Blog Post about NDT by RichRusk, Artistic Director of Nightlight and Associate Director at The Junction, Cambridge
"I’m falling in love with a building. It’s not a romantic love, nor a passionate one. It isn’t the kind of love you tell your friends about and it isn’t the love that you take home to mum. My theatre fling is The New Diorama in London.
Recently some friends of mine RashDash performed their Fringe First winning show, Another Someone, there and so I used it as the perfect opportunity to check out a new little venue on the London Fringe. I wasn’t disappointed. The show was great, the performances were perfect for the style they are creating, the movement was, as always, visceral and the whole experience was uplifting and thought provoking. It was the perfect start to my relationship with the New Diorama.
Basically, if you haven’t been, It’s a beautiful little venue about 15 minutes walk from Kings Cross, I don’t know how many seats she has but they are comfortable and they generate a intimate atmosphere. The rig looks fully functional and the nature of the venue suggests that the tech team will get more and more creative with the space as time goes by. The bar is snug and shiny and I think it will be beautiful in the winter. There is a magical corridor which leads to the loo and you can hear the cast warming up when you are in there, I think that’s a really brilliant sound, it gets you excited about the show! Like an orchestra stretching before a big musical. The stage isn’t huge but it was big enough for RashDash to toss each other around quite happily for over an hour so I think, by definition, that makes it a good size.
A few weeks later and I’m back, this time welcomed by the lovely staff who, in about 6 months time will know everyone who comes by name I have no doubt. Not saying it’s a repeat crowd, I just mean they clearly care and are openly grateful for your custom. They are a warm welcome in out the cold and I for one like my tickets to be handed over with a greeting and smile.
This time I was there to catch Burn my Heart by Trestle. A show I have written a report on, which I will post later. I loved how Trestle put their faith in this new venue, I think it was a brilliant move for them and it was my favourite trestle show in over 10 years, largely I think, because of the space…
The week after Trestle, (a long running, established touring company) The New Diorama is playing host to the Waxwing Theatre. A company I know very little about, but I would know even less if this brilliant little bundle of potential wasn’t opening it’s doors to companies of all sizes. I asked the team about Waxwing and they said “We are really excited, we saw a show of theirs a while ago and we loved it! So they are bringing their new show here!” I think that is great. I will write about 9:21 to Shrub Hill as soon as I get a chance to go and see it!
The program is packed with little gems and theatrical events, please take a moment to look at it…
As I mentioned before the glory of this building isn’t in what it is achieving now but what it is striving to achieve. Great theatre is all about potential, The New Diorama is filled to the rafters with potential. If it can continue to mix the likes of Trestle with small scale devising companies I really think magic will happen. Everyone benefits from diversity. I want to see Complicite and TheNoBudget theatre company under the same roof because to me as an audience member, it isn’t how old your company is, how far you have toured or what budget your show has. It is always about the atmosphere the show generates, the truth in the production and above all the entertainment factor. The New Diorama, so far has provided all three of these in bundles."
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