Guest Blog: Andrew Broadley On THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE Gala For MGCfutures

I'm sure there's an old showbiz credo somewhere that says never work with children or animals - and never ever volunteer to organise a gala charity performance.

But here I am with just days to go, putting the finishing (ha!) touches on all the arrangements for a very special performance of The Lieutenant of Inishmore on 6 September at the Noel Coward Theatre in aid of Michael Grandage's charity MGCfutures.

This won't exactly be the first time that I'm asking myself "Why oh why am I doing this?", but fortunately the answer to that recurring question is always there to reassure me: because MGCfutures is doing such amazing work!

MGCfutures first sprang to life as the educational arm of the Michael Grandage Company's first West End season back in 2013, and since then it has championed accessibility to West End theatre - both in terms of ticket prices and the provision of online supporting material designed to attract young people to live performance of classic texts and new writing.

MGCfutures has also developed a focus on those working to make a career in theatre - on and off-stage - and its annual bursary programme, now in its third year, was designed to help young people make a gear change in their creative development. There are dozens of young theatre-makers who can tell you how much the charity has helped them.

Breakthrough director Rebecca Frecknall (her production of Summer and Smoke is shortly to transfer from the Almeida to the West End) is just one of many young theatre directors to have received support, whilst other recipients include technicians, designers, performance-makers, composers and producers.

That's what makes futures so special: it's open to people from every aspect of the industry. For example, Dean Burke was a dancer in the process of making a career change and needed materials and a website to build his new career as a theatrical milliner. Dean is now working successfully in theatre, film and television, and has recently worked on the Royal Ballet's visually stunning new production of Swan Lake.

This year saw the biggest number of applicants since the scheme began, evidencing the growing need for the kind of support that only MGCfutures is providing. Not only does the charity provide invaluable mentoring from industry professionals, it also awards much-needed finance to make those vital gear changes happen.

No other charity provides help in this way, and MGCfutures has its eye on the longer term, intending to support emerging theatre-makers for many years to come.

So, amidst all the inevitable pressure that's part of the countdown to the big day (thankfully no children or animals, although there is the small matter of the Inishmore cat...), I will definitely be finding time to remind myself that MGCfutures depends on the generous support of all those involved - company, production partners, backers, supporters, friends, and especially the audience, to whom a huge THANK YOU is due. The money raised from this Gala will make it possible for MGCfutures to run another bursary programme in 2019.

And so, until the next time...

Find out more and book for the gala performance at www.mgcfutures.com

Andrew Broadley is the Interim Executive Director of MGCfutures

Photo credit: Johan Persson, MGCfutures