Andrew Muir – unrestricted theatre

January 31, 2022February 2, 2022

RETHINK visits Poole

Acclaimed theatre company Ardent Theatre have taken their most recent, five-star reviewed show on the road. Co-devised by playwright Andrew Muir and the Ardent 8 actors, this show is about them – their hopes and dreams as young people emerging into the world, and their wants and needs. It speaks to all those aspiring to have a career they love and to find meaning in their contribution to the world.

The show, which had a London run in October 2021, now visits Poole this Friday February 4th and subsequently plays private performances for students in Leicester and Manchester.

Ardent Theatre Company presents RETHINK, a brand new production created and performed by Ardent8, a group of emerging young actors from outside London who face barriers to pursuing a career in theatre. Written with and directed by award-winning playwright Andrew Muir (Joint Creative Director of Ardent Theatre Company) the play highlights inequality of opportunities to break into a career in theatre, intensified by the global pandemic.

RETHINK is set in the aftermath of that sunny July 2020, when six graduates from a performing arts course on the south coast of England are encouraged to reconsider their careers, in the wake of theatre closures and lack of opportunity. According to a government-backed advertising campaign, their next job could be in cyber, they just don’t know if yet. What choice do they have?

RETHINK is created and staged by the Ardent8 Ensemble, a group of Dorset-based young people brought together through Ardent Theatre Company’s scheme to rebalance inequality of access to a career in theatre. The project was born of a recognition that often the most talented of actors will have given up before they’ve even realised their full potential because they are unable to access other cities that provide greater employment and development opportunities.

Ardent8 was launched in Dorset in 2016 and the inaugural group’s production Sacrificewas staged to acclaim at Soho Theatre and Jellicoe Theatre, Poole in 2018. The programme is being expanded across the country with partners currently including Manchester Metropolitan University and Leicester De Montfort University.

The aim of Ardent8 is to provide a taste of life as an actor in London and benefit from opportunities within the industry from which they have otherwise been alienated but which Ardent Theatre Company believe is no more than an equal opportunity. In doing so, they will develop their skills further in a professional context that also introduces them to key industry practitioners. The programme includes acting workshops led by industry professionals, ongoing advice and mentorship, a week’s professional performance at a London theatre (paid at Equity rates), and all travel, subsistence and accommodation costs.

Andrew Muir, playwright/director, Joint Creative Director of Ardent Theatre Company:
“It has been a joy to create RETHINK with such a talented and generous group of young people. The play gets to the heart of their own frustrations – feeling powerless confronted by a lack of opportunity to follow their dreams due to a lack of funds, knowledge, networks and stuck distanced from meaningful cultural offerings. From working class backgrounds, these young people are passionate about acting yet even considering a career in theatre was alien to them – even before Covid grounded them entirely. Through Ardent8 we hope to shift things in their favour, so that our theatre ecology can benefit from their talent and perspectives.”

RETHINK can be seen at The Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset on Friday 4th February at 8.00pm. Tickets here

October 26, 2021October 26, 2021

Are the Ardent8 stars of the future – and what is RETHINK?

Theatre is a profession with massive inequalities of access. These inequalities – of location, class and financial background – cause many aspiring young actors to fall at the very first hurdle. One company is challenging this shocking betrayal of talent- and doing something practical about it.

Ardent Theatre Company, formed in 2014 by co-Creative Directors Mark Sands and Andrew Muir, focused on this, with their stated aim of “Bringing Outsiders In”.

The Ardent8 project was launched in Dorset in 2016 and the inaugural group’s production SACRIFICE was staged to acclaim at the Soho Theatre, London and the Jellicoe Theatre, Poole in 2018. From this promising beginning, the programme is now being expanded across the country with partners currently including Manchester Metropolitan University and Leicester De Montfort University.

The aim of Ardent8 is to provide eight creatives a taste of life as an actor in London and benefit from opportunities within the industry from which they have otherwise been alienated but which Ardent Theatre Company believe is no more than an equal opportunity. In doing so, they will develop their skills further in a professional context that also introduces them to key industry practitioners. The programme includes acting workshops led by industry professionals, ongoing advice and mentorship, a week’s professional performance at a London theatre (paid at Equity rates), and all travel, subsistence and accommodation costs. A new intake of 8 creatives will benefit from this programme each year.

To finance this huge undertaking, finance expert Mark Sands is actively engaged in fundraising and grant-applying all year round, culminating with a spot in the prestigious Big Give Xmas fundraising project, where public donations are doubled by philanthropic gifts.

One of the great things about the project is that the play they feature in is written especially for them by co-Creative Director Andrew Muir, who is also an award-winning playwright. Muir also directs the work.

This week the Ardent8 appear at London’s Union Theatre in RETHINK, a timely piece about the inequality of opportunities to breaking into a career in theatre, exacerbated and magnified by the disruption to the arts of the global pandemic.

RETHINK opens today, 26th October and runs until Saturday October 30th at 7.30 each evening with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 3.00pm. Do get along and support this chance to see potential stars of the future if you can. And it’s even cheaper with the discount code below!

SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODE – Quote ARDENT5 at checkout to get your tickets for just £5 (£4 plus £1 booking fee). Subject to availability.

To book your tickets, click here

April 20, 2021April 14, 2021

Ardent Theatre Company share free new online resource program for aspiring theatre stars

A small theatre company which produces five-star work, Ardent Theatre Company has always lived up to its mission statement; Bringing Outsiders In.

Helping young people into the mysterious world of theatre is never an easy job, yet Ardent’s joint Creative Directors Mark Sands and Andrew Muir are truly passionate and take their responsibilities very seriously.

The theatre world is precarious enough without a pandemic, but even in normal times those who may come from less financially affluent homes or parts of the country may be exponentially disadvantaged from achieving their dreams. Pandemic-wise, that issue multiplies, which is one of the reasons this new initiative is so needed- and so welcome.

To help, each year Ardent chooses eight students from outside of London in their final year of education, and supports them with advice and training. Not just this, the group will travel to London for auditions, agent exposure and the rehearsal and performance of a week’s run in a specially commissioned play written for them by Andrew Muir. All of this supportive work including travel, accommodation, food and wages are paid for by the fundraising work that Mark Sands does through Ardent’s annual participation in the Big Give, a scheme where high value donors give amounts to be matched by public donations. Through a supportive and enthusiastic group of followers and some well-known supporters, Sands has not just achieved but smashed his targets in every year they have participated.

Ardent Theatre Company’s Creative Director Mark Sands

This year has posed issues for Ardent’s planned program, which although diminished in some aspects, after much creative thinking is also vastly expanded in others.

In the process of trying to reach a wider audience online, Ardent have invested time and funding in producing a series of online resources which anyone can access for free.

A series of workshop notes, interviews, guidance and tips about working in Theatre. Ardent will be adding new resources each month to build an information hub about the business, developing skills and finding work, as well as links to other online material they think useful.

Talking to Sands about the project, he said: “The idea really came out of the 16 young graduates we’ve worked with over the last few years. It’s quite hard to find the information they need to start building a career. There’s no one-stop place so it all becomes a bit piecemeal. There are some very well-funded sites out there, but they often cater to secondary school age, or they prioritise paid opportunities. We wanted to create something that was free for all, focused on post-education and plain speaking. And the response has been positive so far with many of the directors and actors we’ve worked with over the years offering up advice, tips and even video interviews. It’s exciting and something that will constantly evolve and grow as more and more people contribute.”

This will undoubtedly grow to be an increasingly useful reference work for young people wanting to get into the theatre industry and I wish it every success.

Every few weeks more material will be added to the resource, so it will be worth checking back regularly.

The current areas planned to be covered in the structure include About the Business, Developing Skills, Finding Work and Other Resources.

On April 1st the program kicked off with Casting and self-tapes.

On April 15th the program continued with Self-promotion using social media

And on 29th April the program covers a Guide to Registering as Self-Employed

And the program’s further segments will be announced as they become available. You can follow Ardent on social media visa their Facebook and Instagram accounts to keep updated.

If you know of young family or friends with theatrical aspirations, do them a favour and share this information with them. Theatre work is never easy, but the stars of tomorrow – both onstage and offstage- are out there, and they need all our help to shine.

Access the Ardent Resources as they become available via their website here