Director of Half Moon Theatre for children and young people, Chris Elwell names those who have inspired him throughout his career.
Kate Herbert
When I left teaching in the mid-80s, I applied for any job that mixed education and the arts and ended up at London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) for an interview. Kate was on the panel. I later learned that one of the reasons I got the job was because I was totally unfazed by one of the panelists breast-feeding throughout. I later confessed that on the way to the interview my contact lens had fallen out and, being very short sighted, I probably couldn’t see! Kate, who became CEO of English Touring Opera and who now works at the Royal Opera House as their Senior Producer, taught me never to let anything faze you, and that success in this business is the result of pure graft and hard work.
Barbara Houseman
I met inspirational voice coach and director Barbara when I was Head of Education at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1990s – in the early days of arts education in the UK – and she worked under Cicely Berry in the voice department. We shared a dark, cramped office and one computer. This is where I learned that if young people are to really understand and inform how theatre is made, then they have to be part of the creative process themselves, and ‘giving’ them a voice through inspirational workshops is the best way.
Sally Mackey
My four years as an academic at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the mid-90s were joyful, thanks to my then boss Sally (now Professor Mackey). She taught me the importance of reflecting and documenting your practice, and empowering those around you to take bold, creative choices, letting them take centre stage and placing your ‘ego’ well away, so that they rightfully can take full credit. We still collaborate and joke that those bright-eyed 19-year-olds now lead big arts organisations and speak to us at conferences as key note speakers.
David Edwards
My eighteen years as a trustee of new writing company Paines Plough, the latter three as Chair, were significant to me, not only as I was in tenure through the great Vicky Featherstone and Roxana Silbert creative periods (their practice being inspirational), but also by being part of the workings of a small arts organisation under the long-term chairmanship of David Edwards. His calm wisdom and clarity of purpose – drawn from his then Executive Director role at Derby Playhouse, latterly as Head of Operations at Aldeburgh, before launching into a freelance ‘retirement’ in Suffolk – taught me to listen, to encourage and yet be courageous when a decision needs to be made.
The young people and community who come to Half Moon every day
When I arrived at Half Moon in the very late 90s, it was clear that if the company was to become the place it is today, attracting audiences and participants that frankly many venues never touch, then the voices and creative inspirations and aspirations of the young people and broader community stakeholders would be my greatest influence. That continues to be my starting point and why I come to work every day. Perhaps our greatest achievement together has been the purchase and complete refurbishment of our home, as a beacon for all the community to enjoy, which thankfully the Arts Council and our local borough of Tower Hamlets both recognise through ongoing financial support.
Chris Elwell is a director/writer, theatre producer and the Director of Half Moon Theatre, a specialist venue in London’s Tower Hamlets, which presents and produces professional theatre for and with young people nationally.
www.halfmoon.org.uk
2014 marks Half Moon Theatre’s 20th anniversary of being in its current building, which is being celebrated through its #limehouselandmark season following completion of a £1.35m capital project.
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