After only a year of welcoming producing students to the CGO Institute, I am proud that we have become members of the ITI/UNESCO Network for Higher Education in the Performing Arts.
Mates blogger: Chris Grady
Chris Grady is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Chris's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Chris Grady is a creative and business life coach who has worked in arts and project management for more than 30 years, running marketing departments and creating festivals and theatres in Bristol, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Buxton, Keswick, London and Bury St Edmonds. He has also run the Vivian Ellis Prize for new musicals, and written Your Life in Theatre, a careers guide for all stages of your career. He is preparing an MA for Theatre Producers with Mountview Academy for Theatre Arts. Chris blogs about arts management at www.chrisgrady.org.
The latest from Chris on MyTheatreMates
This little country of ours sure punches above its weight sometimes
Between teaching, I caught three shows – two in London and one in Glasgow. Two shows came with the same heritage – produced originally at the Tron. The third one, a massive production also produced by an adventurous Scot.
The freelancer rollercoaster: I’ve been turned down for so many jobs & grants in my life
In a previous blog, I talked of the excitement at waking up in our industry. But any time we bounce forward, we have to accept that we live on a rollercoaster. And the rushes to the bottom are not usually accompanied by screams of joy and thrill.
Is ‘Zoom in the flesh’ the way to wake up producers’ creativity post-pandemic?
I recently tried a technical experiment with Zoom and believe we may have found a way to harness the power of distance connection with the desire for getting back in a room.
‘There are big (and scary) challenges which need to be harnessed’: Chris Grady explores the Off West End theatre landscape post-lockdowns
As the West End reopens with the welcome return of blockbusters which will get the massive press coverage with red carpets and celebrities, my gaze turns to off West End, Regional, and new work development. I have been to Clapham Omnibus, Perth Theatre, and the Capital Theatre Studios in the last few days… alongside conversations with Broadway and Korean networks of producers. It is a fascinating time (and scary).
‘Grab a ticket if you still can’: SUNSHINE ON LEITH – Edinburgh Fringe
I kicked off our fringe experience with Captivate Theatre’s exuberant and joyful Sunshine on Leith. A large company of Edinburgh-based performers and musicians who first presented the show back in 2014.
Your chance to be in the room where it happens with creative producers of theatre
So many amazing inspiring potential entrepreneurs have been in the room at Chris Grady’s workshops, networks and CGO Institute events, but now I want to look out for a much broader ‘audience’ of people who have never come across one of my workshops or networks
‘We were involved in decisions’: Chris Grady pays tribute to influential theatre manager Gordon Stratford
What made theatre manager Gordon Stratford special for me, as a boss, was his passion for the theatre, his quick understanding of potential audiences, and his willingness to give his marketing team the chance to challenge him on proposed prices, deals, and even show choices.
How to find the energy we need in our industry to move forward
I was talking with a client yesterday, who is a theatre-maker and wanting, like so many, to get back in front of a live audience and to work close with fellow creatives to make work happen. We decided to focus on a few areas – not least because we have no idea how long we are going to be in the current state of lockdown and reliance on digital platforms.
‘At the darkest moments I have to believe there is a future for our industry’: Why the arts are viable
At the darkest moments I have to believe there is a future for our industry. I have to believe we will defy our government and prove to be viable. I absolutely believe the way that this will happen is through the invention and enterprising energy of creative producers making stuff happen.
New opportunities in the world of Zoom Zj-ing
Over the last few months I have moved so much of my life and work online, often using Zoom, as so many of us have. Yesterday someone decided I should now call myself a Zj…which sounds fun.
Looking for trainee unicorns: Planning a diploma in creative producing
It is a strange time to predict a new world. But I hope that the planned Diploma in Creative Producing will come at the right time for a re-emergence of creative practitioners across the globe.
Tea, vodka & art in Russia
My recommendation to any theatre producer and creative reading this is grab any opportunity to make these kind of trips. Open your eyes to everything that you see.
The mystery of musical theatre writing
I am bemused. Last night I was at a show which has been an immense hit in its lifetime and has been described as masterful by the press.
In creative business I like to say yes to the unexpected
So along with my declared New Year’s Resolution to see at least one piece of theatre in Scotland every two weeks, I will also try wherever I can to say “yes” to the unexpected.
Irons in the fire but totally prepared to be surprised
I’ve worked on my New Year’s Resolutions and I know what I need from the universe, and where I have the capacity to welcome some unexpected enquiries or surprises
New Year’s Resolutions – sensible settings, hopefully
I’m a coach with years of experience of helping others to set achievable goals, so I know how to do it. Tonight I decided to ensure I saw an average of one theatre show a week across the Scottish professional scene (excluding the Edinburgh Fringe) for 2019. Easy. Just do it.
If only I was famous… then I could reach playwrights around the UK
My challenge is to bring an opportunity to British playwrights who have a play which deserves to be published and licensed around the world.
Thank you for the power of the word ‘we’
This weekend I was part of an extraordinary workshop which was a first of its kind in Europe, or so I am told. A chance to work on the consciousness explorations of Patricia Albere developed in her practice and her book.
Help me get out of my bubble…
As I get older I network less. As I look out of my view across the Firth of Forth from my tiny office window, I don’t get the urge to go to the membership meetings and first nights which are out there for me to attend (and I can’t afford to).