Sophie Ward
Ten years ago, Ardent launched their first production, Flowers of the Forest by John Van Druten, at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London. It was an ambitious production for the new company and the little theatre, a period drama with two timelines and a cast of eleven. I was lucky enough to be part of the company and, for once, have only happy memories. It’s an unusual production that doesn’t have some backstage drama, but we left the church hall rehearsal and squashed into the two dressing rooms of the basement at Jermyn Street without a hitch. This was a good team. And I wondered, how was it done?
The actor’s point of view of any production is very different from the production team’s. During the rehearsal period for a play, stage management organises everything from call times and coffee to the buying of props and the building of rehearsal sets. Costumes, ticket sales, contracts, safety, marketing and publicity, lighting, music and sound design, sponsorship, and set design are just some of the many jobs in which other people specialise to make the show happen. And all of these things are supervised by the producer and the director.
Actors, on the other hand, will spend a lot of time having cups of tea and salad/cigarettes. They will lose their scripts/glasses/plastic bag with a banana in it. They will miss the bus/train/plane or have their car stolen. They will have a mysterious back injury. Some of them will already be sleeping with each other. They will run through the play and it will be a kindergarten class performing 'Les Sylphides' on ice. People will crash into bits of set, fall over, appear in scenes they were never in, fail to appear in scenes in which they played a crucial part. The director will cry on the inside. On the outside they will smile and say either "That was a great start but we have a way to go." Or "That was shit. I hate you all." depending on their temperament. The actor will also cry, usually, but not always, on the inside. On the outside they will say, "I'm going to the pub".
I exaggerate, most actors work hard and do their best to translate the ideas of the writer and the director to the stage. I’ve been a producer and I’ve been part of the stage management team, so I’ve seen the actors from the other side of the sticky green tape that marks out the set on the floor. I still loved them and I’ve seen how, sometimes, we might not be that lovable. I’ve also seen how hard it is to keep a play afloat, to stop the icebergs from sinking the show at all the different stages of development, and how actors and producers alike can make you wish, to extend the metaphor, that you never left shore in the first place.
Yet, none of this happened on Ardent’s first production. The play came to life under the direction of Anthony Biggs, and the actors worked together as a team. Such harmony wasn’t because of a big budget, we were all being paid the same Equity minimum, or the play text, which was well-written but not light-hearted or easy. It was because Ardent and Anthony wanted the experience to be a good one. And with that seemingly simple decision, it was.
Ardent have continued staging difficult, interesting and important plays. They have raised money to support actors who would otherwise not have the opportunity to perform. And always at the centre of their work is an ethos of respect. It all seems very logical, of course everyone excels when they are given the opportunity to do their best work, but it is sadly not common. On their anniversary, my hopes for Ardent are for another successful ten years, and for the industry, that more producers adopt their good practice. That would surely lead to fewer tears, and a lot less stomping to the pub.
Sophie Ward is an actor and writer from North London. She has published two novels, Love and Other Thought Experiments and The Schoolhouse.