The Stage

Fair portrayal

Published Monday 23 November 2009 at 16:25

In your article about my production of Robin Soans’ play Mixed Up North, “Burnley council ‘unsupportive’ over riot play, claims Out of Joint” (November 9, page 5), Mike Waite of Burnley council is quoted as saying: “The writer and director failed to honour clear commitments they made to use ‘real life’ stories carefully, and in ways which avoided the risk of actual people being identified closely with characters in the play. The feeling is that there was poor practice by Stafford-Clark and Soans on this occasion.”

This is the opposite of the facts. Every young person in the play liked the way their words had been used and those who have seen it gained great pleasure from seeing themselves on stage. Participants were consulted about the process and we made every single change requested. We incorporated people’s feedback about how they were themselves portrayed. In addition, all the interviewees were in invited to London to witness rehearsal and Out of Joint offered help with its fares in every case.

But we were not prepared to allow people to interfere with the words of other interviewees.

Some members of Burnley council, including Mike Waite, did not like what characters in the play say about the council’s work and policies, and wanted this changed. We thought this undue interference and were not prepared to change these elements.

On the other hand, when performing at our nearest venue to Burnley - the Ace Centre in Nelson - we changed a particularly sensitive personal story.

There is an important distinction between taking precautions to prevent people being exploited and keeping things uncontroversial for political ends. It is a great shame that members of Burnley council have let political fears come before an opportunity for local people not only to engage with an unflinching social history of their town, but also to learn about the inspiring youth project that is Mixed Up North’s subject. Reviews both nationally and from the local press have been positive and have particularly commented on the authenticity and the moving nature of the stories.

Max Stafford-Clark

Director

Out of Joint Theatre Company

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