These recent times have been some of the hardest challenges we've faced and as a community, it hit us pretty hard. However during these difficult times, here at Pocket Size Theatre, we wanted to spread a little positivity and celebrate the work that people are still managing to generate during these difficult times. In this ‘Spotlight On’ series, we'll be speaking to our friends in the industry to share what they are up to during these challenging times and how you can be involved.
Let's stick together, share the love and get through this as a community!
Here we caught up with ChewBoy Productions - Associate company to ‘The Lion and Unicorn Theatre’ and made up of Georgie, Lucy and Hal.
Can you give us a little intro into who ChewBoy Productions are and what you do?
We’re an award-winning multi-arts production company dedicated to working with emerging artists from a range of backgrounds and art forms to create inventive, slightly surreal work which aims to stick with an audience long after they’ve experienced it. Currently, we’re an Associate Company at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre and are due to bring our next theatre production there in late 2020 (corona providing), whilst also having 3 other projects in the works. We work across a range of mediums, from theatre to film to poetry to visual arts and everything in between!
So far in our little life, we’ve produced 5 large scale projects including a critically acclaimed theatre show called EUAN which enjoyed a UK Tour in 2019, alongside an experimental short film trilogy in which the audience got to decide the edit of the film they were about to see, based on their answers to questions asked prior to the screening. We also run workshops for theatre community groups, as well as creatively produce projects with young people with additional needs.
Currently, we’ve got three projects in development, and the company is being run by its two co-founders Georgie Bailey (Me) and Hal Darling, and we’re lucky enough this year to be supported by the brilliant Lucy Betts who is our Resident Director.
What made you want to start ChewBoy Productions?
ChewBoy Productions began in 2018 as we wanted to take a piece to the Camden Fringe that year and needed a company and name. Simple as that! We (Georgie and Hal) had been making bits and bobs of smaller works for some time prior to setting up which had all followed a similar surrealist style, questioning a lot of existential and absurdist themes. Creating ChewBoy was a perfect next step for us, as we had a great working relationship between us, whilst also wanting to grow our projects to work with artists in their own specialities to create unique work each time around. We’re growing year on year too, with plenty of new stuff for people to get involved with being announced all the time – as well as big, big plans around the corner.
What are you guys up to during Covid19?
It’s been business as usual! For ages, we wanted to set up an online space for artists to collate and showcase their works in an e-gallery-esque collective and quarantine seemed like the perfect theme to tie them together. And voila! ‘The Quarantine Collective’ has now had 2 galleries with creatives from all over the globe uniting in sharing their isolation inspired works.
As well as QC, we’ve curated a series of playlists to help ease the lockdown blues, as well as doing prep work for our next theatre production. The main thing for us has been to keep busy, and to offer as much as possible to allow a little slither of light in this kinda dark and spooky time. Our main project we’ve been whittling away at has been ‘Poems While You Poo’ which we’re really excited to share with the world soon.
How can people get involved?
With Quarantine Collective, we’re looking at opening our third and final submission window for the gallery shortly, so keep an eye on our socials for that, and feel free to email anything over to the address below to get in there early!
We’re also always up for meeting new creatives and hearing new ideas for projects – we like to keep the company very open for suggestion; bringing people and ideas together. Anyone can email us with any ideas they have, or even just for a chat! We’re nice people, we promise!
When this is all over what do you think the landscape of the industry will look like?
It’ll be a whole lot different. Community wise the industry will be stronger than ever for grassroots artists, but whether or not the opportunities will still be on offer is a whole other ball game. Can only keep everything crossed for how it’ll turn out, and keep checking in on each other as much as poss. Check up on everyone!
Is there something that's happened during Covid19 that’s surprised you? For better or for worse!
Not gonna lie, we’ve turned into Michelin Star chefs (in our opinion, we’re the only ones eating the food, so no one else can judge). Something that’s been really surprising is how unimpressed cats are with this whole thing of having their owners at home all the time? They actually seem more annoyed that they aren’t being left alone all day. What’s that all about?
If you fancy having a look at the Quarantine Collective Gallery or listening to some banging playlists the check out the links below to connect with the lovely people at ChewBoy!
Interview written and conducted by Phoebe Hyder
