Comments on: The NTS Moves On http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2007/07/19/the-nts-moves-on/ Thoughts and musings on theatre, especially in Britain Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:41:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: view from the stalls http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2007/07/19/the-nts-moves-on/#comment-431 view from the stalls Sat, 21 Jul 2007 14:05:40 +0000 http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2007/07/19/the-nts-moves-on/#comment-431 The NTS has had some great successes and I've been lucky enough to see several of them including "Roam", "Mary Stuart", "Black Watch", "Dissocia" and "Aalst" (although I was less taken by it than you were), but it hasn't been all good news. I enjoyed their production of "Futurology:A Global Revue" but the marketing for it was very poor and didn't remotely suffice in overcoming the reluctance of theatregoers to see a show in conference venues such as Glasgow's SECC. As a result I understand tickets were hard to shift and matinees were cancelled, but it certainly wasn't due to the quality of the show. Similar poor marketing of "Dissocia" meant that I didn't bother to see it in Glasgow and it was only after the 'fuss' it created in London that I made the effort to see what it was all about when the production came to Edinburgh. In similar fashion I have concerns about the upcoming "Half Life" which appears to require me to traipse around the hillside around Oban for hours to see a number of short performances in the day and a longer evening show. I hope there will be a concerted effort to explain how this effort will be rewarded as at the moment I'm thoroughly unconvinced (especially given the possible need for an overnight stay locally.) I have also been disappointed to see that the NTS Young Company does not yet appear to have been reconstituted for it's second year and although I have been told it will return in a different form there is little sign of it at the moment. I saw two of last year's Young Co productions and "The Recovery Position" is one of the strongest shows I have seen this year. Hopefully the NTS will find a way to continue to mentor future talent. But yes, overall the NTS has been a resounding success, but it has also greatly raised expectations for future productions and I only hope it can live up to them. <a href="http://www.viewfromthestalls.co.uk" rel="nofollow">View From The Stalls</a> The NTS has had some great successes and I’ve been lucky enough to see several of them including “Roam”, “Mary Stuart”, “Black Watch”, “Dissocia” and “Aalst” (although I was less taken by it than you were), but it hasn’t been all good news. I enjoyed their production of “Futurology:A Global Revue” but the marketing for it was very poor and didn’t remotely suffice in overcoming the reluctance of theatregoers to see a show in conference venues such as Glasgow’s SECC. As a result I understand tickets were hard to shift and matinees were cancelled, but it certainly wasn’t due to the quality of the show.

Similar poor marketing of “Dissocia” meant that I didn’t bother to see it in Glasgow and it was only after the ‘fuss’ it created in London that I made the effort to see what it was all about when the production came to Edinburgh.

In similar fashion I have concerns about the upcoming “Half Life” which appears to require me to traipse around the hillside around Oban for hours to see a number of short performances in the day and a longer evening show. I hope there will be a concerted effort to explain how this effort will be rewarded as at the moment I’m thoroughly unconvinced (especially given the possible need for an overnight stay locally.)

I have also been disappointed to see that the NTS Young Company does not yet appear to have been reconstituted for it’s second year and although I have been told it will return in a different form there is little sign of it at the moment. I saw two of last year’s Young Co productions and “The Recovery Position” is one of the strongest shows I have seen this year. Hopefully the NTS will find a way to continue to mentor future talent.

But yes, overall the NTS has been a resounding success, but it has also greatly raised expectations for future productions and I only hope it can live up to them.

View From The Stalls

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