Hope all is well.

To say that securing this placement was an arduous task would be an understatement. Not necessarily to do with the dialogue between myself and Linda of Big Telly, but to do with a conflict of schedules. I was drawn to Big Telly due to their attentiveness towards providing a first-class experience for their audience which Lyn Gardner summarises perfectly saying that Big Telly “made it feel as the audience is not an afterthought but essential”.¹ This idea of giving an audience the greatest experience lends well to my aspirations as I hope to create memories with my art firstly rather than generate wealth. Another reason why I chose to work with Big Telly was that they have a focus on educational theatre which interests me as I took part in the educational module last year. A quote which best exemplifies my reason for loving educational theatre can be found in Anthony Jackson’s Theatre. Education and the Making of Meanings in which he writes “‘education’ matters – even if our understanding of what it is and what it can do may have been subject to serious challenge and reassessment in recent years”². Big Telly are coming back into the realm of live performance after more than a year off from it, and coupled with my hectic home, health and professional life it has been a great undertaking trying to find the time to work with them. Though organising operations with them has been difficult, one ever-enduring pleasantry has been the communication we have shared in trying to work out appropriate hours to work for us both. Since Summer I have found myself in frequent conversation with Linda and our correspondence has been full of professionalism and levity. “Hope all is well”, she would often say, before starting the task of trying to find an appropriate time for us to collaborate within.

Struggling to find a time slot to work with them, we finally had the stars align and I was able to offer my services to them for four hours (not a substantial amount of time but a rewarding achievement regardless). What was I doing during these four hours do you ask? I was strapped to a low-riding tricycle with a Christmas tree on the back promoting Big Telly’s newest play Elf Factory to the people of Belfast. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a first, however, what this experience provided me with, more so than the occasional heckle, was a hands-on experience of the rigorous world of theatre promotion. I was paired with another employee as we took on the role of elves, handing out flyers to passersby on the Belfast Christmas Market opening night. This is an aspect of working within the theatre that I had previously neglected, having to go out onto the streets and trying to get the public to see your show. Although I have previously experienced such promotional tactics, it never occurred to me the level of preparation it takes to get to that point within the promotional process.

My first four hours of my placement began by arriving at the Elf Factory premises which was just opposite Castle Court in Belfast. I was greeted by Ronan McManus and the rest of the Big Telly team and was promptly given a costume to wear for when I was cycling around Belfast. I was briefed comprehensively on the safety precautions we had to follow and was given a demonstration before being allowed to set off with my partner onto the pedestrianised streets of festive Belfast. Initially I was worried about my ability to control the tricycle due to it being steered with your legs, however, the briefing I was given adequately prepared me for the fun night ahead of me flyering. Big Telly were very accommodating to me as I expressed that I may have needed to finish early due to needing to catch the last train, and although this turned out to be a non-issue, they were still willing to let me go before the allotted time if I had ended up needing to do so.

Using Gibbs Reflective Cycle³ to summarise my experience, I would say that the work Big Telly and I have done has largely been successful. It was initially taxing trying to organise a time to work together, however, the time we spent conversing proved to be fruitful as I ended up being able to promote their play Elf Factory. My feelings throughout this process were initially ones of frustration but they evolved into feelings of fulfillment as I was finally able to work with Big Telly even if only for four hours. To evaluate, what I enjoyed about the experience was being thrusted outside of my comfort zone in cycling around Belfast and forming strong connections with the company both in-person and via email. What I didn’t enjoy was how long it took to be a part of a production although this lies with me as I have had a full schedule due to university and work obligations. In analysing, what I can make of the situation is that it is incredibly difficult to align schedules within the creative industry, however it is incredibly fulfilling when these schedules do align as working creatively is a priority for me in looking towards my future. In concluding I would have tried harder to free up my schedule in order to have more hours working within Big Telly; although this seemed more than impossible. it could have occurred had I sacrificed more time that I had set aside for myself. My action plan for if this situation were to arise again would be to schedule my time more structurally so I can better balance my days without feeling like a burden to the company or feeling overwhelmed by the tight schedule I have. I would also reach out more to the company in my spare time to see of they have even more opportunities so I can gain more experience quicker.

¹ Lyn Gardner, Big Telly About Us, https://big-telly.com/about-us/

² Anthony Jackson, Theatre, Education and the Making of Meanings, pg 11

³ Gibbs, https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle