Interview: Actor Producer Charlie MacGechan of Run At It SHOUTING

Run At It SHOUTING was a dramatic society based in Haverhill, Suffolk, founded by Frances MacGechan in 1999. Frances worked passionately with members of the community, producing theatre and performing arts courses. Sadly her death in February 2007 meant everything stopped for Run At It SHOUTING. 

BroadwayWorld sat down with Charlie to discuss his mission to bring back the company as a community in her memory.

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Your IMDB profile describes you as Actor Producer Executive - quite a trifecta! Can you tell us how you got started?

Growing up, I pursued acting like flies pursue - well, you know what!. Of course, I have had ups and downs (as most actors have) but nothing has come easy - such as life. 

Producing is something I have never pursued or wanted to do. BUT projects keep landing in my lap that I can't say no to! Don't get me wrong I love producing and bringing projects to life from the ground up. Maybe the universe is telling me something... Haha! 

Your mother has been a key influence well beyond those early days. Can you explain a little about how her work in prisons has embedded a social purpose, with a charitable dimension, in your own work?

Run At It Shouting is a community created in lockdown by me in remembrance of my late mother who passed away when I was 17.  

She had made a drama group called Run At It Shouting (named after a quote from Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I) in Haverhill, Suffolk, which worked in prisons, using drama as a way to help people express themselves. 

Sadly her passing in February 2007 left a huge void in many of our lives and subsequently everything stopped for that group. It's been my mission since then to continue its work in her memory. Now, (unbelievably so) it's one of the top industry hubs for actors and BAFTA-winning film legend, Bruce Robinson, is now our patron!

We offer a pay-what-you-can service, where a 100% of donations go to charity, alongside affordable training for professional actors. We currently have workshops available with Mark Ravenhill, Jez Bond (Park Theatre Artistic Director) and Mehmet Ergen (Arcola Theatre Artistic Director), as well as TV/Film workshops with many of the top directors and casting directors in the country! Featured events have also included Mike Leigh, Lesley Manville, Amma Asante, Bruce Robinson, Douglas Hodge, Charlie Cox, David Bradley, David Castaneda, Stacy Martin, Eve Best, to name but a few.

You make unusual choices that surprise audiences. How did you come to stage an adaptation of Harold Pinter's only novel, some three years ago, at the White Bear?

In lockdown I was struggling. Just prior I had been fired from a bar job and gone to work in a warehouse washing dishes. A close friend asked if there was anything I could do that gives service and helps people, so I began to work out a way to bring Run At It Shouting (RAIS) back and carry on my mother's legacy.  

The first person I reached out to was Mike Leigh, my mother's favourite director. I didn't think for one second he would reply as he didn't know me from Adam! Incredibly he got back to me immediately and he hosted one of our very first events! 

We ran 44 online episodes of a series called Working with Pinter, hosted by the playwright's close friend and collaborator Harry Burton. We would read plays together and discuss them. 

In early lockdown, there were many reports of domestic violence, which prompted me to explore the possibility of producing an online reading of the stage adaptation of Harold Pinter's only novel, The Dwarfs, in aid of The NIA Project (services given to women and children subject to domestic abuse in the Hackney area). Judy Daish (Pinter's agent) agreed and off the back of this one-off rehearsed reading, we raised thousands of pounds for the charity. I couldn't believe it!  This led to my debut as a producer with The Dwarfs at the White Bear Theatre - which received favourable reviews (see BroadwayWorld's here). 

From then, I reached out to Philip Ridley, whom I have admired for many years. I asked him to come and see my play. Again, Phil got back to me straight away and subsequently we have become good friends. He asked me to produce the premiere of The Poltergeist at The Arcola. Of course, I jumped at the chance. It went on to win 2023 OFFIE for Best Solo Performance!

More recently, I enjoyed When You Pass Over My Tomb (reviewed here), an avant garde work by a Franco-Uruguayan playwright about, well, let's just say a taboo subject. It must have been a hard sell, but it received strong reviews! How did you find it and why did you do it?

I first discovered Sergio Blanco after seeing his play Thebes Land. I loved his meta (autofiction) style and became a huge fan. Daniel Goldman is the go-to person when it comes to directing and translating Sergio's work in the English language, so I got in contact with him with a proposal. I truly believe Sergio Blanco's work is groundbreaking. For anyone involved in theatre I think it's some of the most important work in the world right now. 

Your company Flying Colours Productions is described on its website as the sister company of RAIS and TCG Artist Management Ltd. Can you disentangle them for us and explain how they work together to make theatre and films?

My acting agent is the founder of TCG Artist Management. She has been with me from day one - through all my ups and downs. When she saw that I had turned my life around and pursued a life of sobriety, she asked if I wanted to go into business with her. I had always wanted to create a production company called Flying Colours as this was another name that came from my late mother, who ran a small drama group for children with this name.  

You have found support from many big names in UK theatre - how did you reach them and what difference do they make to a small company carving out its niche in the cultural ecosystem?

My mentor, Tom Radcliffe, said to me "Charlie, if you could dream of a person to run your first event for your planned revival of your late mother's company, who would it be...". I instantly said "Mike Leigh". The reason being that he was my mother's favourite and she brought me up on his films. I have very fond memories of watching them with her. 

Tom's words gave me the confidence to go for it. Mike supported RAIS after I reached out to him and in doing so told me "Now I've done this for you, you will fly!" What a great person. After this I went for every top director I could think of - many now collaborate with my company. I think they like the ethos. It has now developed a kudos of its own, known for having many big names who support what we do.

Many readers of this interview will harbour hopes of becoming an actor, a producer or an executive in this most precarious of businesses. What advice would you give them?

My advice would be to go for it and don't let anyone (even yourself) talk yourself out of reaching for anything less than the best case scenario. You can always look at Plan B afterwards. In my case, with my episodes of low self esteem, I nearly talked myself out of going for my dreams many times, and continue to do so. It's an ongoing battle for me.

What can we expect next from you?

I will be producing a marathon weekend at the Wilton's Music Hall on the 9- 10 May 2025, where there will be ten rehearsed readings of (never-seen-before) new comedies written by Mark Ravenhill! Mark will be casting actors from the RAIS workshops. The event will be in aid of The NIA Project with all proceeds from our ticket sales going to that cause. 

I am also about to start research and development for a play I'm producing, an adaptation of the best selling novel, Random Acts Of Heroic Love, written by Danny Scheinmann. We have been working on this project for over a year and we have just linked with another production company, which is very exciting indeed, with news sure to break soon! It's incredible to think that it was just a pipe dream not so long ago and now it's a reality.  

Watch this space!

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