Meg’s guide to presenting theatre at Latitude (please read with authoritative brain-voice so I sound like I know what I’m talking about)
The first thing to remember is that no-one at a festival wants to see a heavy-going production about gang violence or the banking crisis. We want people in wigs falling over and funny songs, thank you very much.
Always assume the festival volunteers you’ve been given are total fuckwits. That way, you will be prepared to manage the queue yourselves, and will also be pleasantly surprised when someone competent arrives with a clipboard and umbrella.
Give us badges. We love badges. And we want to take one for our mate/child/other coat so don’t go getting ALL NAZI and rationing them.
Take radio mics and spare radio mics and SPARE spare radio mics. And batteries.
If you’re going to do something quiet/poignant/thoughtful, either give us headphones or put us in the back of a campervan (Well done Laura Mugridge), because we can’t concentrate otherwise.
START ON TIME PLEASE. This isn’t Woodstock you know.
Provide free tea and biscuits. (Well done Faye Draper and Northern Stage.)
REMEMBER: Swearing is always funny. Cross-dressing is always funny. Bootylicious dancing is always funny. Being sick is always funny. Forgetting your props is always funny.
(Following this advice at any other time in your theatre-making career will probably do more harm than good.)
