Chewing Gum Dreams 

Run-Riot contributor (and one third of Culture or Trash) Adam Bloodworth attended Radar 2012 at the Bush Theatre in November- here are his thoughts.

The newly refurbished Bush Theatre, frequently home to London’s theatrical crème de la crème, hosted ‘RADAR 2012: Signals From The New Writing World’ in November, staging some of the country’s best new writing, interspersed amongst a plethora of debates and interactive sessions; refreshing audience’s relationships with place in the theatrical spectrum, and the value of productions more generally.

Artistic Director Madani Younis began RADAR with a zealous introduction to the Bush’s new literary policy with help from strategically placed actors in the theatre’s main auditorium, an engaging addition which loosened up the serious business of policy rejuvenation.

As of January 2014, the Bush aims to stage at least one unsolicited manuscript yearly, and in order to make the production process more attainable for the artist, submissions will be received bi-annually, increasing transparency in this most technical of recruitment processes.

As we speak, production of unsolicited manuscripts lies at around 0% on a rolling scale. This, according to Younis, is largely due to a lack of proficiency in the vetting process. It seems plausible that these three-week submission periods will pluck the men from the boys by means of organisation, and will no doubt aid the theatre in preparing for the onslaught; but I wonder just how much of a turnaround this is for the unsolicited manuscript itself, even with one unsolicited production staged annually. Does it perhaps molly coddle the facts: managing people’s dreams is a tricky, sticky business, as directors and producers sway between over and under using bureaucratic modes, which all equate to a process previously defined as ‘development hell’.

For literary geniuses that make the cut, the first question shouldn’t be how to produce the writer’s vision, argued playwright and academic Dan Rebellato, who spoke passionately about the importance of direction and production in the creation of a relatable theatrical medium. Essentially, he argued, we should stop lying to playwrights and start realising that projected images are amalgamations of individual concepts and group-realised context, the latter of which aids a play in it's attempt to appeal to an audience.

Rebellato was one of three platform speakers, who each voiced their demands of the changing face of theatre. Jenny Sealey, one of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony co-ordinators, suggested one in eight performers should be disabled, accurately reflecting society, a suggestion I found unnecessarily exact, but it makes sense. Writer Chris Goode conveyed the importance of translatable meaning, as he described personal moments in his life that were akin to ‘walking on air’, but would nevertheless be numb unto a wider audience.

So, relate-ability seems en-vogue in 2012, as Michaela Coel’s ‘Chewing Gun Dreams’ suggested later on that evening. Somehow teasing responses accounting for both a hand on the shoulder and a punch to the face, Coel’s savvy production swung the evening back to piercingly green theatrical pastures. The piece, fuelled by direct speech, is a delightfully risqué romp which leers treacherously close to the inner-workings of a teenage girl. The woes which surround sexual liberation are often physically acted out, as Coel writhes about the stage, grimacing at the sight of a real-life penis and agonising over various states of undress, baring both physical and emotional anguish with zesty humour and forthright gusto. A charming production.

I managed to make a second trip to the Bush during RADAR to take in a Bush Bounce session, a Bush collective who come together to share poetry and instillation art. Headed up by artist Sabrina Mahfouz, the evening was punctuated by a brilliant half-hour performance documenting the trying relationship between a deaf boy and his love, which carried charming resonance in the theatre’s side space, away from the heavy throws of the main auditorium.

Louise Orwin’s ‘Am I Pretty/Ugly?’ brilliantly focused on a worrying craze sweeping Youtube fanatics, involving young girls filming themselves and asking viewers to comment on their beauty. Louise’s artistic response damningly critiqued this alarming trend via some provocative visual set-ups.

A Bounce stand-out was Yve Blake’s ‘Moreish’, which invited punters to sit down to a delightful meal, the only catch being their involvement in the art itself. Quickly, guests became slaves to the rules dictated by a delicate pair of headphones which forced you to eat, squash and molest items with anarchical furore. Interestingly, two of the headphones played just background music, and the resultant affects were intriguing: some punters went mad, eating and demolishing food stuffs, but their partners-in-confusion often sat, staring at the raucous actions of the masses. Man’s tendency to follow the pack was wonderfully proven by the power of a load of Victoria sponges.

The effects of the new literary policy are up in the air, but we’re certainly no worse off. RADAR 2012 addressed the contentious issues behind staging with care and wealth, and against a backdrop of new productions by Che Walker, Kieran Hurley, Ivan Virapaev, La JohnJoseph, Anne Chmelewsky, Luke Barnes and Michaela Coel.