Reverb - Ten Years On
Festival at the Edge Commission 2010 - Ten Years On…
Reverb preview in the Wenlock Edge
Ten years ago today I was working on a show with my son, Fred, who was eighteen at the time. I had been lucky enough to be offered the commission for 2010 by the Festival at the Edge and we were feverishly stitching it together for the pre-festival showcase. In case you haven’t been to the festival, I can thoroughly recommend it. It is based in the Shropshire countryside and is a little island of storytelling, cake, fun, music and beer. The site was at Wenlock Edge in the early days and FATE was an easy festival to take the kids to. When Fred was younger he would disappear into the Panic Circus tent and practice circus skills for most of the weekend, emerging occaisionally to be fed .
Little did I know that, a few years later, we would both be in stage in the main tent performing a commissioned performance! The theme was ‘boys into men’ and I spent ages scouring around for stories that would balance each other, reflect the theme in different ways and be both tellable and compelling.
The Stories in the Show
All forms of transport are catered for at the Festival at the Edge
I took a hunter’s story from Michael Meade’s Men and the Water of Life; a story about a flute player who becomes a kind of alchemist which I heard from New York based storyteller Laura Simms; a story about three brothers from the 1001 nights and wrapped it all up in Duncan Williamson’s Thorn in the King’s Foot.
We were fortunate enough to be able to tour the show for a while before Fred went of to learn about stage management at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The Tobacco Factory in Bristol used to have a studio theatre over the road from the main building where Martin Maudsley would book regular storytelling performances. We were really chuffed to get the gig and turned up far too early, which meant we had loads of time to make sure we had everything we needed get set-up without rushing.
Fred used a loop pedal in the show and there is an inviolable law of physics that the likelihood of something going wrong is directly proportional to the amount of kit you have plugged in. We thought we were playing safe with just an electric bass, a loop pedal and the theatre PA. You can guess what happened next…
Gremlins on Tour
Fred had conscientiously put a new battery in the loop pedal and we were ready to go. Martin introduced us to an expectant audience and off we went. Silence from the bass. Fred tried again. Still nothing. And again. Fred glanced up to the back of the auditorium to the desk, “Nothing to do with me.” came the technician’s voice. The new battery was a dud!
Reverb scribblings
So, in front of everyone, he had to unscrew the battery compartment of the loop pedal, take the dud battery out, take the old one, which was thankfully still in his back pocket, put it back in place, screw the thing shut and when he tried the bass - it worked! Our lovely audience gave him a round of applause and from then on we could do no wrong.
Have a Listen!
The show is now available as a podcast which you can find using the links below. If you want to have your very own copy to keep you can download it on my shop page. The recording was made by Rob Whitehead who I had previously worked with on Hunting the Giant’s Daughter. You can hear Rob’s work on the introductory episode below.
The Importance of Commissions
I was obviously pleased as punch to get a commission and I just want to emphasise how important I think they are for any artform, but especially for a low profile art-form like storytelling (leaving aside why it is low profile for now). With a commission there is the expectation of pushing the boundaries of our normal practice and deliberately taking a risk by extending ourselves in repertoire and material that is unknown. A commission is an act of faith and to have a group of people you know and respect from your field take the step of asking you to create something new and giving you the money to be able to do it has a big impact. It is both an opportunity and a responsibility.
Unlike a competition, a commission is more about community than winners and losers. The story of the process of the creation and touring of the show becomes part of the story of our contemporary storytelling scene. Actually I think competition has its place, but that is another post for another time!
You can listen to the introduction to thepodcast version below. At the time of posting there are two episodes available. The other three will appear over the next three Wednesdays. Click on one of the podcast links below to hear more episodes and more stories and interviews…
Reverb on Buzzsprout Reverb on Apple Podcasts Reverb on Spotify Reverb on Stitcher
