RESPECT FOR FACILITATING
What an absolute luxury it’s been to have this year examining my craft. It’s allowed me to really explore too, where I fit in this business and ask what is it about facilitating and theatre-making that feeds my soul and brings me joy.
Here’s some things I’ve learned …
Facilitators are the backbone of this industry.
We really are.
We are the gate-keepers. The people who unlock and open the door. It’s not always about creating pathways into the industry - although obviously that’s important - it’s about more than that.
Whether it’s running an after-school drama group or breaking down the themes for a show or running a reminiscence theatre project with people living with Alzheimer's or giving up your lunchtime in school to rehearse with pupils or … or … or … it’s all about creating the moments and memories that last a lifetime. Moments and memories that have a tangible and visceral impact on a person that can then ripple out into the community.
This impact is why theatre is vital in life. It’s live. It’s living - and (I would argue) it’s FACILITATORS that put the theatrical experience at the heart of people’s existence and makes the art form relevant in the 21st Century.
I had the pleasure of watching a facilitator work with a group of Year-3 school children earlier this year - a group who had never been into a theatre before and had never done drama before. This group spent a term working with this professional facilitator in their school to bring a much-loved storybook to life, before walking into a theatre (with lights and sound and face paint and masks and props and costumes) - to perform their piece of theatre in front of their parents … a group who discovered their individuality while also getting a sense of what it was like to perform and work as part of a group - a group who won’t remember their math lessons but who WILL remember that feeling of going ‘roar’ onstage one afternoon in their local theatre … THAT is a memory that will resonate and ripple out - and THAT is why theatre is important - no, not important - VITAL!
And that is also why I believe facilitators and participatory arts/community specialists should be at the heart of every project, every audience development plan, every artistic programme and strategic decision made by a local council on their cultural offering - and not (as is so often the case), as an add on to justify funding or as an after-thought when it comes to delivery!
So often (SO often) I’ve had conversations at senior leadership levels, with councils, and artistic partners and venue operators and strategic leaders, who talk about delivering a community engagement project - without considering the actual logistics of engaging with the communities they’ve identified, or the time and skill involved in doing so meaningfully.
“We want to work with hard-to-engage/marginalised communities/SEN/NEET young people etc… etc… we start next week and you have 6 weeks to produce a show/an exhibition/a play etc… etc…”
(sigh)
If facilitators were in from the beginning we would be able to highlight the timelines needed to build the necessary relationships, skills and confidence within the community groups in order to deliver quality outputs and have lasting impact. It reminds me of why I stopped doing one-off workshops on topics such as ‘bullies’ or ‘drugs’ - urgh! A tick-box exercise with no real or lasting impact. And let’s not even talk about the lack of actual production resources allocated to community ‘add-on’ projects …
“Oh but you can just ‘do’ something …”
(sigh)
Yes I can. But will it be of any value? Will it have the lasting change you want? Or are you just using facilitators and community participation as a way to tick a box, justify funding and put monitoring numbers of who’s engaged with your project on a piece of paper to justify your funding and make you look good? I’ve been doing this far too long now to waste my time with projects and people that do this.
Embedding facilitation and participatory practise early on into the creative process/project development (and funding it properly) is essential if we want to:
reach and build new audiences, engaging with people beyond regular theatre-goers,
deliver quality work that isn’t just an ‘add on’ or afterthought or a tick-box exercise,
genuinely inform the work being created by the sector, and build a relationship between that work and ‘hard-to-engage’ / new audiences so that it is relevant and plays a part in people’s lives.
Earlier this year I attended a seminar entitled “What’s the point of theatre anyway?” - and although all of us theatre-makers in the room were vehemently fighting for the art form, it was very much a ‘preaching to the choir’ situation. But ask any facilitator working in community and school settings - we have infinite examples of our relevance. We’re on the front line of providing pastoral support, personal enrichment, combating loneliness, developing community cohesion and supporting mental health challenges (while ALSO creating theatre)! It’s almost like the government is playing catch-up by cutting funding to the arts with one hand, while using ‘social prescribing’ and sending people to drama classes through the NHS with the other!
Let’s imagine that if making and experiencing theatre was part of every day life, was as highly regarded as music (for example), and embedded in the curriculum in the same way, then it’s value would not be constantly under scrutiny. I would also argue that it would be something the public would fight to keep when budget cuts come along - or better yet, would never even be considered as an either/or situation but instead, considered as essential to the health & wellbeing of the community as any other essential service.
But too often (FAR too often), taking part in drama is looked upon as ‘just having a bit of fun’ - or ‘just playing a bunch of games’ - or (deeper down) actually branded as subversive, because we’re actively encouraging people to question the world around them!
What’s the point of what I do is an argument I’ve been having since I was 15 years old and wanted to become an actor - and I’m honestly tired of it!
And that’s before we even look at the status of facilitation within the cultural industries itself!
I remember when I first started facilitating workshops in the mid-nineties. My first job was on a Saturday morning for a children’s stage school, as a way of earning money in-between acting jobs - and looking back, I was absolutely guilty of everything I have just said - dismissing it as an art-form, thinking it was just a bit of fun, not really understanding the craft … oh how wrong I was. It actually didn’t take me long to realise that, a) I actually really cared about the kids I was working with, and b) I wanted to give them the best of me as possible, which translated to c) creating the best work together that we could … my journey as a professional facilitator had begun.
Yet in the 30 years since I first started facilitating, I haven’t seen much change in the status of where the craft of drama facilitation sits within the industry. We MUST start giving professional facilitators the same status as theatre directors, designers, actors and other theatre-making professionals … because BELIEVE ME - not everyone can do what we do, and there really is a craft to the work we do (and if it’s done wrong it can actually have a detrimental effect) - which brings me onto my next point …
Pay us what we’re worth!
I know this is a common complaint for many artists and those working in the cultural profession, but as someone with decades of experience, there is no real job progression (unless you move away from facilitating), and the pay-scales offered for someone with my level of experience and expertise is valued at the same rate as someone just out of drama school (running their first Saturday morning drama club like I did all those decades ago)!
Here are some thoughts on running a 90 minute workshop and being offered £40 an hour which might sound like a good rate - but it’s not … let me explain why.
Firstly, that means the fee you’re offered is usually £60 but it doesn’t (or very rarely) take into account the following:
travel (even assuming it’s local, it’s at least £10 for travel costs - petrol, parking, bus, train - and with the resources often needed for workshop, most facilitators I know need to drive or take an Uber),
set-up and pack-down time at the venue (the workshop starts at 10am, so you need to be there for at least 9.30am to double check the space, liaise with your contact, set up the room etc… etc…) and then of course there’s the pack down and re-set of the room afterwards) - and in some cases, sticking about in case someone is late being picked up …
planning (literally putting the workshop together, collecting the necessary resources, researching the topic, the story, the themes etc…) - even if it’s a workshop you’ve done before, it takes planning and re-visiting and adjusting.
So in actual fact, for a workshop at £40 per/hour with the parameters as described above, here’s a more reflective fee/rate of pay:
90 minute workshop £60
travel £10
half-hour set-up either side (extra hour) £40
planning fee £60
Total: £170
The value of experience!
However what this fee doesn’t reflect is EXPERIENCE - having the ability to change EVERYTHING you had planned for when what you were expecting for the workshop turns out to be very different!
I have a very unforgettable experience of this on a project where I was expecting to work with children who had moderate learning disabilities and their siblings on a story adventure … however the group who turned up had complex disabilities and needed 1:1 access and medical support. In addition, the parents were expecting it to be a respite group where they could leave their children for a few hours! So not only did I have to change EVERYTHING I had planned to accommodate a more sensory workshop, but I also had to negotiate with the parents to stay as there was no additional support and it would have been a safeguarding issue to leave me alone with the group as I was certainly not equipped to handle the various medical issues that were present. As you can imagine, this did not go down well with the parents as they were expecting to have a morning off and had plans themselves … suffice to say I had A LOT to say to the person who organised the workshop and booked me as a facilitator … I won’t go into details here, but I believe she actually tried to hide from me when I came looking for her!!
When I was planning projects and paying facilitators at SAVVY Theatre, in addition to the above, I would also take experience into consideration, and would always send two facilitators into a workshop.
Why?
Because to produce QUALITY work, it required two professional facilitators - usually an experienced lead, and someone as support who was just starting out on their journey.
Why?
Because they would plan together, and would be on the same page to deliver the workshop’s outcomes, and it would also allow someone to be on hand to deal with anything unexpected without disrupting the whole session! Generally the lead facilitator would be in charge of holding the whole workshop together - creating the safe space, liaising with parents, staff etc… taking the whole group on the creative journey and being responsible for achieving its outcomes. The support facilitator was there to help individuals with their confidence, manage (within reason) behaviour and support those who might struggle to initially engage.
“Oh but there will be a teacher/support/parent/someone in the room.”
(sigh)
Right - firstly, teachers are great, but let’s face it, they have a LOT on their plates - I don’t blame them for wanting to use the time when you are giving a workshop to their class, as a time to catch-up on the huge amount of admin they have to do. Also, on the occasions when a teacher IS involved, they often don’t know the journey you are taking their kids on (as they weren't’ involved in the workshop planning), or they will sometime step in too quick to discipline or deal with noise (such as telling the kids to be quiet when you actually want them to speak up)! Experienced facilitators are able to let the teachers know what role they would like them to play - and I know teachers too respect experienced facilitators. It means they can trust you with their class and the young people they care about.
Some of the best responses I’ve had from teachers, are those who I’ve asked to just observe and respect the work being done in the room (i.e. not talk or mark work - as by doing so it signals to the kids that what you’re doing is unimportant), and I guarantee, 9 times out of 10 the teacher who has observed and quietly supported, will come up afterwards and say “OMG that kid you had doing ‘such and such’ is such a trouble-maker … I can’t believe you had them doing that!”
As for other 1:1 support … at SAVVY we would regularly have support staff with us in the room for those that required it, and again, 90% of the time they were great - but it would also take experience to engage with support (who were also often new to drama/theatre themselves) and let them know their appropriate role in the room. I know it took me a lot of years to have the gumption to tell support to:
not talk
put their phone away
join in
not join in
leave the room
stay in the room …
Honestly - there is a whole other blog I could do on engaging with support staff in a workshop - and again, I’m not blaming them as they are not in charge of their work rota (and the pay rates and status of care staff in the community is yet another issue that I can’t even start with here) - and to those support staff who over the years would volunteer their time or take their holiday leave in order to come and do our shows at SAVVY - a huge THANK YOU! But in general, I would not rely on inexperienced (in the theatrical sense), support staff to help a facilitator deliver a workshop.
And as for parents … just no - unless there is literally no other choice!
Why?
Because children/those requiring support, usually act very differently when their parents are in the room. A workshop is a safe space AWAY from parents. A place for (mostly) young people to find their own voice and practice being who they want to be. Parents (quite rightly) have their own children’s interests at heart, but again, I can’t even begin to describe the amount of times I’ve had a parent ask me why their child didn’t “have more lines” in a show!!! Although ... these are times I wish I parents could have been in the workshop to realise that taking part is not about how many lines someone has, or that the reason they didn’t have that many lines is because I spent most of the workshop sessions giving them the confidence to speak the few lines they had (or giving them the discipline to not punch the kid next to them while they said their given lines)!!
SO … regarding a fee for a 90minute workshop - for 2 facilitators - here’s what I would generally pay (and budget for) at SAVVY:
Lead (Experienced) Facilitator: £180
Support (Trainee) Facilitator: £120
Then there would be extra if the workshop required additional skills i.e. working with SEN/SEMH or with highly vulnerable people such as those in secure estates or with challenging behaviour, and adjusted if it was a one-off or re-occurring project … but then I recognised and valued the craft of the drama facilitator at SAVVY - it was at the heart of our work and we were renowned for creating exceptional and quality theatre experiences. So yet again I’m saying - involve facilitators at the beginning of the project’s inception … understand the craft of what they’re bringing and pay for their genuine time and experience.
Providing guidelines and union support.
I think maybe facilitators need a union - to safeguard working practices and some industry guidance on pay-scales for people with experience vs those still learning … the Freelance fees for British Sign Language interpreters - NUBSLI is a great example … and maybe it’s something that could be included in the Rates of Pay | ITC Independent Theatre Council with guidance on re-occurring weekly projects vs one-off workshops … hmmm … something to consider … ?!
The importance of a Network
This has been a re-occurring theme throughout this study (and indeed over the years when I’ve led facilitator training sessions) - and I think there are two types of networks we need - the professional and the personal.
Having a professional network to discuss work-related issues i.e. projects and companies looking for facilitators, highlighting training and other opportunities is great, but let’s face it, it’s unlikely that facilitators would want to openly discuss any issues that go wrong in this type of network - you certainly don’t want to highlight to potential employers any moments of complete chaos or things that went awry - and if we’re being completely honest, they DO happen (even in an industry where - at present - we not allowed to ‘fail’ … where we have to show success in everything we do in order to keep funders happy) … but mistakes do happen and it’s then we need to have our PERSONAL network. Other facilitators who understand the business, who have been in the same situation as you, who can offer support and guidance.
Oh - and AVOID talking about ANYTHING on social media! I learnt this the hard way myself - asking once what I thought was a very honest question about the lack of industry support for people with disabilities that somehow got spun into me being a nasty woman who hated disabled people … (I wasn’t aware it was a public forum that literally anyone could contribute to) … lesson learned!!
As facilitators we are so adept at creating safe spaces for others, that it’s also vital that we create them for ourselves too. So find your personal network, have the conversations - and also celebrate the times when you succeed. The isolation of a facilitator is very real - even if you are attached to a high-profile show, you are still out on your own in schools or community settings, and working away from the main creative team, so you don’t often get the chance to celebrate (or commiserate) with others in the same way.
Another key theme this year has been the importance of knowing whose shoulders I’m standing on, while also passing on my own knowledge to emerging facilitators. Us experienced facilitators need to guide newcomers, and new facilitators need to help us oldies foster fresh, innovative practices.
Throughout this year I also asked for contributions to an online form, and while this is in no way a formal study, it did provide some interesting insights:
Most people referred to themselves as a facilitator, teacher or workshop leader, with about 20% using the term ’theatre maker’ and 10% using ‘director’ to describe what they do.
Over 50% of those who responded first trained or started out as actors, with an even split of around 7% between other choices, which included teacher (not drama specific), director, writer, other theatre-maker.
There was an even three-way split when it came to how people started facilitating:
assisting on a workshop
running an after-school/Saturday morning drama club
asked to run a workshop as part of a show
Everyone who responded said they fell in love with it early on.
Regarding income:
about 35% of responders earned 100% of their income from facilitating
30% said about half their income was from facilitating
The over-riding comment was that it still wasn’t that well-paid in relation to the work it takes.
Some of the common themes regarding challenges included:
lack of communication with regards to who you’ll be working with that day
the energy and skill of creating a safe space (particularly with groups you’re only seeing for a short amount of time) - and overcoming prejudices around what people think drama is (i.e. a bit of fun/a waste of time/not really my thing etc…) - which then feeds into a lack of respect for what the facilitator is trying or able to achieve
the soul-destroying work of delivering a ‘tick-box’ exercise workshop - remember kids, bullies are bad! (sigh) - or one in which you are not resourced properly
the skill of having to think on your feet when what you’ve planned is not going to work (for a multitude of reasons, from the group size, to their own behaviour/experiences, age, support, room being used for the workshop etc…)
Common themes for a good workshop:
fun - this doesn’t mean it’s trivial, it doesn’t mean it’s frivolous or unimportant - it means, that if it’s fun, the learning and impact is often more profound!
moments of surprise
clear communication - particularly at the planning stage
good pace and energy
the importance of creating a safe space (non-judgemental, playful, encourages listening, collaborative, supportive)
Although there was also discussion about whether the term ‘safe space’ as a definition is fit-for-purpose. What is ‘safe’ for one person could be potentially triggering for another. If looking to be truly creative and free, does a ‘safe space’ potentially restrict creative exploration and run the risk of self-censorship? I feel this is an area that will be up for discussion further in the coming years (I remember the discussion of trying to find the term ‘facilitator’ in nineties … I was at times employed as a theatre practitioner, a drama teacher, a ‘workshopper’ - I remember too being introduced to Dorothy Heathcote’s work as Drama Process, which then became Applied Theatre … it’s all fluid and ever-changing and responsive to the times).
Resilience was also highlighted as an important skill. Finding the balance between being emotionally invested in the work, while also not taking anything personally!
Facilitating is a thankless profession … if it goes well the group are brilliant and if it goes badly it’s your fault!
Respect for Facilitating
There really is an actual CRAFT to facilitating - and no, not everyone can do what we do!
I was reminded of this again just recently when I saw the transformation of a drop-in group that was in danger of closing a few years ago (due to the volunteer co-ordinator leaving, the lack of funding and sporadic attendance), turn into a thriving (over-subscribed) community group with a pro-active professional facilitator leading the funding, the monitoring, the recruitment, the pastoral support, the artistic output - oh we really are a tenacious bunch!
And there is a HUGE community and network and history of practise to dip into for guidance - and I believe, it is also one of the most supportive communities within the cultural industries.
On a personal level, as a professional facilitator, I’ve learned that I thrive when it comes to working with marginalised communities and introducing people who are new to drama into the wonders of the creative process. It makes my own heart sing to facilitate that experience, and I love encouraging people to take risks and make mistakes, or create ‘happy accidents’, demonstrating how essential this is to the creative process - and in life - which is vital as we are currently in a society where play and exploration is downgraded in favour of ‘getting it right’ all the time!
So in conclusion (for now), here are my take-aways from this process …
find and utilise your personal network,
pay us properly, and
give facilitators the status we deserve in the industry.
What I'm reading this month:
Journal of Singing, Volume 68, September/October 2011
by Scott McCoy
The response from the Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre to the Curriculum and Assessment Review
Applied Theatre: Creating Transformative Encounters in the Community
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