Tag Archives: manchester

A Laboratory of Theatre; There's a New Venue in Town.

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It doesn’t look like much from the outside but Manchester’s newest theatre space, the 3MT Venue, might just be one of the most important small venues in the country, writes Tim Austin.

Built in the gutted remnants of an abandoned shop, the 3MT is a self-styled laboratory of theatre. It’s a melting pot of new talent where musicians share the same stage as burlesque dancers; a place where first-time writers can test their material and aspiring actors can cut their teeth.

But it didn’t start out life this way. In fact, it didn’t start out life as a theatre project at all.

The two people behind the project are long-time theatre practitioners and teachers Gina Topliff-Frost and her husband John. Earlier in the year they opened a costume shop on the third floor of the city’s famous Afflecks, intending to sell off some of their old wardrobe stock.

In an attempt to attract and entertain new customers, they began inviting local actors and writers to produce Three minute long sketches within the shop. Afflecks liked the idea and soon offered them the opportunity to rent a larger shop on the ground floor and the Three Minute Theatre was born.

Now re-named the 3MT Venue, the theatre space is probably one of the most striking and unique venues I’ve ever visited. The auditorium is made up of 70 re-claimed and re-covered chairs, mainly from a Baptist church in Huddersfield. The walls are covered in an eclectic collection of artwork, photographs, theatre programmes and even, I noticed with keen interest, a unicycle. In many ways it bore a closer resemblance to a student flat-share than a theatre venue – but a theatre venue it is; and very a serious one at that.

“This is bums on seats theatre, not box ticking theatre” John tells me as he gives me a tour backstage. Everything you would find in a large theatre space, you’ll find backstage at the 3MT, however the venue currently receives no external grant funding and works on a profit-share basis; if no-one comes to see their shows, they make no money.

But far from being a hindrance, their business model has encouraged the team at the 3MT to be creative in their programming. It has also seen a focus on developing new talent.

“We are a cooperative in mind because we know that, in the long run, the business will benefit from the people we’ve been supporting” explains Gina.

They now have a core team of four in-house actors who produce a regular show based on the Three minute format. They actively encourage new and developing artists to rehearse and perform in the space, balancing a mix of straight theatre, music and variety acts.

Their creative policy encourages emerging performers to try out new work before taking it to the mainstream. Not only does this make it an exciting and refreshing venue to visit but, with funding fears leading to mainstream houses relying more and more on “name” faces to attract audiences, spaces like this are essential for the future of the industry.

Will it make John and Gina rich? Probably not but, then again, I doubt they care; this is a labour of love and their passion and dedication are infectious. And their love for the space is beginning to pay off, with audience numbers rising and more companies taking an interest in the space.

3MT is one to watch.

You can find out more about 3MT by visiting their website at http://www.threeminutetheatre.co.uk

Tim Austin is an Actor and Writer based in the UK. You can find out more about his work by visiting http://www.tim-austin.co.uk

Has Hollywood Gone Potty for Limeys? How the Brits Conquered Hollywood.

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A few weeks ago I attended a fantastic industry networking event in Manchester. Among the exhibitors was Industry Hollywood, a company whose sole aim is to help British actors to grow their exposure across the pond. They told me that UK talent is in real demand over in the “Land of the Free”.

So this got me thinking; is this actually true and, if so, why?

Take a gander at the casts of some of the most popular shows on American network TV and you’re sure to come across a fair few Brits. Archie Panjabi in The Good Wife, Linus Richie in Law and Order, Louise Lombard in CSI – this is just a small selection of Brits to “crack” the US drama scene.

The same can be said of many Hollywood movies, with the re-jigged Batman franchise, the upcoming Man of Steel, The Amazing Spider-Man and recent Oscar contenders such as The Social Network all featuring British performers taking roles that could easily be played by Americans.

So, on the surface at least, Hollywood has indeed gone potty for the “Limeys”. But why?

Could it be a cultural thing? In the UK, we have a long and noble theatre tradition, with actors cutting their teeth on stages across the nation before making the move to TV and onto film. In the US this tradition is often reversed. Might this create a different “style” of performance that is now “in vogue”?

In a 2007 interview for the Radio Times, Stephen Fry talked about the difference between American and British actors; “[Take] the supreme relaxed authenticity of a James Stewart or a George Clooney compared with the brittle contrivances of a Laurence Olivier or a Kenneth Branagh, marvellous as they are”

I would certainly agree that you can, at times, see a distinct difference in style when a British actor is dropped into an American TV drama. Take Christopher Eccleston’s short stint in Heroes – he sticks out like a sore thumb. There’s nothing wrong with his performance but it’s certainly different to those around him; he’s performing a role (brilliantly) while those around him are “inhabiting” their characters in a far more comfortable fashion. I’d say the same about the wonderful Hugh Laurie in House.

Now I’m a firm believer that good acting is good acting and I’m wary of the notion that we Brits are in any way “better” than our American cousins. But does our different tradition and altered style make us more attractive to US casting executives? Is there a fashion for “Brit style” acting at the moment?

Maybe not.

In an interview for the Caledonian Mercury, Scottish TV producer Andrea Calderwood, who now works in the US TV Industry, gives another theory; Cost.

“,… Producers are always on the look out for new talent which won’t break the budget. Enter stage right all those eager and ambitious British actors hungry for that Hollywood breakthrough.”

Are we really just “White Mexicans”, a phrase that is apparently doing the rounds in LA?

Toby Hemmingway, a British actor making huge strides in his career over in America, might have a few words to say about that. In a recent interview for the Guardian, he claimed that British actors benefitted from being more resilient.

“It’s the natural pessimism. Being a good loser. Americans think 15 minutes of fame and it’s all over or it’ll make you. Brits are more dogged and realistic”

It’s an interesting idea; that Brits are more tenacious in their attempts to find work. But is it true?

And, indeed, should we be complaining if we’re simply “cheaper” as long as it get us the work?

Let me know what you think in the comments below0.

This article was originally published at www.tim-austin.co.uk