ARTISTIC EVALUATION. Name: Steve Slater Date: 25 / 04 / 08

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1 Updated June 2007 ARTISTIC EVALUATION It should be noted the views expressed in this evaluation are intended to represent, as far as possible, an objective aesthetic judgement. Specialist advisors and officers should avoid making judgements based on their own personal tastes and preferences. Artist/Company: Venue: Title of Event: Type of Event: Grid Iron / Dundee Rep Theatre The Verdant Works, Dundee YARN Promenade Performance Date of Visit: 4 th April 2008 Overall Rating: COMPETENT I came to this work with high expectations, as the list of participants and setting could / should have made a very memorable performance. Unfortunately for me, the company seemed, on this occasion, unable to connect with their chosen subject matter and therefore their audience. YARN left me feeling as isolated and removed from proceedings, unable to piece together any coherent message or vision. In my opinion, it is all too easy to fall into a trap when presenting theatre in public spaces, where the logistics of presenting, coupled with the desire to inform and entertain becomes merely an exercise in getting from A to B and to C with the end result being a production that can only ever serve as a bare framework of ideas denying the material being presented the ability to grow and transform, to become something other than the sum of it s parts. For me in this instance Yarn was more illustration than art, missing as it did, that all important focus on a central idea, a confident form of presentation or method of abstraction which could convert the mass of material and information presented into a unique and undeniable work of creativity. Name: Steve Slater Date: 25 / 04 / 08 Specialist Advisor X Scottish Arts Council Officer Please circle the relevant title This report has been commissioned by the Scottish Arts Council to evaluate the artistic quality of the production named above. It has been prepared by either a specialist Advisor, or an officer of the Scottish Arts Council, as indicated at the end of the form. The report will be circulated to the organisation which produced the work and to the management of the venue, if the venue is core funded by the Scottish Arts Council. The report will form evidence for the Artistic Leadership and Public Engagement sections of the Quality Framework and be taken into account in assessing the work of the producing company in relation to applications for funding to the Scottish Arts Council. It may also be used by the Joint Board to report on the overall performance of its funded organisations. Evaluators should enter their rating under each section, explaining briefly their reason for the rating with reference to their comments under each section. Ratings should be given in accordance with the following: 1 - Very Poor standard falls well below what is acceptable. 2 - Poor not attaining acceptable standards of conception or presentation. 3 - routine rather than especially interesting. 4 - Good well conceived and executed 5 - Excellent conceived and executed to a high standard.

2 1. Artistic Assessment Please evaluate the artistic quality of the event, with particular reference to the strengths and weaknesses of the following: Artform Criteria Rating Comments and key reasons for rating Vision and imagination of work - Yarn was a conglomeration of stories and facts centred on the manufacture of clothes and our Quality of ideas, skills in relationships with them. In my opinion it failed to execution; if you ve seen draw any coherent links between the various the work of this artist(s)/ company before, please elements within the work and lacked any notion of comment on the moving the subject and its audience - beyond the comparison. boundaries set by the narrow vision of the work. The vision here seemed merely to tell us what we already knew in terms of the politics of global manufacturing and any personal or historical reference was reduced to the level of a museum guided tour, which was the only obvious connection (if relevant) Curatorial/ programming vision/ selection Please indicate how the event originated eg from the exhibiting/ producing organisation, artist-led or commissioned. If the event is part of a Festival, please say how it contributes to the overall programme. Success of event against stated aims - in the programme or other printed material, including how well it communicated the artistic themes. Education events see 1 below for guidance Performers/tutors - technical standard, performance skills and ability to communicate and engage. Where performers are not trained, please reflect this in your comments. Good to the Verdant works that I could discern. I rate this as good in terms of the obvious desire of Dundee Rep to work with Grid Iron on a piece of site specific theatre, that on paper should have ticked all the boxes. That the promised work did not emerge this time should not put either company off the notion of working together again. Dundee s public was obviously very keen to participate in this type of work as the show seemed very well attended. For me, the performance failed to ignite my imagination and served to merely illustrate a number of theatrical set pieces based on various aspects of clothing and the making of clothes. Placed against their stated goal of challenging themselves and their audience I would have to say that the project failed to a great extent, being neither challenging to the company or their audience. Not once did the experience of watching this production involve or move me emotionally to a different place or understanding of the subject. The production started in a strong fashion with the first scene delivering hints of a dark and turbulent production which promised a journey ahead of us through the bowels of the old clothing factory. Unfortunately this soon dissipated and what followed were a number of set pieces which lent themselves more to educational presentations and children s theatre. The performance s of the six individuals was adequate and functional rather than engaging ranging from pantomime antics to the odd glimmer of true drama unfortunately too little to foster a genuine engagement with the piece. 1 Education is a bridge between artform excellence and increased access and participation, and it is people centred. Providing opportunities for learning and progressing in an artform or using an artform to address other, non-artistic, outcomes are equally valid; in either case a high quality strategic approach is required in order to benefit the participants and the organisation. Delivery can be through workshops, post/pre-show discussions, outreach work, etc aimed at any age group.

3 Artform Criteria Rating Comments and key reasons for rating Dance, Theatre Theatre Theatre, Dance Dance, Theatre Dance, Theatre Choreography/Use of choreography - originality, use of space, number and use of dancers, length of piece, etc Script particularly in relation to new work or second productions. Relevant to classics where the original has been substantially changed. Direction - Concerns issues of interpretation, casting and presentation. Use of music appropriateness and effect of sound or music (whole/part, live/ recorded) to the production. Design costume, set, lighting. Take into account how appropriate the design is in relation to the venue and, where appropriate, the touring schedule. Poor Yet again, the choreography on display here merely functioned as a device to create some fluidity and movement throughout the work. The three female members of the cast providing what little choreography there was to be seen. This is a shame, as there was real potential here for the fantastic skills of Janet Smith and SDT to weave some much needed magic into the work. However they were clearly not fully applied, and the piece suffers because of this. Uneven and disjointed, the script lurched from scene to scene and style to style. Like someone with no sense of fashion, the script / dialog was a patchwork of storytelling, historical reference, political news bulletin and museum demonstration. There seemed to be no thread to this yarn, no sense of a through line. The audience being led through a hit and run progression of stories and information loosely hung around the notion of the clothing trade. Many of the problems for me with this work must ultimately be the responsibility of the director. In this case it feels as if Ben Harrison failed to find a way to weave the many threads at his disposal into a work which would both convey the history and emotion of the subject while leading us to a greater understanding of ourselves and our relationship with the clothes we wear. Their were tantalising glimpses of the possibilities here the spider / bobbin / tree at the end of the show which alluded to Adam and Eve and the original sin why could the company not address the issue of clothing by being truly naked at some point in the proceedings? I was also disappointed that there was no reference to current issues such as the girl murdered in England recently because of the Gothic style of dress she chose to wear. Opportunities were clearly missed or shied away from more risk and an adventurous imagination would have made this a much more enjoyable and entertaining proposition. It would have been wonderful to have had live music or even a soundscape made from the sounds of the spinning machines and mill industry. In the end the music was a forgettable mix prerecorded background sound and music. Here again in my opinion, the company failed to grasp the potential placed upon them by the subject matter. For a work relating directly to and about clothes, the costume designs were a little uninspiring. In working site specifically, I assume there was little the company could do to the existing museum as I expect there needed to be a rapid turn around each day. There were some nice design flourishes which enhanced the building and attempted a form of visual continuity the use of the colour red and thread. However, the final set piece in the yard by the old weighbridge could have been far more creatively handled with a real opportunity to bring together the various creative

4 Artform Criteria Rating Comments and key reasons for rating elements of design with dance, costume and theatre to produce a memorable ending instead of the rather lazy quick change catwalk stroll through history which we received. Quality of Presentation/Engage ment Performing Arts - technical presentation of the production (eg lighting and sound cues, etc). Crafts/Visual Arts - Use of equipment, space and overall layout/hang Given the nature of the presentation the production was without any noticeable problems technically. With some nice effects early on in the first scene to give atmosphere and a sense of place to proceedings. Education events - relevance/ appropriateness of presentation and teaching methodology (one to one, group, child centred); details of participant group and activity, including genre. Audience Performing Arts - appropriateness of the production for the audience/participants; estimate the size and reaction Crafts/Visual Arts time spent, interest, activity, and visitors books comments, number of visitors/ participants at the time of visit Education/learning preevent involvement, participants/ schoolteachers reaction, understanding, commitment, enthusiasm, number involved, etc Additional Interpretative activity what activities were available to enhance the experience of the event eg workshops, artist s talks, discussion groups? Please indicate age-groups targeted. Outcomes of education activity what learning/skills development took place? What did participants take away with them? Are education resources being provided for follow up work? Is it strategically linked to the curriculum (formal or informal)? I would like to think that the audience came with an open mind, looking for something that would mark their commitment to the promise held by the prospect of seeing YARN. However, there was a distinct lack of engagement on the night I witnessed the performance the audience was a good demographic mix, so there was everything to gain from presenting a thoroughly moving and engrossing production. Unfortunately The company seemed unsure as to how to engage with them in this setting offering the promise of engagement without really doing so the audience reduced to passive bystanders, aware that they too wore the clothes being discussed, that they too were involved in this Yarn somehow - yet were unable or not allowed to have a voice in the proceedings. A small book / programme was provided before going into the Verdant Works this contained the usual credits and background material on all the company s and individuals involved. It also contained an essay by Ben Harrison outlining his inspiration for the piece. I could discern no other interpretive activity associated with the work the company s web site was also looked at for additional information, but none seemed available. Through the performance itself and the displays at the verdant works I learned a little more about the textile / Jute industry in Dundee. I assume the audience did the same. I am unable to comment on other educational resources and follow up work.

5 Artform Criteria Rating Comments and key reasons for rating

6 2. Management of Event Please evaluate the way the event was presented/organised by the organisation and the venue, with reference to the checklist below, including additional comments/observations. Please try to view the venue and the services, and interpretative material as though you had never visited it before eg if you did not know the venue s location, how easy would it be to find your way there, and to find your way around once you had arrived? Criteria Suitability of the venue for the event Information/ interpretive material at venue - programmes, displays etc. Publicity/ pre-publicity leaflets, posters, websites, etc. What is produced, is it easy to understand and where can you get the information? Please be alert to the publicity available prior to your visit to the event and comment on the company/organisation s website. Ease of booking and payment Location of venue eg is it easy to find? Is it on a main transport route? External signage and signposting Internal directional signage Comment The Verdant works museum was highly suitable owing to the fact that it was previously a textile mill Programmes / booklets were handed out prior to the performance. While I saw little in the way of publicity material the production picked up a generous amount of press in the form of preview and reviews. The company web site was also viewed. Booking was made by phone and I encountered no problems The verdant works was reasonably easy to find once I had located the appropriate page on their web site. There was not enough information on either the Dundee rep site or the Grid Iron site to enable me to find the location. Signage was acceptable for this type of public museum. N/A Access and provision for disabled people what can you see? Timing of the event was the length appropriate? Did the start and finish time seem to be appropriate for the audience? Customer service - quality and efficiency of staff (e.g. box office, front of house, bar and/or catering) Acknowledgement of Scottish Arts Council Funding 2 I saw no provision for disabled / wheelchair users. Fortunately there were none attending on the night I was there, but it did make me wonder how someone with a disability would be able to access the various levels of the building during the running of the event. The company were running two shows a night. The running time was acceptable for this type of promenade performance (one and a half hours). N/A SAC logo was placed prominently on the inside page of the programme / booklet. 2 In press releases, at launches, on all published materials (including leaflets, brochures, programmes, posters, company s website, notices display, exhibition materials, websites and advertising, recordings, publications, video, broadcasts, computer programmes etc.) Where the event is publicised in the programme brochure of another organisation (eg venue, gallery, etc) then SAC acknowledgement should appear against the particular programme entry for this event.

7 3. Organisation s Comments (optional) This is the organisation s opportunity to respond to points raised within this assessment. Please do not feel obliged to fill this section in. In the spirit of the Quality Framework, we would ask that any comments are self-evaluating, providing an insight as to why, if there is, a major disagreement of response between the organisation and the evaluation, in a constructive way. This will not alter the rating given by the assessment, but will allow the organisation the opportunity to give their opinion/feedback. The Scottish Arts Council reserves the right to edit comments if they are deemed to be libellous or defamatory. As the Scottish Arts Council implements the Quality Framework internally, we intend to publish artistic evaluations on organisations that we support regularly on our website. The final artistic evaluation, including the organisation s response will be published on a quarterly basis on our website. Please keep your response to max 500 words. If we do not hear from you in 15 days, we will assume that you do not want to respond. SAC requires views of advisors and officers to represent objective aesthetic judgement, avoiding opinions based on personal tastes and preferences (SAC Artistic Evaluation). Grid Iron and Dundee Rep are concerned that these objective criteria have not been met. We cannot accept without comment such a radical drop from our previous shows' assessments from the SAC (typically good to excellent). This assessment is at variance with the warm audience response received onsite by Grid Iron and Dundee Rep staff. Press reviews were largely positive, despite not being bound by the requirement for objectivity, and did not differ significantly from those of previous Dundee Rep and Grid Iron productions. The Dundee press was particularly supportive. The Evening Telegraph and Post review stated, "Working together for the first time, the two companies effectively entwine in an emotional and political tapestry connecting clothing and people in a narrative of adventure spun by director Ben Harrison...This is an outstanding production, delivered by a brilliant cast...the audience is led...with little dilution in emotional intensity an ongoing fascination holding the pieces together generating a truly unforgettable theatrical experience ". Details can be found on our website. There are many factual inaccuracies. To exemplify, comments under Choreography imply Yarn was conceived as dance. We valued the input of Janet Smith and SDT in helping us use dance effectively as a device to create fluidity and movement throughout the work, but nowhere have we stated or implied that Yarn should be evaluated as dance. Including merely and some makes a factual statement subjective. Criticism of the music is also inaccurate. The soundtrack contained the rhythms of spinning machines; which were recorded onsite, forming a key structural device for the music. Despite the assessor s familiarity with Grid Iron s previous work, there are no comparisons under Vision and imagination of work. He has used a negative tone even where no fault was discerned. He saw no noticeable problems technically, stating that effects gave atmosphere and a sense of place to the first scene. He recognises the technical challenges presented by site specific work but only deems the standard to be competent. Phrases such as for me, I would like to think, in my opinion are endemic, despite the requirement to avoid personal preferences. Loaded vocabulary, such as pantomime antics and lurched, coupled with numerous grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors, further fails to distinguish objective assessment from casual criticism. Statements such as 'like someone with no sense of fashion', 'lazy' and calls for live music and nudity are made without supportive reasoning. He asks for the inclusion of more narrative threads whilst having previously ironically termed those which have been included as a mass of material. In particular, the use of 'children's theatre' pejoratively is offensive. Regrettably, there is little acknowledgement of Dundee Rep itself in the co-production, both for its large crew and four actors, the inclusion of whose personal stories in Yarn failed to move the assessor in the way that they visibly did for other audience members.

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