This last weekend we held our 24th annual Theatretrain Conference in Stratford Upon Avon.
Every year we bring together our company directors and subject them to a day and a half of talking, discussing and thinking about what we did last year and what we’d like to do next year. We also give them a gala dinner as a way of thanking them for all their hard work over the year.
It might not sound like a great way to spend a summer weekend but I think it works, mainly because all the people in the company are like minded and interesting. They are also nice people Everyone is different of course but when they share a way of working and are invested in it they want to do it better, year on year. So coming together is important.
Creative people are always coming up with great ideas and the best thing about our company is that anyone can make suggestions for doing things better, for shows, for growing what we do. We genuinely are working to be the best performing arts training company in the world. That’s a big claim so we have to back it up with a level of support to make the work exceptional.
Can we do that? Yes we can. We have bold plans and we have a support structure that can make it happen. And we are growing. Year on year more people are joining us in new areas of the country.
We have performed over 100 large-scale pieces of theatre involving thousands of young people. We have a reputation for selling out the Royal Albert Hall, with shows that tackle big themes. No one else in the country is doing this work. . But more than that our students are introduced to 60 skills that make them better performers and nicer people. Life skills have become more important in recent years and they occupy an important place in our thinking.
When we say we are heading to be the best performing arts training company we back it up with performances and skills that make a difference. At this year’s end I salute all the company directors and creatives in the company as well as the students and their parents who put their faith in us.
Here’s to the next part of the journey.
