The young producer talks funding, family, Vicky Featherstone and the odds on a female artistic director at the National Theatre
*What introduced you to the possibility of being a theatre producer?*
I morphed into it. I was 18 and followed the traditional path of realising I was not talented enough to be an actor. I knew in my heart that I wasn't as good as my friends who were applying for drama school and so decided that university was the best option for me. In my first term, I was asked by a friend to produce Hamlet at the Old Fire Station in Oxford. It was really successful and I was hooked.
*What, as you see it, is the producer's relationship to a new play?*
I think a producer's role depends on his or her relationship to the playwright and director. Ultimately, the writer has to be the creative driving force behind the play and the director its midwife. I see the producer as the delivery room, providing the infrastructure and context and whoever advises them can only do that – advise. It is not their name in lights, it is the creatives'.
However, if a producer is lucky enough to have a good collaborative relationship with playwrights and directors then they can help to be another pair of eyes on the piece, which can only improve it in the long run. And once the play is completed then it is the producer's role to fulfil the writer and director's vision.
*You did your apprenticeship at the **Royal Court** – what makes it such a powerhouse, past and present?*
Because of its new writing mission. This mission is shaped by the artistic directors and we have been blessed with incredibly strong artistic leadership throughout its 57 year history. George Devine, founding artistic director of the Court, famously said that "you must decide what you feel the world is about and what you want to say about it, so that everything in the theatre you work in is saying the same thing". It is this clarity of purpose that has made the Court so strong, for so long.
*Is Vicky Featherstone's arrival good news for theatre in general?*
Absolutely. It is good news for the Royal Court because it won't allow anyone to coast – we are now all working towards her new ideas, which is incredibly exciting. She brings a new perspective of the world to the theatre and this will keep it vital. It is also a momentous occasion for the wider theatre world: the first woman to be appointed artistic director at the Court!
Regional theatres have actually been way ahead of London on this for a long time, realising that the dearth of women in positions of artistic leadership was an outrage. But with Vicky, and then Josie Rourke at the Donmar and Indhu Rubasingham at the Tricycle, we are beginning to see a real shift in momentum on this issue in the major cultural institutions in London. I hope that Vicky's appointment will be a watershed and we will be greeting the first female artistic director of the National Theatre in two years time.
*You've worked in Oxford, London, Montreal – what have you learned about theatre from moving around?*
That there is an affinity to live performance wherever you are in the world. People can't resist hearing stories and exploring ideas through theatre. Montreal was an interesting example of this. For a little while, I worked with a Yiddish youth theatre group. English, French, Yiddish – it didn't matter what language the children understood, or if they understood each other – it was the power of the story that drove them on and it was the shared experience on stage that would have a lasting impact on their lives and how they interacted with each other.
*How is the current climate impacting the producer's job?*
We're finding it even harder to raise risk finance to produce projects. Importantly, cuts to funding are felt more acutely by young producers than by more established ones. We haven't had 30 years to build up networks and develop investors. We need the Arts Council to help fund projects in their infancy so we can develop the experience and prove we know what is required in a professional context. I had this experience with my last show, Facts, at the Finborough. We were lucky to receive an ACE grant for the arts and this gave the project a good basis on which to raise private finance.
Young producers need to persuade investors or donors to trust and take a risk on us. Without the ability to prove that we know what it takes to get a project off the ground, we'll struggle to raise the investment the next generation of producers will need to develop the next big hit.
This will ultimately impact more than just the theatrical community. If the creative industries are responsible for a portion of Britain's recovery out of recession then we need this Conservative government's arts policy to support its impact on the economy rather than hinder it.
*What do you think will colour theatre most in the coming years?*
The relationship between subsidised and commercial theatre. A few years ago, a subsidised theatre would never have transferred their own show themselves, but now it is happening more and more with commercial partners and in some cases, without them.
It's brilliant that subsidised theatre is developing a new income stream for itself in this time of cuts. How both sectors react will be fascinating and I hope it will ultimately improve the quality of theatre in both areas for the public. A healthy subsidised sector requires a healthy commercial sector and vice versa.
*Your mother (Rosemary Squire of the **Ambassador Theatre Group**) is a big theatre player – how do you negotiate your own path around her?*
I come from a theatre family: my grandfather was an actor; my grandparents in Glasgow ran a theatre company; my uncle still performs; my step-father, mother and father all work in the industry and have been very successful. I am lucky to have had such amazing people to learn from. However, it does provide its own unique pressures.
I have taken a very different route into theatre than my family so I have never really had to negotiate a path around them. A few years after university, I applied for a Stage One apprenticeship at the Court. That was two years ago now and I have loved every minute.
*Should producers get more credit for what they do?*
No I don't think they should. Ultimately, producers are there to facilitate talented people to create brilliant work. They can do it creatively, or not creatively at all, but as long as there is brilliant work, the writers, actors, directors and designers, deserve all the credit. The only time you should notice a producer is if something has gone wrong! I think that is why people see producing as a mystifying trade.
This interview is co-published with Arts Industry magazine
Daniel Brodie is associate producer at the Royal Court – follow him on Twitter @royalcourt
*This content is brought to you by **Guardian Professional**. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a **member of the Culture Professionals Network**.* Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 days ago.
*What introduced you to the possibility of being a theatre producer?*
I morphed into it. I was 18 and followed the traditional path of realising I was not talented enough to be an actor. I knew in my heart that I wasn't as good as my friends who were applying for drama school and so decided that university was the best option for me. In my first term, I was asked by a friend to produce Hamlet at the Old Fire Station in Oxford. It was really successful and I was hooked.
*What, as you see it, is the producer's relationship to a new play?*
I think a producer's role depends on his or her relationship to the playwright and director. Ultimately, the writer has to be the creative driving force behind the play and the director its midwife. I see the producer as the delivery room, providing the infrastructure and context and whoever advises them can only do that – advise. It is not their name in lights, it is the creatives'.
However, if a producer is lucky enough to have a good collaborative relationship with playwrights and directors then they can help to be another pair of eyes on the piece, which can only improve it in the long run. And once the play is completed then it is the producer's role to fulfil the writer and director's vision.
*You did your apprenticeship at the **Royal Court** – what makes it such a powerhouse, past and present?*
Because of its new writing mission. This mission is shaped by the artistic directors and we have been blessed with incredibly strong artistic leadership throughout its 57 year history. George Devine, founding artistic director of the Court, famously said that "you must decide what you feel the world is about and what you want to say about it, so that everything in the theatre you work in is saying the same thing". It is this clarity of purpose that has made the Court so strong, for so long.
*Is Vicky Featherstone's arrival good news for theatre in general?*
Absolutely. It is good news for the Royal Court because it won't allow anyone to coast – we are now all working towards her new ideas, which is incredibly exciting. She brings a new perspective of the world to the theatre and this will keep it vital. It is also a momentous occasion for the wider theatre world: the first woman to be appointed artistic director at the Court!
Regional theatres have actually been way ahead of London on this for a long time, realising that the dearth of women in positions of artistic leadership was an outrage. But with Vicky, and then Josie Rourke at the Donmar and Indhu Rubasingham at the Tricycle, we are beginning to see a real shift in momentum on this issue in the major cultural institutions in London. I hope that Vicky's appointment will be a watershed and we will be greeting the first female artistic director of the National Theatre in two years time.
*You've worked in Oxford, London, Montreal – what have you learned about theatre from moving around?*
That there is an affinity to live performance wherever you are in the world. People can't resist hearing stories and exploring ideas through theatre. Montreal was an interesting example of this. For a little while, I worked with a Yiddish youth theatre group. English, French, Yiddish – it didn't matter what language the children understood, or if they understood each other – it was the power of the story that drove them on and it was the shared experience on stage that would have a lasting impact on their lives and how they interacted with each other.
*How is the current climate impacting the producer's job?*
We're finding it even harder to raise risk finance to produce projects. Importantly, cuts to funding are felt more acutely by young producers than by more established ones. We haven't had 30 years to build up networks and develop investors. We need the Arts Council to help fund projects in their infancy so we can develop the experience and prove we know what is required in a professional context. I had this experience with my last show, Facts, at the Finborough. We were lucky to receive an ACE grant for the arts and this gave the project a good basis on which to raise private finance.
Young producers need to persuade investors or donors to trust and take a risk on us. Without the ability to prove that we know what it takes to get a project off the ground, we'll struggle to raise the investment the next generation of producers will need to develop the next big hit.
This will ultimately impact more than just the theatrical community. If the creative industries are responsible for a portion of Britain's recovery out of recession then we need this Conservative government's arts policy to support its impact on the economy rather than hinder it.
*What do you think will colour theatre most in the coming years?*
The relationship between subsidised and commercial theatre. A few years ago, a subsidised theatre would never have transferred their own show themselves, but now it is happening more and more with commercial partners and in some cases, without them.
It's brilliant that subsidised theatre is developing a new income stream for itself in this time of cuts. How both sectors react will be fascinating and I hope it will ultimately improve the quality of theatre in both areas for the public. A healthy subsidised sector requires a healthy commercial sector and vice versa.
*Your mother (Rosemary Squire of the **Ambassador Theatre Group**) is a big theatre player – how do you negotiate your own path around her?*
I come from a theatre family: my grandfather was an actor; my grandparents in Glasgow ran a theatre company; my uncle still performs; my step-father, mother and father all work in the industry and have been very successful. I am lucky to have had such amazing people to learn from. However, it does provide its own unique pressures.
I have taken a very different route into theatre than my family so I have never really had to negotiate a path around them. A few years after university, I applied for a Stage One apprenticeship at the Court. That was two years ago now and I have loved every minute.
*Should producers get more credit for what they do?*
No I don't think they should. Ultimately, producers are there to facilitate talented people to create brilliant work. They can do it creatively, or not creatively at all, but as long as there is brilliant work, the writers, actors, directors and designers, deserve all the credit. The only time you should notice a producer is if something has gone wrong! I think that is why people see producing as a mystifying trade.
This interview is co-published with Arts Industry magazine
Daniel Brodie is associate producer at the Royal Court – follow him on Twitter @royalcourt
*This content is brought to you by **Guardian Professional**. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a **member of the Culture Professionals Network**.* Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 days ago.