Mentoring Case Study: Conversations with Sam Vicary and Kev Tame
When Small World Theatre Company in Cardigan, Ceredigion, applied to the mentoring programme, they had just completed a series of trials with live streaming, prompted by the restrictions of lockdown. As for many, the activity was driven by necessity rather than choice, and Sam Vicary, the in-house lead for digital marketing and part of the trials, had realised that it would be ‘a leap’ for them to deliver their existing in-person shows digitally.
Whilst live streaming offered the potential to reach a global audience, Sam had concerns that they not lose their connection with the local community and that these loyal audiences ‘had to remain our focus.’ Sam had worked with AM, a group helping people to produce live streams of their work, and who offered a website where people could host the streams in order for audiences to watch.
New digital skills
Working with AM’s Kev Tame, they completely redeveloped one of their shows into a live streamed offering, complete with compere, interactivity, and – crucially – customer support. As with all experiments, the Small World Theatre company learned by trying new approaches and challenging their established in-person practices in order to find both artistic and technical solutions in this new mode of delivery.
Looking back, Kev himself remembers that lots of organisations were having to suddenly pick up new digital skills incredibly quickly. “A lot of the [digital] productions at the time were entirely in response to Covid restrictions, and lot of them were a white knuckle ride in terms of people not necessarily knowing how it was all going to work.”
Kev worked with The Space to support other artists through the mentoring programme too, including, coincidentally, another puppetry company – Vagabondi Puppets in Powys. The lead mentee, Jo Munton, was looking for ways to stream shows internationally, in order to collaborate with artists in other countries. Jo recognised the challenges with performance and presenting work but saw these issues as opportunities to be creative, offering the potential for her to connect with other artists and audiences, as well as circumnavigating restrictions on travel and other access challenges in her work.
Kev and Jo worked together to assess her current tech set-up and identify the changes she would need to put in place in order to produce and stream her work. They established a solid and reliable internet connection with strategic placement of routers, and discussed production values and equipment that would improve the end results. Kev explains: “Jo had a degree of lighting but wanted to build that to a standard that would allow her to improve the quality of her visuals when collaborating live online”. Jo was running solo and trying to work it all out alone which, Kev admits, is a challenge for anyone.
Strategic planning
Sam meanwhile used her own time on the mentoring programme to explore next steps, and an ongoing strategic approach to live streaming. Small World Theatre’s team of creatives had successfully delivered a series of hybrid events (cabarets) mixing online and in-person performances to potentially reach larger and more far-reaching audiences. There were concerns however that such activity would become unsustainable in terms of resources, and that their ability to maintain audience buy-in would diminish once restrictions were lifted.
As was the case for so many organisations, not all planned events have been able to go ahead since lockdown was lifted. Small World’s production, set to tour Wales, was cancelled shortly before it was due to start. “It was an environmental piece of theatre involving a beautiful prop – a showman’s caravan built by Small World’s creatives” says Sam. “It was an awful shame to waste the work, so ACW approved us turning the caravan into a storytelling booth for an online collection of Welsh tales ‘Amser Stori’. We quickly re-scripted using materials from an older piece with puppetry and animation, a narrator and shadow puppeteers. We even introduced a digital puppet!” Sam is extremely grateful for the input of AM, who are once again supporting them by hosting this collection of stories on their website and who helped promote the launch. “The whole team is brilliant actually,” says Sam, “and Kev’s been amazing. He was by our side during the scary live-streaming moments and continues to support us.”
New creative tools
Kev is also keen to see how Small World Theatre and other companies continue to develop. The recent years of digital experimentation and adaption to the times has left a legacy in the arts sector meaning that, although audiences are returning to in-person performances, digital elements like livestreaming are now seen as creative tools in the arts sector’s toolbox rather than a necessary response to restrictions. He describes how streaming has been positive in terms of inclusivity, whether for the artist or audience member for whom say, travel or crowds are an issue. “Live streaming is something we take for granted now. Digital is now on the radar more fully and can be explored when making new productions.”
Rob Lindsay, who manages the Mentoring Programme for The Space, agrees. “It’s not unusual for a production to take over a year to bring to the stage, and digital really needs to be considered right at the start. Once a show is realised in the eyes of the creative team, it can be difficult to start introducing new digital elements, but if teams remember that they have these tools right from the start, then there are some amazing opportunities for fantastic new audience experiences and methods of storytelling.”
Top tips
- Don’t forget the importance of customer support. Just as theatre visitors may need help finding their seats, your digital audience may need reassurances on the day of the show that they’ve got the right link!
- If you’re live streaming a show that has an in-person audience too, an online compere can help to engage your online audience, and make them feel involved.
- Don’t rely on wifi for any part of your broadcast – get wired in wherever you can.
Cymraeg
Ffrydio byw y tu hwnt i’r cyfnod clo
Sgwrs gyda Sam Vicary a Kev Tame
Pan wnaeth Small World Theatre Company yn Aberteifi, Ceredigion, gais i’r rhaglen fentora, roedden nhw newydd gwblhau cyfres o dreialon gyda ffrydio byw, a ysgogwyd gan gyfyngiadau’r cyfnod clo. Fel i lawer, roedd y gweithgaredd yn cael ei yrru gan reidrwydd yn hytrach na dewis, ac roedd Sam Vicary, arweinydd mewnol marchnata digidol a rhan o’r treialon, wedi sylweddoli y byddai’n ‘naid’ iddyn nhw ddarparu eu sioeau wyneb yn wyneb presennol yn ddigidol.
Tra bod ffrydio byw yn cynnig y potensial i gyrraedd cynulleidfa fyd-eang, roedd gan Sam bryderon am beidio â cholli eu cysylltiad gyda’r gymuned leol a bod y cynulleidfaoedd ffyddlon hyn ‘wedi gorfod parhau yn ganolbwynt i ni.’ Roedd Sam wedi gweithio gydag AM, grŵp sy’n helpu pobl i gynhyrchu ffrydiau byw o’u gwaith, ac sy’n cynnig gwefan lle gallai pobl roi eu ffrydiau er mwyn i gynulleidfaoedd eu gwylio.
Sgiliau digidol newydd
Gan weithio gyda Kev Tame o AM, fe wnaethant ailddatblygu un o’u sioeau yn llwyr yn gynnig ffrydio byw, gan gynnwys cyflwynwydd, rhyngweithedd, ac – yn hollbwysig – cefnogaeth cwsmeriaid. Fel gyda phob arbrawf, dysgodd Small World Theatre Company drwy roi cynnig ar ddulliau newydd a herio eu harferion wyneb-yn-wyneb er mwyn dod o hyd i atebion artistig a thechnegol yn y modd newydd hwn o gyflwyno..
Wrth edrych yn ôl, mae Kev ei hun yn cofio bod llawer o sefydliadau wedi gorfod dysgu sgiliau digidol newydd yn anhygoel o gyflym. “Roedd lot o’r cynyrchiadau [digidol] ar y pryd yn llwyr mewn ymateb i gyfyngiadau Covid, ac roedd lot ohonyn nhw’n codi braw o ran pobl ddim o reidrwydd yn gwybod sut oedd y cyfan yn mynd i weithio.”
Gweithiodd Kev gyda The Space i gefnogi artistiaid eraill drwy’r rhaglen fentora hefyd, gan gynnwys, fel cyd-ddigwyddiad, cwmni pypedau arall – Vagabondi Puppets ym Mhowys. Roedd y prif berson a oedd yn cael ei mentora, Jo Munton, yn chwilio am ffyrdd o ffrydio sioeau yn rhyngwladol, er mwyn cydweithio gydag artistiaid mewn gwledydd eraill. Roedd Jo yn cydnabod yr heriau gyda pherfformio a chyflwyno gwaith, ond gwelodd y materion hyn fel cyfleoedd i fod yn greadigol, gan gynnig y potensial iddi gysylltu ag artistiaid a chynulleidfaoedd eraill, yn ogystal â dod drwy gyfyngiadau ar deithio a heriau mynediad eraill yn ei gwaith.
Gweithiodd Kev a Jo gyda’i gilydd i asesu ei set-up technegol presennol ac adnabod y newidiadau y byddai angen iddi eu rhoi ar waith er mwyn cynhyrchu a ffrydio ei gwaith. Sefydlon nhw gysylltiad rhyngrwyd cadarn a dibynadwy drwy leoli llwybryddion yn strategol, a thrafod gwerthoedd cynhyrchu ac offer a fyddai’n gwella’r canlyniadau terfynol. Eglura Kev: “Roedd gan Jo rywfaint o oleuadau ond roedd eisiau adeiladu hynny i safon a fyddai’n caniatáu iddi wella ansawdd ei delweddau wrth gydweithio’n fyw ar-lein”. Roedd Jo yn gweithio ar ei phen ei hun ac yn ceisio gweithio’r cyfan allan ei hun sydd, mae Kev yn cyfaddef, yn her i unrhyw un.
Cynllunio strategol
Yn y cyfamser, defnyddiodd Sam ei hamser ei hun ar y rhaglen fentora i archwilio’r camau nesaf, a dull strategol parhaus o ffrydio byw. Roedd tîm creadigol Small World Theatre wedi cyflwyno cyfres o ddigwyddiadau hybrid (cabarets) yn llwyddiannus drwy gymysgu perfformiadau ar-lein ac wyneb-yn-wyneb i gyrraedd cynulleidfaoedd mwy a mwy pellgyrhaeddol o bosibl. Roedd pryderon fodd bynnag y byddai gweithgarwch o’r fath yn mynd yn anghynaladwy o ran adnoddau, ac y byddai eu gallu i gynnal ymrwymiad y gynulleidfa yn lleihau ar ôl i’r cyfyngiadau gael eu codi.
Fel y digwyddodd ar gyfer cymaint o sefydliadau, nid yw pob digwyddiad a gynlluniwyd wedi gallu mynd yn ei flaen ers i’r cyfnod clo gael ei godi. Cafodd cynhyrchiad Small World, a oedd i fynd ar daith o amgylch Cymru, ei ganslo ychydig cyn oedd i fod i ddechrau. “Roedd yn ddarn amgylcheddol o theatr oedd yn cynnwys prop hardd – carafán dyn sioe a adeiladwyd gan bobl greadigol Small World” meddai Sam. “Roedd yn drueni ofnadwy i wastraffu’r gwaith, felly cymeradwyodd CCC i ni droi’r garafán yn fwth storïol ar gyfer casgliad ar-lein o chwedlau Cymraeg ‘Amser Stori’. Fe wnaethon ni ail-sgriptio’n gyflym gan ddefnyddio deunyddiau o ddarn hŷn gyda phypedau ac animeiddio, adroddwr a phypedwyr cysgodol. Fe wnaethon ni hyd yn oed gyflwyno pyped digidol!” Roedd Sam yn hynod ddiolchgar am fewnbwn AM, sydd unwaith eto yn eu cefnogi trwy gynnal y casgliad hwn o straeon ar eu gwefan ac a helpodd i hyrwyddo’r lansiad. “Mae’r tîm i gyd yn wych a dweud y gwir,” meddai Sam, “ac mae Kev wedi bod yn anhygoel. Roedd e wrth ein hochr ni yn ystod yr eiliadau ffrydio byw brawychus ac mae’n parhau i’n cefnogi ni.”
Offer creadigol newydd
Mae Kev hefyd yn awyddus i weld sut bydd Small World Theatre a chwmnïau eraill yn parhau i ddatblygu. Mae’r blynyddoedd diweddar o arbrofi digidol ac addasu i’r oes wedi gadael gwaddol yn y sector celfyddydau sy’n golygu, er bod cynulleidfaoedd yn dychwelyd i berfformiadau wyneb-yn-wyneb, mae elfennau digidol fel llif byw bellach yn cael eu gweld fel offer creadigol ym mlwch offer sector y celfyddydau yn hytrach nag ymateb angenrheidiol i gyfyngiadau. Mae’n disgrifio sut mae ffrydio wedi bod yn gadarnhaol o ran cynwysoldeb, boed hynny i’r artist neu’r aelod o’r gynulleidfa y mae dyweder, teithio neu dorfeydd, yn broblem iddynt. “Mae ffrydio byw yn rhywbeth ry’n ni’n ei gymryd yn ganiataol nawr. Mae digidol bellach ar y radar yn llawnach ac mae modd ei archwilio wrth wneud cynyrchiadau newydd.”
Mae Rob Lindsay, sy’n rheoli’r Rhaglen Fentora The Space, yn cytuno. “Dyw hi ddim yn anarferol i gynhyrchiad gymryd dros flwyddyn i’w gyflwyno i’r llwyfan, ac mae gwir angen ystyried digidol reit ar y dechrau. Unwaith y bydd sioe yn cael ei gwireddu yng ngolwg y tîm creadigol, gall fod yn anodd dechrau cyflwyno elfennau digidol newydd, ond os yw timau’n cofio bod ganddynt yr offer hyn o’r cychwyn cyntaf, yna mae rhai cyfleoedd anhygoel ar gyfer profiadau gwych i gynulleidfaoedd newydd o dulliau o adrodd straeon.”
Cliciwch yma i weld gwaith Small World Theatre.
Cliciwch yma i weld Vagabondi Puppets ar Facebook
Prif gynghorion ar gyfer ffrydio byw:
- Peidiwch ag anghofio pwysigrwydd cymorth i gwsmeriaid. Yn union fel ag y gallai fod angen help ar ymwelwyr â’r theatr i ddod o hyd i’w seddi, efallai y bydd angen sicrwydd ar eich cynulleidfa ddigidol ar ddiwrnod y sioe bod ganddynt y ddolen gywir!
- Os ydych chi’n ffrydio’n fyw sioe sydd â chynulleidfa wyneb-yn-wyneb hefyd, gall cyflwynydd ar-lein helpu i ymgysylltu â’ch cynulleidfa ar-lein, a gwneud iddyn nhw deimlo eu bod yn rhan o’r holl beth.
- Peidiwch â dibynnu ar wifi am unrhyw ran o’ch darllediad – defnyddiwch gyswllt gwifren lle bynnag y gallwch.
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