Maverick is all about access to new audiences - and new artists!
What is the Maverick Theatre Company?
Maverick is a not-for-profit registered charity and is all about access, particularly for working class and under-represented communities. New audiences to plays, events, publishing, radio, podcasts, films, drama and literature. And new practitioners - actors, writers, directors, backstage and technical. It was started on a council estate in inner-city Birmingham and launched by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham in 1994. We started producing plays in informal spaces - mainly pubs. Working-class writer and founder Nick Hennegan created Maverick's original proposition. "Forget the TV for a night. Don't rent a film. Come down the pub and see a show. It's where it all started. No retakes, no cameras, no going back, just live action with real people right in front of you. Have a pint and a pie and if you don't like it you can have your money back."
Maverick has always been a bit... well... maverick! We've started - pub theatre in Birmingham; accessible Shakespeares in Edinburgh and on tour; AirPlay new radio scripts; the Rocket Writers playwriting group; Urban Writers Retreats; The Maverick Academy; The People's Theatre Company; The Literary London Radio Show on Resonance 104.4fm; The Maverick Youth Academy; The SpeakEasy Cabaret; The Creative Producer Workshops and Diploma; The Literary Pub Crawls; BohemianBritain.com - all designed to increase access to theatre and the performing arts. Most of this has been funded by individual donations by friends and artists.
"I started seeing plays at the Billesley pub. You done great. I see theatre often now thanks to the maverick. I know its about money, but the councils should pay you to come back. Me and my kids are better because of Maverick. Cheers mate. Ed."
Twinned with the mission to create a new theatre-going habit with socially excluded and working-class communities in Birmingham, London and the wider community, is a desire to include and encourage new, working-class artists and technicians nationwide. Many successful theatre professionals have started their careers with the Maverick Theatre Company. We are now working in London and Birmingham and have created the London Literary Pub Crawl - a promenade literary tour of Soho in central London. Our Pocket Classics are allowing new audiences to experience great classic works in an accessible form.
We’re giving anyone and everyone a chance to experience any aspect of theatre with free training with our People's Theatre Company. (Picture right.)
We have a Literary Radio Show and Podcasts. And before Covid, we were running our spoken word nights, The SpeakEasy Cabaret, on the first Saturday of every month, in a pub!
ABOVE: The People's Company Henry V - Birmingham.
Maverick operates to Equity's SAFE SPACE AGREEMENT.
Every single one of us working on this project is entitled to work in a safe space: a space free of fear, a space free of bullying & harassment of any kind. We will work together honouring our differences & celebrating the gifts we each bring to the table. We will treat one another with politeness & respect at all times &, if we are subjected to or witness bullying & harassment, we will speak out knowing that our voices will be heard & we will be taken seriously. Together we can create a safe space.
Safe Spaces statement.
"A wonderful stroll through the Old Town guided by the inimitable Nick Hennegan as he shared literary stories in and in front of various notable pubs. A jolly time was had by all. A must-do if you're at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Why is the Maverick Theatre Company important?
- 1) Theatre and drama are mainly accessed by the wealthiest, least diverse members of society. The Warwick Commission’s 2015 Report stated that, ‘the wealthiest, best educated and least ethnically diverse 8% of the population were still the most “culturally active”’.
- 2) Class often causes social exclusion in theatre and drama; “Within theatre – and within the arts more broadly – class continues to separate and exclude both artists and audiences.”
- 3) The Arts world is often not effective in accessing socially deprived communities: “The arts world has turned working-class people into a problem to be solved rather than audience members or artists to be developed”.
- 4) The most successful actors tend to come from wealthy, privately educated backgrounds. Famous actors such as Julie Walters and Christopher Eccleston echoed the words of the Governments Acting Up Report in 2017: ‘the arts are increasingly dominated by a narrow set of people from well-off backgrounds.’ The Sutton Trust research in 2016 revealed that, ‘42% of British BAFTA winners attended fee-paying schools when only 7% of the population is privately educated’.
- Sources for quotes: 1 and 2: The Guardian March 2018. 3. The Guardian June 2018. 4. The Stage.co.uk March 2016.
1 and 2. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/mar/13/british-theatre-class-problem
3) https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jun/05/arts-working-class-people-britain-theatre
4). https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/2018/gardner-is-british-theatre-guilty-of-failing-the-working-class/
What is the solution?
To address these problems Maverick, with its regular tours, People’s Company and new creative HUBS, seeks:
- To engage youth and adults in socially deprived areas to help them explore a career in the arts.
- To encourage people from diverse ethnic backgrounds to get involved in drama and theatre.
- To help young people and adults to find their voice and empower them through drama.
- To seek out and showcase emerging talent in acting, writing, directing and technical production.
- To help new audiences in social deprived communities access theatre and drama.
- To celebrate and energise drama and theatre in Birmingham, London and other parts of the UK, especially those identified as having low creative engagement.
The whole essence of Maverick is about access. By staging plays and drama workshops to socially deprived communities, Maverick is seeking to empower people by providing opportunities to enter the industry. Also, to entertain audiences who might not usually experience theatre and drama. And to encourage older adults to enhance their lives.
PLEASE GET INVOLVED.
We'd love to hear from you. About anything, really...!
Maverick thanks West Midlands Arts and Birmingham City Council for previous support. 