Sponsored Content
A multi-talented team at the Jersey Arts Centre is preparing for another busy year of hundreds of productions. Emily Moore hears of the challenges – and the enjoyment
IN many ways, reflects Daniel Austin, his job is akin to piecing together a huge jigsaw puzzle.
But, as the director of Jersey Arts Centre admits, it is a jigsaw puzzle where the picture is constantly changing.
“We fill out the programming sheets up to a year or two in advance when performances are confirmed but the schedule is constantly evolving and morphing,” he said with a smile. “Sometimes you think all the pieces have slotted together perfectly and then an act asks to move or relinquish their date and you’re suddenly looking at a completely different picture.”
But, with the Arts Centre staging hundreds of performances every year, Daniel admits that, although the team pride themselves on their flexible and welcoming approach, it isn’t always possible to accommodate every request.
“In 2023, we put on more than 235 ticketed performances, which attracted more than 27,000 audience members,” he said. “And that figure only covers conventional performances. In addition to that, we hosted many exhibitions and ran numerous courses and workshops in the Arts Centre, as well as running our outreach programme in schools.”
And that level of activity shows no sign of abating as the Arts Centre celebrates its 41st birthday this month.
“Our actual birthday was on Saturday, when the curtain came down on the final Oddsocks performance of Roger Radio Attempts Frankenstein, which ran last week,” Daniel said. “It was a fitting performance for the centre’s birthday, as the theatre’s relationship with the Oddsocks company goes back nearly 35 years, and their performances are always incredibly funny and very well received by Islanders.”
Indeed, curating a programme of events which will inspire and attract audiences is one of the greatest challenges faced by Daniel and his team, particularly when it comes to commissioning professional acts.
“Before booking any acts, we have to consider their fee and the travel and accommodation costs associated with bringing them to the Island,” he explained. “We then need to consider whether the tickets sold for that act’s performance(s) will cover their costs.”
However, with the professional programme for 2024 comprising a combination of companies who have performed in the Island before, as well as those identified through research, recommendations and shows which Daniel has seen elsewhere, he is confident of attracting strong audiences to the auditorium.
“In the first four months of the year alone, we have a really exciting and diverse range of performances, encompassing music, comedy, mask theatre and dance,” he said. “Next week, we welcome back the Marmen Quartet, whose concerts are always beautiful, and the music theme continues on 27 February, with Aaron Azunda Akugbo. We have never had a trumpeter of his ilk here before, so that is tremendously exciting. These classical music concerts, which are sponsored by Amici Artium, are always hugely popular.”
Also among the highlights for this quarter are two nights of The Boy on the Roof, a masked performance by regular visitors to the Island Vamos Theatre, as well as a one-off performance of the critically acclaimed two-hander An Oak Tree, written by and featuring Jersey Art’s Centre’s honorary patron Tim Crouch, and the experimental Nassim, a play by Nassim Soleimanpour, whose performances Daniel has seen in Edinburgh.
In between these professional performances, a wide range of local talent will be treading the theatre’s boards, with a number of these shows directed, designed or produced by members of the Arts Centre team.
“We are incredibly lucky to have so many members of staff who are multi-skilled in so many different areas of theatre and theatre production,” said Daniel. “Somebody might be a set designer but also a lighting designer and director. We also have people in our press and marketing department who not only manage our communications but co-direct productions and act in some of our shows.
“Nick Carver, our marketing manager, played Max in our community Christmas production of The Sound of Music. He also designed all the costumes for that show, and is now preparing to direct Jersey Green Room Theatre Company’s performance of Shrek in April.”
And the range of skills offered by each team member fosters creativity, says Daniel.
“It is really good to be in an environment where people contribute ideas beyond their immediate remit,” he said. “Most of the team have been here for a significant amount of time, which is testament to their commitment to the theatre and the work of the Arts Centre, but also to the fun that we have. Of course, another advantage of that long service is the knowledge that has been amassed, not just when it comes to staging performances but also to putting on exhibitions and running workshops.”
And it seems that Daniel is not the only one who appreciates the knowledge and enthusiasm of the team.
“Visiting companies have said that they cannot believe how multi-skilled our staff are and they have commented on how that makes for a really creative environment,” he explained.
“One Step At A Time Like This, an Australian company, described it as extraordinary. Invariably, the feedback we get is that people feel very welcome when they arrive here, and that sense of warmth, creativity and collaboration is definitely down to the team.
“I think that comes largely from the fact that the people who work here do so because it’s their vocation to work in a creative, story-telling environment and, when something is your vocation, you give your heart and soul to it. Even the challenges are fun to overcome.”
One challenge which is constant has nothing to do with the theatrical side of the business but is, instead, somewhat more material in nature.
“We know that the building needs serious attention and we have just completed a feasibility study, detailing all the work that needs to be done to ensure that the Arts Centre remains fit for the future,” said Daniel.
“We are lucky to have a very good relationship with the government, who funded the study and who provide a revenue grant each year to fund the operation. It is very much our hope that the work required can be financed and carried out in stages, so that we can remain open and continue to deliver our exciting programme.”
