Let's get started....

Welcome to My Blog!

Time to time reflections on all things theatre, programming, producing and the arts, plus the politics - little p and big P - that healthily emerges from time to time.....with a slight bias toward theatre for young audiences (TYA), applied theatre practices.... and a little bit of reviewing too....

So for those who have no idea who I am, and so question why would anything I say be of interest, a little bit of background..... Since April 25, I have been working as a consultant (I have realised that there are ALOT of us, all looking for work, often the same, if you look at LinkedIn anyway: that is maybe the subject of a future blog). With my new hat on,, I hope to provide practical, strategic and managerial experiences to support cultural organisations, performing arts companies and individual artists working on all scales and artforms to bring their communities - be that audiences, community stakeholders and other creatives - closer to the heart of what they want to do and achieve. So far this has meant some theatre directing, writing and dramaturgy, some more strategic work on touring, producing and programming and as a creative trainer, facilitating and delivering organisational development for positive change. That is all good stuff.

Throughout my career - be that through my professional productions, work with artists, educators and those in higher education - I have always aimed not to tell, as such, but instead to advocate that there are not always correct answers or solutions. Like any good story, I ask audiences and collaborators alike to join up their own dots, think creatively and ask questions, so they can discover their own answers to complex issues, especially when talking about or addressing prejudice and social injustices through their creative work. As I am known for the development and delivery of work with an emphasis on inclusion, particularly in the field of cultural and disability diversity, and socio-economic disenfranchisement, my aim is to bring that to any new partnership, drawing on over 40 years of applied practice. I am, of course - and that gives my age away - of the generation where someone from a rural white working class background with Dyslexia rapidly assimilated to survive, and so explains why championing inclusion has underpinned my whole career.... the 1980s and early 1990s were interesting times to be in the arts - that too maybe is a subject of another Blog.

Much of my knowledge and experience is drawn from my previous identity - another blog focus maybe - as the Director/CEO of Half Moon Theatre in London’s East End – a small-scale young people’s venue and touring company and a long-standing National Portfolio Organisation. That was between 1997 and January 2025. I hope that I will be remembered for overseeing the development of one of the most respected and influential theatre companies in the UK, offering a unique synergy between professional theatre and participatory programmes. Plus, in partnership with my colleague Jackie Eley, the purchase of the venue for the charity and completing a major physical transformation through a series of capital development projects, valued at almost £2m, into a fit for purpose theatre that is Half Moon today. Plus of course there were creative projects like Exchange for Change or Narratives of Empathy and Resilience. Or the hugely successful Half Moon Presents, the company’s producing arm. You can read more on my website linked to this blog - click BIOGRAPHY, as I am not sure that blogs should be about self promotion - although that might be another blog focus.

That is probably enough for now.... among my blogs will appear reviews of TYA work I am doing for the amazing, Everything Theatre: London's leading online reveiw platform which is completly run by volunteers - another blog subject maybe. So if you want to make me aware of a TYA show and would welcome a reviewer, message me... along with any other comments you'd like to make about the words above and in the future..

Until next time....

Chris

THis is me in Margate; freelancing means that you can take off for the day if the sun shines - and on this occasion visit for free the beautiful Turner Contemporary Gallery.