New Fish A Musical From the beginning Part 3

Strut like a Peacock

The run in Smock Alley was one of the happiest weeks of my life. I was so proud of all the hard work we had put in. Seeing it up in front of an audience, I knew it was good. I wanted more people to see it, I wanted everything for it. The audience reaction was incredible, we were buzzing with excitement. It helped immensely that we lost no money and I was even able to pay myself back the money I had put into the Scene and Heard production. With the €20,000 I raised in funding before the show and the €17,000 we took in ticket sales we were able to pay off everything. The Fishamble clinic also helped massively in giving all our actors and musicians more paid work.

New Fish A Musical Smock Alley Theatre October 2019
Photo Credit Joanna O’Malley

I immediately called Graham MacLaren at the Abbey and followed up on his request that we come in for a chat. A time was finally set and Ross and I headed in to meet him in The Peacock Café. Graham told us he thought that the show was great and wanted to support us bringing it to The Peacock. He showed us around the space, Ross and I were tingling, then we went to sit down in the café.
Ok, how do we do it? – I asked

Graham looked perplexed.

I explained that this was the first show I had produced and I needed exact direction on how to get my show to The Peacock. I asked him to explain it to me like he would a child.
Graham tried his best to help without being too specific. Another meeting would be necessary with Jen Coppinger who was head of new work and his co-director Neil Murray, he didn’t want to make any calls right then, everyone would need to discuss next steps, but I would certainly need an experienced producer. I asked if the Abbey would come on board as a co-producer or how they would support us and he was open to that being a possibility, everything was a possibility and nothing was a possibility all at the same time. We left the meeting feeling positive though and with a game plan. Find a producer, get back to Graham, set second meeting, work out details, put New Fish in Peacock Theatre. Baddabing baddaboom.

Ross O’Connor and I outside the Abbey Theatre November 2019

The Producers

Of course, I already knew who I wanted to co-produce it with me. Claire Tighe who breathed life into this show and already had huge success in building her own Production Company was the right person. I don’t think Graham was expecting me to email him the same week with an excellent Producer backing us and requesting to fix that second meeting with said excellent Producer in tow. It was too close to Christmas so Graham asked me to get in touch in the new year which of course I did. I gave it till the 4th January then popped over another mail. Graham asked us to put a proposal together, no problem, here you go sir. It was to be brought to the next Program Meeting which was due end of January. We didn’t hear back of course and meanwhile someone in China had eaten a bat and a weird virus had started circulating. We thought nothing much of it, I sent another email. A response came through, New Fish was not going to the Abbey that year due to scheduling difficulties and a lack of resources to support us but they would be happy to hold another meeting to talk about future possibilities. Ok, that’s not a straight out no, just not this year, I can work with that.

Let’s get the team back together shall we?

When there’s a will, there’s a way, right?

The Abbey wasn’t happening in the way I had hoped it might so, how could I get there in another way, how did other shows get there? I started talking to the producers who had mentored me asking what typically happens next, what is the journey of new work, the goals, the plans? What is the point of it all? Clearly there is very little money to be made and a huge amount to loose. West End Musicals toured Ireland’s big theatres on their UK and Ireland Tours but otherwise there isn’t really a culture of musical theatre. The AIMS circuit provides a much needed sprinkling of jazz around the country but otherwise Panto is the closest thing.
Donal Shiels had brought out Coppers The Musical which was a big success, I could only see a market for more musicals. But everyone told me the same thing for New Fish, the branding is good but the name means nothing. It’s a difficult sell. Ok, ok, that’s something to think about but where am I selling it? What am I supposed to do with this show that I know is good but only 700 people saw? I didn’t actually want to be a producer but I couldn’t let this go.
A few options, look at Fringes, Dublin Fringe was a no go, Edinburgh seemed like a huge risk, everyone just kept telling me how much money they spent and how much money they didn’t make. But it is a great way to get a show seen, Stomp; Jerry Springer the Opera and SIX came from Edinburgh. I researched venues and started emailing the ones that struck me as a good fit. 
Then suddenly, almost overnight, the world changed. First of all it changed for me when I found out I was pregnant again, then for the whole world when Covid spread. No one believed it would last though, so, I went on planning. I decided to apply for Arts Council Funding to tour New Fish around the country. 

New Fish A Musical at Smock Alley Theatre October 2019
Photo Credit Joanna O’Malley

Networking is crucial

In some ways it wasn’t a bad time to be networking with Artistic Directors and Programmers of various theatres seeing as their theatres were all shut but it was fairly bleak. Nobody knew when they would be likely to open, what damage all the “stay away from each other” messaging would do long term (turns out rather a lot) and if theatres would ever come back in the same way. I managed to get five theatres on board to support my application with the view that a light hearted musical might be just the ticket when they did re open. Mark O’Brien used his extra time taking phone call appointments from people like me who were only delighted for his time and attention, he massively helped me with my application, talking me through the form and giving me tips. I did all the excruciating work anyone who has ever filled out an Arts Council Form is familiar with and on the day of the deadline they announced the Touring Funding would be withdrawn due to Covid. So, not much to be done but sit back and concentrate on growing a baby.

Theatres were due to open again in August but they didn’t. Covid couldn’t stop my baby girl Leila from being born though. I had toyed with turning New Fish into a cabaret style performance, putting it in a restaurant  with a smaller number of people as I felt they would open restaurants before theatres. When Leila arrived I was forced to stop everything and my family entered our own version of new born baby lockdown.

New Fish A Musical in Smock Alley Theatre October 2019
Photo Credit Joanna O’Malley

Advice from another Mother

In the midst of the global pandemic we moved to Sweden, my husband is Swedish and we thought we might as well go when he was offered a new position as the whole word had been turned upside down and everything was unknown. I kept up with Arts Council news and attended a Touring Funding webinar hosted by the Head of the Arts Council at the time. I asked a question and it was suggested that Touring Funding was perhaps not the best strategy for me. I was advised to get in touch off line and request a phone call which I did and a time was set up. Looking back, I was going about the Arts Council all wrong but how the hell was I supposed to know how to go about Arts Council Funding unless someone told me!?!?
I had a 25 minute call with the Head of the Arts Council and while I learnt a lot, I was also floored. I explained to her where I was at, my plan to finally put in that Touring application. It was pointed out, rightly so, that I had no track record with the Arts Council and that I would be up against well-established production companies who had been supported by the Council previously and had reputations of putting on successful theatre works of a high quality. My relationships with more established producers were encouraged, I was told I was doing everything right but that I should look at the smaller awards and build up a record with the Council which made a lot of sense. I then asked about musicals, why, generally speaking, the Arts Council doesn’t support them. I was told I would have to show that my work was innovative and ambitious as they do not support commercial theatre. Then came the flooring. I didn’t mention that I had children, I had told her assistant when trying to find a time for the call, that mornings were tricky as I had three small kids so I guess that’s how she knew. I didn’t want to talk about being a mother, I wanted to talk about my work but it was brought up anyway. Not on behalf of her position in the Council but as personal advice as she wanted to help me, being a mother herself, she didn’t want to see me constantly chasing something that would take all my time away from the children, those years go by so fast. I was questioned as a mother of a young family, could I really give my energy to both?
I believe that the advice came from a place of kindness but I was shocked. This wasn’t taking energy from me, it was giving me energy, I needed it, badly. I was left feeling ashamed, confused, misunderstood and unsupported. None of which I believe was intended me but I was in a fragile place and needed understanding not mis placed advice.

New Fish A Musical Smock Alley Theatre October 2019
Photo Credit Joanna O’Malley

Getting creative

I gave up on a Touring application after that call and decided I needed to get creative so instead I looked at the YPCE Project Awards, that is young people. As New Fish was not finished I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to get young people involved in the process of finalising the script holding workshops with transition year students, getting their input while they in turn learnt from professionals in the industry. I had two schools involved, one was an inner city school and another in Greystones. Again, I got everything together, built a pretty solid application but no luck. It wasn’t until later when I started working on applications with Producers Maura O’Keefe and Hugh Farrell that I really understood how to go about an application, I still wasn’t awarded the funding on most occasions but I had a much better approach. My last refused unsuccessful application for another project was truly excellent, I was so close, just too many other excellent applications. That’s the problem with the Arts Council, even when you get to a point of handing in excellent applications, there are still many other applications that will trump an unknown applicant.
After the YPCE application I decided to give up on the Arts Council for a bit. In fact, I even gave up on Ireland and started to badger London instead.

Me outside the Union in London

London Town

I had a few contacts in London from my acting days and was able to get a few meetings. Location meant a huge deal to me in terms of the venue. I initially looked at theatres above pubs like The Finborough but they were just too small for our musical. So I moved on to theatres. Initially I looked at The Other Palace. I had worked with Paul Taylor Mills before and loved the idea of it but it was also just too small. His other venue, The Turbine was showing The Heathers with no sign of finishing and a queue of shows waiting to get in there next anyway. Southwark would have been a dream but Chris Smyrnios, after 2 years of emailing him and surprising him in person for a chat at the venue decided against it. I also would have loved Menier Chocolate Factory, I sent David Babani a mail, no response. The Union were keen and I was nearly all set to book with them but it was a risky decision. I had to admit to myself it was not a good time. Living in Sweden with 3 children under 5, producing the premier of a new musical in London would have caused chaos in my family’s life. In my heart, I also knew The Union was not the right place for it, so I stopped chasing it. Claire told me at some point in the process that anything major that worked out for her fell into place without too much effort, that the things she forced to happen were never successful. I believe that and looking back I can see why Touring, the Arts Council, London didn’t happen for me, it all makes perfect sense now, I knew deep down it would have been too much for me to handle. Taking on a production from another country while managing family life would have been too difficult, it would have been too stressful. In a way, I suppose, the Head of the Arts Council was right (she says begrudgingly) but isn’t that a shame?
I so wanted to give this show that I believe in so much the best possible chance but everything has it’s time and place. I still believe it will happen, it deserves another shot.