LS_30113 vanessa cooke

The speaker reflects on the transformation of the Market Theatre over time. They mention changes in programs, funding affecting the size of operations, shift from development to production focus, and the impact of becoming a state institution. They express concerns about funding policies affecting productions and note the shift towards institutionalization. The speaker also discusses the challenges faced by the current leadership in balancing funding constraints and artistic decisions compared to the past. You know, things do change and move on and so on. So perhaps you can describe what was your idea of the... or what is your idea of the transformation of the market theater? Now? You mean since... Now and at the time. See, we were transforming because of the situation, in a way. We were working with everyone. We had training programs to give other people opportunities to work in technical and admin, things like that. Which I'm not sure they've kept up very well, but I can't... I'm not an expert on that. The lab is still going. But less than... smaller than it was. But the fieldwork program is still going. And the school is still going. But some things they don't do anymore. Like the resident project. And I don't know if maybe that's time, the times. It's not needed anymore. I'm not sure. But the creation of new work, to me, was always the most important thing. Especially at the lab. And the training of new artists, writers. From our fieldwork program as well. So it was all connected up. I'm not sure what the policy is there. You would need to speak to Clara. Sipo is still there. Sipo is still there? Sipo is still there. But he works in the admin block. Not at the lab. OK. But I mean, Mpo and Sipo were the two who took me to Alexandra... That's right. 20 years ago. I don't know if Mpo still does fieldwork that much. I don't think so. But the whole program is smaller. I suppose because of funding. But also I think part of the change that I found at the market was... Not so much interest in development. More an interest in production and those sorts of core activities of the market theatre, I suppose. There's no art gallery anymore. There's no photo gallery anymore. There is photo workshop still there. So those things have all changed. It was a mad integrated place before for me. Of course we're not an art gallery. Of course we're not a photo gallery. Of course we're not a training institution. But we were. You know? And that's what's changed for me. So I'm sure if you spoke to other people you'd find maybe a very different feeling. When did you properly leave the work at the market? Seven years ago. Okay. So can you describe what was the transformation at that time? I mean from before Parity Apartheid until the moment it was adopted as a kind of state theatre. You mean the moment they got funding? Yeah. For me that changed a lot. Obviously some for the better. There was a more stable ability to pay staff salaries. Still not so much activism. And for me not enough money towards production. I would have preferred... But it was a policy. It was a policy of DAC and a policy of everybody not to pay the actors for some reason. You must get funding to do a play. That has never made sense to me. So all those things built up in me as to... That it changed from what I believed it should be to an institution. I never thought of the market theatre as an institution. Which way did you think of it? As a theatre. As a place where people worked together, met, spoke. That was for me the big difference. And I think that comes with becoming a state institution maybe. I mean... The oldies have a hard time trying to work out what's going on there. I think. But I do have confidence in James. I think he's under a lot of restrictions in terms of funding. For instance he didn't do a play at the beginning of this year. I know. In the old days he would have done it somehow. That is what a lot of people reproach him. Yes, but it's not all his fault. There's a bureaucracy there now where he doesn't have the power that say Barney had for instance. Because Barney would just say, well I'm going to do it. Somehow we are going to do it. And the actors would do it for nothing. It doesn't happen so much anymore. In those days. Which is all.