So yesterday I went for my very first ‘real’ interview for a ‘real’ job in Germany and it led me thinking about how much Wales spoiled me over the past years. I know the economical situation isn’t great and that that’s scary and especially middle sized cities are suffering, its people are suffering. So if you work in theatre and if, sometimes, you hate it all, you want to quit and move to a rich area with houses the size of palaces and apples made from gold, keep reading.
1) Wales has one of the most exciting, innovative and accessible theatre companies there is: National Theatre Wales. ( You can find more information here: http://nationaltheatrewales.org/) This company allowed me to meet so many new people, put on my own play, gain so much experience (especially as a TEAM member) and never asked anything in return other than for me to reply to emails and turn up when I said I would turn up.
2) In Wales, when you’re a student, or a graduate and someone asks you to help out, to do something for them, it’s very likely they have something in mind that you can learn, can get from it. Not once in my three years there have I done something that I felt was a waste of time, not once have I felt used or exploited. “If you don’t feel you can get something from it, don’t do it.” was what I have been told over and over.
3) In Wales, when I tell someone: ” I have an idea.” they say:” Tell me more.”
4) In Wales, no one ever asks you what degree you have when you meet them, it doesn’t matter. What matters is your vision, your experiences and what you’re interested in. In Germany there is a hierarchy in anything and everything. It has its upsides because it means that almost everyone here is qualified in something, which results in high quality service, products and higher salaries, but sometimes it’s just in the wrong place. Who cares whether you have a PHD in theatre when actually, you’ve never put on a play? I doubt you’ll be of great help directing or acting.
5) In Wales many small and big companies are emerging and have been for a while. The theatre landscape is very flexible and very open,there are theatre companies, dance companies, performance companies. Whoever has a good idea and knows how to get funding can show their work. The theatre landscape can be shaped, shaped by you and your ideas. In Germany every bigger city has its own theatre, which is subsidised by the state. On one hand this means there is some money in theatre and almost everyone can access a theatre, on the other hand, these houses exist for decades and that means that they are quite deadlocked. They are beautiful buildings, you hand in your coat, get a glass of wine and wait among a crowd of mid 40s to mid 70s to go and see Goethe or Lessing or Schiller. Of course this is a little exaggerated, but generally that’s what it is like.
6) In Wales you have a great variety of pieces to watch and pieces you can put on. Welsh theatre is bold and it’s brave. Want to see a piece inside of a residential home? On the streets of Cardiff? Want to put on a piece inside of an old empty school or a bank? It’s all possible. Are you living in a small to middle sized German city and would like to see a site specific piece? Forget it.
7) In Wales I can say that: “I want to work in theatre because it’s the only place where I forget about everything else, it’s the only place where I can be, a 100 % be, it’s magical.” without anyone laughing at me or looking at me as if they don’t know what I’m talking about. Of course I’m not trying to say that no one in Germany feels like that but the way our language is and the way we are it’s not usual that someone talks this way. Having spoken the warm and passionate English language for four years on a regular basis, having spoken about theatre almost only in English,I wasn’t prepared for the stern faces that looked at me in the interview yesterday.It’s a blessing to be able to express whatever you feel in a language and in front of people, who take it seriously no matter if it’s a bit cheesy and passionate.
8) In Wales there is probably a niche and someone is probably waiting for you to fill it. The theatre landscape in Wales is changing, it’s getting bigger, it’s gaining more and more popularity in the world, but there is still a lot of room for work in schools, with community groups, theatre pieces,writing etc.
9) In Wales, you can actually get funding.
10) In Wales, if you go for an interview, someone is most likely going to smile at you. (Unless I’m on the panel, sorry again Anna and Kelly, I totally get it now).
11) Wales has Welsh cakes and short bread.
Of course Germany has its advantages too, it’s the country I understand and the country that has a government that funds art, makes culture an important part in the life of anyone who’s interested.
But what I’m trying to say is that I believe that Wales is a country full of opportunities, of great people to work with. It’s young, it’s exciting and compared to a country like Germany, which is economical stable and where living costs are low, it’s not dead locked, it’s not over traditional. It offers a lot of opportunities to be who you are, whether you’re a student, a graduate or an emerged artists. You don’t have to have a PHD, you don’t have to work in theatre for 20 years in order to put on a play and for people to come and see it. You can see and put on a play anywhere you like, it doesn’t have to be on stage, this also means you can play with the format, push boundaries, be brave.
I know it’s not easy to be an artist in Wales, but the past months have shown that it’s also not easy to be an artist in Germany, but maybe the reasons it’s difficult in Wales are less of a creative nature, which might make them easier to overcome because whatever happens you still have your art.
So if you live in Wales I hope you know all this,
if you don’t, you might want to try it.
This one goes out to the one I love.
Christina
The Confines of the Theatre 