A piece of age-old acting advice is, simply put, “create.” Don’t like anything you’re reading? Create your own work. Not getting cast? Create your own project. Feel like there is no place to perform the kind of work you want to perform? Create your own company. Easier said than done, sure, but not for the founders of the Fledgling Theatre Co.
After graduating from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Callum Cameron, Chris Huntly-Turner, Christopher Neels, and Patrick Holt decided they needed a place to explore the human condition through raw, visceral stories. They wanted a space of their own to produce work they found interesting, necessary, and fluid without the constraints of a “typical” company with an established set of rules. And so through sheer force of will and the desire to make something, the Fledgling Theatre Co. was born. They put on their first show six months after founding the company, and today have bases in both London and Sydney, Australia. The international touring company travels the world performing original pieces and even premiered a show last year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Between prepping for next season and creating new work, co-founder, writer, and producer Callum Cameron chatted with Backstage about the beauty of patience and why London is the ideal city to start a new company in.
Tell us a little about what the Fledgling Theatre Co. is doing right now.
We are currently about to set off for the Brighton Fringe, the first leg of the U.K. tour for our show, “They Built It. No One Came.” We premiered the show last year at the Edinburgh Fringe before it transferred to London in early 2017. We are very excited to be taking it around the country!
How does your location influence your career?
We initially set up the company in London after graduating together from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Since then, one of our founders has set up a base for the company in Sydney, Australia. We are now producing shows on different sides of the world! I think any piece of work will inevitably reflect its location, and we are fortunate in that regard to work in London as there are so many fringe theatres and spaces that are supportive of young companies and have helped us get to this point as a company.
READ: How to Become an Actor in the U.K.
How do you decide what to put on? Is there anything on the horizon you’re really excited about?
Our process is quite fluid in terms of working on new material. If one of us has an idea we are really passionate about and wanting to pursue with the company, we will give them the space to workshop it and see what comes out. If certain ideas stick after a few days of R&D, we carry on developing them as a company and the person whose idea it is will go away and write up what they have discovered in rehearsal.
We have a couple of projects in the pipeline for next year that we are really keen to get off the ground and show people. Our Australian team is also getting ready to revive our first-ever production, “Modern Jesus,” at the Depot Theatre in Sydney this summer.
You guys are university-trained actors. How does this impact the way you approach what the company does?
Yes, we all trained together which was useful as it gave us a common language. While this has certainly been helpful for us, I think there are a million different ways to make theatre and to start a company.
What advice do you have for actors in the U.K.? Australia?
It’s a tough industry whichever part of the world you are in. What has kept us going is being part of a community that is like-minded and supportive, so I would recommend to seek out work and individuals that you like!
What advice do you have for creators in U.K.? Australia?
Based on our experiences so far, I would say to always give yourselves deadlines when starting a project, otherwise, it will never get made. Even if those are rehearsed readings or a scratch night in a few months, they all put pressure on you to write something down and meet up to make something by a certain time.
Also, try and expand your professional network and work with new people as much as possible. Our current show is just the three core members of the company but we have brought in a new director and new musicians. With every show in both London and Sydney, we try to bring new voices into our process.
What surprised you most when you first entered the industry?
I think what surprised us when we first started up as a company was just how many actors and musicians are willing to really invest their time and energy into creating work. If you have an idea for a project or show, you will be surprised by how many people would love to be a part of it if you just put yourself out there.
We were also surprised at the number of opportunities on offer in London for new emerging theatre companies to try and develop a platform to show their work. We were afforded an artist residency in our first year as a company by a studio called Room One in London and in our second year we were given a slot at the Pleasance Theatre at Edinburgh Festival off the back of their Charlie Hartill Award. Both of these initiatives were totally free and vital stepping stones in getting to where we are now.
What do you wish someone had told you when you were just starting out?
How to do your tax returns properly. And to really understand what patience is.
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