Following the audience's lead

One of the constant challenges for arts organisations, especially those that tour work like Hoipolloi do, is building a relationship with an audience that can be sustained - even when work is not out 'on the road'. Talking about 'the audience' all too often means thinking about the people who experience your work as a homogenous unit, when they are anything but.

Hoipolloi has been fortunate that Hugh Hughes, who we've been working with since 2005, so readily embraces social media. This enables some degree of a continued conversation, but we also know that twitter and facebook are not everybody's cup of tea. We've also been open to exploring opportunities beyond the stage, and the recent success of Floating on Radio 4, that that earned Hugh a BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Scripted Comedy Drama, also brought us a huge audience.

We were really excited about opening up Hugh's childhood home online, because we knew this offer was a unique way to experience the magic of Hugh Hughes when and where the audience please. We know, however, that not all Hugh's fans want to experience work in this way, and even those that do have radically different approaches to the site. Some people start on the home page and work methodically through the stories as though they are actually walking through the house; some people jump straight into a story through a link they found on twitter or facebook; some people wander around the online space looking at the floorplans and Hugh's notes without listening to stories at all; some people put stories on 'in the background' whilst they do other things. With the glorious variety of Hoipolloi's audience in mind, we've continued to work with the material that we've made available online at www.invisibletownstories.co.uk in an attempt to make the experience of visiting as unique as each visitor. We've started to offer particular collections of stories, curated by people. My own collection is simply my favourites at a particular point in time that capture something of the whimsy and perspective that I think makes Hugh so compelling. Each collection has a description that will tickle particular fancies - want a flavour of the site without having to make decisions about which story to choose? We've got a single track, curated by Hugh. Or maybe you're fascinated by Hugh's love of pigeons?

Most exciting of all, perhaps, is that we listened to feedback, and have created Hugh Hughes FM. We're delighted to announce this development, which will suit both those who want to listen whilst doing other things, and those who are open to serendipity and want to be surprised. Find it at http://invisibletownstories.co.uk/radio

Hugh Hughes talks about In Rehearsal

There are some things you do in rehearsal that an audience never gets to see.
Sometimes there's good reason why they don't, but sometimes it's a real shame that they are not there. Sometimes the most exciting things happen in rehearsal that for some reason you can’t replicate in performance. Some people who make theatre will tell you that the rehearsals are their favourite part of the process. Some will argue that the rehearsal room is the most creative part of the theatre-making process – the part when you are really working hard to discover things, wrestling with ideas and charged with spontaneity.

I thought it’d be really interesting to try to share the rehearsal room with an audience in case an audience might also enjoy the rehearsal room experience more than the performance experience. Sioned says she loves going to restaurants where you can see the chefs preparing the food in the kitchen. She says that sometimes watching them make the food is more pleasurable than eating it.

The truth is that this is all a bit of an experiment. But one that’s got to be worth trying. I used to love watching the blacksmith at work. I’m not a blacksmith, but I will be at work.

Really looking forward to seeing you.

Hugh speaks... Brighton Festival

Posted by Hugh Hughes

The Brighton Festival. Glorious sunshine, sea and art. It’s a cultural paradise. Playing Story of a Rabbit here is a big pleasure.

Audiences are incredibly polite, well-behaved and friendly. Their concentration is outstanding. They are significantly different from the audiences we found in Liverpool and Cambridge. Aled and I have become increasingly interested in audiences and how they differ from place to place and night to night.

Looking back on our performances in Bogota, we were moved by the warmth and generosity of the audience, their openness and involvement was breath-taking. Next week I go to Moscow with Sioned to present Floating. I’m very curious to see how we communicate the story over there.

We are becoming more interested in this relationship between the stage and spectator and beginning to wonder how it might be worth much further investigation. We are asking, “Why do people come into the theatre?”

We are always amazed when we see people walking into the space. It’s as if each night we don’t expect anyone to come and therefore we are surprised to see people come in. It’s the moment they walk in that gets me. As they enter one by one theatre begins.

It’s wonderful.

ps. I'm trying out some new technology that Hoipolloi have helped me buy and here's me being interviewed on the radio!

Some lovely comments and a new review...

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

It seems like yesterday that we all traipsed down to Watford for the opening of The Doubtful Guest. In fact, it doesn’t seem like it’s been a week since we were having vague meetings seven months ago discussing some set ideas for the show. But, yes, we are into our fourth week of touring and actually, at the end of this week the first tour of this Edward Gorey masterpiece will be over!

Although it has gone by at the speed of light, we haven’t missed the attention of some lovely audience members who have sent us great feedback on the show. We didn’t realize just how many closet Gorey fans existed, but they do, and it’s nice to know that there are people out there who share our love for this crazy misfit!

One of the nicest emails we received was from David from Qicksilver Theatre Company who wrote to tell us that “it was the best cross-age range show I’ve seen.” And that “its mix of humour and theatricality created an electrifying environment.”

As someone who has worked in children’s theatre for a long time, David’s opinion is really valued at Hoipolloi. This goes for all the people who sent in comments, they are always appreciated!

Someone else who enjoyed the show was Donald Hutera from The Times. We were ecstatic to read the fantastic review that he wrote us. Here is a sample of what he thought of the production:

“It functions on a smaller scale, but the Cambridge-based touring company Hoipolloi ranks with Kneehigh Theatre as a group with a genuine desire to connect with its audiences. Like its older Cornish counterpart, Hoipolloi offers work that is clever, accessible and engaging, as Shon Dale-Jones’s adaptation of Edward Gorey’s 1957 book, The Doubtful Guest, proves.” …."All in all, it’s a playful, accomplished piece of nonsense, and I mean that as a compliment.”

To read the rest of the review click here.

So, as we continue our tour in Newcastle we hope to receive more comments from people who enjoyed the show, from Gorey fans, and from people who want just want to say hello!
All is welcome.