The Marlowe Theatre acquires its first resident associate company
Accidental
Collective has become the Marlowe Theatre’s first resident associate
company. It was set up in 2005 by Daisy Orton and Pablo Pakula,
who met at the University of Kent when studying for a Master’s
Degree in Drama. They were drawn together through a shared excitement
for all the possibilities of theatre and both were keen to stay in
the city after graduating.
Orton
said: “We were aware of a lack of similar artists and venues in the
area but there is this idea that to be successful, you need to leave
Kent. This isn’t the case”. To prove it, a show-casing event
called Pot Luck, peer-to-peer support and the Marlowe
Scratch Night were created. In 2009 Kent University’s
School of Arts appointed Accidental Collective as its first associate
theatre company and, in 2012, the company won the Canterbury Culture
award in the Cultural Pioneer category.
As
the Marlowe’s resident associate company, Accidental Collective
will co-produce a new piece for the Marlowe Studio as well as
receiving support from technical, marketing and other teams at the
theatre, free rehearsal space and a platform for their work to reach
a larger audience.
The
Marlowe’s head of creative projects Daniel Lipman comments: “This
is an important development for our theatre, for the area, and, of
course, for Daisy and Pablo. We are committed to recognising and then
nurturing exciting new talent and this is the best possible start”.
Orton adds: “We have been working in the region for the past seven
years and this new relationship with The Marlowe is a fantastic
opportunity for us. We cannot wait to get started with our new show”.
Accidental
Collective’s first performance will be here
is where we meet,
a performance inspired by John Berger’s book. It runs from
Tuesday 18 to Saturday 22 June in the Marlowe Studio. The next
Marlowe Scratch Night is also in the Studio, on
Wednesday 10 July.
