London Classic Theatre’s Michael Cabot demonstrates why you should never be afraid to ask for help, as he names those who have guided and inspired his career.
Nica Burns
In my early thirties, I was struggling to find a way to move forward from the work I’d done on the London Fringe to the next level of the business. I wrote to Nica Burns and asked for a meeting. She welcomed me into her office, looked at my CV and asked how she could help. I said I wanted to put on a show in the West End. She went straight to the point: “I don’t think you’re ready. In fact, you’d be eaten alive. But, it looks like you do good stuff. There’s a whole country crying out for quality theatre. Have you ever thought about touring?” I said I wouldn’t know where to start. She smiled. “Choose a play, get on the phone and start talking to people.” So I did exactly that. 15 years and 31 national tours later, you could say Nica proved something of an inspiration to me.
Ian Rickson
I have followed Ian Rickson as a director since I saw his production of ‘The Weir’ in 1998 and I’m a huge admirer of his work. He manages the very difficult trick of creating ambitious, striking theatre with the deftest of touch. He is in absolute command of every aspect of the given world he creates – detailed, characterful and authentic. One feels a wonderful sense of collaboration between him and his actors, crafting incredible, career-defining performances. Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘Betrayal’, Chiwetel Ejiofor in ‘The Seagull’, Mark Rylance in ‘Jerusalem’ – all totally unforgettable. Going to the theatre as a director can be a complex business; it’s never easy to take off your professional hat and lose your critical eye, but I’m always engrossed by Ian’s work and find myself totally absorbed in his productions every time.
Zoë Wanamaker
In 1995, when I was starting out on the Fringe as a young director, I wrote to a number of people whose work I admired, asking if they could offer a small financial donation to support a fledgling theatre company. I was putting on a production of Lorca’s ‘Yerma’ at the Southwark Playhouse and we were quite literally working on a shoestring budget. I’d seen Zoë on stage the previous year in Terry Johnson’s ‘Dead Funny’ at Hampstead Theatre. She was astonishing – gutsy, spirited and hilariously funny. One of the finest performances I have ever seen and an evening which remains, twenty years on, one of the most memorable I have spent in a theatre. At a time when I was questioning whether I had a long-term future in the business, it was a production that inspired me to keep going. Out of nearly two hundred letters, Zoë was one of only three people who replied – a handwritten note accompanied by a generous cheque, with the words: “Good luck. Sorry I can’t give you any more, but I have a husband to support!” I still have the note and though she has no idea, her support was invaluable to me and an enormous boost.
Harold Pinter
Over the last 20 years, Harold Pinter is the playwright whose work I have staged the most. I studied ‘The Homecoming’ at 'A' Level and so began an enduring love affair with his writing. Researching one of his plays, I came across a letter Noël Coward wrote to Pinter in 1965 and it completely sums up how I feel about his work: “Your writing absolutely fascinates me. It is entirely unlike anyone else’s. You cheerfully break every rule of the theatre that I was brought up to believe in, except the cardinal one of never boring for a split-second. I love your choice of words, your resolute refusal to explain anything and the arrogant, but triumphant demands you make on the audience’s imagination.” I’ve directed three of Pinter’s plays – ‘The Caretaker’ (2004 & 2010), ‘Old Times’ (2006) and ‘Betrayal’ (2013). Every time I go into rehearsal, it’s a joy to explore his use of language and impeccable sense of timing. I will be directing ‘The Birthday Party’ in early 2016 and I can’t wait!
Sheila Burnett
Sheila is a wonderful professional theatre photographer who has collaborated with me for 15 years. Not only has she photographed all of London Classic Theatre’s work, she has also been responsible for some of the stunning poster and press images we have used along the way. Sheila has the knack of capturing a moment on stage that completely embodies a production, as well as creating a beautiful image in its own right. I trust her instincts implicitly. We have developed a terrific shorthand when we work together and have struck up a great friendship over the years.
Michael Cabot is Artistic Director of London Classic Theatre, one of the UK’s most prolific touring companies.
www.londonclassictheatre.co.uk
In April, Michael will direct a 25-week UK & Ireland tour of Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends to celebrate LCT’s fifteenth anniversary on tour. This will be followed by a 13-week tour of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which opens in September.
Absent Friends will be at Richmond Theatre from 15-20 June 2015.
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