Go Furness

Acting as if life were not a dress rehearsal…

Rachel was one of the founders of the well-known Ashton Group (Theatre Factory), based in Barrow. They have put on about 25 productions in the past 10 years and have been involved in many community and educational theatre projects.

She was originally mime trained and worked in physical theatre in London and internationally in the 80s, and then directed for Cumbria Youth Theatre. She worked on Shipyard Tales in Barrow for a year with Welfare State, followed by 7 years as a free lance director.

The Ashton Group is a long term client of The Arts Council and of Barrow Borough. They are a registered charity and have worked very hard to secure enough funding to ensure that the valuable work they do with young people continues. They have always used New Writers and been involved with New Theatre, and as the market declined, they then moved into ‘New’ participatory theatre. For the past 3 years, their ‘Apprenticed Actors Company’ has provided young people between the ages of 16 and 21 with the opportunity to experience what it would be like to work in small scale touring theatre and be paid to do it. This innovative approach and flexibility are two of the many reasons that Rachel’s group has thrived and survived in the arts world.

Now with additional funding from the Northern Rock Foundation and West Lakes Renaissance, The Apprenticed Actors Company project has moved up a level as they roll out New Lines, an exciting playwriting competition for young people.

Two professional writers will spend 6 months working with up to 500 young people between the ages of 16–21 and will eventually select 3 for professional commission and touring with The Apprenticed Actors Company.

Young people are invited to attend writing workshops, supported to develop their ideas and taught how to pitch them. Then 10 scripts will be short listed for development and 3 will be selected as the winners of £500 and their scripts will be produced and toured by the Theatre Factory. Writers Anne Wilson and Sarah Miller are running the workshops and supporting the young writers. What an exciting opportunity for young creative writers! This ingenious model is being hailed by the Arts Council as an outstanding example of good practice.

Rachel has applied her intuition and creativity to her business, and this has meant she has remained buoyant in a very competitive field. I get the feeling that knowing when to be tenacious and when to compromise has paid off dividends for Ashton.

?Her advice to others who dream of a career in theatre?

• Don’t even think about it unless you really, really want to do it. It’s hard work with very little security.
• It’s not about being a celebrity.
• Be passionate.
• Have staying power.
• Be prepared to kick down doors. ??

Well, Rachel has clearly kicked a few doors down in her career, and something tells me she ain’t finished yet!?

Posted by Kay Hebbourn on 2nd June.