Alexa: [00:00:00] What happens when arts education becomes truly accessible?  

In this episode, we are welcoming Georgina from RABBLE Theatre, a theatre company and registered charity based in Reading in the south of the UK. 

We are talking about their mission to break down barriers to participation, building confidence through performance, and how they create and perform local inspiring stories to celebrate life and the arts outside of London. 

From nurturing performers to the wellbeing of the arts and creating community, this episode is for anyone, singing teachers like you and me, drama teachers, arts leaders, anyone passionate about the transformative power of creative education. 

And there are some little insights and tips on fundraising to help the communities that we're involved with. 

RABBLE Theatre is coming right up. 

Georgina, welcome to the podcast. How are you?  

Georgina: Thanks for having me, Alexa. Yeah, I'm really good. How are you?  

Alexa: Yes, good thank you. 

I've known you [00:01:00] for a little while, but something I don't know the answer to really is how arts and music has played a role in your life up to now. Is there anything that sort of springs to mind at being really important to you when it comes to music and singing and drama and stuff, other than obviously what you do with RABBLE? 

Georgina: Yeah. Uh, art and drama and creativity has always played a huge part in my life. Um, I would always consider myself someone, uh, who's a doer rather than a, you know, like an academic writer and listener in that kind of sense. So, getting to be creative and let that out yeah, was always huge. Always auditioning for the school plays, always wanted to partake in that, and just, yeah, absolutely loved it. 

Interestingly, never took it further than GCSEs, and I look back now and I'm like, "Oh, I'm not too sure that that was the best decision." But yeah have always loved that creative flow that it's given me and, um, just a, to escape from like the day-to-day of, you know, [00:02:00] GCSEs and schoolwork. That, yeah, definitely always spoke to me far more.  

Alexa: Something that you said to me recently is that one of your children, one of your daughters, is loving Paramore and Kelly Clarkson and how proud you are.  

Georgina: Hugely proud. I mean, there is never not music on in our house, so we've got speakers kind of around. And even if there's silence, my daughters are like, "Can we, can we put some music on please?" 

So just background noise or... I think music especially is very emotive. Music is a constant, so the fact that, you know, my nearly nine-year-old was like, "Oh, I really like Paramore," I was like, "Well, I feel like I've completed parenting." 

Like just takes me back to 2005, you know, when we were all listening to Paramore and Hayley Williams and, yeah, what that makes you feel. You don't realise that you've passed it on until they say things like that.  

Alexa: A popular one that's being brought into singing lessons at the moment actually is actually two from Anastacia, throwing it back to I'm Not That Kind of Girl and I'm Outta of Love. And people have been coming [00:03:00] in going, "Do you know this?" And I'm like, "Uh, do I know this?"  

Georgina: Yes. Yes, I know this. It's like, "Do you know this? Are you allowed to know this?" It's that millennial feeling, isn't it, of like that's actually our era and that's our song and we had it the first time around. But yeah, just cranking that up in the car and letting it all let out is, uh... and especially with the summer coming back, you're just like, "Yes, this is, this is what we want from music."  

Alexa: It's the theme. 

What exactly is RABBLE Theatre then, and what's your role there?  

Georgina: So, we're a theatre company, and we tell local stories of national significance, and we produce award-winning theatre, uh, to help make people feel proud about our amazing town, um, because we're a huge cultural hub, and we've got a lot going on and a lot of stories to tell. 

And we just wanna prove to people that you don't have to travel up to London to go and see amazing theatre, that we can do that right here in our town with amazing [00:04:00] creatives, directors, artists, actors, are all here. So yeah, we're here to promote our little town. 

At RABBLE, I'm the education coordinator. So we have a huge education programme where we offer theatre education to children, as young as six, to adults all the way up to... I think 80 is our oldest student. So yeah, so a huge spectrum, and that ranges in LAMDA classes, musical theatre classes, youth theatre. We, we do a lot with a very small team, but yeah.  

Alexa: What actually inspired the creation of RABBLE to start with?  

Georgina: It was exactly like I just mentioned, so to offer theatre so that, you know, we wanted to kind of like bring it this way. Um, so Dani Davies and Toby Davies, are the co-directors of, um, or the co-founders, sorry, of RABBLE Theatre. 

And, uh, yeah, they wanted to start a theatre company, um, that did exactly that, you know, nurtured what talent we had here rather than letting it all escape to [00:05:00] London.  

Alexa: As well as that then, what contributes to RABBLE's overall mission?  

Georgina: So we are a charity, and our charity mission and aim is to break down financial barriers in anybody accessing the arts. 

We want anybody and everybody who wants to partake either in our classes or to come and see our shows to be able to do that and not be restricted because of financial reasons. And we do that by fundraising for our access fund. 

It's a really informal process, a simple Google Form, and anybody can come to our classes, um, on a scholarship, and that will range from 100% scholarships or to whatever percentage a family feels that they can afford. They can come and attend our classes, you know, at a reduced rate so that they can benefit from what we know the arts offers. 

 Uh, scholarships for children will last for an entire ac- academic year. So, you know, [00:06:00] if they join us in September, that scholarship will last through till July. 

For our LAMDA classes, again, if they're coming along for free, um, we'll put them through their LAMDA exams for free as well. And yeah, it's just to offer that little, either that respite, that enjoyment, or that first step onto their creative and artistic pathway that maybe they wouldn't have had otherwise. 

Alexa: It's such an important mission and an important thing that you do because not only is it about the arts, but we also maybe forget how much transferrable skills are involved in that too. The confidence, and being able to make connections, and work as a team, and be creative, and it's so applicable to other parts of life too. 

Georgina: Oh, absolutely. And you see, you see these kids join us, you know, from the younger years, and as they grow into these people, performing in front of audiences. Our youth theatre, our, our juniors at the moment are making, they're doing The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, so they're [00:07:00] making all of their puppets. 

You know, so again, they're getting that, those arts and crafts in. My eldest, joined our holiday camps and, you know, she absolutely suffered with stage fright and there were times when I was having to really encourage her back on stage like, "You'll love this." 

And now just goes on there and just absolutely shines because she's had those opportunities. So yeah, it's, I, I think the arts is for everyone. Um, and that's why we want that mission to be that anyone can come along.  

Alexa: As you mentioned before, you do a lot there at RABBLE. Can you tell us about the educational and youth programmes that you run? 

Georgina: Yes. Are you sat tight?  

Alexa: Strap in.  

Georgina: Yeah. We're-- There is a lot that we do. So we have a huge LAMDA programme, and we teach, from the introductory syllabus. So that's kind of like typically our younger students from year two when we introduce them into LAMDA before they then move on to either the acting or the speaking in public syllabus. 

[00:08:00] We work within schools around Reading, sometimes during the school day or after the school day, towards those grades from entry up to grade eight. And we actually run our own exam centre as well. So, um, all of the students who are due to take an exam, either at the end of one term or two terms, will come to a venue in Reading, and we'll, we'll enter all of those. So, uh, yeah. So LAMDA exams. 

We also run a adult-- so two adult classes. We've got Get Up On Stage, which is our Monday night adult acting class. We're currently doing a Get Up On Stage masterclass this term, where we've got a number of different creatives who join us for a weekly workshop or sometimes bi-weekly. 

We've done... What have we done this term already? Mask theatre. We have done stage combat. And then we've got a couple of other great things coming up. So we've got, oh, improvisation we had as well with Seamus Allen, and then we've got physical [00:09:00] theatre coming up as well in the next kinda couple of weeks. 

So it just kind of gets the creative juices flowing, kind of like week on, week off, and lets those students enjoy something different each term. But typically, we'll work towards kind of like an end of term performance, for everyone to enjoy and revel their performance then at the end of term. 

Uh, we also run actually adult LAMDA classes as well, so, um, it won't just be junior students, but adult students. We also run a youth theatre class on a Saturday morning. That's our young company, who are currently split into seniors and juniors. Uh, and as I have mentioned already, so the juniors are doing The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. 

And the, uh, seniors are completing Useless Magic, which is actually written by our assistant director, Noah. So it's a script that he came up with, which they're absolutely loving, so they're doing that. What else have we got? 

We've got YCMT, our musical theatre class, which goes ahead on a Friday night, and they are [00:10:00] doing High School Musical Junior. So we're gearing up for a summer show of that in July. 

And then we also run, holiday camps. So we do one week at Easter, and we do two weeks at summer school. So gearing up for one week of, The Greatest Showman, and a workshop based on Moana. So that'll be fun. 

Yeah, lots of movement in there and yeah, all the songs we know and love, and Hannah just loves working with me, on the holiday camps 'cause I'm just singing in her ear the whole time. But yeah, very, very busy education department ran by essentially two people, but we've got around 400 students, kind of like a term that we're... 

Alexa: that's so good.  

Georgina: Yeah.  

Alexa: And so- that's just reminded me of something that we've been speaking about a little bit at BAST, is the shift between being a professional singer or artist in the industry, and how it feels to move into teaching, and how you're not actually letting go of that professional performance side, but you [00:11:00] can do that alongside. 

And just knowing there from what you've said about people who are working at RABBLE bringing in those other interests of writing scripts and being able to see that come alive with the students that they're working with, that's such an awesome thing to be able to do.  

Georgina: Yeah. And one thing that we, 'cause we work with a lot of freelancers at RABBLE, one thing we're very keen... We call ourselves the RABBLE family, and we work with people, so build up a pool of freelancers and creatives. We've got people who act, a lot of our actors are my LAMDA teachers. 

And then when we've got professional productions that are coming up, you know, if there's the opportunity there and if they're the right fit for a role, then we'll absolutely reach out for those kinds of things. So, yeah, absolutely transferable within the business. Um, and we wanna work with the right people in the right capacity, and that kind of flexes, alongside. 

And a lot of our teachers I think, and I think this is within the arts as well, is people remember how it made them feel when they were younger, and that they wanna pass that [00:12:00] on to the next generation. You know, they wanna be that inspiration and be that, you know, again, that first step, into the love of the arts. 

Alexa: So do you work with freelance singing teachers? Are you looking for any singing teachers to come and join from time to time?  

Georgina: Always looking to build up our pool of singing teachers, absolutely. We're always keen to hear from anybody. We don't currently teach LAMDA singing, you know, musical theatre, but definitely something that we'd consider. 

 But yeah, if anybody would be interested in coming along, we're always happy to hear from people. Like I say, we've got holiday camps and our musical theatre classes and, you know, whilst there might not always be roles available, we wanna build up that database so that we've got those people to reach out to. 

Alexa: If a singing teacher was interested in collaborating with RABBLE, what would make them fit into the team?  

Georgina: Oh, we're all about personality and coming along and just showing us who you are, and having a good time. Um, you know, personable is [00:13:00] always, a huge, huge thing that we're, proud of and keen for at RABBLE, and kind of joining within that family. 

Just be yourself and, you know, show us your talents and, we're always up for collaborating with, new people and, encouraging those, collaborative elements. 

Alexa: When we first started chatting, you were talking about how music and the arts have played a role in your life, and you're seeing this live now happening to people who are coming into RABBLE and partaking in these programmes and classes.  

What role have you seen specifically creativity and singing and arts play in these people's lives, and have you got any stories that you can tell us about specific people and, and how they've gone on to benefit? 

Georgina: Yeah, definitely. So, the RABBLE family, you know, extends, outside of the team at RABBLE. We make a real effort of building a rapport with the families who come to our classes. and as we're all aware, you know, the mental health of [00:14:00] children, is a, a huge topic and is something that we're all trying to better for children, et cetera. 

You've got children who maybe suffer with, you know, anxieties and things like that, and it isn't as simple as them just showing up to class. But, you know, offering that support to help them come to class, that is just of utmost importance, to us always. 

You know, to, to communicate with families, and to let them know that there is a way, that we can help support. 

We've had it before where children have come to camps, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. We typically have around 65 students who join us for the week and, we had a child who, you know, came for the first day, and then we received an email to say it's, it's just too much for her and, she won't be coming back. 

So, it's a, it's a phone call with the parents and just say, you know, "We're here a little bit earlier. Would you like to arrive earlier? She can see the schedule for the we- you know, for the day so that she knows what to expect. She can come and find me, you know, for respite and things like that." 

And, she took a day, and came back on the [00:15:00] Wednesday, and then absolutely smashed the show on the Friday. And it's just opening those lines of communication, and going above and beyond. That's, what we try to do always, um, to understand the people who are coming to our classes and offering those workarounds and those things. 

But that flexibility basically, if it's a round hole and a square peg, actually let's out- see how we can make this fit. So yeah, feel very passionate about that.  

Alexa: You mentioned earlier about how applying for financial support is really as simple as a Google Form over to you, and then the process happens from there. 

This seems sort of a weird question to ask, but I guess how do you decide or get to know who actually needs the financial support from yourself?  

Georgina: Yeah. So the access fund, it- it's just something we're really proud of. It's basically there to remove any barrier in anyone not accessing the arts, be that [00:16:00] our classes or our shows, and one person's barrier looks completely different to another person's barrier. 

So it's, it is just them completing the form, that being reviewed by us in the team, having those discussions and, awarding the scholarship, to them based on, that form. Um, but yeah, everybody's circumstances is different to the others. So as long as, the mission is being achieved in that, people are coming, which is what is happening, and we're fundraising for that money, then, being able to see that direct impact immediately, from week to week, is something we're hugely proud of at RABBLE.  

Alexa: And it's not like you walk into the room, and you've got like a red... 

Georgina: no ... 

Alexa: ... arrow over your head. It's like-  

Georgina: No, it's absolutely not. Yeah. Nobody knows apart from on, in the office team. Teachers don't know, students don't know, nobody knows who is fully funded scholarship or who is there, you know, privately [00:17:00] paying for themselves, and that is the standard across all of our, courses. 

We partnership with the, um, Holiday Activities Fund with our, holiday camps. and again, everybody comes, and everyone is the same. Nobody is being treated differently or having a different experience because of any scholarship or funding that they're receiving within our classes.  

Alexa: How do you feel that you nurture young people who are interested in maybe a career in musical theatre or going on to singing as a profession? 

Georgina: Yeah. We offer experiences across all of our classes and, and furthermore, we've got a great work experience programme. So for children, um, or students who want to partake, you know, either with- within schools or at college, they can come along and, see what it takes to, be involved within a theatre company. And work experience doesn't always end there either. 

So again, I'd already mentioned previously that we wanna have this pool of teachers that we work with and build that rapport with. So, many of our work [00:18:00] experience students who have joined us either at our camps, or internships with Reading University have gone on to further paid work within RABBLE. 

We're very proud of offering that. Um, Noah, who I mentioned earlier, joined us originally as work experience and he now has partaken within stage management at RABBLE. He's obviously written the script, which we're producing at Young Company. We've had students who have joined us at Get On Stage, who have gone on to drama schools. 

So yeah, very, very much about pathways and nurturing talent and, helping people onward with their journey.  

Alexa: If I think back to the stage school or the, the drama club that I went to when I was eight years old, and now kind of seeing where people have gone on from that and how much that roots you into the beginning part of your relationship with arts. 

I remember my friend Adam, who now is in Ted Lasso, which is amazing, and so watching that a- again [00:19:00] recently, 'cause the new series is coming out, so you must catch up-  

Georgina: Yeah. Can't wait! 

Alexa: Yeah ... and remind yourself, is so wonderful. And then seeing other people who are in bands gigging at weddings, who went on to study drama, who are still following that dream, and it's... it plays such a massive role in young years.  

Georgina: Yeah. And, you know, it's being stripped out of the curriculum left, right, and centre, you know, that, that kids don't get the opportunity as much as we think that they should. Yeah, definitely. I think, you know, those initial grassroots memories of, theatre in whatever capacity that may be is hugely important. 

You might not realise it at the time. That's why I think it was always quite interesting, and hindsight is always quite interesting, isn't it? But you look back on those memories and think like, "Oh, yeah. That was a really good time," and that caused, you know, that rolling effect, for where people end up. 

Definitely.  

Alexa: What is a tip that you might have regarding the fundraising element of things from what you've seen? [00:20:00]  

Georgina: Make it about who you are. 

So the RABBLE Dazzle we held last March, and it was a 1920s immersive theatre, three-course dinner. People got dressed up, and it was all about theatre, but that we involved kind of the... We didn't involve the audience, like, but, you know, it happened around them. And the conversation started when we were planning that, you know, about a, a gala or a, a ball, and that just wasn't us. We just thought, "Oh, well, we can do more than that. You know, we're a theatre company. We produce theatre, so let's do that. So I would say, fundraise and create events that tell people who you are because the more passionate about what you're putting on, the more people are gonna wanna come and see what it is that you're doing. 

Back in March, we ran our fundraiser, Off the Block. We, uh... It's high intense theatre. It's basically a writing relay over four days [00:21:00] where four writers write a 20-minute script within 24 hours. and then a team comes together on Friday morning, and by Friday at 7:30, each group of actors, directors, and composers puts on a 20-minute show to a live paying audience. 

So, um, yeah, it's intense, but it's those kind of events where people are coming and giving us their time very kindly, 'cause like I said, it's a fundraiser. But we meet those new connections, and people are meeting... I mean, Chris Mitchell, one of the composers there, where he's a Grammy Award-winning composer, you know. 

So it's an opportunity for someone to come along and meet him and, make that extra connection, and we know how important networking is.  

We're gearing up for our next Dazzle, so it's gonna be a 1940s RABBLE Dazzle, so wartime era. And the hope is that all of the people came to the last Dazzle had such a great time that they wanna come again. But it was because, you know, we had singers and we had acting, we had live theatre happening and people felt really good about it and [00:22:00] wanna come back.  

Alexa: We were recently speaking with Rachael Drury about AI, and actually her view was that live performance is potentially going to be way more sought after because of that human connection. And so keeping things alive through live performance and giving people the opportunity to go and see actual bodies doing these things. 

 And as you say, like keeping it real to yourself means that you're, adhering to that branding as well, so people know exactly what they're gonna get.  

Georgina: Absolutely. And, you know, we've got a very passionate, supportive group of, people who support RABBLE and supporters, and we feel very, very fortunate for that. 

But I think that's because the productions we put on are things that we feel passionate about. And within Reading, you know, when we did Henry I, you know, we put that on in the Reading Abbey Ruins, and I mean, I didn't know about it at the time, but you know, he's, it was him who created it. He's buried there, you know, and that's, you know, [00:23:00] something to feel really passionate about with Reading. 

So yeah, stay true to yourself and think about what makes your heart sing, and that'll, yeah, that authenticity will just, have people coming to see you because that's what they wanna do. 

Alexa: All of this in-house stuff that you're doing, your, your own sort of self-driven fundraising seems really great. 

What about the stuff externally? Are you feeling any pushback or resistance from councils or, the influence of government at all?  

Georgina: I mean, grant writing is, having a f- a, a dedicated fundraiser, which we don't have our artistic director, Toby, does all of our, or the majority of our grant applications. It's a really in-depth, tough process, making sure that you've, you know, got all of the formalities together. and we're definitely finding that grants are getting harder and harder to come by. We obviously fundraise tirelessly, but alongside all of that, we have to apply for grants [00:24:00] and for pots of money, um, according to projects that we would like to do next. 

We were really fortunate to gain Arts Council funding for our last UK tour of Glitch, the true story of the post office scandal. that was our take or on Pam Stubbs, a local Barkham postmistress who was impacted by the Horizon scandal. Again, local story of huge significance that we were fortunate enough to get that funding for. 

However, grant application writing is no small job and no small task. So Toby does an amazing job of doing those applications, but we are definitely finding more often than not we're spending a lot of time writing those applications, waiting a number of months to hear the outcome and more often than we ever have found, you know, getting rejected. 

We can't, make the magic happen without, those all important grants coming in. So yeah, it's, it's definitely difficult, and have found it more difficult than we have [00:25:00] done previously, especially since kind of post-COVID.  

Alexa: So how is the charity actually funded then?  

Georgina: Uh, so it's a combination of earned income. So I think it's about 70% of RABBLE is funded by private income now. And then grant giving trusts, business sponsorships, and then private donations. So people can become RABBLE Rousers or Friends of the theatre, and they can donate from as little as £3 a month.  

Alexa: And I'm guessing that people can make random donations as well if they want to? 

Georgina: Yes, always glad for random donations. So as simple as heading to our website, you can make a, a, a donation directly from there or by coming to any of our fundraising events. 

Alexa: How do you find that you can balance the artistic goals that you have at RABBLE whilst also juggling the realities of it being a charity?  

Georgina: Um, when we applied for charity status, we took or paid real attention, to what our charitable aim was going to be. 

[00:26:00] So our charitable aim is that we want to advance education, within the public, within the arts, be that through training or workshops or theatre education, as well as providing performances to, anyone, regardless of their age or background within Reading, both nationally and internationally, that becomes life-changing for them. So... and that is essentially what we do. 

Everyone at RABBLE is passionate about being accessible, the arts being accessible and representative. but in order to do that, we need to raise enough money, we need to be successful in business so that we can then remove those barriers in everybody accessing the arts, and all the other great things that we wanna do. Simple as that.  

Alexa: Singing teachers or artists who are listening to this and who would love to kinda set up a hub of some sort in their own regions for the same [00:27:00] reasons what would be your bit of advice to them? 

Georgina: Get to know your local community. RABBLE can do what we do because we get out within the community and work, with different charities, with different organisations And collaborate, to offer what we can offer alongside other charitable aims. so yeah, definitely get to know your, your local community and, put yourself out there basically. 

 We're far bigger now than we were back when we started in 2012. Uh, our first productions gathered audiences of around 1,000 people, and our latest UK tour gathered, around 7,500 audience members to Glitch. So it's always worth starting, always worth starting somewhere. 

Alexa: Looking ahead, what does RABBLE want to do to reach more communities and more audiences and more people who aren't accessing the arts?  

Georgina: I think it's, a combination of a number of things. 

So ensuring that our venues are accessible [00:28:00] to everybody, via our access fund, we will always try, um, and offer discounted ticket prices on certain days to performances, and to continue fundraising for those grants so that we can continue offering workshops. 

We've got a current, class that's going on fortnightly in Whitley, it's called Our Memories, and it's there to try and devise art it's a devising class for people to come and tell their stories about Whitley and what makes them proud about living in Whitley. so yeah, plenty more of those, kind of opportunities. 

Next year, 2027, we are hoping to, put on our next production for William the Conqueror. It's his... It's the millennium of his birth. So again, grant applications are ongoing, to try and bring that next year, so that we can, offer accessible venues and accessible ticket prices to our audience so that it's available to everybody. 

Alexa: We spoke with the founders of South West Voice Hub on the podcast, I think it was last year [00:29:00] or the year before now actually, and they were making something in Devon so that singing teachers could access stuff that didn't mean they had to travel to London. It was more localised for them, and I, I think that's wonderful. 

Along with things like celebrating what the arts do from a scientific and wellbeing side of things. Speaking with the authors of the book, Your Brain on Art, and how sometimes now GPs are prescribing arts as a way to help people who are on mental health waiting lists. It's just a wonderful thing to have in our culture, and if we lose it, then we're losing who we are as human beings.  

So it's a massive thanks to companies and charities like RABBLE, so I really hope that everything keeps going the way it can positively for you, and that people can get involved. 

Because without my little Saturday drama club, I, maybe I would've never really followed singing, and I would've never met the first boy I [00:30:00] think I fancied.  

Georgina: Aw. See?  

Alexa: Yeah. 

Where can listeners find out more about RABBLE Theatre and get in touch with any questions, or if they want to reach out and collaborate?  

Georgina: Absolutely. Um, our... You can find us at rabbletheatre.com. 

You can find us on social media, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and if anybody wants to get in touch with collaborative work, um, or interested in joining our pool of freelancers, then it's admin@rabbletheatre.com.  

Alexa: Great. That'll all be in the show notes, but for now, I think you need to go and blast out some Paramore. 

Georgina: I think I do. Yeah, absolutely. But thanks so much for having me on it's been lovely.  

Alexa: Thanks for coming, G. Bye. 

Georgina: Bye.