Person in the Room - by Umar Butt

It’s very seldom I go into a creative room unprepared. More often than not I know what my role is in the room and why I am there.  I am there as a director, writer, performer or part of the creative team, creative thinking and making offerings that will enhance the production, play, show.

Earlier in the year, I blogged about how we must try harder to be fairer to artists, echoing the points made in Gavin Barlow of the Albany’s blog and signing up to his suggested five commitments. We have continued to talk about these issues and I wanted to publish an explanation of how ARC’s finances work to accompany the Albany’s.

When I read Scottee’s blog recently, I felt incredibly sad, but also, if I am honest, a little defensive. It prompted a conversation with Gavin Barlow at the Albany, which has sparked us both to add our own perspectives to the debate.

We are currently in the thick of the fourth week of rehearsals for Another England, my new play, due to be performed at ARC Stockton on 18 May. It’s a busy but incredibly fulfilling stage in the process as the actors pull lots of threads together.

In mid-November ARC Associate Daniel Bye headed out to India for a tour of his award-winning show Going Viral. With a short break between cities and performances, he's taken the time to tell us what it has been like to take the show, partly set in India, to that country.