In this conversation Naomi talks to Theatre Director Tanushka Marah about how she ensures people have a positive experience.
Tanushka talks about how you are not just making a show, you are also building a community and creating a culture. She talks about how there is a positive experience that comes from the striving and the struggle for the collective discovery of reaching for the impossible.
She talks about the conventions that she has in place during sessions, such as a check in, technique work, ensemble working before starting to rehearse. She reflects on being able to observe the relationships between people in the room and seeing that these are positive and reciprocal for people.
No matter how big the cast is she tries to check in with everyone individually. She places great importance on the space and time before rehearsals or in the breaks, noticing the people who are on their own looking awkward and checking in with them.
She talks about the challenges when there is so much diversity in the room. There needs to be continual care and support to keep people engaged. She talks about the importance of getting people to work together independently so that they create their own relationships with each other. When friendships start to form the social glue also keeps people happy and engaged with the process.
Tanushka talks about the importance of making people feel like there are no stupid ideas. It can also be as simple as ensuring that people are fed and watered. There needs to be camaraderie and playfulness in the room. It is a real duty to generate a positive atmosphere. People love the joy of co-creating and working together, without observation, spreading out across the whole building. Even the ideas that don’t get used help you see where you are not going and are invaluable.
