“…you’re told the best way is just to ‘fake it til you make it’” I’ve always found it funny that the stereotype of the ‘theatre kid’ is foundationally constructed around an individual with an abundance of self-confidence, someone who isn’t phased by how they might be perceived, unafraid of the judgement of others. And often as you’re starting out you’re told the best way is just to ‘fake it til you make it’ or that the key to a good performance is confidence.  My amusement with this misconception lies in the fact that around 80% of the people I’ve met in theatre have, at some stage, exp ..read more

“These moments were beautiful to watch and incredibly powerful.” Over the last few months, I’ve been thinking about theatre and accessibility in the art that I am making. This was originally sparked from a production I watched in April at the Leeds Playhouse of an adaptation of Lord of the Flies. When I watched it, this performance blew my mind, bringing to life a book I’m not particularly fond of and somehow making me second-guess my opinion of the story and its characters. Most importantly, this performance proved that accessible performances shouldn’t be an afterthought but can be integra ..read more

Hello! I usually start these with a “Happy New Year”, but considering it is literally HALFWAY through  the year, I’ll spare us all the pain. Apologies for the delay in getting this one written, the start of 2023 has been a bit of a manic one. Between finishing off our Writers’ Room in Flintshire throughout January, to  picking up Pocketfull again in February and juggling the funding deadlines, meetings, and report writing that fell in between, and the fact that I’m still getting to grips with the idea that we’re actually in 2023 (am I the only one who thinks it sounds like a made-up ..read more

"I will write for people that can’t speak for themselves.” Since it’s Pride Month, we here at Haywire thought that an LGBTQIA+ Pocketfull special would be the perfect thing to do. We have two pieces coming your way over the next two weeks that have been made by LGBTQIA+ creative teams. ‘Home’ written by Jon Nash, is about “a gay man returning to his childhood home, that he has literally or metaphorically been exiled from, with his partner after the death of his father and is about him coming to terms with whether it is home now or not.” and is the first piece coming your way this Friday. The ..read more

“I’d like to make it a message of gratitude to everyone we’ve met this year, and a reminder to everyone reading this that you are not on your own. “ Hello everyone, IT’S CHRISTMAS! Insert obligatory jingle bells and Santa noises and promotion of Mariah Carey/Michael Buble/another-Christmas-legend-of-your-choice here. I can practically hear Slade yelling back at me now. I hope everyone is feeling suitably prepared for the festive season, whether you’ve doubled-down on Scrooge-esque Christmas disdain or accepted the inevitable and jumped on board the Christmas train (complete with Polar E ..read more

“I hope that each Pocketfull sparks conversation, whether that’s within the theatre community or between people as humans.” Over the past few months, I have been working hard alongside the rest of the Haywire team to bring back something very special: The Pocketfull Project. This is a series of online monologues about anything and everything, with the aim of collaborating and connecting with new artists. With the relaunch of the Pocketfull Project coming this week, I want to take the time to reflect back on the journey so far, and look ahead to what Pocketfull may be in the future. This has ..read more

Recently I had the privilege of attending a performance of 'Kin' by Gecko Theatre. The show explores the challenges in the life of two immigrant families. In particular,  it shows the struggle of  being accepted for who you are and the impossibility of changing yourself to fit in a culture different from yours. It reflects upon diversity and the contrasting way in which it is perceived; it does that in a delicate, at times ironic way. The show counts for very little text which leaves more space for appreciation towards its music and visual elements, despite offering moments of exquis ..read more

'We were riding a high, a nirvana of cultural success, of community celebration.’ At the end of last month, the theatre world was rocked by the announcement that one of our most respected institutions had 2 new Artistic Directors at the helm. Daniel Evans (current Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres) and Tamara Harvey (current Artistic Director at Theatr Clwyd) will be stepping into a joint role as Co-Artistic Directors of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the June of 2023. Between them, they have decades of incredible, award-winning experience in the arts, and are set to do amazing thing ..read more

“You know, if you have five houses and you derive income from rent then it doesn’t affect you. But if you’re working on the breadline then you’re hit.” I have been putting off writing this post for a few months now as I have been unsure how best to tackle it. I still don’t think I quite have the answer but with the cost of living set to increase further over the coming months and more people than ever finding themselves experiencing food insecurity for the first time, I think now is a good time to try. Back in May I spoke to three political representatives who support Flintshire and the surr ..read more

Ahead of Nyctophilia’s move from Buxton to Edinburgh I sat down with Isaac Saward, writer, to discuss the intricacies of the script and why he chose to tackle such an innovative new concept.  There’s an interesting spark in Isaac’s eye whenever you mention theatre in the dark. In some ways it reminds me of a child on Christmas morning, eagerly awaiting what’s sitting under the tree. But unlike those children, Isaac isn’t excited to see what you have waiting for him, but rather about what he can illuminate for you. Or not illuminate, so to speak. So when I got the chance to chat to him ab ..read more