Et Tu Caesar?

What a birthday it was! When for a present, I was taken to see a production of Julius Caesar at the newly refurbished RSC, it took my expectations to a new level. The powerful play translates perfectly into a conflict set in modern Africa: no doubt inspired by Nelson Mandela's quotations from its most poignant passages. 

The political repercussions of a country in turmoil from the death of a dictator are all the more relevant today, with the deaths of Muammar al-Gaddaffi, Saddam Hussein; and even Osama Bin Laden, fresh in our minds. When Caesar’s statue falls, the cross reference to the iconic felling of Saddam’s statue couldn’t be clearer. Considering the many revolutions in countries throughout the world in the past few years, Shakespeare’s themes of national pride, identity, have lost none of their significance.

Yet it isn’t just the staging and production that made the play for me. The energy and passion of the performances made the characters as raw and timeless as they ever were. I hate to name names, but Paterson Joseph made an excellent Brutus.  He pretty much stole show for me.

Above all, it was great to have seen the play at last. World class performances were given by all. And Brutus was indeed an honourable man.

A Call To Arms

A Call to Arms

I'd like to bring you up to date with future plans for this blog, as well as the challenges and solutions in the months ahead.

There are indeed many challenges to be faced. I look around and see a lot of broken morale at the moment. People are worried about the future and with good reason. No matter how tough or self-sufficient we fancy ourselves to be, our future depends on the opportunities others give to us. At some point, we will need a break to make it, and people around me are wondering if that break will ever come. They are in good company!

Lack of opportunity is an old story. I've heard it before as I'm sure you have in the 1980's, the 1990's. Even in the 00's, it was a hard fight to secure a place at a good company on graduation. That may be how life goes, but too many of the people I know are unhappy precisely because they missed a vital opportunity sometime in the past, or because they never felt they did anything with their life. We are all in danger of making this mistake.

The problem is that we are all focused on the wrong thing. Technology is the focus of our development: how sophisticated iphones can be, how fast we can make our broadband, how many features or apps can we enable on Facebook? And so on. It is easy to think that because of Facebook, Twitter and other social media, we are all interconnected, but people thought that with the invention of the telephone. We are forgetting that technology is only as good as the people who are using it.

If used to assist a well connected group of individuals, technology forms the icing on the cake. But as on stage, something has to be there in the fist place for the microphones, the costumes, the lighting and the make up to modify. We should remember, that despite all the progress of our technology, there is still unemployment, unequal development, and great social tensions to cure.

The challenge I believe lies not in connecting people: as this has already been made possible by our social media. No, the challenge will be to rebuild members and Alumni's awareness that they can make a difference. So many know more about performance and production than I have learned in a lifetime, and yet so many I speak to are doubtful that they have anything of value to offer.

This isn't modesty, but a fallout of the recession. Funding has been slashed, jobs destroyed, and industry crippled. In a world that's falling apart, it seems harder and harder to believe you can change anything. People must be able to rebuild their self-esteem first and it is my hope, that by being taken seriously, they can at last gain recognition for their achievements: something that is lost all too easily in the turbulent world of the workplace.

At this very moment, someone is filling out job application forms by the dozen, hoping they'll get a yes. Someone else is at a function, smiling through gritted teeth and shaking hands, hoping to make that vital networking connection. And finally, a third person is sitting at home, retired, or perhaps less active than most, with a world of knowledge in their head.

While I don't claim to have all the answers, one solution seems to be: invite all these people round the same table and let's discuss the issues. Countless fellow bloggers have done the same in other industries, so for our part, let us unlock the knowledge of all parties involved, and tap into 25 years of experience. This may not create jobs outright, but will lead to new ways of thinking, which in turn, will mean new developments. Information is a very effective tool, not to be underestimated. My former employer, Shop Direct Home Shopping Ltd., have studied and used vast amounts of it, through customers' opinions and feedback from media from blogs and networks like this, to create billions of dollars in revenue.

If all 600 or so GMTGers, past and present, came together now to discuss and debate the issues, the results would be amazing. This isn't something that can happen sometime in the near future. It is happening, even as I write. The ground swell for change is indicated by the massive growth in GMTG Birmingham's Facebook networks; in the groundbreaking community projects they are involved in, and the careers that Alumni have made for themselves. The blog is for the discussion stage of the process. Eventually, some kind of formal apprenticeship programme will come into being. The society is moving in this direction even now. At the very least, if members and Alumni were to network at a professional level, this will make people's lives easier and allow a few the chance to live their dream.

Once again, I remind members and Alumni reading this, that this is no chat room. The blog is, in effect, like an online magazine of sorts, and should be treated as such. In time, it will need a dedicted team of Alumni and currrent members to run it. The posts on this blog are scrutinised by a global audience of fellow academics, and businesspeople, looking for potential ideas and investments. You can and will be taken seriously here. Make your mark and the world will see it.

Work for the business sector has shown me that you need to be decisive and have a long term plan (or 'strategy' as it is often called), and I have therefore a plan of sorts to put into action in the coming months. But, it is equally important for us to think, as well as do. We need to reflect on ideas and consider different ways of thinking. Academics I've known have spent a long time debating the issues in many topics. Business professionals often undertake development projects to the same end. Whatever their methods, I invite both Alumni and current members to contribute to this process. 

In the coming months, I will build and expand upon the Alumni contingent of the blog, in readiness for the University's new semester. When this arrives, I will then extend invites to current members, and together, we should reach a consensus on the rules of due process for the network. It will take time for them to realise how this blog differs from other social media, but let's remember who the members and Alumni of this society are. They are all highly competent, self-motivated individuals, who are on the look out for networking opportunities like this one. To quote a principle of my former employer, Worcestershire County Council, 'the people are the best assets.' They know what they're doing and it is their experience and skill that will make this network something far more.  A great many are involved in projects of their own, and as a resource, this blog will serve them well.

There are certain key moments in life where we have the chance to make a difference.

This is one of them.

Let us make this moment count, for one and for all.

James Mcgarry,

(aka 'The Secretary')

Founder and Alumnus

Staging - An Amphitheatre in Action

Staging is an integral part of any show, and a very good example is Wings of Desire. Based on the film of the same name (which also inspired City of Angels, the Nicholas Cage movie), it tells the story of how an angel falls to earth. What impressed me about this show, was not only the great performances, and superb technical effects, but most importantly: the use of the surrounding facades to tell the story. Angels float from the roofs of real buildings, and the sheer scale of the event (through use of both the Town Hall and Council Building) makes Victoria Square into a kind of Greek amphitheatre. The fact that dancers and actors invovled all make use of the facades, (thanks to a clever system of pulleys of course)! this makes the event far more dramatic than an onstage perfromance would have been. (Although to be fair, there were some pretty spectacular moves onstage as well.) As the grand finale of  International Dance Festival 2012, it was the dramatic and authentic staging that made the show.

On Pit Musicians and Amateur Theatre

OK, so as The Secretary was kind enough to invite me to post on this blog, I thought it'd be only fair to contribute something.

Now I've not done a great deal of am-dram in the past. There was one production of 'The Hired Man' with Leicester Youth Arts in Edinburgh back in 1999 (my first musical and one of the greatest experiences of my life so far; having just turned 18 and being let loose in the 'Burgh during Festival time). The rest have been GMTG productions, a GMTG spin-off (Tristan Baker Productions' 'Little Shop', Northampton, 2000) and another GMTG spin-off (Through the Window's 'Assassins', Edinburgh 2008). And then there were the three Birmingham Uni Summer Festival Operas (only one of which, 'The Rake's Progress' involved my participation on the night, as a waiter in the brothel scene (dropped trousers and all) and as stage manager/repetiteur/assistant MD).

In none of the above did anyone actually get paid. Fair enough; why would you pay a bunch of school kids taking advantage of a slightly creaky but admirable youth theatre group or, subsidise the frankly terrifying alcohol/nicotine/cocaine (it happened) habits of Birmingham Uni students?

This is where things get a little cloudy for me (nothing to do with the above paragraph I might add). I have no experience of your stereotypical, G&S butchering am-dram-op societies (save for a single performance of 'Madama Butterfly' by a Midlands-based society in which the titular 'teenage' heroin towered over her suiter, was of 'advanced' age and wore some kind of over-sized hat box on her head, a production saved by the ardent singing and acting of my then boss at the Birmingham School of Acting. But then I would say that). As far as I'm aware, no-one in that production got paid either. How could you afford a Puccini-sized orchestra if you are an amateur company?

Do any 'traditional' am-dram-op societies pay their musicians?

I ask this firstly because I really have no idea. But more importantly I have had the privilege to work with a Birmingham based 'amateur' theatre group, named after the theatre in which they are housed, for four years and a total of eleven productions from Sondheim to 'Acorn Antiques' via 'Boogie Nights', 'The Full Monty' and, erm, 'Dad's Army' (an on-stage appearance in which I, thankfully, did not have to drop my trousers and simulate a threesome with two prostitutes). No member of the company gets paid. Not the creative team, or the committe, or the box office staff, the technical crew, the cast. As part of their committment to the company, each member is expected to do occaisonal shifts on the bar. And they have to pay a membership fee.

The band however is paid.

Is this fair? I can see the logic; with only a total of four rehearsals (band call with the cast, band tech with the cast in the auditorium, two dress rehearsals) it is surely wise to 'buy-in' crack players who could sight read their way out of an MC Escher creation and still accompany the cast with great sensitivity and flexibility. And these types of musicians are busy; they teach, they gig. It is their career. Everyone else is indulging their hobby; those who want to use the experience to further career are generally students in limbo between generalised university/college courses and postgraduate study elsewhere. And they rehearse for months at a time, several times a week. Try finding musicians of the calibre necessary who would be willing to devote all that time for free. When I MD'd 'Guys and Dolls' for GMTG back in 2002, I had a whopping 56 hours of rehearsal with my band. But those guys were not being paid. The results spoke for themselves but I think it highly unlikely that any professional producing theatre would be able to run to actually paying 26 musicians a decent fee for 56 hours (before dress/tech/performances), let alone an amateur one.

So four rehearsals for a properly trained, 'professional' band of eight working for £35 per call seems like quite a good deal to me. And I have been known to 'help' behind the bar. Usually on last-night parties.

So, should band members be paid by amateur companies? Is it really fair that those who put in the months of hard work that make a show have to pay for the privilege whilst their 'in-one-day-out-the-next' band members manage to earn just enough to cover a week's drinking,smoking and curryage?

I know what I think but, then again, I'm slightly biased.

Owen

Blog Admin Team

Just to announce that as the first respondants to my invitations, the current Authors of this blog are hereby promoted to Admins. They will have authority to post what they want as before, but also, will be able run the blog itself, and make the necessary changes. All are highly qualified and connected, and their expertise will help this network in many ways.

Welcome Visitors!

All GMTGers reading this now: if you want to join this blog, all I need from you is a contact email address to send the info to. You can find me on Facebook to send it, if you'd like.

This blog has had views from around the world. If you want to be listened to and taken seriously, you will be here.

If you know any fellow GMTGers and/or Alumni who'd like to join, just let me know. They should have easy access, if they have a Youtube or Google+ account already. Spread the word!

James Megarry

Blog Administrator

House Rules

Guidelines for the Blog

 

• Any person wishing to become an Author or Administrator of this blog should contact the current Administrator, and supply a contact email to be sent the necessary information. At this time, Author and Admin posts are reserved for members and Alumni of GMTG Birmingham only, but third parties may comment on posts made without restriction. They may also be appointed as Contributors, if both GMTG current and Alumni users consent to this.

• The Authors and Administrators of this blog should be a deliberate cross section of current members and Alumni of GMTG Birmingham. Fair representation of both sides must be maintained, to guarantee an ongoing process of knowledge transfer and networking.

• Therefore, current members should ensure that they invite new members to join the blog, when they themselves become Alumni. Administrators to the blog should oversee this process, to make sure it continues effectively.

• As Alumni users may represent many different institutions and companies, some of which are in competition; and current member users may come from many different departments of Birmingham University; there may be the potential for conflicts of interest. To prepare for this, the Admin team should be as diverse as possible, to ensure all parties are represented, and can agree on solutions, should such a situation arise. Users can avoid conflict effectively, by remaining focussed on issues common to all institutions and departments. For example, joint discussions on funding issues, long term employment, licensing laws and so forth should heal most divisions that arise.

• For the purposes of good relations, special representation may be given to either society members, or members chosen from the Alumni network, should the need arise. Special representatives could be offered a permanent seat on either the Authors or Admin teams, at the behest of GMTG Birmingham’s committee, and/or representatives of the Alumi network. Full co-operation will be given by the blog Administrators in either case.

• The Administrators of this blog are in effect, its executive committee. The blog should be administered as a full time business, and in the spirit of GMTG the society. It shall be, therefore, the Admin Team’s responsibility to ensure the smooth running of the blog, and to uphold its rules and agreements. As such, they may designate roles to themselves (secretary, finance etc); set conditions for election/selection of other admins; and the appointment of a Chief Administrator to act as the blog’s president and manager. Rules and procedures agreed upon may be considered binding to all users of the blog, until such time as they are altered and/or reppealed.

• The Admin Team and Chief Administrator collectively, may form the legal, administrative and executive body of the blog. They may represent the blog to other parties and make administrative/executive decisions by majority vote where necessary. Any issue affecting the blog or its users should be addressed in this way.

• Procedures may be put in place by the Admin Team for such an event. Should none exist to deal with a problem as yet unprecedented, then a solution may be reached via general consensus between the Admins and Authors of the blog.

• It may also be necessary to decide admin roles by vote. In which case, the Poll function on this blog will be a good way to determine the most popular candidate(s). This voting process can also be used when an issue is in disopute and no clear solution can be agreed upon.

• While this blog is made officially to benefit GMTG Birmingham, third party commentators may be invited to comment on all posts made, to ensure the widest possible range of different viewpoints.

• The blog may be used to advertise the businesses and Google Ad Sense related products, relevant to the performing arts, but although profit may be made if desired, the defining purpose of this blog must always remain that of a network to bridge the academic and professional sectors, through members and Alumni of GMTG Birmingham.

• All users of this blog should respect the rules for online use. The blog should not, in any way, be used to undermine GMTG the society, its Alumni network, nor any other third party whatsoever. While debates on certain topics may become heated, criticisms should not be made as personal attacks, or derogatory remarks. Please remember, Google is watching, and all messages can and will be traced to their senders.