Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream 16 Blog) : A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: Pieces of Fate

"Life's like a jigsaw
You get the straight bits
But there's something missing in the middle"
(Andy Partridge, XTC)

I've been musing recently (in a 'Henry V' stylee ) on the diversity of experience within the Dream 16 project. I was going to write about how we Dreamers are part of 'life's rich tapestry' in a theatrical sense; but as my sewing skills only stretch to replacing buttons on shirts (I do not possess Starveling's skill set), then it was the above lyric which seemed to resonate.

We've all had experience of a jigsaw. It's a standard childhood toy and as we get older, and we progress from the 100 piece to the 5,000 piece jigsaw, the challenge to complete the picture does not diminish. If you have ever worked with another family member on one, there always seems to be a competitive element, where the slotting in of the last piece has some sort of significance. There are those who will deliberately hold the last piece back so that they can triumphantly complete with the final piece.

Then there's the whole approach to the putting together of the jigsaw. Most people go for the straight bits, so they can construct a frame; others start grouping colours together. Each person has their system to solve and of course, the biggest aid to this puzzle is the picture on the box. Without the picture, it makes the jigsaw harder to complete. Likewise, a piece missing can provide a real headache and disappointment in our sense of completion. Some pieces fall into place with ease, others you try and push into place, only realising after a few attempts you may need to reconsider your approach.

So, this got me thinking about the Dream 16 process which is actually a theatrical jigsaw puzzle on a much larger scale. Erica, Kim and Sophie have the enormous task of putting together a rather large and colourful jigsaw. They are facing the perils of the puzzler as noted above.

The straight bits are already there: 84 amateur actors and 14 amateur directors. All our companies are part of the puzzle. New pieces are being added as the project progresses, slotting in pieces of voice and movement workshops, training primary school teachers through the Education team, developing the musical score as the picture emerges.

However, there are many more pieces to place: the professional cast, the lighting and sound team, the stage managers and so on. They are important pieces in the evolving puzzle of getting Dream 16 on tour. Logistically, this must be one of the most challenging jigsaws that the RSC team have had to oversee in terms of bringing together so many pieces in terms of amateurs, school children, education team, professional cast, professional crew and touring it around the UK for six months.

For me, that would be like working on a jigsaw without the picture; for the RSC team, it is the result of months of planning just how to put those pieces into place. You have to admire the sheer brilliance and hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to facilitate this. There are no quick answers, no short cuts.

I am sure there are still missing pieces and parts of the puzzle that still..well puzzle…but as the project develops the jigsaw grows and new pieces become added to the bigger picture. We as amateur groups become part of a bigger community jigsaw as our participation in the project grows. Open Stages began the first stages of this community jigsaw and Dream16 is now developing that ethos. It's no longer a puzzle, it's become an emerging picture of how amateur theatre can combine with the professional world and create something special. Something VERY special.

The last piece of this jigsaw will not be put into place when the show finishes its run in Stratford on the 16th July. Far from it. The jigsaw continues. The Dream 16 project becomes part of a larger jigsaw,  another major piece to add to the RSC's history and it's rich tapestry of diverse performances. We 'rude mechanicals' and the many groups that auditioned for Dream 16 (and those that have taken part in the Open Stages projects over the years) are already linked to theatrical history. More importantly,we will all remember the part we played in the process and the day we went to Stratford and kicked dramatic ass.

Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream 16 Blog) : A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: That Abba Moment

Im nothing special. (In fact, I'm a bit of a bore.) If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before. But I have a talent, a wonderful thing, cos everyone listens when I start to….sorry…bit of an Abba moment there. But it's got me thinking about talent. That 'wonderful thing' that now even has a whole set of programmes devoted to finding who's got 'it' in Britain. And what is it that makes everyone listen when I start to….bake ? Mow the lawn ? Read the gas meter ?

You see I've never really considered what 'it' is the 'it' I've got. And yet I find myself writing this as someone who in a few months time is about to step on the stage of the RSC to perform in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". How did that happen ? (Well of course I know HOW it happened, but it's still a state of mind that I'm constantly pinching myself about. Ouch ! There I go again..)

I am an amateur actor and have been for many years. And yes, in that work there's been the moments where I've hoped that Speilberg will be in the audience and recognise my acting prowess and star quality and whisk me off to Hollywood to star as E.T.'s father in the long awaited sequel……come on…we've all had those dreams ! But we know that in the amateur world that rarely happens and the best we can hope for is maybe a decent mention in a five star review in the local news Arts section, or something on Twitter telling the social media world how fabulous we were dah-lings ! It's brilliant to be celebrated by your community and peers, knowing that you have done a 'good job' with your performance and in the bar afterwards we love the praise and plaudits. So I guess in our amateur world, we obviously have 'it' -the difficulty is that avenues to celebrate that fact are very rare. We are not in it for the 'Money money money'; we do it because we love performing. We are all 'super troupers'.

If you're a musician or a dancer, TV caters for your 'it' with a number of talent programmes where you can demonstrate your ability. I 'd love to see a delivery of a Shakespearean monologue win 'Britain's Got Talent' or maybe a Bergomask dance storming to the final of "Got to Dance" ( or even getting a SEVEN ! from one of the judges on 'Strictly'). But sadly, acting in terms of demonstrating your 'it' has no outlet in TV. And of course, that leaves a lot of amateur actors with no route to showcase their talents to a wider audience.

Which is exactly why we need more projects like Dream 16. The RSC have taken a bold and imaginative step with the Open Stages work to include and celebrate the amateur community work. In a genius move, hundreds of amateur actors have been able to share their 'its' not only on RSC stages, but in auditions across the country with their companies. We've been given access to workshops with trained practitioners, tasks to challenge and develop our skills and countless opportunities to engage with professional theatre at its best. Of course, there's lots of examples of community collaboration and initiatives between professional theatre and amateur groups across the UK….but this has to be globally a real first.

And the thing we all appreciate the most is that the professionals never treat us as amateurs, recognising that we all have something to offer and that they stop and listen when we start to….....act. The feedback we are receiving as participants in the project is theatrical gold. When it comes from someone who 'knows their stuff' it's the stuff that 'Dreams are made of'.  I like hearing I've got a good Bottom (not because I have body issues ) but more for the fact that it means something coming from the specialists in their field. Not only am I happy they  decided to 'take a chance on me' (and all the other amateurs in this project) but "I have a dream " that this will just be the start of something big where our 'its' can be shared more widely.

When Abba won the Eurovision song contest all those years ago, no one had any idea of where it would take them. Everyone listened when they started to sing. Will us Dreamers, have the same success ? If you're asking me I'd have to say "I do, I do, I do I do, I do……."

Hmmmm wonder if they will make Titania into a Dancing Queen…...