What has influenced your thinking around the production?

I think a big thing which has influenced my thinking on the production has been about what a forest is and what it represents. I did a lot of reading into the way forests function and the societal behaviour of trees. I was quite determined not to have any trees on stage, mainly because everybody kept asking me how are you going to do the trees?!

But actually, when you look into trees and their behaviour, they’re extraordinary. There’s a network of roots in a forest, so all the trees are connected to each other. If one tree is struggling then other trees who have enough, will send nutrients to try and save that other tree through the root system, regardless of species.  They believe – it sounds ridiculous(!) – the success of the forest depends on the success of every single tree within that forest.  I took that as a metaphor for society, and what Shakespeare is asking us to think about as audience members watching this play, especially right now in a time of increased borders and a rise of – you could say – nationalism, and concern with ourselves.

In the play there’s a marked difference between the restrictive world of the court and the forest.  In our version of the play the audience will represent the trees. When the play reaches the forest scenes, the actors will be able to see the audience, whereas they didn’t have access to them during the court scenes.  The forest world is a world where we can interact and communicate with each other.

You have said this production was all about putting the ‘you’ in As You Like It – can you tell us a bit about what you mean by that and how will this be reflected in the staging?

I think putting the ‘You’ in As You Like It is something that Shakespeare has done with this play – he’s constantly playing with the relationship between the actors and the audience, and lots of the characters in the play go between being characters, being spectators, being actors – he’s referring to the act of theatre constantly (“All the world’s a stage”). And so I think Shakespeare is asking us as theatre-makers to reconsider our relationship to the audience, making the audience feel that their presence in the theatre matters, that it changes what we’re doing. And they can be directly involved with what’s happening on the stage – so we’re really embracing that with the production.

I think it’s also reflected in the actors that are part of this show, and the other two plays that are part of the same season.  We want the acting company to reflect the nation in all its diversity.  This play was written at a time when society was becoming more diverse, and the play itself is about celebrating and embracing difference.

What are your current thoughts on the style of the production? Can you give us any early insights into the process?

I’m not setting the play in a particular time or place.  It doesn’t feel like a play which needs a certain period setting. And I’m very aware as a director of not choosing a setting which restricts the play, and that only tells one aspect of the play so I always look for the approach and the framework that allows all of the play to live.

In many ways the play is a massive exploration of theatre itself.  So there will be elements of panto, live music, stand-up comedy on stage.  And there will be audience interaction, political debate and improvisation.

Although everyone will look and feel very modern, we’ll be using a real mingle-mangle of costumes from different productions, and will be playing with different genres, different times, different periods.  It’s going to be a real mish-mash that celebrates the art of theatre making.

Would you say As You Like It is as much about ‘finding yourself’ as ‘getting lost’?

I think sometimes you have to lose yourself to find yourself. But Shakespeare isn’t asking us to get lost in order to just get lost – that would be pointless. He’s asking us to break down some of our barriers and to think outside of the boxes that we’ve put ourselves in, or that society has put us in.  And he puts the responsibility on the human being to do that for one’s self. I think the play is about the potential for change in humanity, and for us to be able to change the world we must first change ourselves and embrace other sides of ourselves.

We understand that this production features one of the most ambitious props and set elements ever created by the RSC’s production teams. Can you explain a little bit about where the idea for ‘Hymen’ came about?

Hymen is the god of marriage, which will be represented by a very large prop/puppet We have to believe in this God and yet, God is not a tangible thing. God is a leap of imagination, so how do we get 1000 audience members to take that leap in their imaginations and believe in this God? All of the actors will be involved in the scene in which Hymen appears – it will be a communal act, to give the sense of coming together and believing in a God or in something bigger than ourselves.

The role of Rosalind has been described as ‘the female Hamlet’ and is credited with more lines than any other female Shakespearean character. Was this something that attracted you to the play?

Yes absolutely!  I was attracted to a woman who is working out who she is as the play unfolds. I think sometimes with Shakespeare’s women, it feels like they already know who they are. Or that their internal life isn’t really the thing that Shakespeare is exploring in the play. With Rosalind it’s completely different. She changes her mind all the time, and she changes her mind with us, with the audience.

She talks about this magician, this uncle magician, who she’s conversed with since the age of 3, and Lucy Phelps, who is playing the role, and I have talked a lot about who on earth this magician is. We feel that this magician is inside of all of us, representing the potential for change and to be different people.  The play is really all about Rosalind having a conversation with herself to find a way to contentment, and that’s not easy.  Sometimes you have to crawl through the dirt to get to the diamond. 

Many well known actors have played Rosalind for the RSC, including Peggy Aschroft, Vanessa Redgrave, Eileen Atkins, Juliet Stevenson, and more recently, Katy Stephens and Pippa Nixon. What do you think Lucy Phelps will bring to the role?

Ah, Lucy Phelps! I think Lucy is relentlessly intelligent and rigorous in what she as an actress and as a woman wants from the world, and she does all of that with generosity and with the most infectious spirit.  I think you have to have both of those things to play Rosalind. And that’s something that she has very, very naturally.

Lucy’s never satisfied as an artist.  She’s always digging, she’s always chipping away.  But if you chip, chip, chip away in rehearsal, and then walk on stage and you’ve stopped chipping because you’ve decided what it is, then you’ve lost Rosalind – whereas Lucy has the bravery as an actress, to keep discovering… to keep searching…  

What do you hope audiences will take away from this production? 

I would like for the audience to take away a new relationship with their own ‘magician’.  To feel able to explore the possibility and potential of change, especially right now, with all of the uncertainty in this country and Europe and the rest of the world.  To feel that change is possible, and that change can come from working together, learning from each other and from being more honest.  Being brave enough to jump off the cliff into the unknown.

If you were given the chance to escape to the forest, what three things would you take with you?

My dog, Plato.

My husband.

And a really good walking stick!

The Maywaves (12.45, Main Stage) are one such local band. Harry from the band says that “Create festival helps young talent by giving them a chance to play on a big stage and get their names out there a bit, and they also provide help getting gigs past the festival too!”

Create works closely with Ashford College, and a number of the bands on the bill are alumni from the music qualification. ‘I attended Ashford college for a little while and they really got me back into my music after I took a 2-year break. Ultimately that gave me the kick up the backside to play drums again and now here I am!’ says Harry.

Ashford College returns as a key supporter for the event, sponsoring the DJ Stage and offering visitors a chance to create their own EDM tracks with guidance from Music Technology tutors. Their marketing team will also be there to provide information on their wide range of courses and answer any questions.

Rob Forsyth is Team Leader in Art & Design and Music Technology at the college. ‘It’s hugely important for us to support the local arts and cultural scene, and Create provides the perfect opportunity for our music technology students to gain practical onsite festival experience to supplement their courses. Our students will be employing their technical skills behind the scenes, developing their knowledge and networking with professionals in the industry. They get the great experience of watching the acts knowing they’ve played a valuable part in the support crew for the festival.’

As well as the College, Create work with local artists from all backgrounds. Canterbury Academy’s Cooper Stout (12.00, Main Stage), from Bethersden, recently appeared on TV musical bootcamp Got What It Takes? The 14-year old says that ‘I have had amazing support from the local community, I played my first open mic night at 12 and still love doing them when I get the chance they have been a great way to build my confidence on stage. It’s a great opportunity for me to perform on the Main Stage at Create Festival in front of loads of people! I’m really exited to get my music out to the people in Ashford and Kent. I want my music to get heard and Create will hopefully give me a bit exposure. It will be the biggest stage I’ve played so far and I can’t wait to get up there and show people what I can do.’

Ashford based singer-songwriter, Freyja Ellen Cook (15.10, Community Stage) will be performing a mix of original songs and covers. Jaz Ellington (15.00, Main Stage) will be bringing his soulful sounds to the event. ‘Local festivals are cool because they give local talent a chance to hone their skills and get performance experience. It’s also a great way for communities to come together positively,’ he says.

So if you want to see some great local talent, Create Festival is the place to be!

It all kicked off with Arts and Cultural Industries Manager, Chris Dixon introducing the evening and Create, saying “Create is proud to be extending further into the Ashford community, providing opportunities for local talent across the borough”.

Adrian Cooke is Music Relationship Manager for Arts Council England, based in the South East area but with a national role for Contemporary Popular Music. A champion for increased public funding for the rock & pop sector and talent development, Adrian has previous experience in promoting live music, running festivals, record label management, and rights licensing. He spoke about what it means to have a festival like Create happening on our doorstep, and how local artists can get involved.

We also heard from David Manders, an artist manager with over 20 years’ experience and a background in running clubs, tour managing and label management. David is the founder and director of Liquid Management, currently representing and guiding the careers of Ren Harvieu (Bella Union), LIFE (PIAS), Flamingods (Moshi Moshi), and Animal Noise. Liquid Management also launched the career and spent 8 years managing Public Service Broadcasting, with their past four releases selling over 300k copies worldwide. So he knows a thing or two about music and was on hand to offer advice.

But this is Create, so music took centre stage. Estelle May played a gorgeous stripped back set, enamoring everyone with her French and English singing. Lake Folks, an indie folk project that started in The Netherlands and cites influences such as Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, serenaded the room with gorgeous sounds and gentle songs. Jaz Ellington, as well as speaking about the steps that got him to be one of the top six singers to represent England in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, and the opportunity to work with Will.I.Am on a project for NASA, enraptured the audience with an acoustic set.

It was a great evening of celebration and excitement around what is happening in Ashford’s musical scene. Create Festival are hosting another Artist Cafe event on 15th July, follow this link to find out more!

This exciting week-long programme of live arts events, fringe activities and happenings around town is an opportunity to showcase creativity and arts in the local area, through unique and exclusive experiences.

What’s on?

There will be interactive street theatre and dance performances in Park Mall, all to interact with the community and provide events and an atmosphere in Ashford town centre. Bootworks Theatre will perform We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat, which is a show for small-town communities, about small-town communities. You’ll see Comedy Cavemen, a posse of Palaeolithic cavemen characters causing mischief and spreading an environmental message.

You’ll be able to see street art created by great local artists. Create your own art with The Open Air Drawing-Room a drawing group offering some landscape painting. Each artist (audience member) also makes a Cyanotype portrait which will be exhibited as a mirror image to the final painting – A Sea of Faces – embracing JMW Turner’s pioneering interest in photography and his desire to find new ways to embrace art. This project invites the public to engage in setting the world record for a painting that has been created by the largest number of artists – which is pretty exciting!

Circus will come to the streets, you can see performance poets in pubs, and there will even be a spoof version of JAWS outside the Picturehouse cinema. Frantic features spectacular acrobatics and dance-theatre, choreographed around a wheel, with a hidden water system for a joyous finale danced in pouring rain. CONFiCo present JOiNT, a playful and curious piece exploring the interplay between individuality, commonality and the body’s facility. Acrobatics, globe walking, dead celebrities, French finesse, trumpeting and mime mayhem make L’Hotel an enchanting show to delight the audience. For kids there’s Tutu Trouble, an exciting original new physical theatre show for children.

At Revelation Ashford, there will be live DJ sets by Huey Morgan from Fun Lovin’ Criminals and BBC 6 Music and Terry Hall of The Specials, warming up festival goers with their music and sounds.

Mr Harper’s Birthday Party

In December 1911 George Harper made an anonymous offer to present the Hubert Fountain to Victoria Park. So as well as all the above, there will be a Victorian-themed Mr. Harper’s Birthday Partyfamily fun day on Sunday 21 July, which acknowledges and celebrates his gift, with games, arts, workshops and music – and the traditional birthday cake races.

Why host Create Platform?

It’s all part of an effort to make Ashford a creative place to be beyond just the Create weekend. “It is really important for the growth of Create, as well as Ashford’s cultural offer, to extend beyond the one big day in the park,” says Chris Dixon, Arts & Cultural Industries Manager at Ashford Borough Council.  “The introduction of Create Platform three years ago has allowed for more opportunities for local artists, as well as generated broader engagement from audiences, venues, and sponsors.”

Originally published on the Create Festival blog.

Can you tell me more about Revelation and the work you do?

Revelation is an independent arts trust established in 2011 . Our  aim is to provide an ‘up close and personal’ experience and be  the go-to organisation for arts and culture in Ashford, in real terms that means creating a vibrant and diverse programme that makes people want more, in an amazing and unique space.

What have been some highlights?

It’s easy to reel off some of the big names we’ve had, they include This Is The Kit , Courtney Pine , Seth Lakeman , The Orb but some of my personal favourites are The Craig Charles Soul and Funk Club, where the venue was literally jumping up and down, rising Kent talent with the fabulous Bay Rays and Ladybirdand magical evenings with Tom Mcrae and Villagers. And of course, coming up we have Huey Morgan of Fun Lovin’ Criminals  and Terry Hall of The Specials doing DJ sets as part of Create Platform.

How does the partnership with Create Festival and Revelation help support the local music scene?

It’s a vital partnership!  Create serves as a platform and showcase for the best there is  in Kent and beyond and the Revelation stage is for me the most exciting space around  where you get to see new and established talent. Revelation and has developed a reputation over that past few years as the ‘happening’ stage at Create , where you’re not quite sure what you will get but you know it will be good.  Revelation is always looking out for emerging artists we can support back at the ‘mothership’ by offering paid support sets for artists wherever we can or performing on Ashford Bandstand, so  Create and Revelation are always working together to harvest the best new talent and support and nurture others including training opportunities and advice.

How did you choose the artists playing this year?

A  mammoth task of  listening to over 200 submissions to play and we do listen to them all. The Create panel then comes together to compare notes and look at which act might fit better where and a few spirited discussion here and there when we  might be fight to have the same act on various stages but eventually  somehow we all agree and it just comes together.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?

So many! Tall Poppies, Marie White (who has just won the 2019 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Award) and our headliners The Fontanas with their fab blend of soul and funk and North America. Plus, of course, the festival headliners Lightning Seeds.

Also published on the Create Festival blog.

Why did you set up Easter Island Records?

Initially we just had the idea of putting on a couple of shows for some punk bands we knew and respected. We are made up of musicians and artists and wanted to try putting on a show as we had spent years hanging out in basements listening to over amplified punk and thought it would be a fun thing to do ourselves. We started putting on a few more show’s before Trent from The Spanish Infanta asked us to put out his record Lame Temples on wax. So it all kind of came together through trial and error,  we said ‘let’s try this’ and then ‘okay’ to a few things and before we knew it we were haphazardly running Canterbury’s new DIY record label, and having a blast.

What do you mean by it being a ‘community based record label?’

We are community driven and work in the wider Canterbury area on local charity projects whilst also producing global record releases. We began as a punk DIY record label and are proud to still support those principles. We want to support brilliant artists to release their music on ethical principles. Profit doesn’t drive us but supporting artists to be autonomous and creative and have their music heard as widely as possible does. On our website, we include a step by step guide to help local musicians publish and share their music. Outside of the label releases, we are passionate about working alongside artists and developing their craft. One of the core members of Easter Island Records runs a recording studio, Roswell Records where we have been nurturing and helping artists develop their music whilst retaining and promoting that sense of ‘community’. Being working class and having to work for our privileges, we had to self fund everything at the beginning and rely on favours until it started paying for itself. The truth  is: You get out what you put in.

How do you choose the bands that will make it on to your roster?

We seem to jump around with the music we release. There are four of us currently on the label team with four different opinions, and we all find artists from completely different backgrounds in music. We all play in bands, promote shows, produce music, but we are all involved in the arts in one form or the other. I guess we try to distinguish ourselves by what we all like as opposed to what we should like, a consolidation of all our musical interests. Right now with Tokyo Tea Room, Stirrat, Hayes & Baynes and Aunt Margaux it’s quite dreamy and indie. Some psychedelic notes with some folk thrown in there but all linked to the ‘canterbury sound’, whilst never turning away from what’s new or forward-thinking. We have got some other things on the cards, a few wildcards to throw in the mix.

What is the Kent music scene like?

The Kent music scene is vast. There’s a massive versatility to everyone involved that always astounds us. The artists we have known for so long have had time to learn their craft and truly come into their own, but there are more and more new artists popping up every day. It’s a great time to be into music, it’s everywhere.

What successes have you had? (What counts as a success?!)

I think just organising a show, sourcing the PA, getting everyone in the building and loaded in on time and then leaving the venue without owing anyone money is a massive victory. Sometimes its hard putting on a ‘gig’. It’s a vulnerable thing, trying to put a show on and showcase a musician. I mean we’ve had sold out shows, overseen multiple vinyl releases, and had airplay on Radio 6. Right now Tokyo Tea Room’s latest single got premiered by Line of Best Fit and is in the H&M in store playlist and it’s doing incredibly. I think it’s hard to say as our goal posts are constantly getting moved, right now we are a little less DIY and getting a little more ‘professional’ with things but I would like to say that it will always be about just putting on a decent show.

Easter Island Records will be hosting the Aunt Margaux single launch at Bramley’s in Canterbury on Wednesday 17 April.

Whitstable Yoga Festival challenges both of those stereotypes. Taking place in the beautiful Kent coastal town from Friday 15^th to Sunday 17^th June, it features workshops and classes, a market, and discussions, all aiming to allow people to experience yoga in whatever way works for them.

There’s intensive Iyengar and Ashtanga, relaxing Pranayama and Nidra, some partner yoga and children’s yoga, and accessible yoga. Classes are taught by teachers from across the country, with a particular focus on Kent based practitioners. The varied line up really celebrates all that is good about yoga, and aims to both challenge and support people in their practice.

I caught up with Monica Marini of Yoga Morphic to find out more about the festival.

Whitstable is a lovely location for the festival. Why did you choose it?

I have lived in Whitstable for the past 14 years and watched it go from a quirky, slow coastal town to a thriving community of artists and Yoga teachers! It is simply the right place for it and weather permitting one can practice yoga everywhere anytime: on the grass at sunrise, in the water at sunset!

Why celebrate yoga?

My journey through Yoga started about 20 years ago. I have been teaching for about 8 years and I am never tire to practice, learn or share anything Yoga.

When Bernadette Fisher and I returned from a trip in Southern India we felt that we so many Yoga teachers in the area what was needed was a Shanga.  But with all of us running from venue to venue to teach it is almost impossible to sit and share.  So the festival became the opportunity to create a moment in time when not only teachers, but everyone who practice and loves yoga could be together.  The first Festival was a blessing in every sense.  We had one of the hottest weekend in history; the beach was heaving with people enjoy the gorgeous weather; people came from as far as Ashford and Bromley and the energy generated was so powerful and the response so great we felt we had met a need for more Yoga in the area.  Hence the second Whitsable Yoga Festival.

You have a real mix of things on offer – mindfulness, partner yoga, painting to music…how do you think yoga principles infuse various aspects of life?

Yoga is life and as Rod Stryker says ‘practice is about being prepared to make good decisions when we aren’t practicing.’  Yoga finds its fullest expression off the mat: in the ways we approach our daily activities, how we live in our communities, how we manage our relationships, and the many ways we interact with each other and our environment.  I come from and environmental background and for me the applications of the ethical principles of Yoga are a progressive way forward to restore balance in the world both socially and economically.  We are still a long way, but allowing people to experience Yoga in its many forms reinforces these messages as a transformative methodology to restore harmony within and around us.  So, in a partner yoga class we can remember how to support one another and children can practice finger knitting whilst establishing mindfulness.

For information and tickets head here.