#123 A big announcement
Introducing The Pretend Company.
Issue #123 A big announcement
17th July 2024
Hello.
A big announcement in Spotlight this week so I’m going to keep this introduction to a minimum.
I don’t want to tire your eyes out on these words when there are more exciting ones below.
Rule of three
[Music] Family Business
For me, any new album by Lawrence is a cause for celebration. I have an unofficial rule that I won’t recommend anything twice but I looked back at my archive, and I last featured this amazing sister/brother duo in my VERY FIRST ISSUE. So I feel entirely justified in telling you to click on this link for a beautiful acoustic(ish) version of one of their best tracks.
[Game] What beats rock?
I’ve lost hours to this game. You start off playing rock, paper, scissors and end up asking yourself questions like: what beats the heat death of the universe?
[Guide] How To Do Taxes As A Creative Freelancer
I had the pleasure of teaching Christy Ku improv this year. As well as being an all-round creative powerhouse, she’s authored this awesome guide to filing self-employed taxes in the UK. And she’s used my favourite bit of software in the world, Notion. And to top it all off, it’s available on a pay-what-you-want basis.
Spotlight
I’ve watched the London improv community grow for 15 years now and I’m so proud of its creativity and ambition.
I’ve got to the point where I want to contribute something to that community. Not as a teacher for hire, but by creating my own courses and classes.
I don’t want to step on the toes of the improv schools that are already doing such great work in London but I also see a need for something new.
In my view, what we lack in London is:
a) a home for truly theatrical work - improv that’s as interested in stagecraft, storytelling and moving an audience, as it is in making them laugh
b) enough stage time to try these ideas out, to find an audience and inspire other improvisers
c) a place for people who have progressed past the fun hobby stage and now want to focus on honing their craft
I’m calling this new initiative, The Pretend Company. Initially, it’ll be an 8-week programme in September that will explore some of these ideas.
Here are the ways I want to do things a bit differently:
Maximum class size of 12
A focus on ensemble, students will be expected to block out all class dates before applying to ensure good attendance
An application process to guarantee everyone on the course is at a similar level
Minimal games and traditional improv exercises
A focus on performance, scene work and personal actionable feedback
The creation of a brand new theatrical improv format to be performed by the cast over 2 nights at the end of the course
I’m well aware that this isn’t going to be for everybody, but I reckon, for the people it does appeal to, it’s going to be a total game changer. A class where every single person wants to get better at supporting, connecting and performing truly remarkable improv theatre.
This initial 8-week course will be an exploration and a first step away from a traditional level system.
Are you interested? Fill out this form and let me know your thoughts (even if you’re not free in September necessarily).
I’d love to answer your questions, or chat to you in more detail about any of this, just send an email to hello@chrismead.co or reply to this very newsletter.
Thanks for reading this wall of text! I’ve put it up on Notion as well, so do feel free to forward it to anyone you think might be interested.
Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.
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Radio contact
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