prototype
Noun
- a first or preliminary version of a device or vehicle from which other forms are developed.

Proto-type Theater's name is apt: with a mandate to create cutting-edge, engaged drama, the group has found a unique vehicle for exploration with its latest dramatisation.

A Machine they're Secretly Building is a forensic dissection of what it means to be human in a world of creeping surveillance; a world of disinformation, fake news and endemic populism; a world where truth is negotiated in the service of those with most power.

How, the drama asks, did we get here ? Are freedom of expression and thought under threat ? Is a dystopian nightmare of curtailment, proscription and prohibition just around the corner ? Is liberty, in any case, an inalienable right ?

The multi-media dramatic approach of the Lincoln-based company gives the play a frightening contemporary immediacy: under the expert 'two-hander' performance of Gillian Lees and Rachel Baynton, themes of whistle-blowing, journalism and state-sponsored surveillance will be placed under the microscope of scrutiny.

Dovetailing neatly with Settle Stories' overriding festival theme for 2018 - the mutable place of storytelling in a digital age - Proto-type's rendition of their new drama at the town's Victoria Hall will be a welcome addition to an already full programme.

A recent interview with the Proto-type team revealed more about their commitment to this most urgent of modern agendas:

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

As a company, we were really honoured that A Machine they're Secretly Building was nominated for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award which recognises theatre productions of excellent artistic merit that build understanding and raise awareness about human rights in an inspirational way.

We're also proud that, in our 10 years working together, we've had a chance to perform in amazing venues and festivals, and meet and talk to diverse audiences all over the world.

What inspires your creativity?

Recently? Injustice and inequality. These sound like kind of big and pompous reasons, but the feelings of powerlessness we've all felt when encountering the news, that overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to start in trying to make things better, has moved us to make a series of theatre shows that attempt to unpick complexity and bring secrets to light.

We believe that theater and stories have the power to inspire empathy, change minds and perhaps even change the world. A Machine... and our next show The Audit (or Iceland, a modern myth) use stories to discuss difficult subjects, inform, entertain and hopefully inspire hope for change in others.

Give one piece of advice to your younger selves

Watch more, learn more, do more!  Surround and expose yourself to art that others are making, whether that's visual arts, live art, digital work, theatre, performance, animation, music... the more you see and experience the better and more informed work you'll make. 

Who is your artistic idol and why?

There are lots of artists and theater companies that inspire us with their ambition and precision but we draw our strength from Beyoncé, always Beyoncé!

What is your key goal with your artistic practice?

To make precise, bold, beautiful work, that provokes, entertains, and isn't shy of asking big questions and thinking big thoughts.

What are the stakes? What happens if you fail?

What's at stake is the reception to what we make. We want to continue working as artists, which is difficult to sustain, your ability to raise the money to make the work is directly linked to the quality and perception of your last piece.

Having said this, we never want to shy away from tackling ambitious projects and subjects because we're afraid of the reaction - it's important that we rise to the challenge of making artistically rigorous work.

We've also always worked with the belief that the key is learning to wear your failures like a badge of honour, because they paved the way for the successes.

Samuel Beckett has the measure of this: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”



If you could be any literary character, who would you be and why?

We’d do well as the three witches in Macbeth - the three of us often put on a brew, and sit around to cackle and plot! 

What would your epitaph say?

"Every person remembers some moment in their life where they witnessed some injustice, big or small, and looked away because the consequences of intervening seemed too intimidating. But there's a limit to the amount of incivility and inequality and inhumanity that each individual can tolerate. I crossed that line. And I'm no longer alone.” - Edward Snowden

A Machine they're Secretly Building
Settle Stories Festival.
Friday 6th April.
www.settlestories.org.uk/festival