NEW FARNHAM REPERTORY Actors' Company 

New Farnham Repertory Company:

Mission statement

THE OVERALL AIM

The Redgrave should be reopened as a theatre, with professional theatre at its core,

and a range of community and other events integrated into the theatre programme.

Comment

The Redgrave's prospects would be severely sabotaged if it was called or thought of as a multi-use venue. The Maltings is a multi-use venue and the Redgrave would need to establish its own very clearly defined identity. It must be thought of from the start as a theatre, because that, essentially, is what it would be.

THE TIMESCALE

Run by the New Farnham Repertory Company it would operate as a theatre, with professional theatre at its core, for 34 weeks in the year (about 8 months) from September to April.

For the remaining 18 weeks (about 4 months) from May to August, it would operate as a community resource.

During the 8 months period, the emphasis, but not exclusively, would be on professional theatre.

In the 4 months period the emphasis, but again not exclusively, would be on community use.

Comment

For professional theatre to succeed, it needs to establish its identity, its brand image. From 1996-98, the Redgrave offered a mixed bag of plays, films and dance, all showing briefly. No one knew what it offered or stood for and it duly failed. There was no brand. The Redgrave brand used to, and will again, consist of sustained programmes of mainstream theatre — a better and less loaded word than traditional. 

THE PROGRAMME

The Redgrave would operate, uniquely in this area of Surrey and Hampshire, as a repertory theatre. This means a programme of mainstream theatre, transmitting the culture of our extraordinary past, integrated with contemporary and commercial work.

The programme would include:

• full scale classical productions (e.g. Henry 4 part 1)

• adaptations of classics (e.g.  A Tale of Two Cities)

• period and modern farce (e.g. Charley’s Aunt)

• the plays of other nations (e.g. Our Town)

• modern contemporary plays 

• new plays

• musicals

• Restoration, 18th, 19th and early 20th century plays

• commercial comedy. 

Comment

It is frequently said, as though it were a self-evident truth, that the Redgrave could not flourish or even survive, because of the proximity of the theatres in Guildford, Woking and Basingstoke, not to mention Aldershot and Farnham's Maltings. This is completely and categorically wrong. The only known research on this topic, by John Myerscough in the '90s, reveals that theatres in proximity, provided each has its own distinctive identity, boost and promote each other ‘s audiences rather than deplete them.

In this locality each theatre has a different programme:

Guildford: pre-West End shows + middle scale touring

Woking: post-West End large scale touring

Basingstoke: part producing, part receiving house

Aldershot: popular shows (Princes Hall) and fringe arts (West End Centre)

The Maltings: performance space for workshops, occasional performances and small-scale local touring.

Only one piece of what would make a very attractive jigsaw is missing — repertory, and that, we suggest, is what the Redgrave is ideally placed to do. It was built for that, was greatly successful when it pursued that policy ('70s and '80s) and the  NFRC's annual seasons, which started in 2000, were equally successful: a miniature version of what the Redgrave did in full before. 

THE COMPANY

Resident:

9 permanent professional staff, working in management, administrative and maintenance capacity

Seasonal:

6 professional staff, employed for the 34 weeks of the repertory season.

Acting:

a slowly changing ensemble, with most actors in several productions. Audiences would then see actors doing what actors are there to do — perform a number of different roles! Actors become honorary members of the community and audiences tend to almost adopt them. A great sense of belonging is created — actors and audiences belong to the theatre and each other.

Voluntary:

which supplements the resident and acting companies, as it has already done in the last four seasons, in the following capacities: - acting - technical - box-office - front-of-house - administration.  The NFRC company has something over 200 volunteers.

Comment

19, 20, 12 and 11 volunteers acted in the NFRC's four seasons’ worth of productions to 2004.

Between 50 and 70 volunteers in all capacities were involved in each season directly.

A version of this model was in operation during the long successful years at the Castle and the early days at the Redgrave. It is by far the most productive and cost effective way of running a theatre.