Changeling Theatre are a professional touring theatre company serving community audiences across South East England.
Best known for their hugely successful open-air tour every (normal) Summer, they bring Shakespeare to settings such as beaches, parks, football stadiums and locally on 1st August A Midsummer Night’s Dream was performed at Biddenden’s Vineyard.
Before the show, CommunityAd spoke to Flic Roberts who produces and directs the shows and absolutely “loves creating the show in rehearsal, being in a room with a bunch of creatives and making something magical”. With that in mind we asked him how tough it had been for the last sixteen without being able to do what he loves: “Well, it’s been weird just sitting on a sofa watching Marvel films and not actually doing anything and then with the announcement in February we had to do 6 months’ work in a month, which was impossible!
“In April, our trustees said the show was not viable, we had a deficit of £20k – they gave me a month to raise the money. So, I started a GoFundMe and raised £12,400 through our supporters and then Maidstone Borough Council saved us with a COVID grant – it was amazing and here we are. It’s a miracle it’s happening at all. We are very lucky and grateful as many other companies haven’t got through.”
The fact that the show has been fundraised demonstrates that a longing lust still exists for theatre and particularly for Changeling’s unique tours, with many kind pledgers saying ‘we simply cannot go a year without a Changeling open-air show’.
Now is the time to book a show or two as the local drama associations, theatres, operatic societies all need their communities now more than ever, as Flic tells us “We were hit so badly by the pandemic – probably the worst hit of all professions – we were told we weren’t viable for god’s sake. The arts are vital and need to be nurtured and preserved and supported.”
Flic assures us there is a dance number in the play that will almost guarantee to have audiences on their feet dancing unison with the cast, “you only get that with live theatre.”