroots organisations face challenges to engage with their communities, then surely community members face the same challenges to network into the smaller arts organisations.

Through apprenticeships, arts organisations both large and small, could all offer a clear way into the industry. This may avert the need for further networking. But first of all, there is another age old hurdle that must overcome.

Perceptions: the arts, sport and others

Perhaps the biggest burden on the performing arts as an industry, and hence the expansion of its networks, is the way its workers and the business are perceived. All too often, I have heard the arts industry dismissed under the same stereotype. Artists are all either ‘prima donnas’ or ‘it’s a cutthroat business’ or its not a ‘stable’ profession to go into. This image is used by politicians to deny funding to the arts, and to omit support for arts networks. Funnily enough, though, from time to time, I have encountered the same egos, the same insecurities, the same jealousies and even the same uncertainties in sales, retail and local government: to name but a few.

No my friends, the performing arts sector and the wider arts industry as a whole is a competitive industry like any other. Read an issue of The Stage magazine, and you will see how seriously its practitioners take their work. As to the internal conflicts and rivalries of arts organisations, I will say, politics is politics. Compare this to rivalries and fallouts within professional sports organisations, and you will see the similarities.

Yet despite all this, I can see politicians going through the motions, attending arts events, speaking up for artists etc. I sense that this is just a box ticking exercise for them, and they do not have the same heartfelt respect for the arts that they do for sport.

So how has sport come to hold such a place in so many people’s hearts that the arts industry sometimes does not? Again and again, it always seems to come back to the same old argument. Which would you rather have: a hospital, a school or a theatre? The answer is clearly a no brainer. No decent person would ever want to deprive other people of their schools and hospitals, but that is not really the point.

The same argument could be made for a sports stadium. After all, how many millions (possibly billions) spent on the 2012 Olympics could have gone towards education? How much more could have gone into healthcare, or charity? Does paying athletes a fortune give our population food? Does it put a roof over people’s heads? Does investing millions in stadiums send their children to a good school? In absolute terms, no.

What sport does do, is to inspire people. It gives careers to athletes, commentators, and technicians in the field. This in turn creates ancillary jobs: as an army of logistical support staff must work behind the scenes of every sporting event. It gives the person on the street something to see and be part of. It inspires people in their day to day lives, showing them the wonders of human achievement. The Paralympics especially, shows to anyone with a handicap, or who considers themselves less worthy than others, that they have nothing to be ashamed of: and that they are in every way, as good as their peers.

Sport brings together families and communities. It has changed the lives of billions around the world. And I make the same argument for the arts. Yes this is a leisure activity enjoyed by the public for their entertainment and enlightenment. In absolute terms, we could live without the arts – performing or otherwise -  but would our quality of life be the same? Would we ever express ourselves, or find out so much about ourselves? I think not. Therefore, we should treat the arts: including the performing arts, as an industry that improves the quality of people’s lives. We need to build its networks, and expand its influence, so that politicians will realise the importance of its role in our lives. In this, the year of the 2012 Olympics, the Cultural Olympiad behind it should be promoted just as strongly.

One Possible Solution

Entrepreneurs will always take the initiative in setting up new companies and new business ventures. A good example I know for the arts was the City Concert Organisation, whose orchestra’s founder Adrian Jackson once told me, that the company was able to create new business, by deciding where and when to hold new concerts. But the creation of businesses alone will not guarantee new networks. The answer to this, I believe, lies elsewhere.

The best solution seems to be online social networking. It is indeed about who you know, and thanks to Facebook and Twitter, we all ‘know’ a great many people. Times are hard, and are getting harder. Nevertheless, the rise of social media (including Facebook and Twitter), is allowing people greater interaction with one another. However, I still believe that industry specific networks need to be made for the arts. Spotlight and the RSC have made many good inroads, but I also believe that smaller networks need establishing to bridge the amateur/professional, as well as the academic/professional divide.

I think something that should really be considered right now, is the development of more online blogs/forums for Alumni to talk with their academic counterparts: enthusiasts from student societies online. While this happens on Facebook and Twitter every day, I still think blogs are a useful tool, for when people need to go into more depth. That is why I hope that this network will set a good example.

One formal online network, used by both Alumni and students of an artistic society, could bridge the gap effectively between the academic and professional sectors of the arts industry. The obstacle is of course, lack of profit and lack of motivation. I believe this can be solved if both sides view information itself as the commodity to be traded. If each college or university could encourage such specific society networking, among official departments and voluntary societies, then a lot could be achieved. The professionals could trade their years of experience and connections, with the students’ innovations and initiatives. Knowledge could be traded for knowledge.

A very good example right now is The Hive at Worcester. This boasts the first library in Europe (on its website), to integrate the University’s Library with the City Council of Worcester. So the professional and academic sectors of libraries and learning are now integrated in effect: making the transition from one to the other a lot easier. Replicate this online in the arts, with multiple artistic societies, and the same can be achieved on a larger scale.

Over time, and with the Universities’ assistance, some of these informal networks could even be made official: perhaps even into apprenticeships of sorts. While all this may sound a little far fetched, lets remember that a few years ago, at one such university, a certain Mark Zuckerburg had an idea about a new social networking site called Facebook…

Such a plethora of smaller networks would provide a strong foundation for the largest ones. The addition of grassroots and smaller networks under the same formula, could form a platform for the large ones. This will strengthen and stabilize the industry in much the same way as the most basic level football academies have for sport. For some inspiration for online arts networks, here is a good example: http://www.themodernvocalist.com/.

Bridge the gaps in this way, and the industry becomes a well oiled machine, with a clear line of progression into The Business. Competition is organized, talent is used, and although there is friction, a clear line of progression will ensure that jobs are hard earned. This I believe will earn the arts – especially the performing arts – more respect.

Guild Musical Theatre Group

Of all the places to start, GMTG Birmingham would be a perfect example. GMTG Birmingham is no ordinary society. In many ways, it is a cut above the rest. As I have said before[v], the society itself has gone from strength to strength, with a constitution, community projects, new online networks, and a great many innovations unprecedented during my time in its shows. Its Alumni have made great careers for themselves: consider Rhydian Roberts on The X Factor, Hadley Fraser at the West End, and of course, The Adam Street Singers’ certain proposal on a train…to name but a few. 

Here of all places, is an opportunity to recognise this potential, on a more formal level, and a blog for GMTG Birmingham should be a good way to enhance this trend. Currently, there are two Facebook pages and Twitter that serve both current members and Alumni very well, but I am convinced that a more formal network is needed, to reflect GMTG Birmingham’s high standards. Therefore, this blog has been created, for both Alumni and current members to meet, and exchange ideas and experiences, on all aspects of performance and production.

GMTG Birmingham, of course is unique, and as a voluntary society, includes a diverse range of people, not all of whom are music and drama students: but this is exactly my point. This network should allow current members who are seriously considering a career in either to gain useful knowledge for a possible career path: whatever their field of study. For our part, we Alumni are stuck rigidly to the procedures of our professions, and adhere to a defined workplace culture. We would benefit from innovations and discoveries of current GMTG Birmingham’s members.

This resource will allow knowledge transfer between academic, professional and veteran members of GMTG Birmingham, and enable all users to adapt quickly to changes in each sector. Purists may argue that only qualified professionals can advise on serious issues, but I counter that a good range of different opinions and experiences is exactly what is needed to determine where a situation stands: which is surely the purpose of academia and business. It should help us all to broaden our horizons, as academic debates can be held on many issues. For business too, there is ample room for networking, as current members and Alumni may discuss the situation in the industry.

In the short term, this blog, and will appear to make little difference to GMTG Birmingham’s operations. After all, the current Facebook and Twitter pages are very effective networks, for day to day info. Over time, however, I predict that it will allow a steady build up of knowledge from both sides. This will facilitate changes, which were quite important. For example, a user who is putting a show together would have access to an even wider variety of sources, and different points of view to consider.

I have heard it said that such long term relations between societies and their Alumni in general, would be merely an ‘indulgence’: that the Alumni and current members now lead very different lives, and so would not have the incentive to keep meeting this way online for this kind of knowledge transfer. That is true to a point. We all now lead different lives, and since we do not all know each other, it is difficult to imagine what we would now have in common, besides a love of musical theatre.

On the other, hand, there is one universal reason, for why people should continue to talk. Because there is something that, in our busy lives, we have all forgotten about: the value of our knowledge. Search any costume room, or backstage area, and you will find a wealth of resources that people have long since left, from shows gone by. It is like a treasure trove, of untapped memories. In many ways, people’s knowledge works the same way.

When was the last time that you were listened to? It is surprising how rarely people are. Current members may have lots of ideas, but sometimes, they may not have the opportunity to use them. Alumni who have gone into the performing arts industry may not get their chance either, because, the job in hand may involve a different set of priorities. Likewise, there are a great many Alumni who I like to call ‘Veterans.’ These are ex-GMTGers, who went into other full time occupations, but who still have many years experience in the performing arts. For that reason, I believe that after 25 years of its existence, many members, and Alumni will have a lot to say about issues on and off stage.  

So if you have ever wanted to talk about something to do with performance or production: an issue on or off stage, or something to do with the industry, then here a place to do it. You are welcome, as I have said, to make posts of your own, on any topic you feel we should talk more about, and that goes for all GMTGers past and present alike.

Conclusion

The world has changed, but we have yet to change with it. And for the arts industry, new networks need to be put in place. At the present time, better, more industry specific online networks are needed; to integrate the academic and professional sectors of the arts, to allow performing arts enthusiasts access to a good career.

In my time, I have seen some awe-inspiring shows, and had the privilege to be part of a few more. I have seen ordinary people do extraordinary things, in front of thousands. But all too often, these talented individuals never get to live their dream. Let us give them that chance.

---

[i] Performance by Kim Charnock, Portrait of An Actress As…RoguePlay Theatre Company, 2011

[ii] Barack Obama: The Audacity of Hope, Canongate Books 2008, pg 150

[iii] Luke Johnson: Start It Up, Why Running Your Own Business is Easier than You Think, Penguin Books, The Penguin Group, 2011, Pg 205

[iv] I myself am not a full time performer, but hold an LCM qualification in Musical Theatre, and sing pro rata, with my group, Colla Voce. Most of the observations in this article come from past involvement in professional concerts and events, from full time performers I know, and from the general consensus of views held in industry specific publications.

[v] See Welcome Message, elsewhere on this blog

Queen - Live Aid - Part 1 (1/5)

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