28 UK venues have booked my new play about Hiroshima, THE MISTAKE - but the Arts Council have said no to funding this tour. Can you help?
by Michael Mears in London, Greater London, United Kingdom
THE VIDEO
This shows Emiko Ishii and myself during our first previews of the play last year, filmed by Olivier Stockman at Sands Films Studios, London - who have been so supportive of my work. For the tour of the play this autumn, Riko Nakazono will be taking over in the role of Shigeko.
SETTING UP A TOUR
It takes a long time to set up a tour of a play - some of you will know this! I have worked long and hard to persuade 28 venues, including theatres, small arts centres, churches, Quaker Meeting Houses and schools to have a performance of the play this September and October. Without a tour pretty much in place, the Arts Council won't look favourably on a grant application - 'where's the evidence of demand?' they will ask. But if you get a strong and varied tour set-up, which of course involves contracts and commitments, and then you are refused funding, as I was just last week, what do you do? Cancel everything? An option, of course - but a costly and unpleasant one.
WHAT IT COSTS
To tour a play like this, with two actors and one stage manager, plus hiring a van and booking accommodation and paying numerous other costs, is not cheap. THE MISTAKE tour this autumn is budgeted at around £42,000. Projected income from guaranteed fees and box-office estimates comes to around £15,000. Leaving a shortfall of £27,000. This shortfall is what I was applying to the Arts Council for - not a huge sum in the greater scheme of things. As I have no intention of cancelling the tour and letting so many people and venues down, I will cover that shortfall from my own savings.
WHY DO THIS, MICHAEL?
Because I passionately believe in live theatre, and in taking exciting, vibrant small-scale theatre productions to audiences around the UK - meeting those audiences, talking to them afterwards, getting their feedback, giving them a chance to engage, ask questions and offer reflections. Theatre has been my life, I love it deeply, and I believe in the experience of people gathering together in a room to share a powerful story - there is nothing like it. Also, I passionately believe that the catastrophes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not sufficiently well-known, nor the stories of those who suffered the appalling consequences of the first two atomic bombs in 1945. Having a Japanese performer with me to enact those stories was a vital part of the project from the beginning. First Emiko Ishii, in Edinburgh and London, and now Riko Nakazono (seen below) on the UK tour, have beautifully and movingly embodied the stories of some of those who suffered.
NOTHING IN LIFE IS GUARANTEED
Of course I realised that an Arts Council grant was not necessarily going to be forthcoming, but so many people told me how impressive the tour was - travelling to so many parts of the country, and into schools and non-theatre venues - and how important and urgent the play and its subject matter is at this time of great instability in the world - that a grant would surely be offered. THE MISTAKE is also tried and tested - witness the press reviews and audience feedback in Edinburgh and London earlier this year.
★★★★ ‘The past comes alive - a gripping piece of storytelling’ (THE TIMES)
★★★★★ ‘I was genuinely blown away by this production. It received one of the very few standing ovations I have seen at the Edinburgh Fringe. A dramatic treat.' (UK THEATRE WEB)
★★★★ ‘A powerful examination of humanity in the wake of Hiroshima.’ (THE LIST)
★★★★ ‘Masterful, devastating story-telling. Director Rosamunde Hutt presents the heart-rending tale with forensic attention and gentle compassion.’
(THE WEE REVIEW)
★★★★ ‘An evocative, well-researched and urgently fascinating story.’ (THE SCOTSMAN)
BY THE WAY
By the way - the Edinburgh and London runs were paid for out of my own funds plus crowdfunding and supporters' donations from a previous appeal. I was unpaid throughout, but made sure my colleagues were paid. Similarly now, with the Arts Council's decision, I will once again be unpaid - but I will ensure my colleagues are paid and that all other costs are met. Some of you will have contributed previously - I don't expect you to do so again, but passing this on to someone who might would be really helpful.
JUST A FEW OF THE MANY AUDIENCE FEEDBACK COMMENTS THUS FAR
THE BOTTOM LINE
At a time of a 'cost of living crisis', and with so many other demands on people's pockets, I hesitate to ask for help with this tour. But if you are able to contribute even a tiny amount, I assure you it will be gratefully accepted and put to good use.
IS IT POLITICAL?
THE MISTAKE could come under the category of 'political theatre' with a small P - but the play is even-handed and fair and tries to look at all sides involved; though in the end, there is no question that the play's sympathies lie with the victims of war. In performance THE MISTAKE has proved to be a compelling, moving and deeply thought-provoking experience. May the 'mistake' that was unleashed in 1945 never occur again.